Olympics, 2012

I am an Olympics person.  The Olympics won my heart in 1980 with the United States' hockey win over Russia.  I was pretty young back then, but those images really impressed the concept of an underdog emerging triumphantly. 

My favorite sport would have to be gymnastics, followed by swimming and then followed by any other event awarded a medal.  Truthfully, by the middle of the second week, I will watch any competition.  Skip, on the other hand, is not as enthusiastic.  Don't get me wrong... he is hugely patriotic and enjoys sports, but I think he has a negative association (don't ask). 

Currently, I do not have quite as much time to devote to watching the games, i.e., I am unable to block off the entire two weeks and engage only in Olympics viewing.  I catch events here and there, and I am monitoring the games via mobile phone applications.  We did, however, watch the opening ceremony, and we both gave the show very high marks.  The Queen was awesome, the show was spectacular, and the energy around the show was infectious. 

After the opening show, Skip bowed out of the athletes' entrance, whereas I watched until the bitter end.  Each and every country is thrilling to watch, whether the country's delegation consists of 3 athletes or 300.  In fact, sometimes a lone athlete representing a country that has never received a medal is the very ultimate in dignity. 

Anyrate, while I loved each and every country that marched, here are some of my favorite countries (and the clothes they wore). 

1)  Netherlands

What is great about London hosting the games is that you can conceivably wear a trench coat to the opening ceremony, unlike the 1996 Atlanta games and its atmosphere like the sun's surface.  (Oh, I kid!  We were so proud to have Atlanta host!)  But, really, how awesome is that orange trench against cobalt?

2)  San Marina

Accessories!  In case you missed it, the women athletes carried purses.  This is being ridiculed world wide.  Of course, I love it, although I bet schlepping that bag around for hours on end got old. 

3)  Australia

If you can get past thinking of the PGA jacket, this is a good look. 

4)  Belgium

They have the best versatility, e.g., sheath + jacket; pant suit; blazer+jacket+shell.  Clever. 

5)  Bermuda

This is another smart look.  The red skirts and shorts look amazing with the navy blazer.

6)  Great Britain

Truthfully, I would give their attire a B-.  Given the strength of their dramatic entrance (to the tune of David Bowie's "Heroes"), I would grade on a curve and land at a solid A. 

7)  USA

Bias aside, Ralph Lauren's Olympic attire continually impresses.  Manufacturing the clothing in China, however, is disdainful, and prevents further gushing. 

They have committed to manufacture all future Olympic gear in the United States, and I would like to to see them manufacture exclusively here at home. 

Are you into the Olympics?  What is your favorite sport?  Or, are you like me -- a fan of everything --and find yourself learning the lingo of every event aired and suddenly bandying about terms and scoring stats? 

Theatre

After a lengthy absence, we decided to head downtown this weekend to take in the theatre -- the children's theatre, that is. 

This production, "The Frog Prince," was George's first visit. 

We enjoyed a nice view of the stage. 

And after the show, the girls got to meet Princess Priscilla and Dame Thistlespite. 

...they also got to meet Prince Robert and the King, but they mostly were inspired by the Princess. 

We had a wonderful time. 

(Doesn't George look like he might be saying, "I thought I was going to a baseball game?")

Displaying Photos

This week Kelly is reviewing ways to display pictures in our homes. 

We have approximately one hundred+ photos of our three children, and we currently have framed photos on top of every conceivable surface in our home... like the above baker's rack...

...and these two newborn photos on each end of our mantle...

...and this display on a chest. 

I will spare you the rest of the clutter on tables, etc., because I am sure you get the idea.  This is currently how our photos are displayed.

My goal and hope is to have photos and frames selected and several places picked out to have photos  displayed properly.  So... I will be looking for inspiration and ideas. 

In fact, I may just be on Pinterest for the rest of the weekend! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Daily Photo

Gracie, reading to her animals

Recently, we told Gracie and Lauren that Sarah, as a little girl, used to line up her stuffed animals (and Lori!  There was an adorable photo in their wedding slideshow that showed Sarah playing teacher and instructing a row of stuffed animals and Lori in a baby carrier.) and play school.  With a quickness, they both had a row of animals in place and were instructing their pupils.    

George, the artist

I have written about how the girls have gotten really into arts and crafts this summer, and I wanted to share a little about George's contributions, too. 

He likes the Crayola's "first" crayons, markers and stampers, but he gets excited and usually throws those onto the ground (repeatedly).  Instead, we decided to try plain, old fashioned crayons.  He loves them, and successfully "colored" on a sketch pad.  He made lines and dots...

...and then he moved on to the tasting portion of the program. 

Tricky monkey.

Back to School

School resumes in about 3 1/2 weeks.  The girls are starting kindergarten this year so we are new to "big kid" school.  We do have several years of preschool experience, including the last year in the public school system, and therefore, I feel up to the challenge of readying everyone for their first day. 

To celebrate starting "big kid" school, we decided to indulge in some nicer backpacks this year.  Since the nicer ones are only marginally higher than what we would find at Target and since this gear will be subjected to rigorous, daily use, we thought the expense would be justified.  I showed the Pottery Barn Kids (PBK) catalog to the girls a couple of weeks ago, and they made their selections. 

