Ellie

Ellie's kindergarten class has a pet (stuffed) octopus name Holly.  Holly goes home with the kids on a rotating basis and the kids are asked to write in Holly's journal what they did with Holly that night (her teacher uses it as a writing prompt to encourage the kids to write...genius of her!). 

Yesterday Tim picked the girls up from school.  When I got home, Ellie was dressed up as a pirate and was hula-hooping with Holly stuck in her pirate shirt.  Of course I took a photo of it.  When Ellie sat down after dinner to write what she did with Holly, Ellie chose to write about hula-hooping.  I love love love her...she is her own person in every way. 

St. Patrick's day in Savannah

We went down to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day weekend and were able to go to the parade since it fell on a weekend.  It was soooo much fun....a very much needed day of fun for all.  Below are some crazy photos from the day.

Above is Father Patrick O'Brien who did Judy's funeral mass.  Bill describes him as the most beloved/popular man in Savannah.  I've only met him twice but I can totally see why he has this title.

The Budweiser Clydesdales were there advertising, well, beer---it was St. Paddy's Day in Savannah after all.  They were soooo soo big and just sooo beautiful....I want one.  I'm going to ask beg Dwayne if he will get one and stick it on his property so we can ride it this summer.

When the troops marched by there wasn't a dry eye around .

Uncle Bill and the girls.

Ryan and his beautiful girlfriend, Sarah, came in from college for the weekend.  They are both kid-magnets (and would both make GREAT teachers!).  The girls love them....

Uncle Joe marched in the parade with the Ancient Order of Hibernians (an old Irish Catholic Fraternal Organization that you can only get into if someone passes their membership to you).  It is tradition in the parade for all the girls to go up to any men marching in the parade and plant a kiss on them.  Uncle Joe got one from Aunt Liz, but he also got one (two?) from the girls.   

.....as did one of the local law enforcement officers....

Finally the group we were waiting for actually arrived:  The BC Cadets (Patrick is one so he was marching AND getting kissed---which I do not think he was at all happy about!). 

Patrick was actually completely okay with high-fiving Jack....

...but he was most definitely not happy that all the girly-relatives rushed to plant a smooch on him (super-embarrassed actually due to the fact that he was marching with all his peers). 

Quincy, lucky for me, wouldn't let go of Patrick until I was able to get a shot of him smiling.  Thanks Patchy!

The water in one of the fountains was colored green for the day...

...which everyone thought was awesome!

After the parade we went back to the house where Joe did what he is just sooo really good at:  Entertaining the kids (he is a kid-magnet, too!).

Emerging from the haze....

After a short battle with cancer, my mother passed away two weeks ago.  She was a woman who chose to be my mother at a time when I needed one greatly.  She worked hard at undoing the emotional damage my biological mother left with me.  She is the sole reason I am a productive member of society.  At a critical point in my life she once said, "Just because you had a cruddy childhood is no excuse to grow into a cruddy adult."  That advice, coupled with her love, was a beacon of light that enabled me to navigate some pretty crazy emotions of abandonment during my childhood.  Her love has also set the framework to help me help my own daughters deal with anything they might experience as they mature.

While I was not born to you, you are my mother. I miss you horribly but will cherish the memories we had together. Thank you for giving me the values that have turned me into the mother I am today. 

Nothing new...

Just a day at the park with friends...Emma Rae (above)... 

..and Jasmine (sandwiched between Quincy and Emma Rae)...

Quincy figured out the swinging monkey bars today...

...and we couldn't be more proud of her !

Christmas Part 2--Back Home

We came home from Savannah the day after Christmas.  Since we had left the majority of the girl's presents at home they had another merry day upon our return.

Opening up our gifts from the girls----it was soooo wonderful!  They made our gifts at school and they were a total surprise to us!

  

 

  

The girls received their first legitimate (i.e., non-Hello Kitty) piece of jewelry---a Pandora bracelet with a Christmas tree charm.  They both also received their first real jewelry box (from Santa)---beautiful white boxes with pink velvet interiors with a ballerina that spins to the tune of the Nutcracker.  Every little girl eventually gets one, right?

...and a new jigsaw puzzle....

...and dress-up clothes (Ellie:  A Super Hero and a Pirate---she does not do Princess at all.  Quincy:  Everything Princess---she does not do Super Heros or Pirates). 

  

...and an awesome new game (Thanks Kali!).

  

  

...and then curled up for the night in their new sleeping bags....