They're Moving Closer!!!

The newlyweds, my handsome nephew and his beautiful wife, are moving closer to home.

YEAH, precious couple!!

After living and working for a year in Charlotte, NC, they are moving closer . . . not all the way home, but closer, at least!!

Uncle Man and Aunt Sissy are so glad we had the opportunity to visit ya'll in Charlotte last fall.  Oh no, D . . . I just realized we won't get to have breakfast at that great little shop anymore.  Well, I'll certainly give up those delicious pancakes and yummy syrup just to have ya'll closer!  It'll be like a family reunion every time the Dawgs play this fall!

WELCOME "almost" HOME and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID!!

Aunt Sissy loves you all the muches, sweet boy!!

Between Innings

August means Fall League Travel Softball for Son and his family.  CJ and her Daddy, the coach, hit the road every weekend along with the rest of the family for a little round-ball activity.

But this weekend also held an extra little ball activity right smack in the middle of the softball tournament ~ ~

The Annual Father/Child Golf Tournament

Lucky for Daddy and CJ, the softball tournament was only 10 minutes away from the golf tournament--good planning, Daddy!!  So . . .

. . .  between games, we all hurried to the country club, ate lunch, changed clothes (CJ and Daddy for golf, CE and Mommy for the pool, Mimi and G-Dawg didn't change) practiced swinging down instead of level, then jumped in the cart and took off to play a little golf.

Mimi was about as nervous as when she watched your Daddy and his friend compete in a big tournament last year.  You did great on the 4 holes Mimi got to watch and Mommy said you did terrific on the other 5 she watched.  G-Dawg was a great chauffeur for us, but Mimi wished she had remembered her swim suit when it was my turn to watch CE at the pool.

Congratulations for a great finish in the golf tournament!

then

back to swinging the bat for the final game of the night

Hope your wrist isn't too sore where you got hit by the pitcher.  Way to take one for the team and move the runners around!

2 wins, 1 loss on Saturday . . . Way to Go, sluggger!!

Sunday morning brought another 40 minute drive and 2 more games

1 win and 1 loss after a barn-burner, extra-inning game!

Cooling off after the games ~ Bet this felt good!!

Mimi and Granddaddy thinks your team is doing great especially since this is the first year all you girls have been together.  Glad we got to watch a few games and a golf tournament on Saturday! We're so proud of you, CJ!!

XOXOXOXOXO ~~ MIMI

The Final Showing of CCIII

Day 3 didn't turn out at all like Mimi had planned months ago.  The "Plan" . . . all day in the mountains at the State Park hiking, canoeing, minature golf, swimming in the lake and playing on the 'beach.'  The "Reality" . . . Mimi was still too much under the weather to tackle that so . . .

We had our own games after breakfast ~ yes, ya'll slept in your camp shirts and dashed out to play after adding shorts under your shirts.  Oh, the joys of Green Acre Camp!

No trip to the acre is ever complete without your works of art decorating the front walk.  With no rain, the beautiful work stayed for weeks.

After getting hot, sweaty, and dirty from all the play and bug catching, what better way to cool off . . .

than swimming at Miss Sheila's! She and Mr. Jim are so sweet to let us use their pool during camp.  Isn't the water beautiful?

Then on our last night because the "bigs" wanted it so badly, we put out the Glam Camp Out decorations on the bottom patio (between the sprinkle showers) and had our own private little party ~ not nearly as much fun as when all Mimi's friends and their granddaughters join us for "Mimi and Me" play date; but it worked -- ya'll got to dress for the occasion and Mimi's weeks of work didn't go completely to waste.

Aren't ya'll just gorgeous??!!

(never mind that Mimi didn't get the backdrop wide enough.)

Instead of the hotdogs and s'mores we were supposed to cook over the open fire, we had Zaxby's chicken and cupcakes ~ we did get to drink our "Star Spangled" punch from our little fruit jars, though.

Isn't there a little fable about "the best laid plans" . . .

Mimi's certainly went by the wayside, but you sweet girls didn't mind.  We improvised and had a great time!

The other parts of the Glam Camp Out

The Scavenger Hunt and the "Hayride"

took place bright and early the last morning

 The Red Team

The Blue Team

Great job on finding everything on your lists ~ thanks to Granddaddy for finding the bird feather!

 Our "hayride" around the neighborhood ~ wish we'd gotten the hay after all the bumps in the road!  Thanks, Granddaddy for a great ride!!

Then after lunch and a good bath, it was "So Long" to Green Acre Camp for Girls for this year!

We love you all the muches and can't wait til Cousins Camp IV!

~ Mimi ~

Just have to share this little side note . . . the other day I was visiting one of my friends who always come to our Mimi and Me party . . . the granddaughter answered the door and ran to get my friend . . . with this explanation of who was at the door . . . "Grandmother, the Mimi who does our Cousins Camp Party is here."

So, yes girls, we'll be hosting "Mimi and Me" at CCIV, if, as Gran would say, the Lord's willing!

Have You Seen It?

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, Mr. Popper's Penquins, The Smurfs . . . all movies Mimi has seen this summer.

With the Fabulous Five, of course.

