Hi--We just got back from Hilton Head, where my grandmother hosted a family reunion from her maiden-name side of the family.  I hadn't met any of them before.  My mom has 4 (living) cousins who were all there and then their families were there, too.  My mom's brother and his family and my sister and her family were all there, too.  We had fun!  Here are some pictures! 

Here's a group picture of everyone after dinner on Friday night. 

Here's another group picture, but from the picnic on Saturday.
My sister and new nephew, Isaac 

I'm trying to be a photographer here...



Julia's feeling sad and left out here...

Its fun to be a cousin!!!
Anna, Julia, and me at dinner...  So nice!
 Julia loves Patrick! 

That's about it for now!  ~MmeTeall~

So, Laura and I have thrush and one of the cures is this stuff called Gentian Violet.  The drawback to Gentian Violet is that it does this...

 Poor Laura!

~Mme Teall~

 Dunking Julia in Gama's baby pool...

 Julia begging for more...

 Laura's new obsession...

 Karaoke fun!

 Anna the Chanteuse...

 Laura the Glamour Girl...

 Water girls...

 Taking a swim...

Hope you enjoy the pictures!  I'll update Anna's blog with pictures from camp.
~Mme Teall~

Hi!  I have some more pictures to put on!  Here goes...!

My hubby made the front page of the newspaper while doing his recycling!
I'm just glad he wasn't on the front page getting arrested or something!


In Hilton Head over Mother's Day...
 
Laura's a Beach Babe!  She loved walking on the beach! 
She wasn't so sure about the waves, though! 
Anna & Julia, however, loved the water! 

Mom had a ladybug on her hat! 

Happy Mother's Day Gama & Nana!

Anna & Julia are holding our present for Gama! (Laura didn't want
to be photographed!)

We got Nana a photo mug, but its not in the picture! 
Anna's practicing her violin!                       Night-night girls!
 

This isn't at Hilton Head, but it's a picture I like of Anna @ softball!

And here's Laura the walking fool this past weekend...

Well, that's all for now!  ~Mme Teall~

Hi!  I just got back some pictures today that I thought I'd share.  They're from school...  Here goes! 

Who knows why the white band is on the right.  Whatever.  Anyway--Laura tried out a new hair-do.  Pigtails!  How cute! 

Here's the school's group portrait from today! 

Here, Julia and 2 friends are decorating the glass door in my classroom!

Anyway--I thought you might enjoy those!  ~Mme Teall~ 

Well, I just created this entry, and when I hit "publish" it all disappeared.  So, here goes again!
I have lots of new pictures, thanks to Celine's on-loan digital camera from the newspaper.  She told me that if I break it, I'll have to sell my car and buy a new one!  Yikes!  Most of these pictures are of Julia, although it doesn't mean that I love her more than Anna or Laura.  She's just the lucky picture head, I guess! 

Here's Julia the T-ball Star!  haha!
 

Watch out! Julia's coming to get ya!  

And here's Julia on the swings and merry-go-round...


 

And now, here's my cutie-pie, Anna-Belle, at her softball game...

And here's my 14 month old little love, Laura...

Well, that's all for now!  I have lots of pictures on my mom's camera from our recent trip to Hilton Head to visit my grandmother.  I'll get some of those on at some point!

A bientot!  ~Mme Teall~

If you read my last entry, I have some pictures to correspond with it...  So, here goes:

Sorry about the black sides,  I had issues.  Anyway, Laura started walking on Easter Sunday.  But, she didn't want to walk anymore when I took this picture. 

Here's Nona, Anna, and Julia at the waterfall! 

Mommy kissing Laura at the waterfall... Does Laura like it though...?

This is the morning of Julia's 5th Birthday! 

Julia's 5!!!

Julia's BEAUTIFUL cake!  Thanks to Nona!

Blowing out her candles as Uncle Bill, GG, and Hino look on...

Cousins!!!  Easter Sunday...

Anna & Julia with Hino.  Notice Julia's outfit...panties and high heels...woo hoo!

