Happy Birthday, Barbara!

It was a terrific weekend celebrating Barbara's birthday.  (We also had an early celebration for Becky, whose birthday is in March). Becky flew in from Denver on Friday afternoon.  Chris, Michelle, Turtle and HoneyB drove down from Cleveland for the weekend. It was great to have everyone together!

Barbara with her 3 grandchildren.
What lucky kiddos to have such a wonderful grandmom.

Becky and Greg enjoying the spring weather on the deck.

Birthday Butter Cake



The weekend activities included a family trip to the zoo.
Here are Greg and Simms watching the otters. (Photo by Barbara).



The kids LOVED having Aunt Becky in town.  

An armful of love.

HoneyB finds a good spot to take a snooze.

shhhh.....

Roscoe teaches Simms to 'sort' and 'stack'

Becky teaches  Simms to crawl.  Any day now, we'll have a motile baby.

Turtle and her dad, Chris, enjoying a story.

Two granddads doting over their grandson. 

(Simms is living the good life...)

It was a great weekend full of love and fun.

70 Degrees and Loving It.

We know better than to get used to this spring weather.  We're just being teased. Next week, it will be snowing.  That's just how it goes around here. But that didn't stop any of us from enjoying the beautiful sunshine this weekend.

Greg took every opportunity to take Simms out for walks this weekend - they walked around the neighborhood, walked through the woods, walked to Grandma Barbara and Pops house, walked to Beagle Bagel for breakfast...  As you can see, Simms was worn out from all the walking. zzz..

Lola Nora and Dada also enjoyed the outdoors with Simms

We love this beautiful blanket that was *handmade* by Greg's cousin, Diane.
She sewed strips of colorful fabric across the blanket to add texture and a unique design. Babies love it. (Parents, too!)   Thanks, Diane! 

The guys hanging out in the front yard. A sight that melts my heart. 

Go Breeze!

Last season, Greg and his good buddy, Dat, played on an indoor soccer league called "The Burn."  This season, they've rounded up a team of their own ("The Breeze") that includes Jerel and some other close friends. Every Sunday afternoon is soccer practice out on the reservoir. The first game will be in a few weeks.  Simms and I will be there cheering, "Let's go Breeze!"

The Breeze gets warmed up for practice

Dat's kiddo, Son (age 3). He had some fancy footwork, too.

Perhaps one day, Simms, Son & Roscoe will form their own soccer league...

Maybe Lola would be on the team, too! (Jerel's cousin's daughter).  

Our Happy Little Fella

Happy Birthday Greg (and Chris)!

Greg and Chris had their 38th birthday this week. To celebrate, we threw the annual Mardi Gras-themed birthday party and invited over friends and family to enjoy big pots of home-cooked red beans and rice, corn dip, gumbo and king cake from Broadstreet Bakery. Unfortunately, Chris, Michelle, Turtle and HoneyB could not come to Jackson for the weekend, since baby HoneyB was still recovering from RSV. But they had their own festive birthday celebration in Cleveland.

Rich chocolate birthday cake topped with caramel, whipped topping

and a liberal amount of heath bar crumbles. Need I say more?



Kelly and Son - life of the party

A lot of candles there...fire extinguisher nearby?



A runner's lungs... Greg blew those candles out with no problem. 

Susie and Sam babysat Simms on Greg's actual birthday so we could go on a date to Newstage Theatre and see the play, "39 Steps." Thanks Sam and Susie!

Buy Handmade at Sunday Rookery

Well, after a couple of years of procrastinating, I've finally done it. I've  mustered up the energy to launch an etsy site. (Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling unique, handmade items).    The shop, Sunday Rookery,  is a work in progress. So far, I've only listed a few items including some heart-shaped origami earrings (just in time for valentine's day) and custom baby onesies.  More to come. But hey - it's a start.

Nina and Jerel came up with the name "Sunday Rookery."  A rookery is a nesting ground for birds. For those that know me well, you know that I have a fondness for birds, and many of the crafts that I make are aviane-centric.  Sundays are typically designated as crafting time with friends.  So there you have it - Sunday Rookery. The other gals will also be contributing items to the shop, too, so stay tuned.


A look at the storefront.
The shop's banner is a photograph of glass origami birds that I bought in NYC recently.
(See, again with the birds...)


Thanks to my wonderful friend, Liz, for being such an inspiration.  Liz is a proud mother of two and is a spectacular craftster who has been selling her handmade goods on etsy since 2007. (See previous post from October).  Liz's shop, Cozy Blue, has been enormously successful and her custom tree pillows were featured this week on ABC News! Check out some of her handmade goods at Cozy Blue. Congratulations, Liz!


Custom print tree pillows by Liz at Cozy Blue



Weekend in The Big Apple

This past weekend, Greg and Simms held down the fort, while I spent a long weekend in New York City visiting friends and family. We are hoping to take a *family trip* to NYC sometime this spring.

Foram vs. The Cab

Nothing special here.

Just your average human-sized bowling ball walking down the street...

Chloe and Gita hosted a great baby shower for Auu. Chloe is a fantastic cook, hostess, and events planner  who makes  Martha Stewart look like an amateur.
Oh, not to mention, she is also a full-time pediatrician.

.
Just 6  more weeks to go!

Virginia (L), me, and Lisa (R)

It's a real shame that we all three live in different cities...

"Parenting: not just a job. It's a Doody."

Great shower idea - have guests write a  little note on diapers for the parents-to-be.

This is sure to make those initial diaper changes a little less traumatizing, a bit more entertaining.

Baby Barbieri is going to have some super cute duds to wear.

Here is an adorable mouse ear hat that Virginia knit and crocheted.

 There is no craft that Virginia cannot conquer...

Cousin Foram and I, enjoying dinner at a delicious Noodle Shop in the East Village.

More eating. This time it was a vegan breakfast cafe.

Meet one of the newest members of the Parikh family - baby Ruhi and her dad, Priyam. 

Big sister (Mili) holding her baby sister, Ruhi

My cousin, Kalu (Mili and Ruhi's mom). She is a *master* in the kitchen!

 

Kalu made sambar, chutney and dosas for us for lunch.  Ohhh so delicious.

 A wonderful weekend in the Big Apple. Can't wait to go back again!

A Sweet Sight