Ok, I'm going to come clean here.  Part of my rationale and motivation is that a PBK purchase would mean I would not have to look at "Barbie" or some other character on their backs for an entire year.  I was very excited over the prospect of a tasteful ensemble and made plans to purchase. 

But then we had George's birthday and his party.  I got distracted.  Admittedly, it takes very little to break my concentration. 

So a couple of days ago (and a full month before school resumes), I logged on to the PBK website to make purchases.  Gracie's lavender dot backpack is completely sold out.  I called them, and they confirmed that there will be no more lavender dot backpacks -- ever.  Lauren's pink dot backpack is on back order, to be deliverable on a date after school resumes.  If you are even remotely familiar with Lauren, you know that will never do, unless you have a high tolerance for hearing "Where's my backpack?" 10,000 times each day.

Skip suggested calling the store, and -- miracle! -- they had two lavender dot backpacks available!  They held one of them for me, and we picked up everything today.  Luckily, Lauren forgot about her pink dot selection (in contrast, Gracie forgets nothing) and was easily sold on the pink owl backpack instead.  I know I'm losing you here with this degree of detail, but my final piece of information is that Gracie's accessories -- a lunchbox and pencil case -- were also sold out.  She agreed to have contrasting accessories with the lavender owl print.  (She was not budging from that lavender dot backpack, that's for sure.)

My point with all of that is who in the world buys their school gear so early?  At a month in advance, I though I was being really early, only to find most items gone.  Is this a whole new league, predicated on an early-bird-gets-the-worm philosophy?  Who are these aggressively prepared moms?  Do I have to compete them them?  Or, should I befriend one, slip her a $20 and ask her to pick up our backpacks at the beginning of June next year when she makes her purchases? 

Final thoughts:

1)  We are ready for preschool in a couple of years because I purchased a backpack for George.  Ok, not really... we needed a small diaper bag. 

2)  My children have now partaken of the PB Kool-Aid, declaring, "We LOVE this room!!!!" when they were playing in one of the mock bedrooms. 

"Do we have to leave???" they asked when it was time to go.  (I feel the same way in the Ralph Lauren Home displays.  Why can't we just live there?)

I guess we could camp out until next year and be sure to have first dibs on backpacks. 

Virginia Lindseys Head South

Last weekend, in addition to George's birthday and Riley's birthday, we had some very special company -- Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy.  They braved the high temps and made the trip to visit. 

George greeted them with shiny eyes and a big smile. 

They arrived on Friday morning, the 13th, and that happened to be Riley's birthday.  So there was singing and lots of cake. 

Do you see that shiny brown hair?  She has the most perfect shade of chestnut hair. 

George also enjoyed the singing and helped himself to a fistful of cake.  He was completely oblivious to the fact that that round of "Happy Birthday" and birthday cake was not for him. 

Singing!  And cake!  He loved it!

The next night, George and Skip helped with the grill. 

...carefully making sure everything was grilled to perfection (and it was!)...

In the meantime, his sisters were driving around the yard.

 

Aunt Kathy found the way to George's heart. 

The grill squad. 

George eats a lot, and here is Riley taking a turn. 

George's sweet profile.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy kindly gifted the girls with a very nice art set, and we spent Sunday morning on the deck, drawing and designing clothes.

 

They also kindly provided a free insect inspection and gave a tutorial on how to eliminate our yellow jackets once and for all. 

We had a fantastic visit and cannot wait to see them again!

George says, "Y'all come back now, ya hear?!"

WGL's Party

William George wanted to celebrate his party by jumping and playing with his sisters, cousins and the rest of his family.  Therefore, we got together at a "Pump It Up" and had fun. 

Unfortunately, George soon realized the slide was steeper and faster than he had imagined.  The first run down the slide was a doozy! 

Gracie, Lexy and Lauren, on the other hand, had a blast. 

...As did cousin Riley!

George continued to want to stay close to Skip after the initial "free fall" experience. 

Lauren jumped around like a monkey!

Uncle Bill, Aunt Lisa and Lexy demonstrated good execution and form.

While the spectators, the wisest of the group, looked on (R-L: Auntie Melinda, Skip, George, Grammie, Gracie, PawPaw and Eva):

Skip, George and Bill:

Uncle Rick, Lauren and Ralph:

Lauren and Will:

Kathy, capturing George; PawPaw and Eva:

Lexy:

Aunt Melinda and George:

Lexy finds a cool spot in front of the fan:

George and Gracie go for a ride:

L-R: Gracie, George, Skip, Lauren, Will & Riley.  Pump It Up is great for the young...

...and the young at heart.  (+Skip, Lindsey, Lisa)

After jumping around for an hour and a half, George took the throne as the birthday guest of honor. 

Snoopy helped George celebrate!

Cousin Riley's birthday is on the 13th, and therefore, George shared his birthday reign. 

Lexy, Lauren & Gracie:

The lunch table:

Party crew:  Gracie, Riley, Lauren & Will

After lunch, we sang and had cake.  George crammed almost his entire piece of cake into his mouth, of course.   By now, George had totally gotten the hang of the birthday singing, and his face lit up as soon as he heard the words... probably in anticipation of cake. 

After cake, presents:

Lauren and George:

 

Do you like Skip's aerial photography?  Because he is so tall, his photos provide a birds-eye view. 

Happy Birthday to Geo!

And Riley!

Most importantly, thanks to all of our family for celebrating with us!