A Free Weekend...FINALLY!

Ahhhh...the thought of a free weekend brings a HUGE smile to my face :)
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The next two days we have NOTHING going on....zero.zilch.nada. No parties, no traveling, nothing to even get dressed for (except my quick trip down the street to register the van tomorrow).
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The last time we had a weekend with nowhere we HAD to go was THIS ONE...remember? That was over a month ago. Since then we've been to a wedding reception, cookout at a friends, Rick Charette, baby shower, my parents' party and the cookout at the in-laws...WHEW! We haven't had a chance to do much of anything else this summer but there's no way we're going to try and make up for it this weekend. This weekend is going to be FULL of a whole lotta nothin' !!!
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Plus, the fact that a hurricane is passing close by and all it's supposed to do is POUR will make it a whole lot easier to hunker down and just enjoy being HOME.
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Have a great one!!!
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I Waaaaaaaant One!

Yesterday, Iz and I met up with Aunt J & A to go out on he lake in their kayaks. All I kept saying was "I want one of these!"
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It was so much fun...and just look at how happy I am paddling around:
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Iz had a blast riding along with Aunt J
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Once again, see how HAPPY I am out on the water!?!
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A lounging in her kayak...sipping her drink
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And, seriously....EVERYTHING is better with iced coffee :)
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Now THAT'S one happy little girl!
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Aunt J said I could pretty much use their kayaks anytime :) and Auntie D and I actually chatted today that it would be fun to sneak out onto the lake sometime soon. I guess that will do until I get my own...
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PS - BIG Kudos to Aunt J who, as of yesterday, has a JOB!!! Stay off the streets after next Tuesday people...she'll be the one in the big, long, BRIGHT YELLOW SCHOOL BUS! Yipe! She's being trusted with a bus full of kids??? We live in scary times.

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No, seriously - Way to Go! It's about time you got off FB and your lazy butt and got back to work!!! Are you feeling the love??? :D

Annual Cookout at the In-Laws...Part 3 - The FOOD :)

If anyone asked me, I would tell them that the reason I look forward to the Cookout at Hubby's parents' every year is that I love his family and love seeing them all...
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That, however, would be a L.I.E.
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Don't get me wrong - I DO love his family and I DO love seeing them all. I was fortunate enough to marry into a family that I genuinely like hanging around with. They're funny and silly and down-to-earth and, in the few years Hubby & I have been married, they've made me feel like "one of the family"... like I've always been there :)
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But, since we're being honest, the REAL reason I look forward to the cookout is this...
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The BUSHEL of steamers Bumpy gets...and cooks in HUGE pots (with BEER!)...and serves with a TON of melted butter.
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Steamers, you say? You can get those anywhere? I thought he was a lobsterman.

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He IS a lobsterman, but the STEAMERS are the best part of the cookout. Bumpy gets them ahead of time & lets them sit for a couple days in the crate in the water....so they are completely, totally, 100% grit-free...and just like candy! YUM-O!

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Don't be mistaken...we had lobster too!!!

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and LOTS of 'em!
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There was also salads, and corn-on-the-cob, and munchies and desserts....WAY too much food for the number of people there. I did sample a few things and they were good...but I was there for clams, clams, and MORE clams...
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...oh, and time with Hubby's family .... of course :)
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Annual Cookout at the In-Laws...Part 2 - The Babies :)

Well, there were actually only two babies...but they were both so stinkin' cute that I could barely stand it!!!
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Baby "R"...almost 3 weeks old....SO sweet!

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Baby "B"...about 6 months(?)...So handsome!

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R looking so serious!

and she's such a peanut...

at almost 3 weeks she still weighs less than Iz did at birth - YIPE!

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Iz strolled right over and asked to hold B...he's almost as big as she is!
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Both babies together...people were hovering around them ALL day long!
I was one of them :)
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Another shot of R
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I just HAD to add this shot, because even though I'm sure she'd disagree...

