The Torch Has Been Passed

It's official.  The future is in the hands of the next generation.  Today I taught Brianna how to make clam dip.

You have to understand that clam dip is rather sacrosanct around here and it is a Very Big Deal to pass the secret recipe along to Brianna (not that there is anything magical--take 8 oz of cream cheese, drain a small can of minced clams, add clams to cream cheese and stir, adding bits of drained clam juice until it is the desired consistency.  Voila.  Clam dip.)  I don't kid myself that she will remember it, but by golly...we made clam dip together.

We made clam dip and then we made fruit salad.  She did the melon balls.

While they were doing that, Walt was learning how to use Laurel's iPad so he could read instructions to Tom for making a watermelon whale.

We were preparing for Lacie's first birthday party, to be held at a nearby park.  Laurel was in the back of the house trying desperately to help Lacie get a little sleep before the party (unsuccessfully).

We finally went to the park and helped set up, while Laurel let Lacie sleep in the car for a little while. 

The other grandma ("Ama," I think they call her), who used to teach kindergarten had set up a craft table and Brianna and her best friend Ella, were making pictures with paint and stencils.

Ella is, I think, Bri's first BFF who is a girl.  It was so cute watching them be inseparable all afternoon.

When Laurel and Lacie finally arrived, Lacie was a bit groggy for awhile and dazed by all the people and confusion.

Laurel brought the birthday cake she had decorated for Lacie, matching the "under the sea" theme

and young Connor was quite taken with Tom's whale.

But I think these were my favorite kids.

I never got their names, nor the name of their parents, but they sat at the chip bowl for about 15 minutes and the great thing about them was that the boy would take one chip...he reminded me of Frasier...and eat it in several bites, no matter how small it was.  His sister, on the other hand, would get as many as she could get into her fist and jam the whole bunch into her mouth, using both hands to push them in.  They did this over and over and over again.  I was fascinated!

Lacie finally warmed up and was full of smiles.

Laurel finally put her in the high chair with a bunch of balloons before they gave her her cake.  This is a link to the only video I took today (of Lacie enjoying the balloons).  The cake was her first "sweet," and Laurel had to find a special recipe to compensate for all of Lacie's food allergies, but she did a beautiful job.

After there were presents (which Lacie could care less about) and more play in the bouncy house.

Then people started going home.  Lacie about this time had discovered dirt and was having a marvelous time.

A great time was had by all and now that Lacie is walking, she can step confidently into her second year.