FYBirthday07

Wow! Busy busy BUSY summer! As you may well remember. This year was even more so because we now have our Jelly Bean (Miss 3.0). BTW – I’ve thus rescinded my previous order (did I aleady mention this? I hate to go back and reread) and will now refer to Miss 2.0 in her original context of Babygirl and Miss 3.0 will henceforth be referred to as Jelly Bean (as we lovingly call her). It’s just cuter and we are all about cute.

I decided in my infinite wisdom to have Jelly Bean christened on Mother’s Day. I knew that I’d be hosting, but I wanted it to be extra special because it’s the first Mother’s Day that I had with both my girls. It was beautiful and Jelly Bean is the best. Happy, happy girl. We had the family in (except for brand new parents, Markyjoe and Niknik) and had a great lunch and day in general. Next was birthday overload week, which was a fun week of dining out at great restaurants. Killer Creek for one…my favorite! We ended May with Memorial Day at the lake. Very nice. And I finally got to drive a front end loader (don’t ask and see the pics when I post them). Woohoo!

June started with Babygirl’s second birthday! Amazing how time has flown by. Since we decided to go to Hilton Head Island for a whole week this year, we had Babygirl’s party on Friday. Then we left on Saturday for HHI. Mapgeek and Babygirl have been taking swimming lessons all spring, so it was only natural that we have a pool party. Our neighborhood pool also has a kiddie pool. Perfect! To avoid the weekend crowd at the pool and so we could leave for HHI Saturday morning, we decided to have the party around lunch on Friday. It was great! Guests showed up around 11 and we had cute food (of course). The highlight, in my opinion, was the strawberry cupcakes that I opted for, rather than a boring old cake. They were made from my Great-Aunt Hon’s recipe and were yummy! They were also a huge hit with the crowd.

Our next huge news, which unfortunately coincided with Babygirl’s birthday party, was that Mapgeek got laid off from Pulte. Long story short, we knew that it was most likely going to happen…and it did. Getting laid off was a blessing in disguise. Not many of us have a month off (serverance) to “try out” other things. Mapgeek had an opportunity to work with Papa C and decided that it might be a great opportunity. So, he is now working for Papa C and Markyjoe doing sales for rock crushing/mining/conveyors/etc. Lots more potential for growth than in consulting. However, he will continue to do some contract work in GIS on the side. For homebuilders. At quite a bit more than they were paying him as an employee. Bummer for them.

Next up was the annual Hilton Head trip. Mapgeek and I have decided to start going for the full week every other year. Unfortunately, due to Babygirl deciding to hang out in utero for an extra week, her birthday falls smack in the middle of that week. Every year. Forever and ever Amen. This year was actually our first full week at HHI. It was fabulous! Though, two months later, I can’t remember a single thing that we did. Beach, ate, pool, ate, shopped, ate, etc.

The big deal of the year was that BOTH my parents turned the big SIX-OH this year. My brothers and I decided back in March that we were going to try for a surprise party for them. After much scheduling drama, the first weekend that really made sense was the end of June…a month after Grandmommy P’s birthday and a week before Granddaddy P’s. We all plotted and schemed until my mother started telling me about a surprise party she was thinking of planning for my dad. THE NEXT WEEK!! So, no more surprise for Grandmommy. Which turned out great, because I needed help. From Mom. As usual, of course. The party was great! My dad had no idea. We had it at our neighborhood clubhouse, complete with Dusty’s Barbeque catering (great eastern NC style), and tunes supplied by my Aunt Wufpakgrl. It was especially memorable for me because as long as I can remember, I’ve never attempted to “get” my dad (that I can recall). I think Dads in general are much overlooked by society. I think there should be a whole day dedicated especially to the much loved male members of our family circle. Oh….wait…..

Since the decline of our social and party life, I’ve been sitting around, twiddling my fingers just waiting for the next thing. I don’t know how I survive without pressure. I just LIVE for planning!

Stay tuned….