Off to the Beach...

Picture by Patricia Rainey

We are off to the beach for Labor Day weekend. We are definitely a beach family and with a name like The Barefoot Princess you can guess that our little girl loves to dig her toes in the sand. We are looking forward to fishing, playing in the sand, saltwater taffy, long walks through the Victorian neighborhood, and some yummy seafood!!! Maybe we will be really ambitious and climb the lighthouse pictured above. Whatever we wind up doing we will have lots of family time and cherish each moment as summer slips away.

Twice Blessed

I found this picture the other day and I had to laugh because it was taken exactly two years ago when I was pregnant with The Barefoot Princess. The funny thing is I look exactly the same now as we await the arrival of BP's little sister. Such exciting times for us and busy too!!! We have to think of a creative way to pluralize The Barefoot Princess Blog very soon.

Our New Edition

The Barefoot Princess' Daddy thought it was time she had a little responsibility and learned to take care of an animal. One Saturday while BP was napping, he disappeared to our local agricultural store and returned with this adorable little bunny and all the accessories. BP just calls him "bunny" or makes the sign for bunny, so right now he doesn't officially have a name. However, he is the sweetest bunny I have ever known and is very nice to BP when she pets him and tries to pick him up. He even tolerates rides in the wagon of her John Deere tractor. And yes, The Barefoot Princess actually has been feeding him and helping her Daddy clean out his cage!!!

Just Peachy

The Barefoot Princess has become quite a little helper. She loves to pull up her antique green stool and assist with any kitchen work. Here she is helping me cool the peaches we were cutting and freezing the other day. They will be really "yummy" this winter, if they last that long.

The Barefoot Line-up

This is the latest craze in our house!!! The Barefoot Princess has been obsessed with lining up all her toys. Above is a line of horses, but I have seen her do it with cars, tractors, airplanes, blocks, and people. I have to wonder, does she crave order and organization, or is this a sign of a type A personality? I would not know where either come from? (HaHa!!)

The Little World's Fair

The Barefoot Princess and her big cousin James, who was nice enough to ride the rides with her.

The Barefoot Princess and her Daddy. Can you see the excitement on her face as she looks at the baby calves??
This little guy actually reminded us of our dog Flaps.
These horses were pulling 6,000 lbs. Amazing!!!
We attended another fair this past weekend. Our third one for the summer. Are you beginning to see a trend?? The Barefoot Princess cannot get enough of the animals and tractors so it is a perfect event for her. BP's Daddy loves the big workhorses so he was able to watch the pulling competition. And who doesn't love fair food?? This particular fair was special becasue it was in BP's Daddy's hometown and he grew up attending the fair. I think he enjoyed sharing "The Little World's Fair" with The Barefoot Princess.

Barefoot Princess' First Rib Fest

Our weekends have been very busy lately. After the fair we attended a rib festival near our home with our friends and The Barefoot Princess' little friend Gavin. BP loves Gavin and had so much fun dancing and chasing him that night. The two of them could pass for twins (check out the first picture). They also had fun waving to each other from their respective Jeeps. It just happens that Gavin and BP's Daddies both have new Jeeps, but in different colors. I think the Daddies had a good time with their Jeeps too! The food was out of this world and we are definitely going back next year!

Pickle Camp Part III

Here are some of the pickles we made at "Pickle Camp." We had such a good time with our friends and came home with 10 jars of the most delicious sweet pickles. I would thank Katie here, but of course she would never see it, so I will write her the good old-fashioned way. I am so happy that The Barefoot Princess was able to experience the Amish lifestyle. We are very lucky to have such unique friends to teach us about a simplier life and to appreciate all that we are blessed with.

The Barefoot Princess' Favorites Right Now

The Barefoot Princess loves to play with her toys. What child doesn't right? I have noticed lately that she is starting to pretend and use her imagination more and and more. I love to watch her when she doesn't know it. It is so adorable to see her rocking her Bitty Baby or feeding her Breyer horses and cows hay. It makes me laugh and of course get on the floor and play with her. If she sees someone standing and watching her play she will immediately tell them "sit, sit." If you do not listen she will take your hand and pull you until you are convinced to play with her. Here is a list of things The Barefoot Princess is really into right now...

