The Splash Pad and RT, The Chick Graduated, Puddle Jumping 101, Judith and Eden's Dedication AND The Enchanting B's Miscellaneous and Mundane

Good Wednesday morn!

Guys, if it is okay with you, I am just going to post a lot of pics and a few words today...

Because it is MAY...

And I am woefully behind.

RANDOMNESS #1 - The Splash Pad and RT - When we last visited the Splash Pad, it was the end of Summer 2018, and RT ran through it fearlessly. It was a familiar stomping ground for the then one year-old.

This year, when the Splash Pad opened on May 1, RT had no memory of the past year. He was excited, but cautiously so.

Also, they have added a smaller, tot-friendly area away from the main Splash Pad. Although I had my doubts about the size, I am happy to report that people in Splash Pad Authority definitely knew what they were doing.

RT and friends loved it, and even though we walked back to the big Splash Pad on two occasions, we liked the new area the best on this particular day.








An empty cup of some kind is key.

They love to fill the cup to the top...

Walk a few steps away from the source of the water...


And throw it straight up in the air.

Repeat...

Repeat...

Repeat 100 more times.


The kids also like to stand on top of the little fountains.


You may recognize this feature from the main Splash Pad.

We played with it for less than 30 seconds...


Because the other Pad is so much more fun!


Tired, but happy.

The true sign of a successful park addition.

RANDOMNESS #2- The Chick Graduated - Roxie was in the 5:00 p.m. Graduation Service May 5. Because of out-of-town family, we decided to have a get-together of sorts at one of our favorite places before Graduation so everyone could head home when it was over.

Irish Bred Pub in Opelika.

After a game a couple of years ago, we were HANGRY, and didn't want to wait anywhere over five minutes to eat. That didn't leave us many options in Auburn, but only eight miles away in Opelika, we hit pay dirt.

We found this little restaurant in The Square and it did not disappoint. Fish and chips, very good burgers, homemade fries and so much more...

And after a ballgame at Auburn, a few empty tables.

Ahhh.

Hangry no more!

We went back to Irish Bred two, three and four different times, and it became a place with some history for our little family.

When it became clear how many might be coming to the graduation festivities, I made a couple of calls in Auburn before calling Irish Bred with a room request.

Thankfully, they didn't disappoint!


Roxie and one of her roommates, Emma, prior to Graduation.


Proud parents.


The guy in the background of this pic was a lot faster than he looks.

Roxie threw the hat multiple times, and this was supposed to be the one without other people in it.

Heavy, heavy sigh.


Roxie and Auburn-lovin' Hunter!


These next pics were taken before Graduation in The Square in Opelika.

Josh, Courtney and the girls came for the pre-Graduation festivities and headed home around 3:00. They live three hours from The Plains.


Austin and Melia came for the pre-Graduation festivities AND Graduation, but they left RT with Melia's parents. That was a good call on their part.




Judith and family gave Roxie a very cute stuffed sloth wearing graduation garb.

This is Judith after she realized the sloth wasn't going home with her.


Roxie and Grandma.


Roxie and Zac.


Just lovely, lovely Roxie.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Puddle Jumping 101 - Like Judith before him, I waited and waited for just the right rainy, non-thunderous, puddle-jumping day...

It finally arrived!


The first five minutes, he was a little bit hesitant.

He wanted his cars.

He wanted his shorts to be dry.

He wanted chocolate milk.

But then he started getting the hang of it.








And by the end of our first Puddle-Jumping Experience, he tried to hide because he didn't want it to end.

Success!

RANDOMNESS #4 - Judith and Eden's Dedication - We had a sweet Mother's Day. Judith and Eden were dedicated at their new church, and we were able to proudly attend.

I must say, it is SO much easier to just GO to family baby dedications when you aren't the one worrying about the baby crying. I LOVED IT!


Our first picture of the Faulkner Family, Party of TEN.

Everyone looking the same direction (kinda)...

Check.

No one crying...

Check.

Not even Nana...

Check.

Even with RT's "eye-roll," it's a keeper!

Check AND check!








After Dedication, we headed to El Portal in Hartselle for a nice, lively lunch.


