Enjoying the Deck Again

Brandon and I brought the girls down today to see Mom and Dad. They had to miss Allie's first birthday party last weekend, so we brought the birthday girl down to them to enjoy another cupcake and little celebration. It was absolutely gorgeous outside, and the pollen wasn't even all that bad, so we grilled out on Dad's beloved Ducane grill (steak and aspargus) and also had baked potatoes, salad, and beets (Mom's craving of the day, I guess...she comes up with funny ones from time to time.)

Anyway, Ella ate an adult sized portion of steak...she LOVED it! She kept saying, "give me more of my steak, please!" and eating it all up in a hurry. Allie even enjoyed little mini pieces and then devoured a carrot cake mini-cupcake after we all sung 'Happy Birthday' (led by Ella) to her. They both love being the center of attention.

We all really enjoyed having Mom outside with us. Like I said before, the weather couldn't have been any more perfect. She really savored every bite of dinner, and was able to eat a lot (for her) and keep it all down (so far), so that was really great. She kept saying, "oh, this is so good. OH, this is sooooooo good!"

After dinner and once I put the girls down for bed, we sat outside and remembered other wonderful meals outside on the deck in days past. The deck has truly been such a source of fun and fond memories for us.

• Brandon reminded us of his first dinner here when I brought him home to meet Mom and Dad. We had steak and chicken and my parents got the biggest kick out of how much he could eat.
• I remembered the year after college that I lived back at home with Mom and Dad and how I was working in a restaurant so I would lay out on the deck every day during the summer and read books and work on my tan....I remember how I was hating life back then but now I would do anything to have a few days to read and sun on the deck again without trying to corral two toddlers!
• Dad remembered falling off the ladder while building the deck...(we're glad he's still here to remember that). What a miracle that he wasn't seriously injured. (For those of you who haven't seen our two story deck, Dad fell off the ladder from the top of the top level onto the concrete driveway and had the ladder fall on top of him...and then walked away!)
• Mom enjoyed the flowers that Karen had planted all around the last time she was here, and mentioned how the deck has been such a peaceful place (especially in the morning with a newspaper and coffee!).

Anyway, it was a wonderful night. It was a night that I will cherish in my heart for years to come. I got some pics, but forgot the cord thingy that connects my camera to the computer, so I'll have to wait to post them.