The Long Weekend

 At Hickory Park with Kristin for Brittany's 20th birthday

 Finally - we were the last ones to get our garden in at the Carroll Community Gardens

 Our first trip to the Aquatic Center

 My pretty water ballerina

 Simon's "smile for the camera" smile

 Gracie loved the water - really, she did

 Esme loved the water too

Daddy shows Grace how to lick a lollipop

Favorite food from this weekend:

Homemade vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate chips and homemade buttercream frosting

The barbecue dinner at Hickory Park (turkey, pork, and beef with glazed carrots and baked beans)

Mesquite barbecued pork loin on the grill

Salmon with peppers, onions, and mushrooms on the grill

Oreo cheesecake from Hy-Vee

Blue Bunny Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate ice cream (and I don't even like cherry ice cream)

Snyder's honey mustard  pretzel bits

Tonight we're celebrating Esme's 4th birthday, and her gift from us is an 18 inch doll (not an American Girl, but close enough for a 4 year old) with a set of matching outfits and purses for her and the doll. Highly adorable. And a new knitting opportunity for her mother. The only ones they had were a brunette and one that looked part Eskimo/part Hispanic, and I still can't decide whether it was somewhat racist to not buy the one that looked "ethnic." It disturbs me a little bit that there were no blondes left, because I don't like it that everyone wants the blond, blue-eyed dolls. Even though that's what I wanted. At any rate, the brunette won out, because, frankly, it looks more like Esme than the other one did, and I feel like that's what you're going for when you get your child a doll...right or wrong. 

I think that, instead of cake, I'm going to make her a huge chocolate chip cookie, like those ones at the mall. In a moment of weakness yesterday, we bought an oreo cheesecake from Hy-Vee, and since the kids don't like cake, I can't really justify having two cakes in the house at one time for basically just me (and John, if I twist his arm).