But

tonight
 

Mimi and Friends saw

As children of the 60's, we were carried back in time and remembered with laughter the hair, clothes, and Bridge games (especially those all-night games in the dorm when we were supposed to be studying for finals)

What we weren't expecting were the tears we shed.

Now to read the book . . .

I know, that should have been first

Don't we wish we were all more like Skeeter?

such a moving story of compassion and determination

Hope you all get the chance to see it soon!

It's Now Official . . . Summer's Over!!

Yep, the Fabulous Five Stairsteps are now all back in school.

The older A girls started way back on August 3rd ~ AG is now a 2nd grader while AC is in Kindergarten.  Hope this year goes really s.l.o.w.!

Little AM started 2 year old preschool today while Mommy hit the classroom again as a 4 year old preschool teacher.  Bet the memories of past years in the classroom came flooding back as your were cleaning up the first "upchuck" of the year ~ what a way to begin your first day!  "TA-DA, Adelynn!"

As the oldest, CJ started 3rd grade in her new school today. Can you just slow down a little?

Little CE has been in "school" most of the summer while Mommy was working.  But, as she told me earlier when I had asked what she learned that day, "Mimi, it's summer; we don't learn anything now, we just play."  Guess you can start learning again since you're in 4 year old preschool with Miss Dot!

Where did the summer go?

The temperatures are still here but the lazy, hazy days of doing nothing are now gone.  With school comes ballet classes, violin lessons, fall league travel softball, fall Flight basketball, soccer plus a host of other activities Mimi can't even remember now.  Busy, busy, busy are the lives of parents with young children. That's why Mimi's doing alot of praying for safe travel, peaceful nights, injury free activities; but, especially . . .

the prayer on the plaque that was my Mother's Day present from all of my babies, bigs and littles. I pray this not only for the littles but for the bigs, too.

Mimi hopes your new school year is the best one yet, girls ~ have fun and make lots of new friends.  Oh yes, you might want to do your homework and learn a little, too!

Love you all the muches!!

Part II . . .

The arrival!

Everyone remembered your registration forms!

Mimi traded the registration forms for a list of camp rules, camp agendas, and camp t-shirts.  After a short meeting to go over the rules, we were ready for the fun to begin!

First on the agenda was opening the present Mrs. Charlotte and Emily brought by for us.  Isn't the patriotic wind decoration so pretty?  Ya'll couldn't wait to hang it up outside! 

Thanks so much Mrs. Charlotte and Emily!!!

Because Mimi and Granddaddy didn't get to see the parade, ya'll felt sorry for us and decided to have one of your own.  Great job, girls!!!  I'm sure no parade could have ever been better! 

The final pose!



The parade quickly turned into a beauty pageant complete with talent competition and question/answer sessions.  Boy, ya'll are good!!  I know you didn't like the decision that everyone was a "Miss Something" winner; but you were all so wonderful we couldn't pick just one!

After dinner we had to have our 4th of July fireworks show ~ only the sparklers must have gotten wet before Mimi bought them because they didn't work so great.  They were supposed to change colors and burn for a long time.  Sorry girls . . . next year Mimi will have to do better.

 Day 2 ~ Riding Dooley

Since this year's camp was designed around a true "camp" theme, horsebacking riding just had to be on the agenda.  Bright and early Tuesday morning we traveled to Mr. Waymon's to see the horses and ride Dooley.  Ya'll looked like you had been on a horse all your lives.  Just take a look!

Then later that afternoon . . .

 All cleaned and dressed in your camp t-shirts, ready for . . .

Dinner and A Movie!

(yes, we had to trade our "Mimi and Me" Glam Camp Out Party for the movies and dinner because Mimi just wasn't up to partying with our big crowd . . . maybe next year!!)

There's tons more pictures of all our fun but Mimi's saving those for your scrapbook, okay?

2 more days to go . . . stay tuned!

Only a Month Late . . .

plus a few days; but, finally . . .

CCIII pictures are now showing!!

CCIII ~ Part I

Mimi wasn't so sure Cousins Camp was going to become a reality this year; but, after lots of praying and a round of steriods, it did! Yay!!!

First on the agenda ~~ a few days with the A Girls enjoying the sights and sounds of the 4th of July at their country club on Saturday night. This was Cybil's first time to experience the fireworks, skydivers, and blowups and I believe she loved them as much as the rest of you did. Mimi was so sorry she had to miss all the fun . . . remember I was a little under the weather that night.

Looks like ya'll are really enjoying those snow cones! Just wondering whose got spilled first, Adelynn's or Cybil's? Love all those patriotic outfits!!

Then there was floating down the river . . .

How much fun was that!!!

Followed by ice cream sandwiches on the deck ~~ and, yes,

Adelynn is doing her favorite thing . . . "takin' naked!"

Last on the July 4th agenda with the A girls was the city parade with lots of their friends. Another group of cute little patriots!! After the parade, ya'll met Granddaddy for lunch and the bus ride back to "Green Acre Camp for Girls" where Mimi was waiting by the registration table for all the little campers to arrive.

Part II tomorrow! See you then . . . Mimi loves ya'll all the muches!!