Aunt Debbie's Art School...(Jessica's helping, too)

Also, I never mentioned that I'm an Aunt again!  My sister had their 4th baby on March 5th, 2 days before Laura's first birthday!  His name is Isaac Christopher.  Here he is with his brothers and sister!  I think he's sad here...

Well--that's it for now!  I better go chase after Laura, my walking fool!  She looks like a drunken sailor!  haha! 

~Mme Teall~

So, I've been in kindof a daze today...  We just got back from being gone for a week.  I guess I'm recovering.  I'll tell about our Easter break! 

First, let me say Happy Easter!  Saturday the 15th, Celine, the girls and I went to church for an Easter egg hunt and petting zoo.  That was fun.  Crazy but fun.  Let me say, our church is quite prolific!  You'd think we were Catholic or something.  But no...we're Lutheran.  We believe in birth control.  But you'd never know it. 

Sunday morning, we didn't go to church.  Instead we got in the car and drove down to Atlanta.  Well, Marietta, actually.  Anyway--we had to be there in time for lunch in order to see Dennis' siblings, who all had to leave after lunch to go back to their homes.  They had Spring break the week BEFORE Easter.  Oh well...  The lunch was nice and we made it in time and all that stuff.  Dennis has a big family, so there were lots of people there.  (They ARE Catholic)  The Easter Bunny (EB) came to Marietta instead of our house.  I wrote EB a note and told him that would be a better idea, since we were leaving so early.  So, the kids hunted Easter eggs in GG's courtyard.  Let me say, EB is a VERY good egg hider.  And he left the girls some fun stuff for their Easter baskets.  EB is such a nice guy....or is it girl?  

After lunch and Easter activities, we went to Bill and Debbie's (Dennis' uncle and aunt) where we stayed through Wednesday.  Well, Laura must have been quite inspired by Easter activities, because she took her first steps!  She walked from the couch to the coffee table a couple of different times!  About 5-6 steps at a time.  Quite fun!  It was very exciting, but then she decided she was done doing that!  No more! 

Monday, we went to a park and waded in a creek (Sope Creek) with Nona.  That was fun!  We ate dinner at GG's.  It was a nice day to just BE with family. 

TUESDAY WAS JULIA'S 5TH BIRTHDAY!!!  WOW!  What fun!  Well, we woke up and Julia got to open BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!!!  She was mildly excited.  Let's see...She got the Mermaidia Fairytopia Elina Barbie doll that can either be a Fairy or a Mermaid.  She got some pink high heel dress up shoes, Cinderella magnetic paper dolls, and an ABC dry-erase book.  Anna got her a Strawberry Shortcake princess video.  Julia was very excited.  After that we got dressed and went to the Aquarium!  This is the brand new, world's biggest aquarium!  Let me say, it was quite impressive!  Wow!  We spent most of the day there with Nona and GG.  And I didn't know before, but cousin Kingsley is working there too.  We saw so many beautiful sea creatures!  The girls most loved the beluga whales and the whale sharks, probably because of their size.  I think I liked the coral reef exhibit for the beauty.  Here is a link  if you are interested...  GG gave Julia some birthday money for the aquarium.  She picked out a dolphin pet purse (a purse with a stuffed dolphin inside and its head sticks out of one end).  She let Anna pick out something too.  Anna got a sand thing.  It looks like a paper weight.  When the sand goes to one side, there are holes that make a beluga whale.  When the sand goes to the other side, there are holes that make a whale shark.  Does that make any sense?

When we got back from the aquarium we went swimming in GG's pool before going back to Bill and Deb's for THE birthday party!   Nona let Julia pick out her birthday cake.  Well, Julia picked out the BEST cake!  It was a big, beautiful Barbie cake.  The cake itself was Barbie's gown and a real Barbie was standing up inside.  It was perfect for Princess Julia.  For dinner, uncle Bill cooked pork chops on the grill and we had a nice meal with some veggies and a salad.  We had the cake for dessert. Then, Julia got to open some more presents.  Bill, Deb, and cousin Amanda got Julia a Dora lunch bag and then some special markers and a Dora coloring book.  She loved that.  Then I gave her Tante Sarah's present, which was a Mermaidia dress-up outfit and a Fairytopia DVD.  She was so excited about the DVD that she shook with excitment.  It was so funny.  But later, I asked Julia what her FAVORITE present was, and she said the Dora coloring book and markers were her favorite.  I was sure to tell aunt Debbie!  :)  