As I said above, it was pretty sweet.

Enchanting B's Miscellaneous and Mundane - This is a new "thang" on the Blog, and I know you will be shocked to see it will be written in List Format!

1. I know it appears I haven't cooked the last four months, but the truth of the matter is I have cooked, but mostly old, previously-posted recipes.

Also, the new things I have tried, haven't been shareable.

I cooked two new edible dishes last night, so one or two new recipes will be posted in the very near future.

2. My Pinterest Stuff seems to be dwindling as well, but that is not the case. I continue to "pin." Just having a little trouble with the "sharing" part right now.

3. I have a few New Favorite Things ready for the Blog...

4. As well as a story or two or three.

5. You may or may not have noticed my hands and feet in the picture of the fam under Judith and Eden's Dedication. While they look mangled and sad, I can assure you I am working on "angles" when photographing those body parts in the future.

If the angle thing isn't the solution, I will be advertising for a "hand and feet" double in the even nearer future.

I kid you not.

As always, I hope you and yours have a wonderful week, and I'll be back shortly with a post about my trip with Roxie, Amy and Monica to New York City last week.

That's right.

I spent five days in The Big Apple, and I have some pics and stories to share!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. Here are a few photos to keep you interested!








Yeah.

You're going to need to check back in a few days.

A Mother's Day Tale, Visiting Nashville, RT's Easter Party, What Has Roxie Been Up To, Park Day and McWane with Courtney, Judith and Eden, A Little More Eden

Good Wednesday morn!

A Mother's Day Tale

My very first Mother's Day. I remember it like it was yesterday... not 1991. Mike was determined to do everything the "right way" to make it a very special day indeed.

He knew I was supposed to have a corsage. However, when I was growing up, you wore a red corsage if your mother was living, and a white corsage if your mother had passed away. I don't know if that is a Southern tradition... or just practiced in my little part of the world. That being said, Mikie didn't know the rules.

He called our local florist in Cullman and asked for a corsage for a "first time mother." (Code for BIG!) The florist asked him, "Is the mother living or deceased?" This totally threw Mike.

He thought she was kidding, so he responded, "Why would I buy a deceased mother a corsage?" The florist was not amused.

"I'll take care of it," was all she said.

When Mikie went to pick up my Mother's Day corsage the afternoon before Mother's Day, he picked up the biggest orchid corsage (with matching ribbons) I had ever seen. I shouldn't have been surprised thinking back on my giant homecoming mum, but I was.

"Wow. That's quite a corsage," I said weakly.

"Yeah. The florist was a nut though. She kept asking me if you were dead or alive. But in the end, she did a great job, don't you think?" he asked, pleased. (To Mikie, bigger is always better in the corsage department.)

I didn't even ask what he was talking about because I had started wondering what to wear with the giant purple orchid. What I had originally picked out was a floral dress which would have looked wonderful with a small red corsage, but not with a giant purple one.

I finally settled on a celery green dress (solid), and while it might not have been the BEST color choice, Austin was only three months old. (Code for I DIDN'T FIT INTO ALL MY OLD CLOTHES YET, SO IT WAS THE ONLY OTHER CHOICE!)

The flower was so large, I couldn't hold Austin on my left hip because his face and head kept getting buried in the flower. Plus, he kept grabbing for the ribbons. (The only thing worse than a giant purple corsage is a dead giant purple corsage.) I balanced him on my right hip for most of the day.

A few days later, I explained the tradition to Mike. "When they were asking if the mother was alive or deceased, they meant MY mother," I explained.

"Oh," he said. He paused, thinking. "I liked that you were the only one wearing an orchid though. It made it more special." (Code for I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A PURPLE ORCHID EVERY YEAR FOR MOTHER'S DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!) And he has.

In the year 2009, I can count on one hand the corsages I see on Sunday mornings... even on the older women. But you can always spot me. I'm the very proud Mom wearing the slightly smaller (NOW) orchid corsage in the upper right balcony.

It's fun. It's tradition. It's a story to tell. And I love it!

