Brooke's Party

We had my family over for a dinner and birthday party on Saturday, July 16,2011.  It was a yummy dinner of chicken and rice, green beans, rolls, frog-eye salad and cake and blue bell for dessert!

The cake (of course I did it in Brooke's favorite color of steel blue/gray...or maybe I tried to do purple and it didn't quite work out)

My cake helper...5 days old

Cheesy smile from my 3 year old helper...

COUSINS!  The three musketeers who can squeal like you wouldn't believe--Megan (3), Chloe (3), and Brooke (2)

More cousins!  Adam (4), Madelyn (6), Catherine (9), Hailey (8), and Zach (6)

Uncle Tyler getting his Candace snuggles...

The spread...

Aunt Carrie (fresh off the plane from her scuba trip with corn rows to prove it)--holding Candace for the first time...

She got to open even more presents--thanks everyone!

My favorite present--a cute dress from my Dad.  He said he saw it at Sam's and he thought it looked like something Mom would have bought--so he bought it.  He even "wrapped" it (by stuffing it in a ziploc baggie).  I love my Dad.  I love to see him take on all of these tasks Mom used to do and excel at them.  It's a small thing, but it means a lot because it IS just what Mom would have done.  Hard to believe that she's been gone for almost 3 weeks.