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!

Playing Catch Up

I'll admit that I've been remiss in keeping up to date with my blog.  Let's just say that life can be a bit crazy, and although I think about writing frequently,  even the best of intentions can get sidelined.

The Christmas season is officially over, but before too much time passes, I'd like to present some of the highlights from our holidays.

We had such a lovely trip to Arizona, albeit brief, and I had hoped to blog a bit more about our travels, but we spent nearly every free minute with family, and the internet connection in the room was SO slow that it wasn't worth even trying to post.

But here are some of our memorable moments:

Marty got to spend some time with both of his uncles:  Uncle Dick, who was thrilled with the gift Marty presented to him.

and Uncle Ray, the big mug on the right.

We briefly drove through Glendale to view the famous "Glitters".  They did not disappoint.

Enjoyed a delightful lunch and entertaining conversation with family,

as well as  Christmas caroling with the cousins

 along with Aunt Mary and Uncle Dick.

We finished the trip with a walking tour of the Luminaria display at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Dazzling, for sure!

Once home, it was time to delve into holiday preparations:   Of course, we needed a tree.

As you can see, the end result was beautiful

Of course, the house needed to be decorated

And what's Christmas without cookies?

And Bolbaki for Christmas Eve Dinner.......

I'll let you guessed who helped.

The night was perfect!

Christmas Day was filled with entertainment: 

Great food shared with great friends

A little sparkly

Lots of celebrating

And, of course, fun with a pig.  

The night presented a rare full moon which managed to surface briefly through the mist.

Then it was time to make the drive to Pittsburgh for New Year's eve, which we spent with my in-laws.

Fun times, for sure!

Couldn't miss special moments with the princess

 and Chewbakka

and a new piggy for the princess to enjoy.

Saturday found us celebrating the anticipated arrival of a future set of granddaughters who are due to make an appearance sometime in the spring.

Much fun was had by all, and this little one certainly enjoyed the festivities as much as the adults!

And, luckily, there was some quality time with grandchildren prior to our leaving the next day.

Whew!  That was a LOT of activity! No wonder I haven't found the time to blog!  I got exhausted just writing this!