Gryffyn turned one today! Woo-hoo! I have started decorating the house for her birthday party this weekend and there is a lot of pink and green. I can't wait to see how she reacts to birthday cake!

The girls and I returned from Birmingham Wednesday night. We went to visit some friends and family for the past week. We flew from Palm Beach International to Charlotte, NC to Birmingham, AL...which does not make a lot of sense to me, but then again I don't work for any airlines so it doesn't really matter if it makes sense to me. This was the first time that I flew with the girls by myself...1 adult and 2 toddlers...I was extremely nervous about being outnumbered, but besides having to be actively involved with the girls the entire time, it wasn't too horrible. I had some moments where I had to bite my tongue when other travelers glared and made a loud remark about us to their flying neighbor, but I kept reminding myself that I happened to love my traveling partners and nothing else mattered.

When we arrived in Birmingham, my mother (Dearie) picked us up and we met my dad (Papa) for some great Mexican food and then went to visit my grandparents (Mamaw and Papaw). Notice the pretty dresses Dearie made for the girls, and yes they did put these dresses on AFTER finishing lunch.


Papaw surprised his brother Uncle Jack, and wife Aunt Betty, when they called to say they were in the area and going to stop by. I really think Mamaw and Papaw enjoyed showing off their cute great-grandchildren.

After a hour or so of visiting, we were exhausted...

The next day we went to Hollywood Stars in Hueytown to get Hannah and Dearie a haircut.
Star had a sweet surprise for Hannah for being such a good girl during her haircut. She gave Hannah a Barbie compact with a mirror and comb inside. Dearie didn't get a surprise, which doesn't surprise me.
After a quick lunch, us Road Warriors stole Dearie's car to drive up to Memphis, TN for a surprise visit to see Uncle David and Aunt B. Uncle David helped me plan the surprise, and needless to say Aunt B was extremely excited and surprised!

We actually arrived about an hour before we were set to hide for the surprise, so we stopped by my friend Angi Burke's house to visit her and her kids (Trey, Gage, and Katie). I've known Angi and her husband, John, since I was 12 and a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Birmingham, AL. Sadly, John wasn't home due to a business trip.



Although my heart was pounding, Gryffyn was saying "doh" over and over again, and Hannah was yelling "sit dog" to Phoebe (David and B's dog), we were still able to pull off the surprise and make Brandy scream, as well as cry.
The next day was went back to Birmingham and relaxed during the rest of our trip. Dearie and Papa had lots of fun things planned like the park, and hanging out with Uncle Joshua that weekend, and visits to see Uncle W.H., Liesa, and Billy, and more visits to Mamaw and Papaw's. We even got to go take pictures of the girls in those pretty dresses Dearie made.
















All in all, it was a great trip! We had lots of fun but a week was a long time to be away from Daniel (Daddy)...and the dogs.

Saturday we went to the Irish Festival in West Palm Beach. It's a great festival that is celebrating it's 25th year. We went during the day for a few hours and tried some Irish inspired dishes, such as Corned Beef and Cabbage Sandwich and Cod and Chips. The festival also had lots of Irish music and dancing by local groups, as well as things for the kids to do. Hannah had a great time in the bounce house. We also just sat on the grass away from the crowd while eating our lunch and listening to the music. This way the girls could run (crawl) around and enjoy the experience a little more.

Nothing big to report except I found the pieces to convert one of the cribs into a toddler bed, but it was Gryffyn's bed. I was worried that Hannah wouldn't want to sleep in "Gryffyn's bed" and I talked to Hannah the entire time I was putting the bed together about how this was her bed now and big girls get to sleep in these kinds of beds. By the time the bed was put together, Hannah just kept looking at it. And then I remembered that the canvas above that bed said Gryffyn with a ladybug on it. Duh! I switched the two canvases so that Gryffyn's was above the white crib and the canvas that said Hannah with a monkey on it was above the brown toddler bed. Then the princess started posing!

Saturday night, Dan and I went on a date (with the girls) and had an enjoyable evening at a new sushi restaurant. Hannah got to try using chopsticks with her cheerios and cucumber appetizer (brought from home), but Gryffyn didn't really want to waste any time on the chopsticks. She prefers her method of just "diving in" to enjoy the true delicacy!


We also got to enjoy SUNDAY AT THE PARK, after going to the Green Market just to have a "look/see". It seems like we weren't the only ones with the idea of Sunday at the park...it was SO BUSY!!! Still, we had lots of fun. Hannah got to try the "big girl" swing for the first time, and she did alright for a few pushes but then fell. After she fell, she wanted back in the "baby swing", but as I said before...the park was super busy. What do you do when both girls want to swing, and only one swing is available? You get inventive and let them swing together.




As always with a toddler and almost-toddler, dinner is an interesting and messy event...

And fun times when we wake up and want to be in the same bed...