Photo Project 2012 - Days 239 to 246

Day 239

Aug. 27 was my brother-in-law's 42nd birthday. We celebrated with dinner at Las Palmas. Yummy fajitas!

Day 240
 

Zelda had been begging to go to Brookfield Zoo for weeks. The stars aligned and we were able to go last week after Annalee returned to school. We brought my twin niece and nephew with us for the day.

My favorite summer exhibit is the butterfly house. Zelda managed to get a butterfly to walk onto her finger when none of the staff  - nor mommy - was looking (that's a big no-no).

Wyatt didn't have to do anything for this butterfly, whose proper name escapes me now, to land on his water bottle. The butterfly was seeking a droplet of water.

Day 241
 

This was Annalee's after-school snack: leftover mac 'n cheese, scrambled egg, mango and raspberries, presented ala Chopped.

Day 242
 

Ol' blue eyes. Well, they're actually aqua, but against the blanket they show more blue.

Day 243

This is the cat tree we bought for Portia and Cinna. They love it. It sits just inside the family room and right next to the kitchen, so they can see everything going on around them - when they're not sleeping, that is.

Day 244

Day 245

We can't do anything on the computer without one of the cats getting onto the desk. They try to 'catch' the cursor/mouse on the monitor.

Day 246

I couldn't pick just one of these, so you get a bonus for today.

Another First for Annalee

The start of fourth grade also gave Annalee the opportunity to begin acolyting at our church. As an acolyte, she will carry in one of the candles during the procession and recession. She also holds the candle while the gospel is being read, and she accepts the wine and host from the person(s) presenting oblations.

Ron was overjoyed with the idea of Annalee becoming an acolyte. He joined the Episcopal faith later in high school and never participated in the service to that degree, even though he is a lay Eucharistic minister (LEM) now (among many other responsibilities at our church). Annalee, on the other hand, was not enthused. At all.

The robes and the candle changed that. Once training was completed, she looked forward to her first day as an acolyte. And, she did a perfect job. It made the day all the more special that her dad was along side her as a LEM. (Photo Project 2012 - Day 238)

Photo Project 2012 - Days 236 to 237

Day 236

We barely saw Reasner all summer and then due to an unexpected turn of events, she was back over a couple days later. This time as a Cinderella bunny.

Day 237
 

Even though I should have been squirting Portia to get her out of the dishwasher, I stopped to take a picture first because she looked so funny in it.

Pretty Cinna...

Back to School for Annalee

On Aug. 23, Annalee began fourth grade, for the whole day no less! While I rather enjoyed that school started with a bang, she was not pleased to begin with a full day rather than the historical half days she rather liked.

My beautiful girl is growing older by the minute, and it really shows in these images (Photo Project 2012 - Day 235). Even more so when you compare them to last year's back-to-school pictures.

Photo Project 2012 - Days 232 to 234

If you figured I'll have a lot of kitten pictures for the next few weeks, you're right. But, I'll start with one of two cute girls.

Day 232

We had our friends over for dinner the Monday night after we returned from St. Louis. It was the first time they'd been over all summer! Not only did we get to enjoy their company, but they got to see and play with the new kittens.

Day 233
 

On a warm, breezy summer morning, Portia found a comfortable place to stretch out in her new house.
 

Later that day, I found Cinna squeezed in between the cushion and back seat of a large chair.

Day 234

Portia and Cinna snuggle on the couch together.