Daddy Daughter Dance

Dallas took the girls to their first Daddy Daughter Dance the other night at church. Good thing we have lots of dance parties at home to prevent any wall flowerage! They danced the night away, ate lots of sugary treats, and came home with glow bands and dirty black feet. And we sat around the living room talking about all the fun things they did.

Choobers and I went on a date, too. (She put her favorite princess dress on over her pajamas so that she could be in the pictures with Dallas and the girls.) We went to the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and got a milkshake, and then we went to run some errands. She couldn't have been more excited! I've never seen her so talkative. She loved her Shake Milk, and she woke up the next morning asking for one.

In other news, the same girl sitting next to Raleigh at lunch threw up two days in a row right next to her! What are the odds of that happening? Raleigh was so grossed out and now tries to stay away from her at lunchtime. Poor kids! (Both of them!)

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I was reminiscing about our Ugly Dance Party this time last year, and thought I'd share this little gem-of-a-piece from about a month ago when Rikki and Kevin were visiting. I think our talent traces back through the Purdy line for sure!!

Don't Worry; We've Got 'Cha Covered

It's 9:07 a.m., and dinner is served!! Choobs and I are on a roll!

Just get out your Crock Pot, preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and follow these recipes:

Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe here. Just put in 4-5 frozen chicken breasts. No advance work necessary.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread here. (In this picture it's still cooking. It will raise beautifully and melt in your mouth! Don't forget your butter and honey . . .)

After you've put everything in the Crockpot and put the cornbread in the oven, wash and chop some romaine, and place it in the fridge over a paper towel or two. Now all you have to do before serving is chop some fresh bell peppers and tomatoes, toss in some feta or grated parmesan, add some olives, sunflower seeds, fresh broccoli, and Italian dressing, and you've got dinner! Oh, and you'll need strawberries and red grapes on the side.

Thank you, Georgia, for the summertime weather. I am loving this!

Glad I Checked the Mail Today . . .

Thanks, Rik!

It's a . . .

GIRL!!!

Seriously . . . did you think it wouldn't be?

We're all thrilled!

Except Raleigh, who kind of wanted a little brother. But she says she's excited still. And Choobies has her very own picture of her new little sister-to-be.

I am relieved, and Dallas is our very own Mr. Bennett (Pride & Prejudice) . . . well, almost.

Dearest Jenny

(It's terrible how tired we both look in this picture, but I had just arrived after a 4 hour road trip to Nashville + a temple session + Dramamine, and she had just finished watching our kids for 3 hours!) But I digress . . .

Dearest Jenny,

This summer I need you to come down to see me so that we can lay out on the roof of my parents' house and get really burned! I mean tan!

And then we will check to see if Rikki is taking a nap, and if she is, we can do swan dives on top of her, giggling like wild hyenas!

Don't worry! I'll make my famous popcorn, and we can drink red Kool-Aid and have vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips in it!

Then let's spend the night out on the basketball court in the boat. I promise Jess won't scare us. He'll be in Bangkok! (Right where we need him - on the other side of the world!!)

Then in the morning, we'll go boating with Nate and company and do some amazing tubing tricks. And some other unmentionable things that will be sworn in a pact of secrecy to outlast even one more summer! (Okay, maybe we'll tell our husbands. If they won't tell!)

Really, please come! I miss your LAUGH!

And maybe we can jump on the trampoline with Jo, too . . .

Love,

Dionne

My Latest Favorite

Bad lighting, bad photo. But this is our whole family's newest favorite thing: a bouquet of peach tree and pussy willow branches that have unexpectedly FLOWERED right here on our kitchen table! We love it! And it is HUGE - about 4-5 feet tall. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the branches. (Our kitchen smells so fresh and peachy.)