Birthday and Orchids

Breakfast in bed, a trip to the Botanical Gardens to see the beautiful display of orchids, dinner cooked by Graham and Addy, and now girls in bed and time for an evening cocktail.  Yes, I got spoiled today for my birthday.  I'm a pretty lucky woman.

Here are a few shots from our afternoon adventure to Orchid Mania.

Addy:  "Mom, I see the chameleon!"  

Beautiful butterflies.

And orchids.  Lots and lots of orchids.

Playing in the kids' corner.  Here's our little chef.

I can just hear her saying, "Enough with the camera, Mom.  Get out of my kitchen!"

Managing the Or-Kid Country Store.

Did you know that the vanilla bean actually comes from an orchid plant?  I didn't.  And the orchid right new to this was one of my favorites..it's purple in color, but give it a sniff, and all you can envision is chocolate.

The theme to this year's show was the roaring 20's and this display was in a room with some great jazz music playing.  There must have been four or five of these "columns," sweeping you right off your feet.

Generation of Friends

There's something that just makes me happy when I look at these pictures.  (So many thanks to Jenny, aka "Gracie and Sadie's mom" for taking them and sharing them with me).  

Gracie was quite truly Addy's 1st friend.  Jenny and I, and Gracie and Addy, met at the playroom at the Shaker Family Center when the girls were about 14-15 months old.  From playdates there, to playdates at each other's houses, to adventures all around town, the girls have known each other for as long as they both can remember.  

And so now we have this...the second generation.  Little sisters, Sadie and Cora, beginning to form a friendship.

And so we are four friends...ready for many adventures all around town.

Snowplow Sam I -check

We have quite the little ice skater on our hands now.  Addy was so proud this past Friday to get her "evaluation" for her Snowplow Sam I ice skating class.  Truly a smile from ear to ear.  After the 6 week session, she sailed through her skills test and is ready for Snowplow Sam II.  As with most things Addy does, it's always better fast and intense, and so I spend most of my time with the other parents on the sidelines remarking, "wow, look at her go..."  

Always at the front of the pack.

Dancing.

Cora loves to stand right in the doorway to the ice and cheer on her sister.  Something tells me Cora will be skating next winter.