A Weekend of Fun!

This weekend we did a sleepover swap with cousin Natalie and Will on Friday, and Brad and (our) Natalie had a Daddy-Daughter dance on Saturday.  In between both, Luke was just about as happy and cute as he could be.

My cousin Tracy and her family live just north of Houston, about 40 minutes away.  Her daughter Natalie loves my Natalie, and her son Will is the same age as James.  Friday we did a sleep over swap, with the girls staying at our hose and the boys at hers.  I offered to take the boys, but I think I got off easy. :)  

We spent Friday afternoon enjoying the relatively cooler temperatures by letting the kids drive their cars (Natalie apparently had some engine trouble).  The girls made their own pizzas for dinner (cousin Natalie introduced us to pineapple pizza), and we finished the night with manis and pedis.  I sent Tracy the pedicure picture asking if they were doing the same at her house.  Natalie LOVED having sleep over company, and cousin Natalie was so sweet to her.   

Will and James had a blast, but this was the only picture that I got. 

Saturday our neighborhood friend's daughter (and Luke's classmate) Emily Goldstein had her second birthday party at our neighborhood park.  Luke had a blast!! 

 

Sweet boy didn't have much of a chin to hold the hat on, but we made it work.  :) 

Saturday evening, Ascension held a Daddy-Daughter dance.  I let Natalie take one of my small clutches to the dance, and it was filled with the new "lipstick" (Princess chapstick) that she picked out at Target and two doll combs.  This girl LOVES being a girl.  And I LOVE that she loves being a girl.  We curled her hair, put on her "lipstick" and picked out her prettiest dress.  I know I'm biased, but these two had to have been the most beautiful couple at the dance :) 

 

Brad said that Natalie danced with him at the beginning, but once her friends got there she didn't pay him much attention.  Natalie is a lot like her father, in that she is pretty confident in her "white girl moves".  :)  According to Brad, Natalie spent most of the evening fiddling with the purse and putting lipstick on her friends.  Would we expect anything less?

My friend Amanda Candler (Zoe's mom--Natalie's BFF) helped with the dance and sent me this picture during the evening.  As I said, just beautiful.  

I debated whether to include this story, but out of fear that I will one day forget I decide to.  When Brad and Natalie pulled up at 9:00, Brad met me in the driveway and said that Natalie had tee-teed on herself and gotten very embarrassed.  Brad saw her in the corner being very still and with a puzzled look on her face, and then she told him that she wanted to go home :(  When I grabbed her out of the car, and she said "Mama, I wanted to tome home because I tee-teed on myself."  I told her that her dress was dark and no one could see or tell that she didn't make it to the bathroom.  She responded "ok, so you not going to tell the gurls?"  No, sweet Natalie, I will never tell your friends that you didn't make it to the bathroom.  Precious 3 year old Natalie.  

This weekend Luke decided that he loves this monkey, which is known around here as "Minnie Bickey".  Funny story about Minnie Bickey: there is a corresponding boy monkey, appropriately named Mickey Bickey.  I believe that someone in our family bought these monkeys for James as a gift when Natalie was born.  James affectionately called them "The Bickeys"--Minnie Bickey and Mickey Bickey.  We have no idea where he came up with "The Bickeys", but the Bickeys made the move from PA, and now they have a new home in Luke's heart.  

 

And a little picture to prove that James and I are part of this family......