Saturday, September 29, 2007

Gastronomic Memories Revisited

Ever since Anna Ruth came out of the womb, she has reminisced about the deliciously seasoned potato strips and deluxe burgers she had (in condensed form) when her mother ate at Five Guys Burgers and Fries during our time in Blacksburg, Virginia. She was overjoyed to find out two and a half weeks ago that Five Guys had opened up shop right here in Birmingham. In fact, for several days after hearing about the opening, she made mention of the opportunity that her parents had to taste again of these culinary masterpieces. I, never to ignore the wishes of my daughter, faithfully relayed these requests to Liv. In order to protect Anna Ruth from charges of burger-idolatry, I have been careful (until now) to attribute these desires to myself rather than to our apparently (appearances can be deceiving) saintly and vegetarian daughter. After the "suggestion" of Five Guys burgers had been made to Liv for about the 5th time, Liv made room on her menu for a trip to the local establishment for fine American cuisine (and no, that's not an oxymoron). When we arrived, Liv got a shot of me holding Anna Ruth under the sign which reminded her of her former bliss.

Here you can see how excited I am (for my daughter, so that she will be able) to partake of these sensory pleasures. My olfactory capacities have not been so dulled that the ambrosial fragrances of Five Guys cajun fries do not conjure up salivatory anticipation that is sure to be fulfilled. This gift was sure and it was more than equal to the preceding anticipation, and I rejoiced (on behalf of Anna Ruth).

Welcome Baby Dagnan!


Our friends from Red Mountain community group, John and Alison Dagnan just had their baby boy on Friday evening. John "Thomas" Dagnan weighed 9lbs 8oz. and was almost 21 inches long! We are so happy for John and Alison as they begin this new chapter in their lives. Congratulations!


A Mother-Daughter Moment


An Invitation to a Birthday Party!

We attended a birthday party today for a little boy in our community group from church. He was turning 3, and had a train theme party.


Happy Birthday, William!


The amazing train cake that William's mom made for his 3rd birthday. Each car was a different flavor cake--pretty cool, huh?


Despite all the cake, trains, and presents, Anna Ruth's favorite aspect of the party was the wooden horse.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Big Girl at the Playground

Yesterday we enjoyed the first taste of fall weather and walked down the road to the playground. For the first time, Anna Ruth was able to climb up the stairs by herself and was not afraid to go down the slide by herself. We thought it was so cute to see her being such a big girl.

She soaked in our praise and was full of smiles.



She even tried her hand at the monkey bars!

And the rocks are always entertaining...:)

Friday, September 07, 2007

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day weekend, Anna Ruth and I traveled to Greenville, SC for a visit with my Mom and Dad, Scott, Sarah and the kids, Lisa and Stephen, and Carol. Rich stayed in Birmingham in order to work on his final report for his master's. I thought it would be a good opportunity to remove the 2 biggest distractions from Rich and also get to see my family. As it turns out, my family had planned a little celebration for my birthday, and we had a lot of fun during our Mexican fiesta on Saturday night.









It was complete with homemade tortillas, homemade salsa, guacamole, and tomatillo sauce, Mexican rice, tostadas, margaritas, and Latino music.










They also decorated the front rooms with streamers and balloons.













Scott serenaded us while we ate.









Lisa made a chocolate chip cheesecake and used her culinary expertise to produce a beautiful presentation of it.










Anna Ruth loved kissing and hugging baby Sullivan.


































She also enjoyed the pool, as usual, and pushing the red wagon around the yard.













Sullivan sat contentedly in the swing outside for so long, Sarah said she might put him in there whenever she needs to do homeschooling with Robert! :)

Overall, the weekend was fun, even though it was tiring (and we won't talk about Anna Ruth's behavior in the car!). I was sad that Rich couldn't be there to share in the fun, but was glad for the time with my family around my birthday. And on the way home, Anna Ruth kept talking about "Tita"(Lita) and "Pop-Pop"(that's what the grandkids call my Mom and Dad), so that was cute. I was glad that she could see them again. Thanks again, everyone, for the effort you put into the celebration for me and for all my nice gifts and cards. I love y'all!