Garden Fun

This USDA/WSU research station has laid claim that this is the coolest, wettest, nastiest spring/early summer in the Yakima Valley in recorded history (global warming my ass!). As it is finally warming a bit, things have begun to grow, mind you, not like they should, but we'll take it. Here are the girls fooling about in the garden.

CABBAGE!

Her expression just cracks me up! Look a tomato... holy cow.

Atila is getting old, or at least he looks old. I can't remember if he's 6 or 7 this year.

Look at that face. She can be so very charming.

Houston we have a problem...

I have a lot of posting to do... I tried to do so today and the blogger photo attacher gave me an error in the photo upload screen that said "open iPhoto 5 or later to see photos from your iPhoto library in this list." What?!!?!?! When I get to where I can attached photos, there will be an update. :( Wish me luck.

Zoo

Of course, it was overcast, cold, and rainy on Saturday for our zoo trip. Boo! However, the yucky weather translated to the zoo NOT being crowded... every cloud has its silver lining.

Rob, Brooke, & LindyJean... zoo or bust!

These series of photos crack me up... as I am snapping away, grumpy pants is mumbling something like, "Turn off the damn camera, I am tired of you taking pictures - like our blog followers haven't seen an elephant or a penguin before?"

The obligatory smile after I tell him, "You had better smile or I am going to kick you!"

Genuine smile, hooray!

The girls feeding the birdies.

Everyone had to push the stroller, LindyJean is lucky they didn't turn her over on her head.

Adelaide and I... not sure what we were looking at. Don't you love our rain matted do's?

Bitty & Brooke in a cage of their own.

Father's Day Wknd

Adelaide randomly decided that she MUST be taken to the zoo. Eric thought it would be fun to comply with her request... so we packed up last weekend and headed for Seattle to visit our friends Rob & Alix and their girls, Brooke & McKenna, plus a jaunt through the Woodland Park Zoo!

Bitt all dressed for the occasion. She's been insisting on picking her own apparel as of late.

Bitty was very intrigued by all the waterfalls as we went over Snoqualmie Pass. Eric decided to take a very slight detour and stop at Snoqualmie Falls en route to Seattle and give her a peek of a real waterfall. LindyJean and I posing, she refused to look at the camera!

Snoqualmie Falls, gorgeous, huh?

Sunday, we packed up and headed to the Pike Place Market. LindyJean loves to ride on Dad's shoulders and LOVEs, loves, LOVES, street musicians. I wish I'd had the Flip, you should have seen her enjoying the music & bopping about up there. She was wiggling furiously to the tunes.

These guys (The Millionaire's Club - New Orleans style Jazz) were her favorite. This is what she and Daddy are looking at in the photo above.

Birthday - part 2, Party Time!

I'm one, all ya'll!

We had about 40 guests... made tons of food and really enjoyed it. Our friends, Erin and David, just bought a commercial crepe maker and she wanted to test it out. They made crepes and I had Dulce De Leche or a Chocolate, Cinnamon, Chili Ganache I made to fill them with.

Eric and the pork butts, oh my they were good!

Cake.

Mmmmmmm, CAKE! Aunty Staci made a white cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting.

LindyJean likes to share.

Here is Caleb (son of my pal Shala, pictured with her beau, Grant) smashing the pinata.

Isn't this great? Sharin' some melon.

Ponchito, Eric, and Bean manning the meat station. Pork Butts and Chorizo.

Here is the image the Stagg Clan leaves you with for the 1st birthday celebration of our darling Miss LindyJean. She is such a happy, sweet kid. Thanks to Aunty Lolo for the birthday outfit, it was just perfect!!!

Birthday - part 1, preparation.

Happy Birthday Butterbean!

I love these action shots of Bitty while we prepare for the party... she was so excited she ran around like I gave her kiddy-crack!

Make shift hopscotch!

We had breakfast at the farmer's market, so as not to muss the kitchen. Here we are walking home, with our lovely pink party peonies.

This man is dedicated! Eric started the pork butts at 1:00 am and slept, outside, on his camping cot, along side his BBQ's so that he could man the meat throughout the night. He wanted perfection for our lunchtime soiree and insisted that the pork needed 12 hours on the grill!

The night before we made a ton of Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes (which are sinfully delicious) and LindyJean's tiny cake for smashing.

Bitty & Aunty Staci hard at work.

Testing out the hoola hoops!