• Bug,  Family Matters,  party party,  travel

    Rehearsal Dinner

    the bride and groom

    We sure had a good time at the rehearsal dinner last night. I always wonder how Bug is going to fit in with the Ponnay side of the family. We don’t see them often, since they all live up north, so I expected some shyness and maybe even some hugging aversion.

    me and Bug

    Obviously, I am a worrywart for no reason because Bug is the most social kid on earth. She was running around poking people I didn’t even know within seconds of arriving. Everyone loved her and of course she ate up all the attention like it was cake for lunch. I think I’m going to have a hard time keeping tabs on her at the wedding today.

    Grandma Mor Mor

    I don’t have many pictures from the rehearsal dinner because it was a pretty low-lit venue and I refuse to use the flash on my camera. I’ll just say we had lovely time with friends and relatives and the food was delicious. I’m sure glad someone let me know that the ravioli had smoked salmon inside because that might have ruined my evening. I cannot stand anything fish-related no matter how smothered it is in cream sauce. It looked tasty but I’ll stick with the chicken cordon bleu, thank you.

    it turns out she doesn't like Shirley Temples

    I wish I had recorded some of the wild and crazy toasts that were bantered around throughout the night. The Ponnays always know how to celebrate and when the alcohol flows so does their flowery language. Don’t worry though, Bug was not drinking. I tried to give her a Shirley Temple but she would have none of that awful stuff with bubbles.

    kissy faces

    I do have pictures of Bug and me getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. I’m so glad I have a daughter. She is so much fun to primp with. Here you can see we are putting on our “lipstick” and practicing our kissy faces that Angella taught us. Neither of us are actually wearing lipstick. I don’t think I even own any. I’m wearing some kind of lip liner smudged on with chap stick and Bug is wearing chap stick with a few remnants of my lip liner. Whatever works, right?

    Ready to go!

    Fierce is all about attitude.

    In a few hours we will be getting ready all over again for the wedding. We are very excited. I’ve heard there will be a craft table for kids (and one taller kid, who would be me) to make valentines to give to the bride and groom. How sweet is that?

    I’ll be back with lots of details!

  • BIG news,  Bug,  Family Matters,  Newsbreaking Hair News,  Super Dad,  travel

    Greetings from the wet and soggy North!

    short hair

    So here we are on our trip to Northern California. But the real news is that Toby cut his hair! Can you believe it!!? He told me he was going to cut his hair when I first met him fourteen years ago. It never happened. He’s grumbled about it over the years but never done anything. I just got used to the scraggly ponytail as part of his “look.” Toby’s an artist, he can get away with these things. He wore big clunky glasses way before they were ever cool so I just figured his hair was his own business.

    not smiling

    I really expected his haircut to be more shocking. He looks the same from the front. From the back he looks like a regular Republican white guy, which he is, so I guess that’s okay. Now he’s grumbling about how his preppy collared shirts don’t look good on him anymore and he wants to grow it out again. Who knew men could be so vain?! I think it’s all sort of funny. I’d love him no matter what kind of hair he had.

    long long car ride

    Other than the big haircut news, our trip has been mostly uneventful, which is good. We did get a nail in our tire in Santa Rosa and spent a few hours hanging out in a tire shop. There is nothing like a few hours of good old-fashioned family bonding in a tire-shop waiting room.

    peek-a-boo!

    playing tag at the tire store

    waiting for a new tire is very tiring

    I’m just glad that we make this trip in two days now instead of the one-day insanity that we used to pull off. It would have been way more taxing if we had to deal with this tire business in the middle of the night.

    Bug was really good in the car. She only got cranky about being stuck in her carseat late in the day. I don’t blame her at all about that. I’m pretty cranky about being stuck in a seatbelt after more than four hours too. We had a DVD player (that I borrowed, thank you Bethany!) but Bug, being Bug, would much rather have me entertain her than anything else.

    pretending to be dogs

    You don’t even know how glad I was to finally make it to the grandparents’ house where there are cousins to help entertain the toddler. Bug’s cousins are the best. They played together for hours and hours. And then we went home to our cozy cabin motel and she conked out like a light.

    our hotel room has a kitchen!

    I LOVE our cozy cabin motel. It has a kitchen!!! We had no idea it had a kitchen when we made the reservations a few weeks ago. You’d think they’d include a detail like that on their website, but no. Of course they included all kinds of information about the wifi connection that was absolutely not available for the first four hours that we were here. Isn’t it always like that? I don’t know why I always get my panties in a twist about the wifi connection. You’d think I’d be used to the lack of a good connection since it happens every single time. I’m just not happy if I can’t get my fix, I guess.

    Anyway, after a bit of complaining (which I hate to do; it’s sort of like complaining to a waiter who might spit in your food as soon as he gets back to the kitchen) I have the internet and I’m happy.

    putting her clothes away

    You know what else makes me happy? My kid putting her own clothes away in the dressers. She’s such a funny kid. The only problem with these easy access drawers is that she’s changed her outfit three times today and it’s only early afternoon. I think I’m going to be needing a laundromat if she keeps this up.

    making breakfast

    And of course I cannot end this post without documenting the fact that Toby made us breakfast.

    yummy pancakes!

    It’s good to be on vacation!