Spring 2011

Well, spring has sprung! I can tell, not so much from the beautiful flowers and verdant hills, but from the yellow coat of pollen on everything and the fact that wondering into the great outdoors without a respirator brings on the mother of all allergy attacks. There is nothing subtle about Mother Nature.

So, since per the usual I am way behind on the blog, I'm going to lump all of "Spring 2011" (to date!) in this one. First things first, I turned the big 3-0. It was definately weird. Not so much because of the number itself. Or the fact that several females (lovingly) assured me that 30 hit them a lot harder than 40. But just because it got here so fast. Sometimes I look around me and say to myself, "I am thirty years old. I have two kids. I am married. Heck, I am a grown up!" Anyway, we had a pretty low key celebration. Dinner at my moms one evening with a chocolate cheesecake for dessert (after all, lets take full advantage of my swiftly declining metabolism. Thanks, mom. Especially since you are most often the one to point out the effects of said metabolism) Then the hubby took me out another evening. The gang at work threw me a little surprise luncheon of Italian food, which is one of my faves! Why does everyone insist on feeding me! Can't they see I need lettuce, water, and several hours with a personal trainer?! It was very nice.

I didn't take any pics of my birthday, so I just threw this one in. This is (thirty year old) me and my Memmie, Lola Jean. This woman is the poster child for graceful ageing. She looks exactly the same as she has my whole life, with the exception of hair color. I love her a whole, whole lot.


Next in our busy Spring was Easter. Some genius in retail marketing decided we should celebrate the birth of our Saviour by buying new dresses for our kids. Obviously he had a relative in chicken farming who threw in the egg dying and there you have it. I'm not complaining, I go along with it too. Although I did make a point to read Bella the real Easter story and stress to her why we celebrate it.

So here are Bella Reece and Baby Precious in their dresses, which my mother bought.

Next on the agenda: Bella turns four! Sheesh, now THIS was hard for me. She is four. Thats one more than three and right behind five. Where did that come from? Shouldn't I get time to prepare? Can't we ease into this or something? That worst part is, this year she KNOWS she is older. She's already making comments like, "I can do such and such, 'cause I'm four now."

Since instead of crying over it, like I kind of wanted to do, we had a party at the park. Cinderella, Prince Charming, Castle in the Clouds, and all that. Here she is, blowing out her candles.

And here is the amazing cake, made by Mr. Tracy Hoilman of Erwin. (www.tracystreats.info) It tasted even better than it looked, if that is at all possible!