Father's Day and LK at 16 months

Well... Clint got to celebrate his second Father's Day as Lily Kate's daddy. And I must say, Lily hit the jackpot as far as daddies go. Here are some pictures of LK and Clint from Father's Day and the month of June.


 LK gets so happy when daddy gets home! There's nothing like being greeted at the door by a nugget who can't wait to play with you!

 These next pictures are from 6/13/12...last Wednesday. This is Lily's typical nighttime routine with daddy.

                     First, play time or as Lily says, "Wee Wee!"

 Then, noms (whole milk) and maybe a short episode of Pajanamals

And lastly, story time....we're still in a lift-the-flap phase around here

A rare moment Lily let Clint read a non lift-the-flap book without getting up and walking away (such short attention spans toddlers have!)

LK rocking her daddy jammies on Father's Day night

For Father's Day LK made Clint a picture (I stole the idea from Ashleigh-Anne last year when she made it for her husband, and I've been waiting a year to make one) and mommy bought him some ties, a tie clip, and a new Yedi-sized umbrella that he wanted. I also gave him a Sunday off to go see "Thats My Boy" with his best friend Steve. (I might have whined about this a little- but hey, at least he got to go!) So not a lot of family time on Father's Day, but we did have a good week of quality time with our lil 16-month old.

Speaking of 16 months....here's what LK is up to these days:

I know you can't tell by her sourpuss face, but she loves her water table...thanks Grandma!

                   Lily has taken much more interest in her play kitchen, it is so cute watching her pretend to cook like mommy!

Isnt it funny how you can have a $100 fancy light up activity table, playhouse, etc and your child would rather play with a paper towel core?? I love how kids have such simple pleasures. My mom invented a new game where you sing the motor boat song into the paper towel core and it distorts your voice...cracks LK up every time! (You know the one: mooootor booooat mooootor boat go sooo sloooow, motor-boat-motor-boat-go-so-fast-step-on-the-gas!) Or is that song not too popular? Either way I recommend it for toddlers!

                  My mom says I lived in my pink Oshkosh overalls as a kids, I love the ones she got Lily!

Summer play date!

My dear friend Jennifer Hill moved to the Atlanta area last month, but came back to town this weekend for Father's Day! I thought it would be fun to have some of Jenn's closest mama friends over for a play date. Despite the holiday weekend, we had 7 moms and 8 kids come out- there's a lot of love for Jenn in Tally! Stefanie had the idea to make father's day presents of the kids holding signs that spell "Dad" or "Love" across 3 or 4 different photos. Our friend Kysten happens to be amazing at photography and was kind enough to take 65 pictures for everybody. Here are a few of my favorites that she took.

                                           Emily....

Allie....

Morgan and Madison...

Dylan...

Ameila...

 This is Lily Kate's look when she wants a nap and not a photo shoot :) She went down for a nice long nap right after this. Lily doesnt mess around with her nap- love my good lil sleeper!

Amelia and Lily sharing a secret...awww

More photos to come!

Japan’s Prince Tomohito dies

Prince Tomohito of Mikasa

Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, the eldest cousin of Emperor Akihito, succumbed to cancer, Wednesday, June 13. He was 66.


The prince, a self-confessed alcoholic and the most opinionated member of the Japanese Imperial Family, was known for his fierce opposition of letting a female inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.

He prince was plagued by health problems since the 1990s. In 1991, he was operated for cancer-related ailment, and battled alcoholism half his life. In March this year, he underwent surgery to remove the cartilage the blocked his throat after complaining of his difficulty swallowing.

Prince Tomohito, born June 5, 1946 was the eldest son of Prince and Princess Mikasa. Dubbed as the “Bearded Prince,” he was the first member of the Imperial Family to sport a full beard after Emperor Meiji.
The prince finished at the Faculty of Law at Gakushuin University in 1968 and proceeded to Magdalen College in Oxford.

In 1980, he married Princess Tomohito, the former Nobuko Aso, the third daughter of Takakichi Aso, chairman of Aso Cement, and his wife Kazuko, daughter of former Prime Minister Shigero Yoshida and sister of another prime minister, Taro Aso.

The couple had two daughters, Princess Akiko and Princess Yoko.

The prince held a position at the organizing committee of the Sapporo Winter Olympics in 1972, as well as of the Okinawa World Fair in 1975. He also headed, in an honorary basis, a variety of organizations that supports cancer research (himself a victim), education, and international relations.

Prince Tomohito was open about his alcoholism, discussing it vividly during press interviews. He said that it began as a teenager, but intensified later as problems arose within the imperial family, according to media reports at the time. His dependency was an ongoing struggle. In 2009, he was hospitalized for alcoholism five times within a six month period.

The prince staunchly opposed letting a female inherit the throne. Although members of the Imperial Family were barred from intervening in politics, the prince stepped out to contend on the government proposals in allowing female sovereigns.

