Well, it is official, Summer is upon us even if the weather
doesn’t agree! What a soggy and
disappointing spring and early summer. Let’s hope the weather pattern soon changes and we can begin our typical summer activities: sun, surf, sand and grandma Jean’s pool!
Dominic has certainly been on the move since the snow has melted. He LOVES being outdoors. One of his favorite toys is his bubble mower given to him by friends Liam and Spencer for his birthday.
Although he can’t quite make the bubbles blow, he enjoys pushing it around the driveway and yard topping
occasionally in the thick grass to say he is “stuck.” When it is finally time to go in, he puts up a good fight. I once had to carry him inside mower still in hand because he refused to let it go. His vocabulary has also blossomed this spring. “No” seems to be his favorite one but the amount of words he knows largely focuses around the Dora and Diego. He is quite fun to watch. I love this age!
The spring also brought two royal birthday
celebrations for the two princesses of the chateau. Princess Renee turned 7 this year and chose to have her birthday at “Build a Bear Workshop” at the Maine Mall. It was the first birthday where she had to make some tough decisions of who would be invited. Mommy and daddy gave her a number we could comfortably afford and she carefully thought about the guest list.
Unfortunately two of the spots had to be reserved for her brother and sister. That made the job even tougher. She
wasn’t able to invite everyone but I think it was a good lesson for her. The kids had a wonderful time picking out their bear skins, stuffing and accessories.
The kids got to “stuff” their bear, give it a wash
and dress it up all within a “budget.” Who knew there would be so many decisions to make when making a stuffed animal? Each bear was unique and a good time was had by all.
Cupcakes and juice boxes were served in the mall’s food court following the bear making. Everyone got to bring home their new friend in a special ventilated box. I think the bears made a great party favor and I’m sure the kids’ parents appreciated no gift bags of small trinkets and candy!
Earlier that weekend Renee had some family over for a small celebration. I believe she enjoyed being the center of attention more than once that weekend!
Princess Chloe’s birthday was next. She too had both a family party and a friend party. We lucked out and both days were beautiful weather wise. We held our typical BBQ and enjoyed the sun and gave Chloe her gift (a bouncy house) early for all to enjoy.
At her friend party, who knew 10
preschoolers would be so tiring? Good thing the weather was beautiful and we were able to set up Chloe’s new bouncy house and mini golf set outside. The kids ran around playing on the swing set, in the sand box and in the bouncy house for about an hour before we brought them in for cake. One of Chloe’s guests was allergic to eggs so Chloe insisted we serve something her little friend could eat.
Grandmaman helped Chloe make
eggless cupcakes using a can of Sprite as suggested by the Queen’s friend Melanie who herself has a child allergic to eggs. The cupcakes were a hit. After cupcakes and presents, the kids moved outside to do a
piñata. The King had the brilliant idea of stringing it to the swing set. The kids each had several chances to
wack the
piñata before all the candy fell out. Chloe was so happy to share her day with her friends! Mommy and daddy were exhausted. I don’t know how Chloe’s
pre-school teacher does it each day!
Shortly after Chloe’s birthday, the girls had their dance recital.
This was Chloe’s first and she was very excited to perform. The show’s theme was something related to weather and Renee’s dance was “Sunny Side of the Street” by Frank Sinatra while Chloe danced to the Sesame Street theme song “Sunny Days.” Dress rehearsal went well thanks to dear friend Julie’s helping hands.
Renee’s costume dictated that her hair be curled. Well, with little effort, her hair was perfect. Renee’s classmates’ moms’ were a bit jealous!
Chloe was thrilled to get to wear some makeup and have her hair done but by the time she preformed her hair was still cute but not in the state she arrived in. We were eager to see her perform. From studio sneak peaks, we knew she knew the dance well.
Unfortunately as the number began she realized her tap shoe was untied and spent the first part of the dance trying to get someone to tie it. She finally gave up and started dancing.
As you can see from the photos, Chloe was also mesmerized with what was on stage. She paused a few times between steps to admire the backdrop and her classmates. She was very cute but we felt sad for her that she had to experience the frustration of needing her shoe tied. When asked about it, she said “Julie (her teacher) said “The show must go on. Just keep dancing!”
