Friday

We had a heck of a storm here in the afternoon just as I needed to take the girls to a haircut appointment. I rushed them out the door a half hour early thinking I was beating the deluge, but drove north right into a MESS! Cars were veering off the road, hydroplaning, parking on the roadside and driving like maniacs without paying attention to the rest of us. We sat outside of the salon for 15 minutes waiting for a break while Kate repeatedly yelled "I don' wike fundah!" then finally made a break for it. As we entered the salon the power went out and the girls were treated to a colonial-style haircut by candlelight as the sirens raged outside. Cars were flooded in parking lots, there were accidents EVERYWHERE and there was a lake in our front yard. The lightening was so bad that we sat in the car for 30 minutes waiting for the storm to ebb so we could safely enter our home (yet another moment where I felt slightly embarrassed and a lot grateful for the car DVD player)! Dex and Judy arrived safely, getting across the Bay Bridge Tunnel before the storm, and thus began our busy weekend.

Saturday
"Somewhere...beyond the sea..."
India's party, though forced inside for part of the time because of rain, was a lot of fun. Mostly everyone just ran around like maniacs, but we had a few games, including a pinata that was made of tempered steel.

Tracy surreptitiously ripped it in a few places, or we might still be waiting. I foolishly assumed that my friends opted for the pull-string variety because they are less violent, but I think I understand that it is really because the pinata actually has a chance of opening with the pull-strings. Lesson learned.

Another lesson learned; blue-green icing is not stain-friendly. I am still finding little icing blobs in bizarre locations (how does icing end up in the bathroom or a doll's hair?). Oh well, better than the bright red Ladybug cake from last year. Everyone left with full bellies and hands full of pinata candy, ocean tattoos, sailor hats and a CD of beachy songs.
Kate is coveting one of India's gifts, a princess doll which she calls "Seeping Booty"...I feel strongly that we should consult Web MD about this doll's serious health condition! I hope Kate doesn't repeat this phrase in public.

One of the other popular gifts was a dress-up bridal veil, ironically a gift from William, who is the boy India plans to marry if things with Joe don't work out. Kate is also enjoying the veil, as you can see.
Sunday

We saw Dex and Judy safely back to Stuart after breakfast. Thank you, thank you for all of your help this weekend! The girls are missing their Pops and Gigi.

For the rest of the day we tried to recover by all taking naps, then had our friends John and Susan and their girls, Ellie and Anne, over for a potluck dinner. A nice way to wind down another very busy weekend.