Sugarbottom Kids

Last Sunday I took the kids to Zelene's house - a.k.a. Sugarbottom - to take some pictures of the kids. Her lawn boasts several sugar maples (from which the house gets its name) and as a result her lawn is covered in leaves in the fall. The colors this fall were not the best here, but I really wanted to get the kids out and have some fun. I think we accomplished that.

Vivian had a great time playing in the leaves, but her love of horses pulled her to other areas of the property and her photo session was cut short.

Phoebe was a pretty good sport about things and I got some decent pictures of her. Now I need your opinion as to which picture is your favorite (I need to pick one to enlarge and frame for the house to hang beside Vivian's one year picture). Here are the candidates:

Number 1 - she is not looking at me or the camera, but I have seen this face a ton.

Number 2 - she is pretty pleased with herself here.

Number 3 - great smile. She did not like sitting in the leaves real well so the chair worked great.

Number 4 - I never get tired of the smile.

Number 5 - The only decent shot of her standing - it is cute.

I appreciate you opinions. I will probably have to do some editing since all these pictures are straight out of the camera. In case you are wondering, I fully intended to get a few pictures of the kids together, but Vivian took a dip in the horse watertrought and Phoebe decided that she was no longer interested in pictures and burst into tears. The day was saved by Zelene who had lots of milk and cookies waiting for us. Thanks for hosting the craziness. It was a fun day.

Happy Birthday Vivian!!!

Dear Vivian,

I cannot believe you are 3. You are so special to our entire family and I have been very blessed to have the privilege of being your Mom. After being patient and a very good girl at your sister's birthday, we had a day for Vivian and you really enjoyed it.




Your Hello Kitty cake and cupcakes courtesy of your Mommy and her mad decorating skills.

But you darling stole the show when your face lit up while we all sang Happy Birthday. I do not know if I have every seen you this totally happy about anything before. It was great!!!

You were also a good little present opener until you found the toys you wanted to play with and then we finished unwrapping them for you.

Your Sister had a great time in the glasses. She is a nut.

You looked pretty cool in your shades too.

We love you sweetie and were so glad that so many folks came out to celebrate your day with you - thanks Grandma & Pop, Uncle Ashby, Kevin, Christie, Jamie, Stephanie, Zelene, Pauline, Rachael, & Hannah for a great evening.

Your Birthday means Birthday season is over at our house for the year. Two parties in 10 days for two cool kiddos makes your Mommy and Daddy hustle, but your smile makes it worth it.

Love you, Mommy.

Happy Birthday Phoebe!!!

Dear Phoebe,

I cannot believe you are 1. This first year with you has went so fast. You are a pretty cool kiddo with a wonderful little personality. Your Grandma calls you little Napoleon - it is a well earned nickname because you a small and we all appear to be doing as you direct with your pointing and fussing at us. We all love you and really loved celebrating your first birthday. It went a little like this:

Balloons - you share your sister's love of balloons and were excited right away to play with the balloons on the table.

Cake - Mommy decided to try her hand at cake making/decorating. It went alright I think. You seemed to enjoy your cake a whole bunch.

Knowing what all the fuss is about - You seemed to understand that this was your day when everyone was singing happy birthday to you. I love this picture.

Sharing your day - Your sister was a great big sis during your party and she particularly enjoyed helping you with your cake.

Messes - You can sure make one, but you did a good job confining it to the top of the highchair.

Ohh... That was good!!!

Presents - You got so many nice things and were a good sport and helped open them up.

People - You had a nice little crowd at your party. Mommy, Daddy, Sis, Grandma, Pop, Grammy, PapPap, Uncle Ashby & Sara, Aunt Nichol, Cousins Emily & Sarah, Rev. Kevin, Christie, Jamie, & Stephanie Hand, Zelene, your Great Great Aunt Pauline, and your babysitters Racheal, Hannah, & Rebecca Davis all partied with you.

We love you bunches sweetie!!! Hope you enjoyed your special day as much as we enjoyed it with you.

Love Always, Mommy