I found the best little surprise in my mail the other day…these adorable note cards made by Sandy! 
I love them! Sandy, you totally need to sell the awesome cards you make! I’m such a sucker for note cards and stationary, especially cute ones like these! Thank you so much Sandy!
Month: June 2009
Father’s Day part 2
Today I went down to Papa & Gigi’s to celebrate Father’s Day. Momo, Sara & the boys were there too. I gave Papa his annual photo book. 
This gift is always a hit and always brings a tear to his eye. He loved it. I make one every year on my Mac, compiling my favorite pics of the family over the previous year. We looked at the book and had lunch. Then Momo had to go to work.
The rest of us went to go visit Gmommy at the nursing home. Zoe came with and was a big hit again. 
Gmommy just loves her. Calls Zoe her baby. So sweet! Gmommy’s new boyfriend Jerome stopped by her room while we were there. It was very cute. 
Jerome liked Zoe too. 
At one point Jerome straightened his collar and announced “Well, if we’re going to be eating out tonight we’d better get going.” He took Gmommy by the hand and the took off for the dining area. So cute! It gave us an easy escape too! We time our visits with meal times so when we leave Gmommy won’t get upset. Well with Jerome hanging around now, she’s all smiles!
We all went back to Papa & Gigi’s for swimming until it was time to go home. We had a big time in the pool with Jacob & Joey. Too bad my camera’s not waterproof!
Red Star Spike
Nanny bought me this cool plant and pot at IKEA while she was in town. I just love the way it looks on the half wall between the dining room and the living room. I hope I can keep it alive! I have a bit of a black thumb! *Ok, so just learned while finding the links for this plant that it is ideally an outdoor plant. Sigh.
Father’s Day part 1
Papa was out of town for Father’s Day so we’ll celebrate next Sunday. On Father’s Day CSP’s parents came over for dinner. 
We grilled and played with the pugs. 
I swear, my MIL is the pug whisperer. No one else can hold Kiki for as long as she can. 
I got your pistol right here, baby
I just love our hibiscus tree. The blooms only last a day or two, but every other day new blooms appear. Gorgeous!
Naughty kitchen tool
Final story from the family visit. So, the night of the big dinner party I was busy cooking when Sara asked me for a phone book. I pointed to the cabinet where we keep them and went back to cooking. All the sudden I hear GASP! “I’m gonna tell Nanny what you keep with your phone books!”
What they said
Having your 86 year old Irish grandmother visit, along with your insane bio father, provides much entertainment. Add in a surprise visit from your 77 year old Irish great uncle, keep your 6 and 4 yr old nephews around, and your sides ache from laughing after a few days. Here are my favorite quotes from the last week: (and I use the word quote loosely. While I try to document each phrase as accurately as I can, I’m only human and not a tape recorder).
- Exchange that occurred just before dinner between my great uncle and bio father: BF- When Molly (Nanny’s pomeranian) dies she’s gonna leave me her hair in her will so I can have a full head of hair again. GU- Wait, didn’t you have some new hair sewn into your head a few years ago? BF- Yeah, I did. GU- Where did it go? Guess they didn’t tie the knots tight enough!
- BF to Nanny: Don’t you remember when i was almost decapitated and my scalp was laying on the hood of that woman’s car?
- Nanny: “….like Oprah and Al Bama.” My grandmother thinks our president’s name is Al Bama.
- Visiting teenager to me about Molly, my pug. – Why do her eyes bug out so much more than the others’?
- BF describing a snorkeling experience from a trip in January- And that seal swam right up to me. Got an inch away from my face, looked me right in the eye. He was afraid I was going to steal his women, you see.
- Cousin’s 4 year old son describing his pets- I got 2 good dogs and 1 bad dog. I got a red dog. Me- What’s his name? Cody- Rayud. (Red stretched out into 2 syllables with a serious Southern accent. CUTEST thing!)
- Nephew Jacob to my sister (his mom) when she told him she was cooking lasagna for dinner- Can’t we go to Aunt Shanny’s and eat her lasagna? Sara- You’ll like my lasagna. Jacob- Yeah, but I KNOW I like Aunt Shanny’s.
- Nephew Joey while admiring cousin’s 2 month old baby’s chubby arms- That baby’s got MUSCLES.
- Jacob & Joey standing in the bath tub. BF walks by- Why aren’t you taking your bath? Jacob- It’s too hot. Daddy’s trying to cook us!
- Nanny told us her favorite Irish joke- This nice Irish girl is dating a Scotsman. She asked him “What do you wear up under your kilt?” He said “Why don’t you put your hand up there and see for yourself?” She did, pulled her hand back and exclaimed “That’s gruesome!” He said “Put your hand up there again and it’ll gruesome more!”
Heaven’s Farm
Jacob was in the bathtub complaining to Sara about his legs itching.
My legs itch from the bites I got at Uncle Sherman’s farm.
Who?
Uncle Sherman.
It’s Uncle Kevin.
I know, but he likes me to call him Uncle Sherman.
(laughing) Why? Because his name is Uncle Kevin.
Cause Kevin is where you go when you die. So I call him Uncle Sherman instead.
Slinky Winkie!
Yesterday morning Zoe and I hopped in the car, stopped by 5bucks for a green tea frapp in my reusable Starbucks tumbler, 
and hit the road for Gigi’s house. We looked at pics from FloFamFest 2009 then went to visit Gmommy (real name Winkie) at the nursing home. We spent a couple hours cataloging Gmommy’s clothes (it’s like summer camp for old people so we have to write her name in her clothes). Then we took Gmommy to the in-house beauty parlor for a shampoo & blow-dry. After her hair was all done we walked her back to her area. 
Her new boyfriend is Jerome and he saw her and just lit up like a Christmas tree! 
They are so cute together. I love that 2 alzheimer patients can find love in a nursing home. Gmommy has a little doll baby that she cuddles and the 2 of them were fussing over the baby. So cute! Like a little family!
After the nursing home Gigi & I went to see The Proposal. Very cute. Love Sandra Bullock. I’d give my right pinkie toe to look that good at her age! We ate some Mexican (Hawai’ian quesadilla for me) at a local joint near Gigi’s before I picked up Zoe and we headed home. Zoe had a big day and slept the whole way home. My sweet girl.
Florida Fam Fest Day 4
Yesterday morning we woke up and helped Nanny get her car all packed. BF (bio father) had driven Nanny up here for the visit. She’s 86 so she doesn’t drive much anymore. CSP is not BF’s biggest fan. I knew CSP was outside taking the pugs potty but he was taking so long. Nanny was asking for him so she stuck her head outside to say hello. She called out “I love you!” across the yard. Those of you who know CSP know that he is not one to call out I love you to anyone. He’s shy and hates drawing attention to himself. I was laughing so hard as I heard his voice yell “I love you too”. Finally CSP came back inside. It wasn’t until later that I found out he was hiding out in the hot back yard so he could avoid having to talke to BF.
BF & Nanny hit the road and we followed along soon after. Sara, Marc, & the boys drove their own car. We were all on our way down to Shealy’s to meet up with some more family members. All 3 of Nanny’s sons were there: BF, Uncle Steve, and Uncle Kevin (of chopped off thumb fame). Uncle Kevin’s wife Aunt Marcia was there, as well as Uncle Steve’s wife Aunt Lynn, their daughter Stephanie, and her children Cody and Abby. We were a big group. We managed to grab a table and enjoyed a wonderful Southern lunch.
After lunch we all went back to Uncle Kevin’s farm 
to see the donkey & baby cows. Pics after the jump. Continue reading “Florida Fam Fest Day 4”
Bless Your Heart 