Busy!

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I haven't had much chance to blog. We've been back to the lake, back to feed Lucy and Lucky, and taken an impromtu beach trip last weekend. Little Elle Belle is once again enjoying yard sale costume finds. Mary Claire got to hold baby chicks at NC State Farm Days. Mary Claire spent most of this week with a high fever but feels better now. It's been crazy but fun!

PS--Take note of how the Hulk ramsacked the bonus room.

Beach Blanket Bingo

Tonight, during the sometimes painful pre dinner hours of 5-6:30, the girls set up a beach party in the living room with Julie and "Lexis." Mom sent the girls a box of gifts which included bathing suits for the dolls! THANKS MOM, THEY WERE A HIT! So, the excitement mounted as Ellie and Mary Claire ran up and down the stairs and returned donned in bathing suits, flip flops, and sunglasses. Then out came the beach towels and food for the picnic, of course. It was very fun and very cute. Then Mary Claire decided that the dolls should each get a cup for cotton balls, our little reward system. My kids are cute.

Lucky and Lucy

This first picture is of the walk to Aunt Vallie and Uncle Jeddie's pasture. Fun to see the girls taking the same walk I've taken many times before...







Last week during spring break the girls and I paid a visit to Aunt Vallie and Uncle Jeddie. To our surprise, there were some new additions to the Stem family. The first is a goat named Lucky, born about 6 weeks ago, who has been bottle fed since birth because her mama died. Aunt Vallie has been this little one's "mama," feeding and caring for it (turns out other mama goats don't accept orphans!). Then, earlier in the week, my Uncle Willie brought over another little orphan goat, Lucy, for Aunt Vallie to raise. Lucy at the time these pictures were taken was just 3 days old. Wow!!



Mary Claire feeding Lucky.





Ellie helps Aunt Vallie feed Lucy.












As you can imagine, the girls were simply giddy with excitement over the chance to bottle feed baby goats. They loved it. Then they picked weeds and fed them to the little goats. It was so cute!




Lucy, 3 days old.


















This is my strange attempt at a LH artistic picture. Somehow it doesn't turn out as nice as hers.

These were the weeds the girls picked to feed the goats.

They're growing up...

THIS YEAR...

LAST YEAR...

What a difference a year makes!

Carolina Girls

First of all, let me just say that I am a blessed girl. I taught school for 6 years and never had a bad group. In fact, every year I thought my kids got even sweeter and even smarter. One year in particular, my second to last year of teaching, I had the smartest, prettiest, funniest, and kindest kids I had ever taught. The cool thing was it wasn't just a couple of kids. It was like a whole class of em'. An unforgettable year.

Even cooler is that 6 years later, I still get to see a few extra special ones from this group. Two in particular, Kelly and Emily, are now freshman at UNC Chapel Hill (despite having learned 7th grade english from me). These girls are funny, adorable, and way smarter than me (in fact I think they were smarter than me when they were in the 7th grade) and they invited us to come visit for the afternoon.

The girls and I had a blast. First we were treated to a smorgasbourg (how the heck do you spell that?????? how embarrassing but I am too lazy to look it up) at the Ramshead dining hall. The food was great and they are eating way better than I am that's for sure. My girls went nuts sampling just about every ridiculous dessert offered and at one point came back with Emily from the dessert bar with just a cup of sprinkles and chocolate chips, which of course I let them eat. And this was after they had already had a chocolate covered pretzel and ice cream cone. I'm quite sure it was the first time Emily and Kelly spent a 2 hour lunch at Ramshead, but that's the way it is when you dine out with 2 little girls who have to go to the bathroom at least 6 times an hour.

After our near gourmet dining hall experience, we headed to Hinton James dorm to exert our rainbow sprinkles energy. First we caught up with one of my other former students, Jessica, who of course was as cute as pretty as she was in 7th grade. Then we invaded first Emily then Kelly's dorm room. The girls were thrilled to get up on the loft bed and try out a "fruiton," and literally we just watched them play and be cute for an hour. They giggled and tickled on Kelly's chair and futon and it was adorable. At home they undoubtedly would have been fighting but everything is different when you're at Carolina. At least that's what they say.

Pretty much we're going to start working on Mary Claire's SAT scores now. She just has to go there. She looks GREAT in Carolina blue and there's mistletoe in the trees. Magic.

Thank you Emily and Kelly! Please don't be mad at me for posting pictures of you from when you were 13 and 14/15!! I'm so proud of you--you girls are the greatest!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Mary Claire...

My first baby girl is 5 this week. Seems very trite to say that it feels like just yesterday she was a wee little thing, but it's true. I have to say that I am loving age 5. Everyday I am amazed by what a sweet little darling she is becoming and I am continually impressed by some of the choices she makes and things she says! I am biased, of course, I am her mother after all...and she is still a bundle of uncorked emotions...as am I...but I love her dearly and can't get enough of her kisses.

I miss those cheeks.