August 11 came and went again! Kate turned 6 and we celebrated 8 years of marriage. Although, I use the word "celebrate" loosely: after Kate's second birthday party of the day, we put on our pjs, drank a glass of wine and looked at our wedding photos. Then we watched Season 8 of Friends for a while.
Kate is now old enough for me to find it hard to believe she was ever a baby; her baby face has been slowly replaced by Nancy's baby face, until I pull out pictures, and countless memories of our days spent just the two of us come flooding back. I love the convenience and quantity that digital cameras give, but nothing beats sitting down with a fat stack of photos to flip through. Even nostalgia seems a luxury to me these days.
Kate decided months ago she wanted her 6th birthday to be a fairy house building party. She has a favorite book from the library about a little girl who goes on vacation with her family, and in the woods near the cottage they stay at is an area where people can build fairy houses to try and attract fairies. The "houses" actually just attract bugs and animals, and that determines whether you are graced with the fairies' presence.
The "rules" of the woods are twofold: All materials must be natural (no man-made products) and no materials can be made of living things (like a wad of hosta leaves picked to be a fan for the fairies - I am very appreciative to the author for this rule). I read the book, then the girls divided in to teams, collected their materials, and built! There was a very special guest, Puck the Garden Fairy House Engineer, that showed up to judge the houses, and prizes went out to the teams with the brownest, greenest, biggest, and shortest fairy homes. It really was a fun party, and the girls seemed to enjoy it; so much so, they ditched the video I put in to cool them off (it was over 90 before noon) to go out and build more houses. Great idea, Kate! She's already talking about her next 4 birthday parties....I'm not sure she'll be really interested in Dora when she's 9. At least I hope she won't be!
Kate at 9 months old at Isle of Palms. This is one of my all-time favorite Kate pictures!
Kate's cake. She helped me make and frost it, and the flower she did all by herself! We added Fern, her special woodland fairy, to "fairy it up" a bit.
The big 6!
Me reading to the girls. It was so fun to have Brandy and Sarala come to the party! I know there won't be many more opportunities to celebrate things like this together since they will be moving overseas soon. These pictures are priceless to me!
Brandy got a great shot of the big girls teaming up and beginning their search for the perfect fairy house spot, with Nancy in the background wanting to keep up with them.
Team Dayleah and Harper. They got the prize for the shortest fairy house.
Team Clara and Hannah. They received the greenest fairy house award.
Team Abi/Abby, receiving the brownest fairy house award.
Team Sarala and Kate, who got the biggest fairy house award (they had their own ideas of what they wanted their house to look like, so they did all of them.)
Puck, the Garden Fairy House Engineer, in his garden home.
Puck examining the houses.
The girls just followed him around the yard! It was so funny!!
Puck and the Fairy House building winners.
Clara & Ashley Mozingo gave Kate another dress to match Clara. They did the same thing last year, and I love it!
Nancy and Spencer at Kate's party at Fuddruckers. Since we have family in town, we get the fun of celebrating all day!
Even the McGowans got to come to the party, which was so fun! It's rare all of us are all together! Emily, Chris and Cort were there, but Cohen sat beside me and I couldn't help posting this pic!
Most of you may know, but for those who don't, Ryan and I have known each other since we were 13, and began dating in high school. I am older (that will be a rare admission from here on out in our marriage), so it was my senior year, his junior, in 1996. We were married just shy of 5 years later, August 11, 2001. My dad and mom and I were talking on the phone the other day, and we all agree (admittedly biased) that our wedding was still the most fun party we've ever been to. Here are a few pics to take advantage of our scanner now working: and Elizabeth, I am not embarrassed about these, either. Well, maybe for Ryan....
About 2 weeks after we started dating, it was my homecoming, which I was in charge of putting on and running, so Ryan sat in the auditorium of the school and ate while I ran around making sure everything was going like it should. I think we danced once or twice. And no, it's not the angle, Ryan really was half my size. Not that I was big...he was just that skinny!
Our 8th Anniversary, taken by the Birthday Girl after a long day of partying. Eight years ago, it was hard to imagine loving Ryan more that I did then, but he is truly one of the most amazing men I know, and I am so proud to be his wife. I love you, Burns!
5 comments:
Happy Anniversary! It was fun to chat with you at the party last night :-)
Happy bday, Kate and Happy anniversary Molly and Ryan! Your dating years were fun to be a part of and your wedding was a blast! I'll never forget how much fun it was and how beautiful. I even wore my bridesmaid skirt as part of a halloween costume a few years ago and I've worn the top with a black skirt to several "dressy" up functions! You just have great taste, Burnses! Right down to fairy houses. Love you!
Happy anniversary! You guys are awesome and I love you soooooooooooo much!!!! I'm glad I got to celebrate this Burns' day with you!
this is so great. on so many levels.
1. Kate looks just as interested in the fairy reading as though it were her first time hearing it. or as though she is taking this competition very seriously and wants to make sure she hasn't missed anything, in her review.
2. do you still have the "molly loves ryan" sign from your locker? I mean, that should be an official part of burns day celebrations, if i do say so myself. i'd like to claim credit for protecting you at RHS when Ryan was way far away at WHHS.
3. that nancy. she just makes the most stinkin priceless faces of any kid.
4. that 9 month shot of Kate - ahahhahah!!! love it.
love this whole post!! you all are really adorable! i must say that Puck almost made me laugh hard enough to wet my pants...oh wait, childbirth did that! so glad to know your family!
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