L.I. Party

Grandma and Grandpa Owen hosted a barbecue feast for Millie and Anna's joint birthday celebration.

Before the party, Millie tried to wheedle present information out of Grandma. I really love their enjoyment in each other here.



Anna and Alex are wonderful girls, and they graciously play with and entertain our monkeys.






And Alex even let Millie steal some whirlaround rides on her bike.


While SHE held the littlest grandgirl.


There was yummy cake. With candles.




And PRESENTS!

On the summer visit northward, Aunt April took us to a movie in the theater-- Kit Kitteredge: An American Girl. When Kit reveals that her full name is Margaret MILDRED Kitteredge, I heard my Mildred audibly gasp from several seats down, followed by an excited, loud whisper in the dark, "HER name is Mildred, too!" (Little does she know that this may be the only time in her girlhood that she meets another young girl with the same name.)

Remembering this and knowing her love of the American Girl books, Aunt April and her girls picked up some Kit Kitteredge books for Millie's gift. She was thrilled with them and has read them multiple times in the last two months.



Grandma Owen went overboard with gifts, as usual (Yes, McGamma! OVERBOARD!), and Millie came home with lots of presents. I often look out the kitchen door to see Millie or a tuzzin hopping about like a cricket a'fire.


I always appreciate April's sweetness to our girls, but especially her tender enjoyment of our babies.


And not to leave Uncle Dave out. He's great, too.


Lastly, Sarah and I made the girls smush on the bench for a updated photo of all the grandgirls. Alex did her best, but Annie just did not want to cooperate without a party uni-hat-horn.


So this is what we got.