Asbury Reunion

With all that's been going on lately, I hadn't had a chance to post anything about my, ahem, 15th college reunion. (Serioulsy, am I that old? 'Cause I still feel like a kid sometimes.) Anyhow, we had a fun but brief trip to Wilmore last Saturday. I must say I'm a wee bit disappointed in the number of classmates who decided not to show up (many of whom, I know, live much closer than I do). But those of us who were there had a fun time catching up and reconnecting. And, thanks to Facebook and, hopefully, the new Asbury online community, we'll stay in touch between reunions too. Here are a few pics from the event:

Matt Atkins, Jana Bracken McCracken, me, Tiffany Switzer Harper

Neil Brenner, me & Presley, Melinda Jones (don't know her new last name)

Neil and I spent ten weeks in a van together with four other vocalists on summer tour in college.

Holly Schopmeyer Law, Jana, Melissa Kuhnell Davis, Amy Turkelson (don't know her new last name), me & Presley, Tiffany

Me, Chad Crouch, Presley

Chad and I went to Jamaica on music teams together several times.

Do you see a recurring theme here? Presley just couldn't stay out of the pictures. Reagan, on the other hand, had made a new friend in Caitlyn, Jana's daughter (we were both pregnant at the last reunion), and was off doing her own thing.

I loved seeing my "old Kentucky home," but we had to return to Nashville early Sunday morning to visit with Scott's ailing granny. She passed this week, and we celebrated her homegoing yesterday. Granny was loved by many, as was evident by the full chapel at her funeral. We'll miss her, but we know her suffering is now over and her joy is complete.

Kid's Biz

Reagan just completed a week-long song & dance camp, Kid's Biz, with her Kinderdance teacher, Ms. Donna. In just one week (less than 5 days, actually, and only 2 1/2 hours in each session), Ms. Donna teaches a group of about eight girls, ages 3-6, more than a dozen song and dance numbers, complete with costumes and props. This year's theme was, "Reminisce," and featured songs such as "I Enjoy Being a Girl," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and "Someday I'll Be Miss America." The girls perform the show for a group of residents at an assisted living facility, and, of course their adoring families. Here are a couple of pics, along with a video of Reagan's solo on the mic (she was the only one with a solo!), "A Bushel and a Peck."

Club Libby Lu

Getting an Updo

The Finished Princess

Giving Daddy a Makeover

Big Girl Panties and Other Fun

Elmo Panties

The Carousel at Opry Mills

Presley with the Pink Leopard She Made at Build-a-Bear

After a Summer Treat

Summer Fun

Last weekend, we took the girls to Build-a-Bear and Club Libby Lu to use up the gift cards they had received. Here are a couple of pics.

Presley's Candy Land Party

Presley's Candy Land-themed 2nd birthday party was Saturday. You can read about it at http://presleygibbs.blogspot.com/2008/06/candy-land-party.html, but here's a pic of the cake I made.

Candy Land Party

Presley had her 2nd birthday party on Saturday. The theme was Candy Land, and it truly was! There was every kind of candy under the sun in mason jars for the immediate consumption. The cake was a full sheet cake (serves around 75!) with the game board in even more candy and icing. I printed pictures of the characters on cardstock to designate the different areas from the board (peppermint forest, chocolate swamp, candy castle, etc.). We also had our own "chocolate swamp"--Grandma's chocolate fountain. Here are a few fun pics from the day:

For the cake, I used a pre-iced full sheet cake,

then spraypainted the green and added all the candy.

The Cholcoate Swamp

Playing Candy Land on the rug board

The birthday girl takes a dip in the Chocolate Swamp

Candy Land did, however, come at a cost. Much like the Sunday after Reagan's 2nd birthday party when we kept the nursery and watched out mild-mannered toddler hit, bite, and just be generally naughty, Presley had a rough morning in the nursery at church. She wasn't being aggressive, but was crying and inconsolable--sooooo not like her! After a couple of attempts to leave her, I finally just took her into church. Once she was sitting with her grandparents and cousins, she was just fine. We chalked it up to too much candy and not wanting to miss out on cousin time. She was fine the rest of the day.

All in all, it was a fun birthday, but we still have WAY too much candy and cake in the house.

A Real Conversation

Reagan: Mama, the house is cumbersome.

Mama: Do you know what that means?

Reagan: Yes, it means it's heavy.

Hmmm...think she watches too much TV? Naahhh!

It Frightens Me...

...that my not-yet-two-year-old can work the DVD player. Seriously. What is this world coming to?

Just Anther Day in Paradise

OK, so I'm trying to stay positive...but this is going to be the hottest week so far this year and our AC is on the fritz!!! Further complicating matters is the fact that Reagan is in swimming lessons all week, which limits our availability for the repairman to come and go. Oh, yes, and did I mention that we have about twenty people coming on Saturday for Presley's 2nd birthday party?!?

But...right now we're cool enough. And, fortunately, we have the cash on hand to pay for the new system (even if it hurts a little). And, the nice man is quite sure he can have it fixed by Wednesday. So, really, no sweat (literally). Why waste the energy worrying about this minor glich when I have a party to plan?

Stay tuned for photos of what promises to be my greatest cake creation yet! (I can't help myself--parties bring out the DIY Mom in me.)