1. Bitty Baby from The American Girl Store

2. Farm Things (i.e. horses, cows, John Deere tractors, and more...)

3. Wooden Puzzles

4. Coloring

5. Telephones

6. Cooking in her Kitchen (she makes a mean cup of coffee or tea)

7. Elmo and The Little Einsteins

8. Airplanes and Airport Things

9. Little People from Fisher Price

10. Books (adult or children's, it doesn't matter, she pretends to read them all)

Oh, How We Love Fridays!!!

We love Fridays because every Friday The Barefoot Princess is able to see her friends!! I also am able to see my mommy friends, which is an extra special bonus!! We all met about a year ago or more and started having playdates every other Friday. (It's a great way to start the weekend!!) All of our children are born within a month of each other and it is so cool to watch them play and interact.

Starting in September we will see each other every Friday because we are alternating playdates with field trips. And thanks to our creative and very organized friend Allison we will have a "soup swap" on the first Friday of every month starting also in Septmeber. We love soup and love this idea!! Thanks Allison!!

Today's playdate was at Jenny and Gavin's house. Jenny's house is adorable and very toddler safe. The Barefoot Princess and her friends Gavin and Grace had a blast!! The pictures say it all. So a big thank you to Jenny!! I hope the fish in the pond are ok.

Pickle Camp Part II

At the crack of dawn on Thursday morning we (my friend Judy, her son Sam, her daughter Mona, my Mom, The Barefoot Princess, and I) all piled into Judy's minivan and drove to our Amish friend Katie's house to make "4 Days Sweet Pickles." We were off to "Pickle Camp" and very excited.

I have to stop here and explain "Pickle Camp." Whenever we have been fortunate enough to enjoy a meal prepared by Katie, we always eat all of her pickles. And then we always ask how she makes them becuase they are so delicious! For five years we have been talking about Katie teaching us how to make the pickles and this year we got lucky! Katie's garden was bursting with cucumbers as well as other vegetables and fruits. Katie will tell you that it is because "the Lord blessed them" and it has nothing to do with her green thumb or good weather. So when Katie called, from her phone shanty, to tell us that she had so many cucumbers we could come and make pickles we jumped at the chance. How could we refuse such an offer??

When we arrived at Katie's she immediately put us to work. (The Amish do not waste a second of their day) Judy, Sam and I chopped a gazillion cucumbers while Mona and The Barefoot Princess put the slices into buckets. Yes, even the little girls were given jobs because that is the Amish way. While we all worked my Mom, Katie, and Katie's niece Sylvia made lunch. We chatted and caught up because we have not seen Katie since March. After lunch, which was delicious as usual, (how could it not be when everything is make from scratch?) we went to the Amish grocery store to buy the supplies for "Pickle Camp" part II which will resume on Monday, hence the name "4 Days Sweet Pickles." So more to come when we return on Monday...

Pickle Camp Part I

This is The Barefoot Princess and her very good friend Mona. This picture was taken a little over a year ago and it was both girls' first trip to Lancaster. Wow! They both have grown so much and BP has a little bit more hair now. We are leaving today for another trip to Lancaster for "Pickle Camp." We will explain more when we return and hopefully show you some pictures too. Look For Pickle Camp Part II in a few days...

An Agricultural Fair

The Barefoot Princess loves farm animals and tractors, preferably the green and yellow ones. So, what better place to take her for a day of fun than a good old-fashioned agricultural fair? BP's Daddy took the day off, and we all hopped in the Jeep with the top down for a road trip to the fair. BP was so excited to see the pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, and rabbits up close. She was a little intimidated by the cows and the horses up close, but was happy to view them from a distance. This is a little ironic since she plays with her toy cows and horses all the time at home. She ran from barn to barn making all the animal sounds and showing Bitty Baby (more on her later) all the animals.

While we were at the fair we met our friends Brian and Jess and enjoyed

a delicious chicken barbeque for lunch. After lunch we watched Brian "pull" in the antique tractor pull. This was also very exciting for The Barefoot Princess who sat in the grandstands making tractor noises and yelling "Go!" Then we realized it was almost 3 0'clock and The Barefoot Princess had not taken a nap, so we said good-bye to the fair until next year. BP fell asleep with her apple juice box in her hand about five minutes after we pulled out of the fairgrounds!!!

