Birthday Fun

Last Saturday, we celebrated the birthday of our granddaughter who arrived four years ago, much to my husband's joy, on HIS birthday, making her  (as he would say)  the best birthday present ever.

And these two have had a special bond ever since.

What a fabulous day we had!

There was cake for the four year old

and a special one for Grandpa G as well

And it certainly was NOT disappointing, as you can see.

Then there were the presents.......... Can you feel the excitement in the air?

Big brother acted as photographer...how cute was that?

There was the classy, comfy robe

And the fairy costume from Gramma G

which resulted in wishes being granted

as well as some serious thought about those that couldn't be. 

Then there was a set of her own little twins

Who fit very comfortably into the new robe pockets

Now I ask, how clever was that? 

And just when we thought the fun couldn't be beat, it was time to open the present from Aunt Amy.

She pulled it out of the bag and exclaimed, "I GOT A CARROT!!"

Who'd have guessed that a giant carrot could bring such joy?

Well.....apparently Aunt Amy did!

It was definitely a hit.  But that wasn't the only great present from Amy.    She decided that she would give her father a selfie stick, which he wasted no time trying out.  

Something tells me that my life will never be the same!  

I suppose that we'll just have to wait and see.

Celebrating Times Two

Feb 27 has been a day of celebration in this family ever since our youngest daughter, Amy, made her arrival 26 years ago, changing our lives forever.  But this year, she was more than happy to share the day with her older sister as we planned a special baby shower for Stacey and her twin girls.

But it seems that her nieces had different plans, as they arrived 10 weeks early, on Feb.18, tiny but certainly feisty.  And as Daddy spent the day with his little girls in the NICU, we continued, as planned, embracing the moment with special friends who were eager to offer their well wishes to Stacey and her newborn daughters.

Stacey's special friends hosted the event, and they certainly went out of their way to make the party a happy and memorable occasion.

The food was delectable

and I sensed a piggy them was involved.

When I walked into the room,  I had to laugh as I was greeted heartily by my special friends whom I referred to as my fan club.

In all seriousness, I was touched by their enthusiasm to see me, and it meant the world to me that they would make the special trip to share this special time with me and my daughters.

And, how wonderful it was to have all three of my daughters there as well.

The time was filled with happy moments, which included, of course piggy books

piggy bibs

and even a set of pigs in a blanket!  ( Now I ask, how clever was that?)

I'm sure that everyone who attended left happier than when they arrived.

But the day didn't end for us there.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, celebrating Amy's birthday. And, we had the added pleasure of a visit with Aunt Sarah, Amy's godmother, who just so happened to have flown in from the West Coast on Friday. 

There was a delectable birthday cake.

And even Wellie joined in on the fun!

I'd say that this was probably one of the most memorable birthday celebrations that Amy has had.  And, I'm willing to bet that she wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Farm Show Fun

On Saturday,  Marty and I decided to head into the Pennsylvania Farm Show for some weekend entertainment.

We decided to leave early, arriving around 8:30 where we were pleasantly surprised to find parking near the entrance, and, more importantly, no milkshake lines!

I opted for the half and half, and I was certainly NOT disappointed! 

Things were definitely starting off on a positive note.

We were  a bit disappointed to find that some of the animals had already returned home, so there were no pigs or chickens for us to see.

But we weren't lacking for entertainment.

There were still plenty of cows in house.

And sheep were being selected for prizes.

Actually, there was quite an array of sheep. 

Some were incognito.

Curious

Curly

Pensive

and smiling.

There were some interesting outfits

which included festive outwear to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the show.

Moving on, there were some entertaining old toys.

And someone took advantage of the opportunity to purchase his 2016 fishing license.

This is probably the only place where you can find a Cannoli stand directly across from a Pickle Stand.

A display made from mushrooms

A gigantic Butter Sculpture 

with two sided carvings.

Here you see the winning Gingerbread house.

 Some other entries included this log cabin featuring hershey bars for shingles. (that certainly would have won MY approval.)

And then there were cakes:  an entertaining farmyard.

and a Zombie house which was certainly different.  Who knew that they made zombie cookies?

 On the way out, we spotted some cute alpacas.

 But this last entry was definitely interesting.

I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen a rabbit that featured hair long enough that one could adorn it with ribbons or bows.  Plus, that thing was HUGE!  Kind of reminded me of Harvey in the movie with Jimmy Stewart!

We finished up just after noon, and the crowds had certainly picked up.  In fact, the shake lines were exceedingly long, reinforcing the fact that the early bird catches the worm.

Or, in this case......a delectable milkshake treat!