Mimi's dress

I'm working on finishing the family room, but it's too messy for photos just yet... fingers crossed for next Monday! 

I think she gets compliments or jokes every time she wears this dress, it's fun and cute.
This day was especially fun since she paired the dress with a bright orange jacket. 

 One day Yoda seemed a little off, so he curled up on the couch and fell asleep.  This does NOT happen for my kiddos unless they are totally sick.  I worried, but he woke up much happier. 

Then a few days later the same thing happened to Mimi, so weird!  But again, no sickness, just super tired from life's events I guess. 

It was all too cute! 

School Stuff

Yoda ran off the bus with a large roll of yellow paper sticking out if his backpack.  

Me, "What's that?"

Yoda, "It's my body!"

Me, "What?"

Yoda, "I'll show you...

 ...see, the kidneys are in the back."

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Mimi's April book report was Biography, with the suggestion that the student choose a person who is from Ohio and not alive anymore.  So we looked at Wikipedia and found a list.  I made an additional suggestion that Mimi pick someone who is also female.  (Although I've loved learning about the Wright brothers, and 8 presidents from Ohio, I felt we could branch out beyond the obvious.)  

We narrowed it down to three ladies but settled on Victoria Woodhull.  I'd never heard of her, but according to one of her biographers, she was well known in her day and pretty much forgotten until recently.  She was also the first woman to run for president, before women even got the vote!  

The teachers made an additional suggestion that the students could dress up like their person.  Mimi assured me that she did not want to dress up.  But the night before her presentation she changed her mind and totally assumed I would love taking care of a costume.  We searched our brains for anyone who had Victorian looking dress, but we were stumped!  So I set off for Goodwill and found this little number that worked well enough.  Her hair was a little tricky.  Neither Mimi, nor I like to do her hair, and we struggled with this little up-do.  But she ended up being pretty proud of it. Go, Mimi!

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How's Parker?  I'd like to know that too!  

He's gone so much with school, I miss him at home.  He did try his hand at stage crew this weekend for the school's talent show.  And although it might have been fun for some people, this parent had NO FUN AT ALL!  My child was happy to be a part of things, but I didn't get to see him in action, really, because he was backstage.  

So here's a photo of my giant child in his little brother's Kindergarten classroom a few weeks ago...

Our Trip to Birmingham

Starting out the photo montage. Deep fried Oreos.
Also at MELT.  We met Greg's friend from High School friend who just got married in one of the coolest ways.

Candy as a condiment option.

 They suggested our next stop.  Here's Mimi with a mini Vulcan statue--he'll show again later...

Playing at the Railroad park in Downtown.

 

16th street Baptist Church

 Can you see the Gibby's at the bottom of the stairs? 

Mimi and Yoda at Kelly Ingram Park where they pretended to be imprisoned for opposing Bull Connor.

The VHHS wrestling room.
Completed during Greg's Senior year to aid in learning how to "put him in a pretzel."

 (I circled Greg and his coaches in this photo, the same coaches from one photo up)
 

 

Greg's picture on the wall! 

(I wish we had pushed harder too see of the Math Team stuff around the school, but the school day was about to end and there was going to be a flood of high-schoolers, so we took off)

My dinner with Andre. Old wrestlers and their coach.  Later that same day. 

(Somewhere among all these days we also had dinner with another of Greg's wrestling friends, I'm bummed we didn't take more photos!)

 

We saw the May Family and left a gummy fish on the light switch. She bought the gummys specially for Greg!
She also gave Mimi a 'fairy house', so sweet. 

 

Tongue Tacos from a Truck. Awesome food and awesome name.

Steel City Pops and Teresa Kelly, Hi Teresa!



Saw's BBQ in Homewood

 

A boat launch on the Cahaba river similar to where Greg did his Eagle project. 

Robbie Norris and Greg hanging out in Vestavia.  They just did an amazing redo of their house.  Down to the studs, all that was left was wood floor!  (I was drooling)

Parker had biscuits and gravy every morning.  Continuing his fearlessness in food choices. 

 

The first house in Vestavia.

 

The second house in Vestavia.  Greg is inspecting his use of the nail gun after 22 years.

The Goat reading the animals stories in the fountain at "five points."

Yoda is silly around fountains all the time.

The Temple of Vesta on her hills.

The Zoo.

We get spoiled with our Zoo in Columbus, but their aviary was so amazing! 

 

A hippo!!!  Can you see it? 

 We don't have those in Ohio!  

 It was interesting to see all the old-school public works projects that are still around and looking great! 

 

Backyard burger. Erstwhile home to Cameron Mathews.
Greg laughed out loud when he saw this place, he was so excited, so I had to turn the car around and eat there.  It was super yummy, and they had sweet potato fries, enough said.  

  

 Someone put Easter Candy in the Hotel room.

  David Chung's resting place.

The map of Birmingham at the base of Vulcan Park.

Posing like the Statue
(I had to lay on the ground to get this photo and still couldn't get the top of the statue in the frame)

 

  Liberty Park south of Birmingham has a replica Statue of Liberty.

Posing like the Statue. 

(again it was hard to get the top of the statue!)  

 

The wall of Eagle Scouts from Birmingham, AL.
(This was a total bonus. We went here on a whim, thinking it was just the statue of liberty replica.  But NO!  It has a list of all the Eagle scouts from Alabama, so yeah!  Greg's name is on the wall!)  

This one is for you, Dad! 

 

 The plan was to hit Mammoth Cave on the drive home.  We kept seeing signs that said "road ends in water"  What?  Well, here's where the road ends. 

We were ferried across the river.

Into Mammoth cave.

Parker wanted to go to the River Styx.

Missed seeing Abraham Lincolns birthplace. By like 10 minutes.
We weren't alone, there were a few other families that missed it too.  We posed for this photo and the other families thought it was awesome :) 

Also, on the way home we drove through Nashville.  We chickened out and didn't take a photo of Greg's parent's old house, but we wanted to see the little temple. 

Back to Ohio!