Iz will always be MY baby :)

and I have a feeling Z's mom feels the same way!
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Last cookout post tomorrow...and, in my mind, it's the BEST one!

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Annual Cookout at the In-Laws...Part I - The People :)

Yesterday morning, Hubby & I packed up our stuff, grabbed Iz and headed "Downeast" to Hubby's parents house...we stopped along the way and picked up J :) Hubby was SO glad that all 3 of his kiddos would be there!
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L & J chatting
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The boys (big & small) spent a good part of the day playing baseball
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Hubby played for a while...but got too HOT!

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Iz hustled the old men with her charm and cuteness :)

From L-R: Bumpy's buddy searching his change for a dollar coin, Bumpy digging in for his wallet & Bumpy's brother handing Iz a buck.

Suckers :)
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What a good lookin' group of kids :)

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ALL five grand kids...a picture for Grammie & Bumpy!

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That's just the beginning....more about the cook-out tomorrow:)

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The Time Traveler's Wife

Yesterday, my "seesters" and I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife based on the book by Audrey Niffenegger.
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I am TERRIBLE about movies based on books. especially books I love. I've spent MANY an hour complaining how they've ruined every Harry Potter movie since the Chamber of Secrets, much to my family & friends' chagrin...
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TTTW is a book I REALLY LOVE...a book I read in a single day, forsaking my family's needs of silly things like food, clean clothing and attention...a book I grabbed out of a friend's library donation pile so I would have a copy ALL.MY.OWN.
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Auntie D listened to the abridged version of TTTW and then HAD to read the whole book...Auntie D, who doesn't read books, only listens...who isn't what I would consider a "romantic" by ANY means...who made everyone she knows read this book - READ IT! READ IT! READ IT! And so, we did...
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and...we ALL love the book...everyone I've made read it loves the book...everyone I've ever talked to about the book LOVES the book (are you sensing a pattern here?).
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So...with a lot of trepidation and even more iced coffee pulsing through my veins :) we went to see the movie.......

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I hope you're sitting down...
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...because it was GOOD...in fact, it was REALLY GOOD. I laughed, I cried (surprise! surprise!) and I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face, so happy that a book I love so much wasn't butchered by Hollywood :)

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The book is better (books are almost always better...the exceptions? The Princess Bride and The Notebook....two great movies, two mediocre books) and I can't wait to read the book again, but at the same time, I can't wait for TTTW on DVD...it will definitely be added to my collection.

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I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10...and that's being a little reserved.

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Go see it - it will warm your heart.

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If you haven't read the book...for God's sake...

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READ IT! READ IT! READ IT! :)

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*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*

I do have one tiny complaint about the movie...they changed the ending...and the ending of the book just rips your heart out and turns you to mush. Why? Why did they change the ending? It would have been a 2 second scene...Claire, old & gray, sitting in a chair at the window...she hears a sound....turns, smiles and says "Henry"

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*sigh* If only they hadn't changed the ending....

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***images courtesy of amazon.com and thetimetravelerswifemovie.com

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A Day at the Beach

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday of this week were HOT HOT HOT and HUMID HUMID HUMID. We've been trying our best to stay cool & not melt.
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Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out for a "Day At the Beach" with Aunt J, B & A....well, actually it was more like just a couple hours at the beach.
(Aunt J was the one with the camera so ignore the incorrect date on some of the pictures...she really needs to fix that!)
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You'd think it was a WEEK at the beach from the amount of stuff we lugged in :)

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The water was FREEZING (naturally - it IS Maine, after all) so we spent most of our time on the sand.
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My favorite pic of the day! Boy am I full of hot air :)

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The big "kids" spent most of the day digging a couple of big holes...

too old for sandcastles, I guess, but to young to just lay around in the sun :)
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Beach Beauty
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We ALWAYS have to take a self-portrait...and it usually comes out terrible.

This one is no exception!

