"Life Crabs at Townberry"

Well, that's Gianna's title for the post.  Actual title should read Live Crabs at Hackberry. We had been invited to my friend's parents' camp out on the Intercostal Canal right in the middle of the marshes of SW Louisiana. 

 

I didn't tell Gianna where we were heading after church, just that is was a different town.  When we got there I told her the town's name was Hackberry. For some reason, that name didn't stick with her -- it was "Townberry" or "Raspberry" from there on out. 

 

They caught 7 dozen gorgeous crabs (LIVE crabs! -- which Gianna continued to call LIFE CRABS!) and they boiled them up for us to enjoy.  SOOO good.

We were instructed to dump the shells back in the canal when we were done.

Gianna exclaimed, "Mommy, did you see that boy dump his Life Crabs in the Ocean?"

 

Gianna asked one of the kids if they could take her to get a fishing license. 

She didn't catch anything - so I think we're good without one for now. 

They did catch a few catfish. 

 And Gianna was thrilled to know there was watermelon.

 

It was my first time seeing this yellow watermelon.

The best sighting of the day was a great big alligator.  There were two, actually, but I only caught one on film.

Such a fun Louisiana summer day.

Thanks Richards, Babineaux's and Ange's!

The Royal Baby

I have a friend who is REALLY into all the top Hollywood or Royal news.  She has been cracking me up with all the hype of  the royal baby watch.  I sent her the picture below as she lamented the loooonggg wait in the media.

 

This morning we had a royal tea party at her house to celebrate the news of the royal birth.

 

 

We had Earl Grey Tea, cucumber sandwiches, Jo's Party House cupcakes (a little less than authentic tea-time goody) and even scones....

 

The sell slice and bake scones now at the grocery store.  For real!

 

 

 

 

 

And during out little party, we were thrilled to get the very first Prince Glimpse!



 

 What a lovely little morning.

Welcome, Wee Little Prince!
May every little baby be so highly anticipated and regally celebrated!

Understated Milestones

Everyone makes a big deal about those significant milestones in a baby's life:  rolling over, crawling, walking, first words, etc.  My blog is proof of that, for sure.  But I have noticed there are milestones that might not be so celebrated but are HUGE in making life easier for us/ME!

 

The first of these I sort of spear-headed last summer as we prepared for our first school experience.  I needed her to be able to buckle herself in her carseat.  It took a little patience (for BOTH of us) but we were equally as proud for the mastery of that little task.  Holy Cow! That has made the biggest difference in my day.  A year later, I'm still grateful. (I don't remember saying that about her crawling/walking!)

 

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Then one day, instead of coming directly to me when she woke up, I heard her little pitter-pattering feet for about five minutes until she appeared ---- FULLY DRESSED, bed made, hair-brushed, ready for the day.  Woa

 

 

And then, later that week I caught her shampooing her own hair.  HALLELULIAH!

HUGE, I tell ya! 

(Not sure what this expression is.)

Even got it on video. It wasn't my choice of shampoo - but I wasn't about to complain.

 



So, here's to the understated milestones! 

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And here's a little Jelly Book entry related to the topic....

 

G: Mommy, why do they call it shampoo?
Me: Not sure - everything has to have a name. (was getting weary answering that question for everything under the sun...)
G: but why does something that is supposed to clean your hair have "poo" in the name?
Me: Hmm - good point.

Summer Lovin' Quick Takes

This was a project from art camp.  It was a sculpture that sort of looked like three connected potatoes when she brought it home.  It was a nylon filled with dirt and rye grass seeds.  After a couple of days it looked like this....

Voila....a caterpillar.  Clever.

 Tito and Tita sent this little outfit for G's birthday.  I love when people buy her things I would not typically choose - it's fun to see different sides of her style.  When she saw herself in the mirror she exclaimed, "Ooooh - SASSY!"  

Swinging with Matthew...

 Slip-n-slides just don't get old...

 ...neither does a slide and a hose.

 Just Dance with the big girls. So funny.

 Community Band outdoor concert.  So sorry we missed the first three.

 There was a precious little girls show choir group from a local high school that performed with the band.  You KNOW Gianna was all up in their Kool-Aid getting her groupie on.

(The girl on the right is trying out for American Idol!) 

We also met up with Katelin and her mom who are in for the summer from CHINA!  They were so excited to be reunited.

 

 

 

A sprinkler and a sassy imp...

This is the doll I got her for her birthday.  I think I may even love it more than she does.  It's an Adora doll -- loving that brand.

 

Anna Catherine plopped herself on G's lap and Gianna said excitedly, "Mommy! I'm holding a REAL baby!"

 And then she DID hold a real baby.  Five week old Zach is one of the new adoption miracle babies we've been praying for.  PRECIOUS.

 Frozen Yogurt with Matthew.  Just after this picture Gianna said, "Matthew, will you marry me."  to which he quickly responded, "Not unless it's in front of a preacher."  (I almost peed in my pants.)

 Millennium  Splash Pad with Isabel who was in town for a visit.

They had a ball. 

 

Remedy for crazy hot afternoons --- Popsicles!

 

Gianna got lots of special deliveries for her birthday...including this flower arrangement from one of her favorite families. 

 Had a little summer cold with the added fun of pink eye...

...we made it fun.

FIVE - The Party!

July birthdays in the South aren't the easiest to plan because of the heat.  Last year we did the Children's Museum and this year I opted for the Gymnastic place (no, Gianna doesn't take gymnastics.)  I have been to a few parties there and I loved how much fun the kids had, how it was an hour and a half, and how I didn't have to really 'host' - like I would at home.

 

Cheap Mommy saw the precious gymnastics invites on Etsy and Pinterest and they said, "Oh, but no!"  I made my own - a little Kindergarten craft-like -- but hey, I'm now a Kindergarten mom.  (I made the little gymnast by using only shapes.  I had to color in the hair, because I couldn't figure that one out.)

And I also decided to have this be our first all-girl party. Who knew someone could feel so guilty for making that decision?  I have so many friends with only boys or several boys, but now Gianna has school friends who she's close to and ballet friends and a gazillion other friends she feels close to.  I figured it was the easiest way to draw the line.  It worked out fine and having all-girls was a real kick. 

 

Here's my little gymnast...

 

 She had a ball.

How cute is her birthday outfit?  The tutu was a hand-me-down and the black shirt was $3 at Wal-Mart that she never wore.  My neighbor/friend monogrammed it for me so it would match the skirt.

 And did these little girls PLAY! They had such a good time.

 

I love how they do the little parachute game.  They give each child a chance to run underneath while the rest of the girls lift up the chute.  And then, at the end, they had Gianna sit in the middle and they all came inside the parachute and sat on it while it bubbled up - then they sang Happy Birthday to Gianna.  Really sweet.

They played for an hour which left 30 minutes to eat pizza (it was during the lunch hour or I would have just done cake), sing happy birthday, eat cupcakes and (how crazy am I) open birthday gifts.   We did it though. 

As extroverted as Gianna is, she is very self-conscious about people watching her (when it's not on her terms).  She does have a shy side, so I did some preparation with her with opening gifts and with the birthday song. I even made her rehearse what she would do if she got a gift she already had or if she didn't like something (which I KNEW wouldn't happen - but I didn't want to take chances.) She really is the best kid to watch open gifts.

 I also told her that she would have to stand up at the end and address her guests. I didn't tell her what to say, but I told she had to be appreciative and kind. 

I am PRAYING I can get a hold of the video my friend took of her giving her 'speech.'

HILARIOUS.  I'll have to include that later.