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - Just wanted you to know the Mother's Day Corsage tradition ended in 2017. Mike didn't want to let it go, but I thought it was time to move on. (Now I just ask for cash, and that works well, too!)

RANDOMNESS #1 - Visiting Nashville - Mike had a business conference in Nashville a couple of weeks back, and I got to tag along.

When he goes on a conference, that basically means I have a couple of days to myself in a different city. In the past few years, I have had days in Chicago, New Orleans, Nashville and Memphis.

These days are carefully planned, and, more often than not, I will go to a Zoo or an Aquarium to spend the day. I like to be around young families, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all.

Actually, the REAL planning comes in the coming and going.

In New Orleans, we were three and a half blocks from the Aquarium, and I could see my destination clearly from our hotel window. I was going on a sunny day around 10:30 in the morning. No worries...

Until I got downstairs in the lobby and there were four different exits putting me on four different streets...

And the view I so clearly had from the 17th floor of the hotel was nonexistent ground level.

But I am fearless when it comes to asking questions of hotel staff, and when I asked a valet to walk out the correct exit and point the way I was to walk for three and a half blocks, he was very kind...

And I arrived at the Aquarium safe and sound and had a splendid time.

I mastered the art of hailing a cab in Chicago, and this past trip to Nashville found me with an Uber App on my phone...

And I mastered that, too.

One of the many things I enjoy about Nashville are the "new-to-me urban neighborhoods." I spent an afternoon in the 12 South neighborhood which was full of some of my favorite urban things...

Boutiques and coffee houses.


And murals.

I love murals, and I founds some pretty ones in 12 South.


I have always wondered who paints these murals. In my mind, I assumed it was a gang of talented teenagers with spray paint cans and flashlights in the middle of the night.

So when I saw this guy working in the middle of the day with what was obviously a PLAN...

Well, let's just say I was a tad bit disappointed.


This is a very neat store in The Gulch neighborhood.

Rest assured, the Two Old Hippies are doing well.

Very well.


In the Lobby of our hotel, we found a little place called Stompin' Grounds. It had everything from breakfast, lunch and dinner to fresh-baked pastries, gelatos and all kinds of coffee.

However, this display was my favorite.


Every single item...


Was made 100 percent from...


Chocolate.

It made my day.

Maybe even my life.


The day we left Nashville, I really wanted to go to the Farmer's Market, and although it was rainy and cool and there wasn't much produce out yet, I am so glad we did.


They had EVERYTHING.

Great live music...

A huge international food court...


And perhaps my favorite, a separate open-air nursery with every kind of plant imaginable.


We have so much more to see and do the next time we visit Nashville, but going to The Farmer's Market is ALWAYS going to be on my "list."

RANDOMNESS #2 - RT's Easter Party - I was able to attend Little Man's Easter Party at his school, and can I just say, two-year olds really know how to enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt!










If you're really lucky, you might find a Tonka truck during the Hunt.




No matter what, at the end of the day, Easter Egg Hunts are pretty cool.

Almost as cool as you-know-who!

RANDOMNESS #3 - What Has Roxie Been Up To? - Well, if you must know...

She and her friend, Nat, ran a full marathon in Nashville this past weekend.


And they lived to tell the tale!

RANDOMNESS #4 - Park Day AND McWane with Courtney, Judith and Eden - Courtney, the girls and I have had an outing each week she's been on maternity leave, and last week was no exception.



After a romp in Judith's favorite park (near Nana's house)…


We met Pop at McWane Center for lunch and some more play time.


Eden was not upset with Pop. It was time for another nap. (She is so much like me it is scary.)










Bubbles are our favorite.







RANDOMNESS #5 - A Little More Eden - I know I'm only sharing one or two pics a post, but trust me, she is growing and changing and as sweet as ever. I am sure I will crank it up a bit in the months to come.



I hope you and yours have had a wonderful April. I am excited to see what May brings...

And I don't usually say things like that (or even feel that way), but today I am hopeful.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

"I see all these moms who can do everything, and I think... I should have them do some stuff for me."

"What if Snow White was just pretending to be asleep so she didn't have to clean up after little people anymore? I totally get that."