A Wedding

Phillip received a cryptic text message from his brother a few months ago. It read, "How much do you charge to do weddings?" And so there was a sweet wedding this past weekend at our church. It was simple with the groom's parents and bride's sister and husband (and us with our four littles) attending. There were lovely flowers and lots of pictures and a shiny dinner at Perry's Steakhouse afterward.

Kristy had us try out cupcakes a few months before the wedding so we could find the right bakery. Third time was a charm. Delicious moist chocolate cupcakes with ganache filling and almond cake with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Elizabeth and sweet, fun Aunt Kristy.

Phillip officiated.

The kids got nice new clothes for the wedding (to be worn at Easter also). I'm not sure if Harrison's pants will make it though. He crawled around the church and then the restaurant and they are not so nice and new anymore.

Phillip got a picture of his steak. Delicious fancy food at Perry's. I ordered Turtle Soup and everyone seemed shocked! It was spicy and bisquey and I loved it. Elizabeth tried fried shrimp and decided it wasn't her thing. She joins her father and Mimi (and probably many other family members) in this decision against seafood. So far I stand alone. Maybe I can get the other three on my side.

A Friday Morning Hike

We went with another homeschool family to the "mountain" near our home for a Friday morning hike. It's not too strenuous or very long so it's perfect for our various-aged kids. She has a 2 1/2 year old as well. Both of the toddlers fell down several times, so I captured both of them in tears being held by their mothers. The kids played at a park and had some lunch while we moms talked. It was a refreshing morning away from school books. 

Phillip's Birthday. He's 38 Now.

Wow. I used to tease him when he was in his upper 20's that he was getting SO OLD. You'll hear none of that out of me now. The years just keep coming.

Boston Cream Pie

And a night out on the town for Phillip and I. FYI, it's busy on Friday night. Lots of people like to go out then. You may not be able to find a quiet restaurant or even get into a movie if you don't plan ahead. But you just might have lots of fun driving around and talking and doing some browsing at the western store (which oddly enough is not busy on a Friday night). 

A Backyard to Learn to Love

An Elizabeth-photoshopped special

Elizabeth has become a pro at catching butterflies. We have the perfect fenced-in backyard into which she can coax Harrison to chase butterflies. I call our backyard a habitat because it doesn't grow real grass. It has lots of hard dirt, tumbleweed, and many beautiful wildflowers. There's a dip in the yard toward the back fence which makes it look like a river could run through. We've had lots of rain since our move, but I've not yet seen a river. But the yard looks to me like it would be a great adventure to explore as a child. You could go on any number of complex adventures involving getting lost or seeking a treasure or escaping the law. I love to use our backyard for nature study too. We've done night nature study, wildflower drawing, and searching for what seeds the birds were eating back there. I've heard spring is beautiful here in San Antonio ~ I can't wait to see what treasures lie beneath the current winter bleakness of our backyard habitat.