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Iz was COVERED in sand...it was EVERYWHERE!
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I'm still trying to get caught up on all that's happened since the party....I'm getting there :)

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A *Few* Pics from PARTY DAY!

The "Guests of Honor"*

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Hopefully I will be getting more pictures soon from my seesters & uncle...I'll share them as soon as I can :)
Until then, here's a few to wet your whistle...
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The cutest girl there (in my EXTREMELY biased opinion!)

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The Crowd

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It was HOT!
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More of The Crowd

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Waiting in line for food...

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Uncle K helping with the Pig

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Serving the food :) YUM!

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The best part? Eating the food :)

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The picture Board, Wishing Well, Goodie Bags & Party Favors

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The GORGEOUS cake Mom's sister made...and it was DELICIOUS too!
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That's all for now...hopefully, there will be more to come :)

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*Picture NOT from Party Day...you didn't actually think I remembered to take a picture of my own parents, did you? It's a miracle I took any pictures at all :)

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I Tried...

...to upload a few pictures from the party, but technology wasn't cooperating with me tonight.
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They ARE coming, though - I promise! As well as pictures from the last week or so INCLUDING our trip to the ocean yesterday :)
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Someday ... very soon ... I hope ...

Recovery

I'm *YAAAAAAAWN* exhausted! The last few weeks have been busy and crazy and stressful.
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But.......
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WE DID IT!

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The party was a HUGE success! We had almost 100 people - it didn't rain (though it WAS extremely HOT & I felt all day as if I was melting!) - the food was delicious and my parents were overwhelmed but thrilled with the celebration of their anniversary.
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Yes - I have pictures though not a lot. I was busy being the hostess most of the day and ended up with a grand total of 17 pictures. Auntie D ended up with the same. Not sure what Aunt J ended up with but I didn't see her camera out at all so I'm thinking it wasn't much.
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Luckily, a lot of other people were snapping away (especially Uncle F!) and, once I get all the pictures on my computer, organized, edited and uploaded I'll share.
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Thanks to everyone who came...what a BLAST!
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Now...I need a nap :)
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T minus 24 hours...

...and the countdown begins.
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Tomorrow is my parents' 50th Anniversary party. Their actual anniversary is September 6th but we figured a party before school begins was the best way to go. We've been planning this for several months now but it's crunch time. No more "Oh! We should have done this!" or "Let's invite them!" or "What if we get some of these?" What's done is done. What we've planned will all come to fruition and what we've bought/made/decided is pretty much FINAL.

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We're throwing a

BIG OL' BASH!

...pig roast, roast beef, hot dogs, a ton of sodas and water (and my personal stash of Twisted Tea!). We sent out 70 invites....current count of people attending - ONE HUNDRED! Holy Big Party Batman!!! 50th Wedding Anniversaries don't happen every day, ya know?
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I'm am SO excited! and SO tired! and SO ready for the party to begin...
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Only one more day. Surely I can wait ONE.MORE.DAY.
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Is it 2pm Saturday yet? Is it? Is it?
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The weather is supposed to be great (though a little HOT - but NOT raining, so no complaints!) and I will be with family and friends...some whom I haven't seen in 10 or 20 years...some whom I've never even met...some whom I see all the time but just can't get enough of (I'm a glutton for punishment you know! *wink*).
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My parents, who drive me CRAZY! (whose parents don't?), who can be demanding, loving, generous, a little challenging and a lot maddening, well...they deserve this. After all, they've been together for half a century....they were married before all this crazy Internet thing, and Facebook, and cell phones and all the other things we take for granted and "can't live without." They were married before anyone ever heard of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush or Ronald Regan (as a politician, at least!). They were married before man walked on the moon, listened to cd's, or did the moonwalk....
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1959....the year they were wed...
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Best Picture: Ben-Hur
Billboard #1: The Three Bells by The Browns
Average Price of Gas: 25 Cents
Average Price of a New Car: $2200.00
Average Price of a Loaf of Bread: 20 cents
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1959 was the year that Alaska & Hawaii became the 49th & 50th States. It was the year that the Barbie doll was launched, the Grammy Awards began, and Bonanza premiered on TV.
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Fifty years is a LONG time to spend with the same person and I am so blessed to be able to celebrate such an amazing milestone for the two people that have influenced my life in a way that I can not put into words - and to celebrate it with the people in my life that I simply could not live without :)
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Is it Saturday YET???
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Don't.Talk.To.Me