Wednesday was Arts and Crafts with Aunt Debbie Day!  The girls painted (and planted) a flower pot.  They painted picture frames and Deb printed a picture of each of the girls from Julia's party to put in the frame.  They made a bee with their hands as the wings.  They made a très cute visor to wear! They just had such a good time!  It was storming really bad on and off during the day.  Later, we also had to move from Bill and Deb's house to Richard and Kathe's.  They have 3 kids Anna and Julia's ages:  Madeline, Melanie, and Michael.  It was Play Central! Nona and GG brought dinner Wednesday night.  Olive Garden!  Yum! 

Thursday, we went to the zoo with Nona and GG.  When we lived near Atlanta, we used to go to the zoo a lot.  So, it was nice going again.  It was mostly the same, but there were a few changes.  We saw pink flamingos, elephants, giraffes, lions, gorillas, sea otters, panda bears, kangaroos, monkeys, cool birds, etc.  We rode the train and the carrousel and pet the goats and pig in the petting zoo.  It was a fun day!  Then, we went back for more Play Central!  

Friday was a slow day until the cousins came home from school for more Play Central.  We met them at the bus stop.  Then, all the kids in the neighborhood gathered in the yard and it was Play Central Times Ten!  Fun! There was a wrestling match and everything.  Well, mostly fun...  Laura started getting really goopy eyes on Thursday and it just kept intesifying through Friday.  She looked so miserable!  Poor baby!  But, we all have been coughing and having runny noses and sore throats, too.

Saturday was leaving time because we needed to get to Asheville for my friend, Holly's wedding!  So, we left around noon and drove forever and barely made it for the 5:00 wedding!  Luckily, we weren't late, but it was close!  We changed clothes in a rest area!  That was fun!  

The wedding (Holly and Justin) was actually just north of Asheville in the middle of nowhere.  But, once we got there, it was just so beautiful!  It was at a farm and the ceremony was on a field in a valley surrounded by mountains in all directions!  There were some surrounding fields with cows, goats, llamas, and miniature horses.  The cows added their own music to the ceremony.  So did the birds.  It was pretty.  They had a violinist playing.  She played some Sound of Music, which seemed fitting.  The reception was in a barn that was used for events (as opposed to horses or cows).  They had white Christmas lights wrapped around the rafters.  There was a blue-grass type band playing.  There were real bathrooms, which was nice.  The location was just perfect!  And, of course, Holly looked so pretty and happy and Justin seemed very nice.  So, it was a really nice wedding.  Unfortunately, Laura's goopy eyes just seemed even worse and she started getting a fever.  So, we had to leave the reception a little early.  Anna and Julia were sad (especially Anna).  So, when we stopped for gas on the way back home, we had to get ice cream as a consolation prize.  Here's a picture of the 5 of us from the wedding...

We got home around 10:00 last night.  I gave Laura a bath, gave her some tylenol cold medicine, and put her to bed.  Our doggies were very happy to see us.  Shelly took very good care of them.  Today, I took Laura to the doctor and she has a perscription for amoxicillin.  Hopefully that'll clear up her poor eyes (and ears, too).

Well--that's about that...  I hope you enjoyed our adventures.  We did!  I took way too many pictures.  I haven't developed them yet.  I need money first!  haha!  The picture from the wedding is actually from Holly's snapfish account.  I'll see if I can put some more pictures on here after I get them developed.   Talk to you later!

~Mme Teall~                   

So, Wednesday was my 30th birthday...  Hmmm...  I can't decide if I care or not...  I guess I must not care too much, since I can't decide.  I do feel like now I'm REALLY  supposed to be an adult.  Like, well, I don't have any excuse now!  I'm IN MY THIRTIES!  But, I'm still a disorganized slob, so I guess I better just deal with it.  I wish that show "Thirty Something" was still out so I could watch it and "get it."  I was pretty young when it was out for real, so it never interested me or made sense to me.  I bet it might now...  I feel like I've joined a club that everyone else but me belonged to.  So, now I'm IN.  So, I guess that's good?  But, now I'm halfway to sixty!  Yikes!  That's NOT good!

