BB's wedding

We're back from our trip to Mississippi for BB's wedding. The wedding was very nice, we had a great time visiting with family, and (dare I say it?) we absolutely love Al - BB's new husband. He's going to be a great addition to the family!

Here are a few pictures, of course:

Elizabeth visiting with Papa Joe before the wedding. As always, Joe's eyes really lit up when he saw Elizabeth.




David practicing on his flute before the wedding. He played the Wedding March on it, and it was absolutely beautiful.



The candles melting (before they were lit). Did I mention the wedding was outside...in July...in Mississippi?



Al about 45 minutes before the wedding. (Yes, he did manage to change and look presentable before it started.)



Jonathan lighting the candles at the beginning of the ceremony:



Elizabeth as the flower girl and David's cousin's son (Brody) as the ringbearer. He ran down the aisle, so this was as close as I could get to a shot of them together.



Elizabeth taking her time going down the aisle. (She literally stopped to pull out one petal at a time. It was very cute.)



The wedding party (including Betty's sister, Aunt Donnette, Betty's father, and David's youngest brother, Scott).



BB and Jonathan after the ceremony:



David toasting the happy couple:



Elizabeth and Jonathan dancing:



Whew! It's been a busy month! We're now officially tired of traveling. Unfortunately, I have to do even more of it this week for work. Oh well...that's how it goes!

A quick smile

This picture is noteworthy because it was the first (and so far only) time in her life that Elizabeth: 1) asked me to take her picture, 2) stood still long enough for me to take it, and 3) actually smiled for the camera.

After 3 years of cajoling, pleading, begging and usually downright failing to get good smiling pictures of Elizabeth, I considered that a breakthrough. Of course, you'll have to ignore the Cheetos all over her face - beggars can't be choosers!

We're in Mississippi this weekend because BB (David's mom) is getting married. Elizabeth is supposed to be the flower girl. We'll let you know how that goes!

A new era

We've been putting off the inevitable for as long as we could. Ever since Elizabeth started sending us pretend e-mail on her Barney "laptop"...



...we knew it wouldn't be long before she wanted to try the real thing. Elizabeth has loved playing on Starfall with us or watching "baby videos" (i.e., videos of my online friends' children) on my computer for some time. But, until now, she always thought it was something she needed us to do with her.

Until a few weeks ago - when I showed her how to use a mouse and play some games ALL BY HERSELF. I'm truly amazed at how quickly she picked it up. (Remember, this is not the most coordinated child in the world.) But, within a few minutes, she was pointing and clicking like a pro. And, our world will never be the same again... She's currently obsessed with Poisson Rouge (a French children's website) and the Little Einsteins games/books on Disney's site. And, we hear quite frequently when we try to assist her that she can "do it herself."





It's not a big problem right now, because Jonathan's still away for the summer. But, I'm certain he's going to believe his world has ended when he learns that he not only has to share a laptop with his dad, but also his 3-year-old sister, when he returns.

I'm thinking it won't take very long for him to recall a brief conversation we had at the beginning of the year when he was having difficulty remembering to turn in homework assignments and his grades were not faring well as a result. My memory is purposefully fuzzy, but it had something to do with the promise of a new laptop for his birthday (which is in September) if he turned his grades and study habits around. Darned if the boy didn't get almost straight A's by the end of the year. Hmmmmm....I think David and I had better start saving our allowance....

Vacation update

We're still having a great time in Myrtle Beach. We spent some time visiting the Brookgreen Gardens, which were absolutely gorgeous and a must-see for any garden or art lover, and the Huntington Beach State Park, which has a beautiful public beach that is undeveloped.






Elizabeth has also been initiated into the world of miniature golf. Now, that was quite an experience!





She keeps asking to go back, but I'm not sure either David or I are ready for that quite yet!

Other than those outings, and a trip to the movies this afternoon, the beach and the pool have been our primary hang-outs.









We could definitely get used to this!

Missing in action

We've snuck away for a week at Myrtle Beach. We rented a condo that's just across the street from the beach and has a great kiddie pool/lazy river. We're having a wonderful time!!!