Summer Library & A Birthday Party

Briana got her first job!  She's going to be volunteering at the library this summer in the childrens department.  She had her first day last week, and she had a blast.  Of course, I wasn't allowed to stay at the library while she was volunteering.  In fact, she wouldn't even let me walk her in!

She had a very fun time with it, and she's ready to go back next week!  Yay!!
And, we had her 10th birthday party!  A fun time was had by all, as usual.

She opened lots and lots of presents (and refused to give me a normal smile in any of these pictures!).

My favorite part of the party was definitely the cake.  Briana wanted a tye dye cake, and it turned out really cute.

And, to top off the night, the girls' cousins got to sleep over.  It was pretty much the best way to end the party.

They had a blast and stayed up very, very late. 

Smiles all around!  Happy 10th Birthday, Briana!!

KC: A Weekend In Pictures

The End!

A Birthday And A Recital

My baby is no longer in the single digits.  She's 10.  10!  I can hardly believe it.  She had a fantastic birthday, complete with presents, cake, whipped cream and a brand new ipod.  The day before her birthday, Mamaw and Papaw took her out to get her a new ipod.  It was the happiest day of her life. 

She played on that ipod ALL day!  I could hardly pry it out of her hands for dance class.

Her actual birthday was almost as exciting.  She opened presents. 

She slipped and she slided.

She blew out her candles.

And, she took a whipped cream pie to the face.  That's right.  And it was all her idea!

Immediately following the birthday we had her dance rehearsal and dance recital.  Both were excellent, as usual.  Briana danced her little heart out and she looked gorgeous on stage.  Since we are only able to record at the rehearsal, I was only able to get a portion of her dances recorded (because the teacher stops the dances in the middle to fix spacing and stuff.)  So here is a portion of her jazz dance.

She's the one with the black hat on. 

Now, see if you can pick her out in this picture.  It's the entire MLDC Dance Company. 

And here she is with her dance teacher, Miss Mary Lorraine.

It was a great weekend that ended in lots of flowers.  What more can a girl ask for?

Safety Patrol Training

Briana signed up to be on the fifth grade safety patrol at school.  Today was a very exciting day for her because she had her training for next year.  We had to get to school early, and she has to stay late so she can patrol again after school. 
I had to be a bit sneaky in my picture taking so I wouldn't embarrass her too much. 

The Patio is Done!!

It's all finished up!  They came out yesterday and removed the forms, sealed the concrete and backfilled with dirt.  It looks awesome.

We are now able to walk on it, but we can't put any furniture or the basketball hoop on it till the 22nd (which will feel like an eternity).  That's why theres a big huge mess of stuff crowded on the old patio.  But, if you look past all the crap, you can see my new hanging baskets!  Aren't they purdy?  I got them yesterday and I love them.  The perfect addition to the patio! 

More Patio Pictures

I am sooo excited about this patio.  It felt like Christmas morning when I woke up today.  Something good has happened, but what is it, was my first thought as I woke up.  Oh yeah, the patio!!  So I took some more pictures of it today. 

They are supposed to come out today and remove the forms and seal it, and then I guess we just wait two loooonnnnggggg weeks until we can use it.  After that, everyone is invited over for ribs in the smoker on the patio!

Patio: Day Four

The shiny guys showed up today, and look what they brought with them!

The girls and I were beyond excited!!  We watched at the window while they wheelbarrowed concrete back to the back yard.  The girls couldn't stay inside and watch all day, so they went outside to get a closer look.

The patio was coming right along at this point.

It didn't take long at all to have the whole thing finished up!

We still can't walk on it, and the forms are still in, so it's not totally done yet.  But, I love, love, love how it turned out!!  It's big and roomy and I can't wait to decorate it with all kinds of flower pots.  And, something very special happened on this new patio. 

Isn't that the best!!