Dear Reader:

This was definitely a “Fourth Celebration” for the books…scrapbooks that is. There were so many things going on…it made your head swirl…It is one of those special occasions that requires removing the ‘bone from your hair and chewing on it awhile’…a lot to digest and take in.

One thing I will remember…is that it felt like the hottest Fourth of July to me in a long time. I am my mother’s daughter apparently…my face was red as a beet and I had to succumb to sharing the sofa with all the little dogs…it felt more like the “dog days of summer.” I just couldn’t get cool.

Part of it, of course, was more emotional than physical…I was just so happy to realize that the next grand baby will be a little girl. I have missed buying little girl baby and toddler outfits for Eva Cate already…Instead I have been absorbed in looking for super hero outfits and trucks of every creation made for three adorable grandsons!!

Now it is dolls and cute little outfits again….Pinkalicious !!

Let me share some of the photos taken from the family celebration (Thanks Carrie for getting pictures for me of the “pink explosion” moment.)

I have (in earlier blogs) mentioned several “pink” signs I had experienced prior to the gathering. The Dingle family arrived in pink shirts/blue pants or some combination there of…they were ready either way. I was greeted at the pool with Carrie, Mandy, and Eva Cate telling me that pink crepe myrtle blooms had started blowing into the pool and earlier (before I arrived)… little pink petals floated on top of the pool. Another good sign we all thought!

The children’s outdoor prediction chalkboard: …and reality!

It was still so hot and muggy by 8:30 that I would have been content to watch the fireworks (somewhere else in the U.S.) on television…but we did our patriotic march and went to the neighborhood fireworks gathering… the mosquitoes were fierce and the fireworks slow in coming…so we ended up watching from our front yard….and then ran back in the house.

Yesterday was girls’ day….Carrie had spent the night, as well as myself, so we had a nice lazy “sweet roll” morning… after the boys left for school and work.

Then I took Eva Cate to the movies to give mom some free time and appointment time…we ate lunch at the Atlantic Bread Company, got earrings at Claires, ice cream at TCBY, played games at Barnes and Noble, went to the Old Navy 60% off sale and got Eva Cate some sandals…just a lot of girl fun.

Mandy had gotten her hair done while Eva Cate and I were doing our thing…so Eva Cate wanted to have “hair salon” at home…which she did …the result…beautiful mom and daughter.

So until tomorrow: