HOUSEWARMING

 Tonight we went to a housewarming party for my coworker Christy and hair stylist Mikey, and their baby girl Violet. The kids had a blast (kiddie pool, zipline, kitty and puppy - though Cora was, as usual, deathy afraid of the dog, baby toys, and a few little buddies to play with: Grady and Violet) and we enjoyed a smorgasbord of delicious food (Mikey used to be a chef before he was a stylist). Seriously, there are some GOOD cooks in this bunch. We had smoked briskit, two kinds of salmon, and homemade pretzel rolls to name a few. I can't wait to try my hand at the recipe! Though my waistline would be better off if I don't succeed... Anyway, we had a nice evening hanging out with our friends, and it was fun to just let the kids do their own thing throughout most of the party (they're getting old enough that they're really great at entertaining themselves and each other, and are actually pretty darn trustworthy these days, so our days of policing their every move are happily dwindling). Thanks again for the invite Christy and Mikey!

James on the zipline (with Mikey assisting)

Cora playing some type of coaster tossing game with coworker Jim

P.S. I have a hilarious video of James attempting to grab the zipline by himself. See that knotted rope? It is just long enough to be slightly out of his reach. I watched him try for almost 5 minutes before he finally knocked it downstream far enough for it to be lower to the ground, so he could jump up and grab it. Then he stood there with a confused look on his face waiting for an adult to come pick him up to the handles so he could go for another ride. I'll edit the video and get it up later this week...