A week after the big show, the girls again had important roles to play, this time it was in
Tante Rachael’s wedding. They were super excited to wear their flower girl dresses and toss petals. More importantly they were excited to be gaining an Uncle and a new cousin. Michael took them up a few days early so they could get settled and rested as the
anticipation had them higher than a kite. It also gave them some time to spend with
Tante,
Grandmaman and Papa before the big day as we knew they would be quite busy on the actual wedding day. They also got to practice and check out the venue and become comfortable with their
surroundings. Thank goodness they were surrounded by patient family members and friends. For the most part they were on their best behavior. We did, however, have one instance of poor judgment. Chloe, and new cousin Addison, decided the wedding cake in the reception hall fridge was just too tempting. Both took a swipe of frosting. Thankfully the cake maker was able to fix the damage the morning of the wedding. When asked about the incident and the cake Chloe declared the cake was “
deeeeeeelicious!”
The morning of the wedding found the girls among more excitement. Like
Tante, they got to have their hair done and follow her and the bridesmaids around. They posed for pictures upon request and I must say Rachael’s
photographer was simply wonderful (and talented-check out her website www.audrabayette.com.)
Here I captured their response to learning the Limo had arrived.
Even though he looked adorable,
unfortunately it was
naptime and Dominic was not very cooperative. I missed a good portion of the ceremony, and the reception too, to tend to his needs. Thus, you will see few pictures of the little man and none of me. I’m a bit sad about this as I splurged on a beautiful Ann Taylor dress and shoes. I was looking forward to dancing with my kids and especially my husband. I missed all the fun….but
isn’t that always the way, at least for mothers?
On a side note, Dominic did take to Michael’s uncle Bob. I believe the two bonded. I believe this was in part due to the fact that Uncle Bob, Papa’s brother, looked a lot like Papa.
Dominic also enjoyed Aunt Nina's fishy face. Here he is attempting it himself!
Not having any special part in the wedding, I was able to capture many moments myself. For better pictures, again, go to the
photographer’s site and watch Rachael and Ross’ wedding slide show. It truly was a beautiful wedding….
www.audrabayette.com
Papa was so worried about the girls coming down the rock stairs he decided to walk them down himself. It was such a cute moment. One I will remember for ever.
I had to pick up these petals the next day. Boy was there a lot of them! It took me almost two hours!
Here comes the beautiful bride,
Tante Rachael and Papa.
It took an entourage of ladies to "tie" Rachael into this gorgeous dress!
Chloe dancing with Joanne. The two were quite a pair!
Renee dancing with daddy.
Renee followed Tante around like a little puppy. From what I hear, this was reminiscent of Rachael as a child at Uncle Bob and Aunt Pauline’s wedding. We are lucky Rachael enjoys our kids as much as we do. Their bond is quite special.
Tante showed Renee how to “shake it” and she did just that! Renee partied hard and made it to midnight! Chloe fell asleep not once but twice on one of the bridesmaid’s shoulders. I wanted to bring this girl home as she seemed to have such a way with Chloe! Thus, I was already back at the cabin fast asleep with Chloe and Dominic.
The wedding was simply spectacular. The day and surroundings simply beautiful.
Following tante’s glorious day, the weather took a turn for the worse: rain! We didn’t let the rain dampen Chloe’s preschool graduation.
At a large potluck celebration Laugh and Learn’s preschoolers said goodbye to a fabulous year. Miss Kimmie acknowledged each student letting them showcase their talents with a song and handing out little diplomas. With each one, she gave a brief speech about their personality and experiences that year. For Chloe she simply said “She took ten years off my life.” I’m not sure if that was in reference to Chole’s boundless energy or the day she passed out and almost called 911!
As a gift, Chloe received a new bike. She was quite happy to have her own brand new bike!
She has been riding it up and down the drive way, even in the rain, as often as she can. Keep checking in for updates about our summer!
When he got tired of running, he laid down and just let the waves come to him.