In his point of view, breaking with tradition and allowing a woman to reign would over time compromise the imperial family’s significance. Instead, he said Japan should consider other options that would ensure producing a male heir.  One of his proposed fixes: reintroduce concubines. In one private essay circulated to palace officials in 2005, the prince said:  “Using concubines, like we used to, is one option. I’m all for it, but this might be a little difficult considering the social climate in and outside the country.”

Ever the conservative, the prince even suggested bringing back former branches of the royal family that were abolished after World War II.

Prince Philip discharged from hospital

Prince Philip smiles while leaving the hospital

Prince Philip, who celebrates his 91st birthday June 10, was finally discharged from hospital after being hospitalized with bladder infection at the height of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 




The Prince was rushed to King Edward VII Hospital in London last Sunday after complaining of abdominal pains. Together with the Queen, he was left standing and exposed to drizzle for four hours during the Thames River parade. 


When asked if he was feeling better while leaving the hospital, the Prince replied with the hint of a smile: “Well I wouldn't be coming out if I wasn't!”


“Together, they are invincible. They are the most incredibly supportive couple to each other,” says Princess Eugenie, who said that the Queen greatly felt the Prince’s absence at the height of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 


“For Granny to come and do that alone was probably quite testing and I think he is her rock, really, and she is his,”


The Prince's birthday will be celebrated by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery when it fires a 41-gun salute in his honor in Hyde Park, London, but the Prince will not attend the event. Instead, he will spend the day at Windsor with his family.


Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “He's out of hospital, his condition is improving and he will continue his convalescence at home.”

World celebrates Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Participants in a Diamond Jubilee fun run in New York wearing cardboard
cut faces of Queen Elizabeth II

 British expats, Anglophiles, and royalists around the world are all one in celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. 




In New York, a fun-run called “The Great British Run” was held at Central Park, with 600 runners all wearing cardboard cut faces of Royal Family members.


In California, Rose Tea Cottage in Pasadena held a British tea party, offering imported teas from England served in Royal memorabilia chinas. 


In Canada, a member of the Commonwealth, the government appropriated $7.4 million for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The celebrations peaked –literally—at the summit of Barbeau Peak, the highest point of northern Canada’s Ellesmere Island. 


In New Westminster, Vancover, The Queens Avenue United Church held a commemorative service where a choir sang songs at the Queen’s coronation. Church bells chimed afterwards 60 times, one for every year in the Queen’s reign. 


In New Zealand, where the Queen also reigns as sovereign, the Auckland War Memorial Museum hosted a free Jubilee exhibition featuring archive footage from the Queen’s first trip to New Zealand in 1953, a year after her coronation. 


Barbados also hosted a street party in St Lawrence Gap – the famed party strip on the island.

In Dubai, thousands of British expats also held their own celebrations akin to that in London, with street parties at Barasti beach.

British tea served in California

The race in on in New York

A tea house in Pasadena goes British

Elegant Royal memorabilia where teas are served

Fashion reigns supreme at Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Royals wore their very best during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 

Queen Elizabeth II, ever the fashion icon, shone during the River Thames Parade in her shimmering, white handmade Angela Kelly crystal-studded coat and dress. Keen attention to detail took this Swarovski crystal studded outfit a year to make….. And it’s all worth it.

Meanwhile, darling of the press Duchess of Cambridge, was indeed the day’s lady in red. She wore a splendid red Alexander McQueen dress, matched by a stylish Sylvia Fletcher red hat from royal milliner James Lock & Co. As a nod to her Scottish title Countess of Strathearn, Kate carried a scarf made of Strathearn tartan.

Chic sisters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were both pretty in pink while boarding the Havengore. The Both wore eye-catching hats made by Stephen Jones.

A million people cheers Queen at Diamond Jubilee finale

The British Royal Family at Buckingham Palace balcony

Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations reached its climax as the Queen, together with members of the British Royal Family, greeted a sea of crowd who gathered before the Buckingham Palace balcony in an unprecedented display of affection to the Queen who dedicated her life in the service of the people.

Millions of crowd flock in front of the palace to cheer the Queen

The British Royal Family waives at the crowd

The spectacular Red Arrows show

A flood of Union Jacks filled the Mall 

A spectacular Red Arrows show took place despite the rainy skies.  Spitfires flew overhead while a million Britons sang Land of Hope and Glory and the national anthem. The crowd wasted no chance in coming to the Mall, despite the frowning weather, to cheer on the monarch at the end of a memorable bank holiday.

With the Queen were Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. Only Prince Philip was missing as he remained sick in hospital at the height of the celebrations.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron led salutes to Queen Elizabeth, declaring that the Diamond Jubilee “above politics.”

The spectacular outpouring of support to the Queen at the finale of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Red and blue were the color of the day

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William at the balcony of Buckingham Palace

The amazing Red Arrows show

Queen Elizabeth II