parties all around

the bernhisel clan gathered in asheville, nc this past week for papa b's big 60th celebration, a little turkey time, and andee's 2nd birthday bash. it was supposed to be a surprise party/gathering for pops but the loose lipped grandkids spilled the beans a while back and let him in on the not-so-secret, secret. that's ok...pops graciously played along and a good time was had by all.

enjoy the wordless recap:

what's the buzz?

little miss as a bumble bee is what's the buzz.

time out!

but not really.

the bernhisel girls (plus david) gathered in atlanta for a "time out for women" conference, but for jilb and me it was still "time in", as we were not relieved of any motherly duties. that's ok, though. i much prefer to sit in the hallway listening to the speakers on a mediocre sound system while my baby eats mashed bread crumbs (from an unknown source) from off the floor. all in all, it was great to be with the girls and i'd do it again...when annie is grown and is no longer licking the hallway carpet (or any carpet for that matter).

it's official...

i've become that lady on the plane...you know, the one that everyone watches intently as she takes that long, dramatic walk down the aisle to find her seat, where all passengers are crossing their fingers, crossing themselves, saying a private prayer or performing some sort of superstitious ritual to the airplane gods to not have the crazy lady with the over-sized carry-on bag overflowing with yogurt puffs and bright, flashy toys, and a crying baby sitting next to them? yah, that's me. then it happens...i make contact with the lucky winner, give them a sympathetic smile then wedge myself and all of my baby baggage (yes, i really do need 2 sippy cups, 5 binkys, a separate bag of toys, diapers and back up diapers, and 5 varieties of snacks to choose from) into my seat then kindly ask the neighbor, who is now searching for any remaining vacancies, to hold the jar of corn and carrot soup with turkey bits and the baby biscuits while i get things situated. no offense was taken when our soup-holding neighbor inquired for the 15th time how much longer the flight was going to be.

well...little miss humored me by being woken up at the wee hours of the morning, missing naps, and going to bed late all so i could get my fill of friends, family, and fall weather in utah. so in the end...i won't complain that she was beyond ornery and in serious need of some sleep on one leg of the flight back to florida. she was such a trooper and quite the hit out west. here's some of the happenings...

a little visit to see kimmy and her fam

a huge birthday cake, just for us!

a little happy-birthday sushi for ourselves

one of many freezing-cold early morning runs. apparently they have these things called gloves that you put on your hands when you're cold. who would've thought...

great-aunt gretchen. that's right...i said (typed) great-aunt. coolest/best great-aunt you'll come across.

great-grandma and grandpa bernhisel

brenne and brylee couldn't get enough of little miss and she couldn't get enough of them. she was thrilled to have 2 constant backseat buddies during the car rides.

you saw correctly. we are swimming. in october. in utah. heated pools are a wonderful thing.

chillin' with uncle ryan

benji boy

kevin's bro benji came into town for a quick visit to see the gators, little miss, and us (and in that order too). it was a fun-filled weekend with lots of gator-themed activities...some of which were quite the disappointment (no need to specify on which ones). thanks for visiting benji! come again soon and hopefully we can get you a "W".

creepy crawler

-minus the creepy part

-plus the would-crawl-through-broken-glass-for-a-cellphone, love-for-all-things-smelly-and decrepit (lucy), catching-major-z's-at-night(er), continued-binky-and-mama-addict (to her defense, however, no reform has been offered), frequent-self-adulator, would-rather-eat-fistfulls-of-dog-hair-and-dustballs-than-her-split-pea-soup, and mastering-the-pull-up-on-all-things-dangerous, part.

-there you go. little miss summed up.

warning: excitement overload