Court Court!

My dear friend, Courtney, came to visit! She's our first official, stay-overnight visitor. Courtney is my friend from Pennsylvania, but she is from Houston originally. So, she was here visiting family, and she promised me she'd come to visit, and she did! At the very end of her trip! She brought along her sister, Lindsey. I appreciate them driving from Houston to come and play. And play we did. We went to Seaworld, which is quickly becoming one of my kids' favorite places. Although you wouldn't know it by Dottie's facial expression in the picture above. This was taken as we were saying goodbye to Courtney, and I think Dottie was a little chlorined out.

And these are some other fun pictures of SeaWorld. Thank you, Courtney, for coming to see me. I love you. I can't wait to see you in PA!

Aransas Beach

On Monday, Joe had the day off after being gone for four days last week. So we thought, "Why not head down to the local beach?"

We decided to try out Aransas Beach.

Note the seaweed.

It was very close to the shoreline, in large quantities.

I'm hoping that it was maybe just a seasonal fluke, because there was a heck of a lot of seaweed in all body crevices after the trip.

But did Elliot care? No he did not. He was undeterred.

Dottie was at first psyched. Then she met a few dead crabs, and one live one. Then she decided to stay out of the water. That's when we went home.

But she had fun posing at the little shops in the town.

They were somewhat concerned about the bloody teeth on this shark.

On a side note, Dottie went to a party on Saturday and got her face painted. I had to take a picture, because it was rubbed off about an hour later.

Happy Birthday, Dottalotter, My Daughter

Speaking of nicknames, I call Dottie "Dottalotter, my daughter" on occasion. I can't believe my little girl is five. Five is so old. It means she's going to start school, officially, in the fall. It means she's going to sit in a classroom, all day long, apart from me. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. I may cry profusely when the day comes that I send her off, bookbag in tote, to face the cold cruel world of the institution known as education.

But that's still several months away. So I should revel in the achievements of my daughter. She is very independent. She gets herself dressed, writes her name, reads, uses big words like "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and is great at acting like a fairy (she says when she becomes 11 (her favorite number), she will actually become one).

For her special day, we kept it simple. I am really enjoying this concept of the simple birthday. We hosted one friend on our special day. One. It was so nice to not have a million children clamoring in my ears.

So on Dottie's special day, she decided she wanted to go to the zoo and the Olive Garden with her little friend. I know, the Olive Garden. My kid is sophisticated. And that's okay with me. I'd rather eat pasta than hot dogs any day.

"I'm the Birthday Girl, hear me roar!"

The girls practicing their fairy moves in the Butterfly House at the zoo.

Dottie was traumatized last time we saw the goats, but Faith cured her of that fear. Dottie just needed a little Faith. Ha ha.

Elliot's impressive wing span.

The favorite, Flamingos.

And the birthday gift opening. New clothes . . .

Strawberry Shortcake Slip n Slide was a hit.

Dottie decided that we should put the candles where Ariel's nose is supposed to be.

I love you, My Dottie! I think this is the last birthday where you should grow up. Please stay little forever, and don't leave your mommy.

Best Birthday Present Ever

On my birthday, completely unprovoked and unprecedented, Elliot went poop on the potty.

What more can a mom ask for?

CareBear and Lonster's wedding

So, I'm pretty big on nicknames. Carrie has been called CareBear for as long as I can remember. So it was only natural that Lon would become Lonster. And when you call him Lonster, he acts like a Monster. I like it. He's silly and sweet, just like Carrie.

When the beautiful wedding ceremony was over, I turned to Amanda and said tearfully, "Our baby's married!" I think of Carrie as my baby because we shared a room for as long as we lived together, and she was my baby from 8 years old on. I changed her diapers, comforted her when she cried, and read her bedtime stories. In fact, I call Dottie Carrie all the time. And I'm not the only one. My mom does it, and I heard Amanda doing it all weekend long.

I guess it's because Carrie's always been such a sweetheart. There's no meanness or corruptness in her. She's just purely good and innocent. That's why we confuse her with a child, because she's truly without guile.

I love you, my beautiful sister. And you've caught yourself a good husband.

The last passionate kiss goodbye. Elliot cries for Carrie in his sleep when he's having nightmares. She's his comfort.

B and K's wedding: Disneyland

Yay for the Magic Kingdom! I wish I could have heard those words from Dottie all day long. But she was too sleep-deprived. When she's grouchy, there is no rationality in her little mind. She was afraid of almost every ride except for Peter Pan. Oh well. I had fun, and so did Ellioto.

Minnie's washing machine entranced Elliot. Same look he has in front of the TV.

Dottie did like Minnie's Makeup stand.

On the piano . . . there were a few, and the kids tried to play every one.

Note Carrie and Lon. Those silly lovers.

Okay, she also liked the merry-go-round.

This is the toy I bought for Elliot to keep him happy in Frontierland, where there were no kid rides.

B and K's Wedding: The Temple

I've decided I'm going to call Bryan and Kelly "B and K." Kinda like "BK" for Burger King. Why? Because they have all of the perfect elements of a good whopper sandwich: juiciness, savory sauciness, a touch of crispiness, and a little bit of love.

Dottie was in awe of Kelly. She thought she was a princess. And she was. She also liked that she had a very similar dress to Kelly. Have I ever mentioned that Kelly and I have a lot in common? This is probably why Bryan married her. She majored in English, she's smart, funny, witty, and beautiful. Basically, she's me. That's why I like her too. I think Kelly and I are going to be BFFs soon, very soon.

The reception place had this beautiful view of the ocean. Note the light house in the background.

I also liked this pose of Dottie with B and K. I had to include it. She's doing her shy look.

Just married! I should also mention I like Bryan too. Bryan and I, as you know, have had a love-hate relationship. Our youth was filled with hate, but now it's mostly love. Except for the occasional tiff at Christmas over . . . who knows what. What restaurant to eat at. I don't know why we fight. But it's probably because we're a lot a like too. Bryan's become very chill since Kelly. I think he's learning a lot from her on patience and love, something I'm constantly working on. I love you, Brotha, and I'm proud of you!

Dottie and Elliot became fast friends with little Nathan, Kelly's nephew. They ran away from the adults frequently during the reception.