Rainy Days and Sundays

A little afternoon rainshower clearly didn't dampen the spirits of these four...

Pedicure Party

I've been promising Leigh I'd take her for a pedicure for weeks, so I finally made good.

Amazingly, our buddies just happened to be at the same nail salon, same day, same time.

I'm not sure what Missy Priss enjoyed more--having her toes loved on, or having a Sprite all to herself.

Here Lucy graciously smiles so I can take a picture--she's so proud of her camera smile that we don't have the heart to tell her it looks like she's gearing up to drop a load.

Pretty in purple...

Here Leigh gets some good moral support from Jackie and friends--just in time for the painstaking process of placing the tiny jewels on each fingernail. Time well spent, I might add, as she carefully picked each one off--as carefully as they were put on--within an hour of leaving the salon.

Gorgeous!!

Mommy & Leigh's Day Out

Today Mommy & Leigh got to spend the whole day together while Daddy & Hunter busied themselves doing boy things. We started our special day with a trip to Nordstrom Rack, where my little shoe buddy was drawn straight to the gold lamee pumps with the strength of a magnetic Jedi force.

Of course, she was all that in the black pumps as well.

Next up was Pier 1 and Pottery Barn Kids, where the big doll house provided a solid hour of entertainment.

After our shopping spree, we headed to Chili's for some mac-&-cheese (shocking!) and fun with the nose-on-the-spoon trick.

We rounded out the afternoon with a stop by ColdStone for dessert, just to spread some extra sugar on our special time together.

Steroid Psychosis

We've all grown accustomed to the barrage of bugs that the new school year brings. This year started off with a bang, bringing in a roving croup virus that landed all of the MessiPaul kids on a short course of prednisone. Whether inhaled or oral, the end result was the same... hungry, irritable, crazy kids.

Here a crazed Hunter, Day 3 of OraPred, contemplates with Mr. Bill what stunts he should perform. He begins with a little belly-slithering on the floor. I was just grateful he chose to do this on the clean, hairless Paul hardwoods vs the Retriever Rug in our house.

Miss Allie provided some good wheel-barrow fun for Stunt #2.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chad tried to force-pull Jackie's wiggly tooth out....

...while Miss Karen and Mr. Bill kept Lucy at bay with some circus tricks and raspberry-blowing.

"Again!" says Lucy, in her subtle way.

Jackie & Leigh refined their Picasso, while Camo had a moment with Batman.

All in all, it made for a very interesting few days on our street.

Uncle Billy

Tonight Uncle Billy and his band held their semi-annual fundraiser concert in Burlington. We've missed the last several years due to being extremely pregnant or having extremely young kids, but this year we all made it. The kids were AMAZED that their Uncle Billy could play the guitar and sing just like a rock star.

Uncle Billy dressed up as Paul Stanley was especially entertaining for Hunter & Leigh, whose confusion at this sight was palpable.

Despite being wired for sound at the beginning of the concert, fatigue and croup got the best of Hunter as the night wore on.

He eventually wore out on Grandaddy, but woke up in time to hear Uncle Billy sing his favorite, "Chicken Fried."

Fall Fashion

Along with the beginning of the school year, September has ushered in a time of great fashion awareness for Leigh. From pink shades to cow veils to Mommy's shirt to dirty, monkey vomit-green Monsters, Inc. socks, her bold and interesting choices have really paid off.

Face Art

Serpil has upped the ante for afternoon entertainment these days by practicing her face-painting skills, and the MessiPaul models have been extremely happy guinea pigs for her latest project. 

Golf Greats

It was just a matter of time after Nana & Papa got wind of Hunter's interest in golf before a rockin' set of Maxfli's showed up at our door.  This made for one happy budding young golfer!!

Thanks, Nana & Papa--you're the bomb!!