Missouri Cousins

Last week my cousin Philip and his family came to visit all the way from Blue Springs, Missouri (aka "The Springs")! Philip and Valerie were very brave to drive 18 hours with two small kids. Marianne had a blast with their kids Hayden (age 6) and Makenzie (16 months) and enjoyed the excitement of always having a constant playmate. We spent the first few days in Pinehurst, and then we headed to Ocean Isle Beach for the remainder of the week.

M&M (Makenzie and Marianne)

Marianne and Hayden take a drink at breakfast at the Carolina Hotel.

Makenzie, Hayden, and Marianne
Philip, Makenzie, Hayden, Marianne, and Krissy

I'll post the beach pictures soon!

Happy Birthday to Nanny!

On Sunday we took a trip to South Carolina for Nanny's 91st birthday party. At home, one of Marianne's favorite photographs is of Nanny and Big Daddy at our wedding. She'll point to it and say, "Nanny! Nanny!" On Sunday in Columbia she said "Nanny!" about five times too. Often quite reserved in large groups, Marianne was very gregarious and was the life of the party. She loved watching her cousins Sam and Maddox run around (they are two years old), but I think her favorite part of the party was when we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Nanny. Marianne stood up in her chair and clapped throughout the song -- I think she wanted us to sing it five more times! She also loved the cake (surprise), and even ate some of Nanny's slice when she wasn't looking. We finished the day off with a quick supper with Grandma Anna and Grandpa Jake before heading back home. Marianne was a star, and didn't cry at all in the car on the way back to Pinehurst.

Marianne is reading Nanny's birthday card.
Marianne loved it when everybody sang "Happy Birthday"!
Cake stealer (Marianne, not Nanny)!

And the dish ran away with the spoon

Marianne loves to eat with her new glow-in-the-dark spoon from Great Grandma Bev and Great Grandpa Jake.

Sometimes she ditches the spoon for a more hands-free approach, however.

Green Acres

No blogs lately because we've been playing outside in our new and improved backyard (also because I've been spending Marianne's naptime outside watering the plants and grass instead of uploading pictures)! Our yard is no longer low-maintenance, but we love all the new grass!

Marianne gets the biggest kick out of the sprinkler, and loves to run right up to and watch the water arch toward her. She ends up soaking wet every time, and then runs around the yard like a fool.