The Storm: Friday

Shannon and her entourage arrived around 3:30 Friday afternoon. Olivia needed to eat and Lyla and Owen needed to stretch their legs. My bird feeders needed filled and there was some, um, cleanup required in the yard so we set out to take care of those things. Lyla was excited to go the the McHusband's "barn" in the backyard, and Owen was thrilled when he realized there was a tractor in there. He climbed up into the seat so he could go for a ride while Lyla checked out the trailer, which I very knowingly informed her was "for stuff." That's right, nothing gets by me.

I finally convinced them to get out of the barn so we could fill the feeders and take care of that other fun task. Mom got a couple pictures from the deck. Who knew septic tank covers could be so fun?
































We ended up on the patio where the kids played on the McHusband's wall. Owen had his shoes off and you can see Lyla making the decision here that she wants to be barefoot as well. Sorry, Bri!





































We had a lesson in entomology, although it wasn't exactly a successful one since we couldn't identify the crazy green moth that was attached to the back of the house.





















He wasn't too scary looking, but he was pretty big and the thought of him suddenly taking flight and being in my face kinda freaked me out. The kids didn't seem to have that same fear.





















A couple close-ups for anyone with more bug knowledge than us who might be able to ID our flying friend.
































Once the moth got old, we moved on to the Citronella candles I had placed around the patio, which the kids were kind enough to consolidate in one place.










































Lyla was so cute. She said, "Mmm, these candles smell good. My mom would really like them." So, Nate, there's Lyla's Mother's Day gift from Lyla: some Citronella candles. Anyone who knows Bri knows she sorta has a "thing" for candles and plug-ins so, actually, she probably wouldn't mind at all opening up a couple of Citronella candles in pretty containers.





















Shannon came out with Olivia and handed her off to me. I just can't get enough of those baby snuggles.





















I think this is known as a "milk coma."





















Everyone loves the McHusband's wall.
















Lyla had to try out my chairs.
















Finally it was time to go in for juice and snacks and to think about making dinner.

Check out Aunt Steph, Baby/Toddler/Dog Whisperer. Lyla's probably saying, "Aww, she's so cutie" about Olivia. I guess she combined "Such a cutie" and "She's so cute."
































While I worked on dinner (a version of PW's Sour Cream Noodle Bake), Mom painted Lyla's toes with some polish she found on a side table. What, you don't keep at least three nail polishes on the side table in your den? Because, you know, painting your nails can be such a last-minute decision, you gotta have that stuff ready.
















Showing off pink toes requires a full dancer's pose.





















Lyla and Owen both have dogs at home but no cats and they've always been very interested (waaay too much so as far as Tori and Emma are concerned) in ours. Tori was more comfortable in this same spot during our St. Patrick's Day party than she was at pretty much any point this weekend. You can see how wide her eyes are as she assesses Owen and his intentions.





















And Emma? She was mostly on our bed or in hiding all weekend but when she'd come downstairs, it was a big deal.

"Aunt Steph! I found the other cat! There she is!"

Emma didn't stay visible for long, but that just made her all the more appealing.

Part 2 of The Storm coming up. And I have a couple videos to share. Wait until you see the pillow fight that we encouraged.