So Long

If anyone still reads this blog, this will be my last post. I created it when I made my family blog private because I didn't want to lose one of my favorite aspects of blogging - connecting with people that I haven't seen in a while. However, since the arrival of my second child, I haven't had much time to keep up the second blog. So, this is goodbye.

If you are a friend, I'd love to add you to the private blog's invitation list. Just send me an email at lhowell2@yahoo.com. I'd love for you to follow us there.

Fallen Princesses

By now, my daughter's princess obsession has me singing Disney songs in my sleep and endlessly picking up ball gowns and plastic high heels from the living room floor. I've gotten my fill of princesses, but Dina Goldstein's Fallen Princess project puts a new spin on the fairy tale princesses that we all know. Her photos put princesses in real life situations (like poor Snow White above). Check out the rest at http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/11918.

Nora Has Arrived!

Eleanor Rose

12:51 pm 8 pounds 10 ounces 20 3/4 inches

Baby Sister

We'll be welcoming Baby Sister into the world tomorrow! We're so excited that she'll finally be here! I'll update soon! Please keep us in your prayers!

Advice

I just love the concept behind this blog! 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter is written by a mother (obviously). The advice is great. It's inspiration to start a list for my girls.

Some examples:

#82 Anytime you are debating whether to shower or not, take the shower.

#81 Champagne is for sipping.

#80 Not everyone is going to like you, and that's just fine.

A Party

My daughter won't turn 3 until next week, but we had her birthday party Memorial Day Weekend. Since Baby Sister is due to arrive soon, we wanted to avoid her crashing it - not a good introduction to your new little sister. Anyway, the party was wonderful, and I (finally) have lots of pictures to share.

The invitation:

The castle cake:


Decorations:
A treasure chest of party favors
The gifts:

The food:
Our family were all great sports about dressing up.



Aaaarrrrggghh!


The bouncy house:



Greeting the guests:

Grandma wore her Maleficent, the bad witch, costume but had to promise the birthday girl that she would "be good" at the party (No sleeping spells, please!).
Snow White and Ariel



Singing "Happy Birthday":



What a fun day! Thank you, family, for all of your help!

Freedom Rider

We had quite an inspirational guest for our school assembly this week. It was Freedom Rider, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. She participated in the 1963 sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Jackson and was immortalized in the, now-famous, photograph below.

Joan is in the center and Anne Moody (Coming of Age in Mississippi - a book I highly recommend) is on the right.

The events recorded in that photo are hard for me to comprehend. I just can't imagine people treating other people so badly while spectators (some of them police) looked on. I'm so thankful for people like Joan Trumpauer Mulholland who are brave enough to stand up for what is right.

Read more about how she came to our school here.