Still pretty lovely

So today was Mother's Day (as you probably know). At church, they handed out single roses to all the mothers, per usual, and I snagged an extra one to take to my mom too. Ari managed to "break" mine, so now I have a really short white rose. I managed to keep my mom's rose away from Ari, so I was able to deliver it intact.

Lunch at my parents' house was delicious--Dad cooked up an Iranian feast for us, and there was banana bread for dessert. Dave, Jess, and Micah came over later in the afternoon, and it was fun to hang out with them for a while. Micah even bestowed a couple hugs and kisses on me, which was really sweet. After they left, Dad, Tony, Ari and I went for a 45-minute walk on the bike trail. When we came back, Tony, Mom, and Pete played Wii Bowling while I struggled to get Ari to eat. We finally headed home right around Ari's bedtime. She'd missed her nap (second day in a row, oops), so she fell asleep in the car. But even though she woke up when we brought her inside, she went right back to sleep.

And now, the Celebrity Apprentice finale is already underway, in its 3-hour glory. I still love this show, but... a 3-hour finale? Is this really necessary? I might complain, but we all know I'm going to watch it anyway. But probably not until tomorrow night. Tonight feels like a good night to curl up on the couch with a book. Which is precisely what I'm off to do. As soon as I add these pictures...

Before heading to my parents' house, and snapped a few quick pictures out in the backyard. I took this first one, and obviously, I gave no thought to the background or the lighting. Just proof of why photography is not my thing. But I still think it's cute. The reason he's clasping her hand over his heart is because that was his way of keeping her finger out of her nose.



Tony suggested we move the photo shoot out into the grass, which was a brilliant plan. Our method of distraction this time was a dandelion.



Apparently the dandelion was a little too distracting. (Like her dress? It was a gift from Tony's mom.)



Then, of course, we had to get a few mother-daughter pictures.



The best of the bunch...



Though this one is a close second. We had declared the photo session done, and I was thanking Ari for cooperating. I didn't even know Tony took this until later.



And now I'm really done. Word to you mothers. ( <-- I twittered that this morning, as my super-cool way of saying "Happy Mother's Day," and it still cracks me up.)