A rendezvous, Beth's birthday, and more...

The weather was beautiful last weekend, with several days in a row of nice temperatures, low humidity, and clear blue skies. We were glad, because we decided to go up to Little Rock to do some shopping and attend the annual Pinnacle Mountain State Park Mountain Man Rendezvous. There were plenty of people in character as "mountain men"--and women, and children, as these people really get into the parts. There were also some Indian dancers, who put on quite a show:

Unfortunately, neither Kenny or Beth were very interested in most of the festivities, although they did seem to enjoy a quick pony ride:

We finished our shopping and returned to Monticello. Sunday was also beautiful weather-wise, so Hope and I worked in the yard some. Monday turned to rain, and it has been cool and rainy every since--more like the fall weather we got accustomed to in the upper Midwest. Monday also happened to be Beth's third birthday, so we had some of her little friends over for cake and ice cream...
Beth looks excited, because she's finally going to get HER turn to blow out the candles...Kenny, who had been seated right next to her, had decided to "help" her blow out her candles, for which he received a scolding and a prompt time-out (thus, the empty chair).

Properly sorry for his transgression, Kenny soon returned to help the kids dig into some yummy birthday cake and ice cream. Beth was unfazed by the whole candle-blowing incident, as you can see by her digging into her goodies.

Hope is always extra generous with the frosting, but the kids also relished the birthday-themed cake, and most of them ate more than just the frosting. Another dose of friends arrived somewhat late due to vehicle problems, and their older kids in particular seemed famished for the cake--both had two big pieces. This was good news, because almost the entire cake vanished, and I didn't feel obligated to consume the leftovers (and the unneeded calories) over the next few days.

We actually opened presents first (in part because the birthday girl hadn't had a nap that day, and was soooooo desperate to open her gifts). I didn't mention this first, though, because the picture of Beth with her presents wasn't complete until the last group of friends had arrived with her cowgirl costume!

Hope had looked long and hard for the stick horse, which she finally found at the Toys-R-Us in Little Rock just a couple days before. The cowhide vest and skirt she's wearing was sewn by a friend of ours who is a wiz with a sewing machine.

Beth was thrilled with all of the gifts she received--she's finally gotten old enough to appreciate getting gifts, rather than being distracted by the paper or boxes. Hope was particularly pleased to see the new clothes, as Beth doesn't tend to fit clothes very well--especially pants. I guess clothes manufacturers are adjusting their sizes for the growing girth of America's kids...

Finally, Hope decided to do something "crazy" this week, something she probably had never done... Kenny started needing a haircut (especially with class pictures coming up next week), so Hope decided to join him:

Hope probably hasn't had hair this short since before she was in grade school. She donated 10+ inches of her hair to a charity called "Locks of Love" (http://locksoflove.org/) that provides hairpieces to poor kids who have lost their hair due to any type of medical condition. While it will take some getting used to, we both think her hair looks great, and the charity is a very deserving one...