Monday Mornings

As the weather gets warmer, we've been having a lot of fun relaxing outside on Monday mornings. We eat some breakfast, brew some coffee and take our mugs out to the backyard.
We wake up slowly as we blow bubbles for Rock and Louisa....

And hang out in our pajamas under the canopy in our backyard. Sometimes our pajamas match.

It's a nice time to plan our day, but apparently not a nice time to get cute family pictures.

At least Fix looks good.

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, Rock made me a cake (with Nana Kerry's help). Now, to the untrained eye, it might look like Rock just poked a bunch of dents in the icing.

In fact, as he told me, the dots are a sweet message that read "You are the greatest Mommy in the world and I love you." I'm not making this stuff up. While I was watching he added some text about his great Daddy but since it was MOTHER'S Day, we won't focus on that.

Instead let's focus on the two cuties who made me a Mother. Aren't they precious?

I am very blessed indeed.

Popeyes, Cokie, and Friends

Do you "love that chicken from Popeyes?" What about the biscuits? I personally LOVE their biscuits. In high school, my friend Allison and I referred to ourselves as "The Biscuit Avengers" and made it our mission to buy Popeyes biscuits for any of our friends who had never had them before.

All of this is to say, when my college friend Zinah invited me to meet up at her dad's Popeyes restaurant, I obliged. Of course it didn't hurt that my college roommate Kirsten was coming up from Virginia Beach to visit too. In fact, that was the whole reason for the get together.

But once there, I discovered a true gem! Zinah's dad's Coke machine "Cokie." It was made by Ferrari, it was incredibly sleek, and it offers ONE HUNDRED AND SIX different flavors of soda and water. Do you want Orange Coke? Perhaps Raspberry Lime Sparkling Water? Cherry Sprite? Cokie's got it all!

Louisa loved it too, she was just really tired from running around the restaurant while waiting for her mom to finish up some bonding time with her long-lost buddies. It was great to eat Popeyes and get a few different drinks from Cokie, but picking up right where you left off with your college friends? PRICELESS.

PAUL

Remember when we were in London and PAUL was our favorite spot for tea? Well after we got back, Fix continued to pine after their Earl Grey. In fact, when Juju and Rocket brought him a box of bags in October, he officially changed his favorite tea allegiance -- from Twinings Earl Grey to PAUL's Earl Grey.

Shocking I know! When the October box ran out, Zuni brought him two more boxes at Christmas time. But still, Fix was having to ration himself and it was painful to not enjoy his favorite tea all the time.

But then we heard the good news, PAUL was coming to AMERICA! And not just anywhere in America - it was coming to WASHINGTON, DC! So like any (un)sane person would, Fix planned a trip to the DC location on the day it opened.
It was right next to the US Navy Memorial which is a perfect spot to let little children run around...
So we invited the Colemans to join us (and once again that crazy child in the Princeton shirt showed up too!).
The decor was lovely,
The high chairs were the classiest we'd ever seen,
And of course, the TEA was fantastic. His thirst was quenched. And he a box of Earl Grey to keep it that way.

Molly also enjoyed a fruit tea that she said was "quite lovely"... or something like that. After we sipped and nibbled on (YUMMY) sandwiches, it was time to head outside and let our children run wild.

We sat down (and got up and chased them and sat down and got up and chased them) and watched the kids run free. Louisa explored the bronze relief sculptures on the outside ring...

While Rock darted in and out.

Then they both realized there was a huge space in the middle to run free.
It was hot. There were water fights. Oliver took off his shirt...

So of course Rock did too. I can't wait until he gets a tan. All in all, it was good tea, good kids, and good times.
p.s. I apologize to Carrie and Charlotte for not getting a picture of them!

Sarah's Shower

Okay so Bethany and Sarah were in town for more than just Royal Wedding viewing and IKEA shopping. Sarah is having a baby boy in July and this was our chance for all our East Coast friends to gather together and shower her with gifts.

Three Brockman ladies with three Brockman grandbabies on the way. Due (from left to right) in early September, late July, and once again, I'm due on CHRISTMAS EVE.

It was fun to celebrate Baby Boy McCallum and great to be with familiar faces that we don't get to see very often.

Unfortunately someone's crazy children ruined this shot.

MY daughter would never do such a thing. She was sitting pleasantly on the couch eating Cheerios with her father.

COUSIN TIME!

One bonus of having Aunt Sarah and Aunt Bethany in town?COUSIN TIME! We had lunch with everyone at IKEA then watched Louisa go up the slide...

While Rock and Addy shared a hug.

Later on, they all got clean in Juju's tub. Rock and Addy enjoyed it.

Princess Susanna

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? We did! Bethany and Sarah came into town and we all got up at 5 am to watch. Why?

Because Princess Susanna of Maryland was there!!! My little sister, Susanna lives abroad in London and she and her friends Chelsea and Jess decided to go down to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday of Royal Wedding Week to check out the scene. Of course they wore their matching tiaras and "Will Heart Kate" shirts, but they weren't planning on hanging around.

But the media was already camped out and when they saw three beautiful blonds in matching tees and tiaras -- standing out in sharp contrast to the near-homeless people who'd been camping out for weeks -- they flocked to them and started snapping pictures. Suddenly she and her friends were being interviewed by everyone...

Including Ali Wentworth from the Oprah Show. She asked the girls if she could interview them after the wedding and gave them press passes. So they decided to stay.

Then they texted their friends and family. And their pictures were sent around the world. She was on the cover of USA Today, in an online story about Princess Susanna of Maryland and a full page picture in the special issue People magazine, the list goes on. After camping out for a day, they got a front row seat of everyone entering the Abbey and then they got to run through the crowds with their press passes to Buckingham Palace where they witnessed the royal kiss on the balcony...
And appeared 'live' on the Oprah show. Her 15 minutes of fame were pretty awesome, no? Too bad I didn't get a picture of us gathered around the TV all morning. It was quite fun to take all the wedding festivities in.