A Day at the Lake

This past weekend we spent a day at the lake with The Barefoot Princess' Aunt Nicole and Uncle Matt, or "Mack" as she calls him. Nicole's brother Chris, and Matt's friend from college, Kelly also joined in the fun. We were on the boat from 9am until 5pm, which I thought would be a little too much for an almost 2 year old, but BP loved every minute of it. She even braved the lake water, which is more than I can say for myself. She floated in the tube with Daddy, fished with her little fishing pole, and even closed her eyes for a few minutes despite all the action. Everyone had a great time and the weather could not have been better. BP's Daddy and I loved sharing this lake with her because we spent a lot of time there when we were dating and first married and still owned "Fragile Magic," our sailboat. Needless to say, I think BP's Daddy has the itch to buy another boat after seeing how much she enjoyed the boat and the water on Saturday!!!

What a Difference a Year Makes!!!

The first picture is The Barefoot Princess the other day. The second picture is BP last August. I cannot believe a whole year has passed. It is so bittersweet for a parent to watch their baby grow. I wish she could always be our baby, but I love how she does or says something new each day. In one year she went from baby to toddler and it has been so much fun!!! It makes me realize how it is important to make the most of each day and that we are blessed to have such an amazing little Barefoot Princess!!!

Happy Birthday Mark

A very happy birthday to The Barefoot Princess' Uncle Mark!!!! (He is the one on the right in the picture next to BP's Daddy) Mark is actually her second cousin, but he is really more of an uncle to her, and a brother to me, and a very good friend to my husband. Mark attends St. Andrew's University in Scotland (for one more year) so we don't get to see him often and we really miss him when he is gone!! He is home for a couple of weeks this summer and lucky for us we saw him last weekend. We love his spirit, sense of humor, charm and yes, even his opinions, which are normally very strong. Enjoy your birthday Mark!!!

Barefoot Princess' First Concert

The Barefoot Princess is a big fan of Herman's Hermits. We did not realize until last Saturday night at the Children's Day Concert, which was in honor of her late Great Gandpa. She had a blast dancing to all their songs and shaking her glow stick. She even clapped and screamed after each number. Watch out Peter Noone we may have a new groupie!! I think I may even purchase one of their CD's to play in the car for her!!

Thank You, Thank You!!!

My birthday was about a month ago and in the mail I received the nicest surprise. They may be hard to see, but my gift was five beautiful silver napkin rings made out of the handles of old silver spoons. The person who sent them is very special to me and obviously knows my taste, a little vintage and very cute!! So, a very special Thank You to my Aunt Mimi, which is what we are trying to get The Barefoot Princess to call her. We hope to see you soon!!

Children's Day 2007

Last Saturday was Children's Day!! A very unique event held in a small town about an hour from where we live. The Barefoot Princess' Uncle Matt and Aunt Nicole live there as well as our good friends the Baker's and many other relatives.

It was a good old fashioned day of family fun, which included two parades, children's games, sporting events, yummy food, and an evening concert (more on that later). The Barefoot Princess was lucky enough to be on the Baker Family's float again this year as a hula girl. The theme of the float was "Shipwrecked In Paradise". The Barefoot Dad was lucky enough to pull the float up the hills of this quaint little Victorian village in the 9o degree day. (Sorry Sweetie) Barefoot Mom walked with them and handed out leis.

We Finally Found It...

It took a while but we finally found it!! What?? you may ask. The best sweet corn of the summer. Fresh from our local produce stand. There is nothing like the crunchy sweet and taste of sweet corn with a little butter of course, to make us realize what summer is all about. The Barefoot Princess is a big fan of sweet corn too and asks for "More, More, More."

A Major Milestone

Last night we did not hear the sound of little feet running into our room around 3 o'clock in the morning. Nor, did we hear "Mommy" or "Daddy" coming from the other room in the middle of the night. When we woke up this morning The Barefoot Princess was sound asleep in her bed (see below). This has only happended two other times in 22 months. She always falls asleep in her toddler bed, but always makes her way into our bed sometime in the middle of the night. I have mixed emotions about this,and I think BP's Daddy will agree that we missed her in the bed last night. Our Barefoot Princess is growing up way too fast!!!