I had a nice birthday!  Although, my driver's license expired.  I got a new one Friday.  So, I was driving for 2 days on an expired license!  Ahhh!  Call the police!  On the new licenses, they don't let you smile, and they get a real close up, so it looks like a mug shot.  At least I put on some lip gloss and tried not to look either sad or mad.  I tried to halfway grin.  I could be worse, I guess. 

I got some presents!  My sister got me a Kohl's giftcard!  Yay!  I LOVE Kohl's!  My Mom got me a family season pass to Carowinds!  I'm excited about that, because I was going to miss going this year, and now I don't have to miss it, cause I'll get to go whenever I want!  The girls were probably even more excited than me, though.  Its their birthday presents, too, Mom said.  Céline got me a professional roll of film and a negative sleeve and said she'd teach me to develop film after I take the pictures. That'll be fun!  Dennis got me a movie, "Closer" which I want to watch, but haven't yet. The girls each made me a beautiful card!  My mother-in-law and grandmother both sent me money which is always good! 

My co-worker at school got me a cake to share with the class, who in turn, got covered in chocolate.  What do you expect out of 2 & 3 year olds?  Then, I brought the rest of the cake home and then my girls got covered in chocolate.  Laura even tried some and got chocolate on her mouth, so Dennis wiped it in a paper and made me a card from Laura.  My mother's group at church also brought me cupcakes.  Then, Dennis surprised me on Wednesday night and came to church with me and Mom had a sitter for the girls so that Dennis, Mom, Bob, and I all went to eat at a Japanese steakhouse.  Yum!  Then, Dennis and I went out again last night and we ate at On The Border, which is new in our town.  That was good too.  So much for my diet this week!  Afterwards, we went at got coffee and looked at books!  Of course, I wanted to buy some, but I didn't.  I made a mental note to buy later with the next paycheck (maybe)!

Well--this 30 year old is going to sign off until I have something worthy of writing about for my next entry (probably after we get back from Atlanta for Easter).  Ya know, I don't feel any different this year at age 30 than I did last year at age 29.  So, I guess its just another birthday, another year, another number! 

A bientot!  ~Mme Teall~  

So, I can't believe its been a year (and a day) since baby Laura came into the world!  Yesterday was her 1st birthday! 

Since we had school, she brought cookies to school to share with her class.  I think she poked her cookie a bit, but she didn't eat it.

After school, she had her afternoon nap as usual.  Céline came over during her nap.  But after her nap, Céline gave Laura her present--a cup!  Laura loves it!  I told Céline that Laura needs a new toy like she needs a hole in her head.  Plus, Céline gave her a bunch of cards and letters that she's made Laura through the year.  So nice!  I'm putting them in Laura's baby book.  When she's older, she'll like looking at them.

Later, Gama and Bob came over for dinner and cake.  We had lasagna and peas & corn.  It was nice.  Laura didn't care about her cake either.  She poked it a little.  Maybe she ate a small bite.  But that's about it.  She seemed amused (and maybe a little confused) about all the attention.  She enjoyed looking at her #1 candle and hearing us sing to her.  She liked the lasagna, too.  (Merci, Stouffers!)

For her birthday presents, I gave her some of Anna's and Julia's hand-me-down toys.  Anna gave her a small yellow baby doll and Julia gave her an Elmo cell phone.  So nice!  Gama and Bob gave her a beautiful pink smocked dress and a pink baby doll with a pacifier.  Laura loves babies!  She would be content with only a baby, a ball, and a cell phone.  (sings) These are a few of her favorite things... 

So, now my baby is one...And her first year of life is gone...

~Mme Teall~

 
"I'm ONE!!!"                                                  Emily's partied out!

A family of 5 for a whole year...!

Gama & Bob came for the party, too! I think Laura's had enough...