For Crying out loud in a BUCKET!!!

My friend Nettie. I love this girl, I have known her from the dawn of time (Sophomore English-Mr. Goate's class-same thing).

We had a great weekend with her and her girls, who happen to be the same ages as my girls! Exciting stuff!!!

We talked and ate, and talked and let our girls get filthy dirty in her fun FUN backyard. We baked cookies, and ate some more COMPLETE JUNK, and talked more, and laughed, and talked some more. We could talk till the cows came home, and they are not home yet.

Imagine that!

Our little girls took an on-line art class together, and it just so happens we got to be in an art show with all our creations. But before the art show, we had to HAD TO go to the tulip festival!

Here is all of that.

We arrived at the gardens, which are amazing! The tulips were not all even opened and still I was amazed-AMAZED!

There we go, girls on a mission. We were so prepared-well, Nette was. We had a picnic with all kinds of amazing yummy things, and we had the wagon for tired little 2-year olds, and we were ready. After we went potty, corralled all the girls, paid admission, checked cameras, and went into the gardens, this old stinker of a lady told us we would have to eat our food outside of the gardens-Whatever lady. So we had to haul all the little girls back out to the outside of the admission place and eat in the "front yard".

Here we are eating. I love that Tink is just chowing down, but Madelyn stops to give us her cute little smile. She's like a professional.

Eating in the front yard did not bother Izabel one bit.

SEE!!!

She was rather excited about the whole thing. I could have taken her home with me, I love this smile....LOVE IT!

How beautiful is this? I have never been here before-let alone for the tulip festival! It was gorgeous. I love that Tink ran ahead so she could pose for me. Doesn't this just look like little girl paradise?!

It is.

It totally is.

All that beautiful yellow! Again, Madelyn is the only one smiling for us. Love it!

How sweet is this? My favorite 5 year old and my favorite flowers, does it get any better?

I say no.

And what is that on her eyebrow you ask...no, I don't beat her (regularly) that is chocolate folks!

I love this picture. I love that Smalls just sat right down to be photographed. Tink took some coaxing, but how cute! And how about that necklace?! Her and Madelyn found a BFF necklace, and Madelyn got the cupcake half, while Tink got the lollipop, they are super cute little necklaces.

More of that...too sweet. I love Smalls.

And all the gang! I love that Tink is trying to do a heart on her face, she kills me. Smalls had been up walking around and when we said, "Come back and do a picture!" This is what we got. I love it! her and Izabel have the same idea of posing for pictures.

Here is the hill we climbed, and the girls rolled down it. Smalls went up the entire hill and then proceeded to climb the stairs. I had to run all the way up there to tell her to roll down it, and here's what I caught. It's a whole sequence, so stick with it.

How 'bout that? Did you feel it? Like you're just rolling. Good stuff.

This was just me and the babies. I loved it. They are on a bridge trying to find fishies. I think Izabel found one.

Here's all the babies on the bridge. I love this picture! I especially love the little girls trying to peek over the bridge. It's just all over the place PRECIOUS!

Here they are. I could just eat those 2 up! I love Izabel in this picture. And Madelyn and Tink are diligently looking for fish...go girls.

And Smalls in the rear. We had to say, "Come on little ducky." It worked in Moab and it's working here!

I love this picture. Their little pose cracks me up.

We are off the see the Secret Garden.

Wanna see what these cute little girls are looking at?

A GOOSE!!! There was a goose up there laying in her nest. The girls loved this!

Cute Aunt Nettie and Smalls on the fountain.

Izabel and Smalls kept shushing us all through the Secret Gardens, and saying, "Ssssshhh it's secret." I think it's the only time Smalls has ever whispered.

We got her to do her ssshhh face once more so I could take a picture of it.

The girls at the Italian gardens!

I love how Madelyn and Smalls are all posed and cute. Tink is just being Tink, and Izabel could care less about the camera, she wants to see the water!

The girls had to stop and put rocks in their pockets. Of course.

I love this picture. Look at that cute little bum! Don't you just want to pinch it!?

I did.

Okay, I loved these daffodils! They are so cute, they are miniature daffodils, they're only about the size of a silver dollar! I loved them! I will definitely be on the hunt for these bulbs in the fall! They made me so happy!

Here's how this picture went, "MADELYN! YOU GET UP HERE AND PICK THIS UP! For crying out loud in a bucket, you don't leave your trash on the ground!"

This is Nettie's signature phrase.

Me and my ladies at the waterfalls.

Crazy girls. I love them

And they're mine all mine!!!

If you need these pictures as your wallpaper, I understand.

Had to stop and throw rocks in the pond.

I love this. Everything the big girls would do, the little ones would try. Look at Smalls holding on for dear life, but she did it. She proudly announced it too, "I DID IT MAMA!"

Izabel was done, she wanted to push the wagon.

This whole scene...I loved it. Nettie trying to take Izabel's picture while she's walking along, looking at the brochure/map thing. It was just cute. And our big girls sitting on the bench like such ladies.

I loved these daffodils too, they look like they have tissue paper in their centers. I would have missed them entirely if Nette hadn't pointed them out. I was on Aubrey duty, that girl would have run to freeway if I didn't chase her, she was all over the place.

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

And now, onto the

ART SHOW!!!

First of all, this was Smalls favorite painting for obvious reasons, she got to drive her cars through it (it was a whole section on texture). They kids got to show their favorite painting and talk about it at the show, this was Smalls fav.

And here's her table! It turned out cute cute cute.

When Smalls got to present her painting, she was not one bit afraid. She held it up and I asked her why she liked this one, and she said, "This one was my caars."

I was beaming.

Here was Tink's table. I love that we got yellow! Her table was so happy and cute.

This is as posed as Smalls would get, don't you love her mustache of frosting? I do, it just makes her all the more delicious!

And Tink. We started out this night on a bad foot. She was not a happy camper poor thing. She threw a fit of epic proportions about having to change into her happy yellow dress. And after I allowed her to live...yikes-and threw a cookie or 3 at her, we were ready to go. She happied up and we did have a good night.

Here she is with her favorite painting, and a smile.

Or was it this one? I can't remember, I liked all of them, she's such an artist.

Thank you Aunt Nettie for letting us stay with you!

In high school, we always said we would have sleepovers as mommies, and she and I actually do it! I love her more than my luggage, and I'm so happy we are friends forever!

Smalls keeps asking me to go to Madelyn's house!

Can't wait to see you again in May!