Today is a busy day. A busy one and, honestly, not a good one. It's one of those days.
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So, please don't talk to me....in fact, don't even look at me. No offense, but I'm busy with the party prep, I'm SERIOUSLY lacking in sleep and I just don't have time to deal. Maybe next week...
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Happy Birthday RBB

...missing you, like always

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Done. Done. aaaaaaannnnnndddd....DONE!

...sort of....
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My seesters & I shopped today for the PARTY! We got everything we need....almost. I have to pick up a couple more things tomorrow when I'm out and then, inevitably, when we are setting up Friday, we will realize something else we forgot. But, as far as I'm concerned...we're READY :) If the party was right now, we could pull it off (well, except the fact that the guy roasting the pig won't be here until Saturday morning, but you know what I mean!).
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Iz & I put together little goodie bags for the kiddos after dinner - bubbles, punching balloons, foam bookmarks to decorate, stickers, ring pops - and we packed them in plain white lunch bags which can be decorated as well...FUN!
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I think we're going to pull it off....for real :) Now all I have to do is remember my CAMERA!!!
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and batteries....definitely extra batteries....and that cooler thing for the punch....oh, and ice....and sunscreen...and pasta salad...
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Well, hell....maybe we're not ready after all...but we WILL be :)
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P.S. Happy Birthday Mom!!!
(tacked on at 10:39pm....oh, jeez...my mind is so full right now, what do you expect?)
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Singing in the Shower...

I mean....singing AND a shower (baby shower, that is!)
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Saturday morning Hubby & I took Iz to a Rick Charette concert/pizza party sponsored by the local libraries in celebration of the summer reading program, which Iz participated in. We read 36 books*! Wahoo!
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Singing "Chickens on Vacation"...LOVE the hats :)
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The "Alligator in the Elevator"
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Major props to the libraries for a great concert, LOTS of yumy food, and CAKE :) Plus, to top it off, a beautiful day! We bought Iz a cd which Rick signed & then we had our picture taken with him but not with my camera...so that will be coming sometime in the future.
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Sunday, I met up with my seesters and niece to head to SnL's baby shower.

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I swear, L's belly got bigger since last week!
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She's due September 25th but S says he is planning on taking off the 14th because that's when the little one will arrive....either way I can't WAIT!
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The "haul"

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The FOOD!
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The table set-up looked great!
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I caught them while they were eating...my demand? "Put your heads together and SMILE!"
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The plates/napkins/decorations were ADORABLE!
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So was the cake!
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Then we played BINGO...Auntie D went a little overboard getting "set-up"
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We wondered momentarily if they were having triplets....this is the THIRD Boppy they got!
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I made S open the 100% Baby Alpaca socks & hat I knit for the wee one...he loved them :)
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My camera was acting up the WHOLE time...I was lucky to get the shots I got. I missed the one of L modeling the baby bonnet, but I caught S with it...it totally brings out his eyes, don't you think? :)
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Whew! A busy, FUN weekend...now back to reality. Jimmy was here yesterday and is here today...tomorrow or Thursday is shopping day for the party...Iz has a dentist appointment Thursday morning...and Friday is party prep. Yikes! Busy! Busy! Busy!

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However, weather is looking good for Saturday *fingers crossed*
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*We only recorded each book once...in reality, we read 3 or 4 books a day to her...FYI :)

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