Sound the Trumpets! Let the Royal Gala Commence!

Since three of the princesses (Princess Marian, Princess Pauline and Princess Me) of the royal family have birthdays during the month of March, I decided we deserve our own Perfectly Pink Princess Party!  There was a lot of pink, a lot of tiaras, and a lot of princesses and princes in attendance.  The menu was fit for royalty:  An appetizer of cream cheese/salmon spread paired with crisp wheat crackers started our evening off on a tasty note.  That was followed by pan-seared sea scallops, baked salmon  with a hint of butter and lemon pepper, Panko coated talapia, oven-roasted spring vegetables with Hollindaise sauce, fresh spinach salad garnished with strawberries, walnuts and bleu cheese crumbles, light-as-a-feather oven fresh rolls, and tender new potatoes smothered with a creamy beschemel sauce accented with petite peas. Prince Jordan created an imperial masterpiece with his moist carrotcake topped by decadent cream cheese frosting.  Prince Dave did most of the scullery work and was joined by Prince Christian in creating the regal spread.  I hope these princes will accept my royal curtsey of gratitude for all of their labor since they performed many of the tasks which usually fall to the mere peasants. Prince Kimball reigned over the entire proceeding with great aplumb and dignity.  Who would have expected any less from such an heir?      

And hey!  Who says you have to be a six-year-old to enjoy receiving the "royal princess treatment?"   We were loving every moment of this rare chance to dust off the tiaras which bear the royal crown jewels and don them upon our perfectly coiffed royal heads.  (Well, I'm quite sure all of us were loving it) . . . 

Me Wee Laddie Daniel Quinn Came to Play

St. Patrick's Day brought with it the much anticipated visit from Daniel Quinn. He wreaks havoc on our house every single year. What is it that he wants from me? I mean, really. I do, and do, and do for these leprechans, and this is the thanks I get?

Fridays With Kimball!

You guys are so in luck! Because I babysit Kimball on Tuesdays as well as Fridays, today's photo gallery showcases Kimball in all of his darling Tuesday-ness. Which happens to be just as cute as his Friday-ness. Oh. My. Goodness. Who could resist that absolutely adorable little face?

Sorta Surreal . . .

Christian's school has its own student-produced television station. Skits, announcements, important deadlines, locker combinations, home addresses of unpopular teachers, administrators' salaries, faculty room secrets, the principal's rap sheet, etc., are all broadcast on the station during the school day. Transition music is incorporated into this programming, and last week Christian heard a song playing and thought to himself, "Hmm. That sounds very familiar. Hmm. That sounds extremely familiar. Hey! That is one of 'His Boy Elroy's' songs! Cool!" He has no idea how the programmer got a hold of his band's cd, but I'm telling you, that boy does get around. (Go here to hear HBE. "Atmosphere" is my fav.)

FYI, three of the four members of "His Boy Elroy" are now out of the country avoiding extradition charges . . . no, wait. Wrong. I'm thinking of that other wild prog/rock band, "The Four Tops." Nothing but trouble there. Actually, the three absent members of HBE are serving church missions in Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines. I smell a song in Spanish with a touch of Tagalog on the horizon for these gringos. La Cucaracha! Meanwhile back at the ranch, Christian just sauntered down the hall and smiled to himself as he heard he and his brother playing over the airwaves. Pretty cool.

Kimball is My Hero!

I have been doing my "Dance of Joy"* ever since we were at the hospital on Monday and heard the heaven-sent news that Baby Kimball was going to be just great after hearing an erroneous misdiagnosis. Ashley wrote a beautiful post about the whole experience, describing everything much better than I could, so please go here to read about this extraordinary and amazing miracle.

Let me just add this much: The love I feel for Kimball is as great as if he were my own child! The generation jump means nothing in that regard. I'm sure you other grandparents will agree. And as Ashley's mom, I wanted nothing more than to take away the pain and agony from my little girl Ashley as we were in the depths of despair before learning that Kimball had been given a misdiagnosis. And likewise, it was so heartwrenching to watch both Ashley and Jordan cry that their deepest wish was to take upon themselves the trial we all thought was facing Kimball. They truly have the ultimate love of a parent for their child, just as I do for Ashley and Jordan, and just as I do for Kimball as his grandmama.

I don't think any of us will take each other's lives or love for granted. We have been so blessed, and I cannot say enough prayers of thanks or do enough "Dances of Joy" for all of the loves I have in my life. My thanks goes to each of you who have held us in your hearts and remembered us in your prayers.

*My silly "Dance of Joy" (prounounced 'dawnce') might be something of an embarrassment to my family, but they know that they have really made me happy when they see me workin' it!

Fridays with Kimball!

Here is my little King Tut all buckled in for a fun ride in his Grandmama's car! He seems to be resisting the temptation to be a backseat driver by closing his eyes and chanting the mantra, "Just tell me when it's over. Just tell me when it's over . . . ." Actually, I am the BEST driver out there when I have my precious Kimball with me. I absolutely ADORE this baby! More with each passing day. More than words can express. More than my heart has the capacity to hold. More than I ever dreamed possible. Kimball, I LOVE YOU!!!

The Cookie Posse

The Cookie Posse took over my kitchen again the other day as we set to work making some very s-i-m-p-l-e cookies. I will post one of the recipes here. I like to call it "I Can't Believe It's A Cookie" because basically, I can't believe it's a cookie. I enlisted Christian and his friend, Shelby, to help with the crowd control and teach half of the group to make paper boxes while the other half was helping me make a mess, er, I mean make cookies. Yeah. That's it. We were making cookies, not a mess. What was I thinking? "That huge smear of chocolate on the floor? Oh, it's not a worry. Nothing that a little sandblasting won't clean off . . . " Then we switched groups and one group went tearing off into the basement leaving me to finish the cookies while the other group went tearing off into Christian's and Sean's rooms leaving Christian and Shelby to finish the boxes. Actually, the girls were very sweet, as were Christian and Shelby for helping me out.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S A COOKIE

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

Chocolate stars

Mix peanut butter, sugar and egg together in bowl using a wooden spoon. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press chocolate star into center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for two minutes. Remove to wire rack.

Fridays with Kimball!

Unfortunately for the DYNAMIC DUO, their meticulously planned covert scheme of last Friday afternoon to put the top down on the Fiat and make a run to Cafe Rio for a couple of fire grilled chicken burritos for their lunch was sadly thwarted by the simple fact that Kimball's ultra-cool car seat just wouldn't fit into the molded bucket seats of the Fiat. That and the tiny little detail that Kimball couldn't reach the Fiat's gas pedal. And Christian can't drive a stick. So, they had to settle for Similac for Kimball and Coco Roos for Christian. Alas and alack! The best laid plans . . .

(Nice to see that they did take the extra effort and time to color coordinate their DYNAMIC DUO outfits though.)