I've left my camera at a friend's this wkend so I'm taking advantage of having no "new" photos to catch up on posting "old" photos - still recounting our trip to America this summer!
We left off on July 17th, the eve of Estelle's bday.
We spent the night at my sister Martha's, and here's Estelle when she came out of the bedroom that morning:
Above: Waking up in Alex's room, Estelle's day started with a Dora balloon.
Below: Wearing her new "Birthday Girl" shirt and explaining to everyone what it is:
Bear in mind it is like 7:45 a.m. and we are lighting candles! Martha had bought this little cake for a birthday breakfast extra!
Shy girl as we sing:
The cake was so good, she couldn't talk.
Present #1: A Doctor's Kit! Nurse Martha gets right involved, even in her pj's!
The next thing you know, Nurse M pulls out a real stethoscope and a real blood pressure thingy. I think it's the first, and perhaps only, time I will ever be eating scrambled eggs, bacon, birthday cake, and having my blood pressure taken before 8:00 a.m. I think my husband thinks he married into the loony bin sometimes.
Then Estelle was sujected to wearing one of "The Strawberry Dresses". Any family member needs no explanation. For the rest of you poor folk, suffice to say that my mother either bought 2 of these (or rec'd them as a gift?) for my twin sisters, Nurse M herself and twin Mary B back in 1959. They are still going strong, have weathered many a wear over 5 decades, and are without a doubt my mother's absolute favorite pieces of clothing that any of her 11 offspring ever donned in their life.
Estelle acquiesced to wearing one over her pj's, but she wasn't happy about it. For revenge, she took to giving everyone in the house a shot with her new medical kit. Ouch!
No stone (or piece of flesh, as it were) remained unturned/unshot.
Even Daddy's belly got a shot, whilst Uncle Chris and cousin Eliza's "big dolly" look on....
When you're 17, why sleep late when you can get your shot and play with your 3 year -old cousin with Fisher Price at 8:15 a.m.? Poor Alex.
Finally we pulled up stakes from Richmond and headed north mid-morning. But first, a stop back at the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury to pick up some ice cream cakes for the party that evening.
Above: Our cakes get personalized. Below: We got all the background view of Ben & Jerry's HQ scoop shop on a Saturday in July! Can you imagine the mob scene? Estelle meanwhile, with her Birthday Girl shirt, got treated like a queen by the whole staff while we were waiting for our cakes. We both got free ice cream cones. Poor Thomas, waiting in the car with Léna, got gipped!
After putting the cakes in the trunk in an iced cooler, we headed north, and stopped at a great playground in Morristown.
Then, Shadow Lake. Ah, Shadow. No better place to be.
Lillian surveys the younger crowd at the water's edge.
Joan and the littlest cousin get cosy while the BBQ's get fired up.
After the feast, we got down to business with our 2 B & J cakes.... each one had 2 different flavors. Ah, Ben & Jerry's. Can't beat it.
look at those 4 kids chomping at the bit!
Heather gets in on the action
12 hours after eating cake for breakfast, she is again reduced to silence while stuffing her face:
Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little, pick pick pick pick a lot, talk a little more.....
Lillian serves as entertainment for the kids while a serious history discussion happens on the couch.
Stuart & Emilie's camp plays host once again to an Alexander family summer birthday!
She heads to the water for one last look. Think she looks 3? And it was after 4 jam-packed days down in the Burlington area, hosted by Nurse Mart & Co. Thanks to everyone in my family who we enjoyed seeing so much during those 4 days! What a birthday!
Okay enough of that saccharine. Back to my usual tone: Here's Thomas embarking on a Christmas craft with Estelle that involves building a creche out of inverted cereal boxes and dis-assembled wooden clothes pins. So far the project has spanned 2 weekends, and the fat lady hasn't sung yet, neither!
It's messy, there's glue and spray snow and bits all over, it won't stay up, but I've been loving every second of watching because it reminds me of many many years of holiday crafts from seasonal magazines under the watchful eye of all my siblings, notably Joan. Yet I still can't sew. Where did things goes wrong with sister #6? (who's kidding who, Mary and Laura can't amount to much behind the pedal either, though they'll object - p.s. Laura, filling a bobbin does NOT count).
Above: Note the beer Thomas has next to him to ease him thru the project.
Here's the tree pre-decoration.
And post! If only I had the 17 boxes of my Xmas stuff currently sitting in Joan's wood bin. Dang. Note the tree is stuck in a semi-block of wood. Tree stands = WHAT? No one has heard of them over here. Seems the motto is: let your tree wither away, needles falling daily. No one minds. What? Put it in WATER? You lunatic American, they say. I just sigh. I'm thinking of dumping out my Febreeze bottle and spritzing it with water thrice daily. Ma, I know you love a watered tree, what say you?
Close your eyes and I'm SURE you can hear that Barbara Streisand song!
Not to be outdone, Her Highness wants to be just as cute.
Tonight, in the bath: Stick with it, there's a few choice bits. I was on a roll until my darn phone rang and I had to silently yell "cut" to myself. Rats!
