It has become somewhat of a tradition to share my Memorial Day Weekend in Pictures with you all. So in keeping with tradition, here we go. Lexi just turned 5 and here she is getting into the swing of things. I LOVE some red, white, and blue for all things summer, festive, and Americana. But for some reason, I also seem to include yellow (or gold) in many of my festive summertime color schemes. In any case, we didn't really plan on that for this picture, but somehow it still screams Americana to me.
Leading up to the weekend, I knew we had to start hanging our flags and banners. We display them all summer long. Here's a look at John in action.
And here's the finished product. Banners hung, flags waving, ready to go for the summer. This photo was taken on Memorial Day 2019. And this is what I wore all day. The dress wasn't a true red- more muted, but it worked and I thought the style and pattern fit the bill. Our flowers and plants are already taking off for the season but by mid-summer, they will be overtaking the front steps.
But back to how we spent our weekend. Oh, what a special start to an always fun weekend.... LEXI GRADUATED FROM PRE-SCHOOL!!!
She has spent two wonderful years at the most amazing pre-school. She has been loved on, and learned so much. She has made wonderful friends. In truth, so have I. But she is moving on up to Kindergarten in the fall, and this really made it official.
On Friday morning, she and her fellow graduates gathered on the big stage for a big send off. They sang us a sweet little song. They each came up and received their diploma. And then the teachers put together a real tear-jerker of a slide show for their big send off. I only cried A LOT!
Dada brought flowers to our graduate, and I'm sure she wondered what in the world we were all making such a big deal over. Precious Babydoll. We are so proud.
Later on Friday night, we decided to continue our tradition of sneaking up to 12 South in Nashville for the best barbecue in town at Edley's. We go there almost every Memorial Day weekend, but this was a HOT one. A heat wave settled in just in time for the weekend. And even though we sat in the shade, our table on the patio was a bit warm. In any case, the food was wonderful as ever. I had pulled pork, but steered away from my usual sides, opting for the daily specials- black eyed peas and corn. Both were so goooood.
We had planned to walk about after dinner to see and photograph the many many murals that have popped up all over 12 South. But alas, the heat got the doll pretty quickly, and our night was cut short. It really was super hot, and I couldn't disagree with the call to head home early. We did manage to get one festive shot of Lexi girl with the blue and white stripes gracing the side of Draper James. This wall has become fairly famous in Nashville, so I was happy to get this pic. Then we were on our way.
Saturday brought the promise of another warm and sunny day. But that didn't stop John and Lexi from getting out the old convertible and taking her for a spin. The two of them have special plans every Saturday morning for the next several weeks. More on that in a moment. When they left, John was driving....
But apparently, that didn't last long.
They made their way to the Waffle House for breakfast. This cutie could be the poster girl!
Looks like they had a pretty good time there.
So this is what they are working on. Lexi takes dance classes weekly, and it's almost recital time again. There is always an opportunity for the dads to take the stage for a special dance with their daughters. John and Lexi did this last year and it was a huge hit. So they are back at it this year. Here's the cast of characters from Saturday. They will be practicing their routine for the next several weeks getting ready for the big dance. That's Lexi, second from the left on the front row. And John is fourth from the left on the back row.
After all that dancing and rehearsing, they were ready for a dip in the pool. All the pools are open for the season, and we were excited to get back to our summer pool routine.
Normally, Memorial Day weekend starts our summertime pool visits, but the water is usually still a little too cold for me to venture into. However, this year, we have been experiencing a bit of a heat wave, and even I got right in. The water was a bit cold but it felt good compared to our unusually hot temps for this time of year.
Lexi girl donned her new goggles, and took straight to the water. This kid has always loved the water.
There was a DJ spinning tunes, burgers on the grill, and people playing and having fun everywhere. There was a shark attack game going in the pool, and Lexi ended up catching one of the sharks. She was so proud of herself. It was a fun fun way to spend the afternoon.
By the time Saturday night rolled around, it was time for our annual neighborhood crawfish boil. Here are our two hosts for the evening. That's our neighbors, Mike and Doug, serving up the feast.
And these lovelies are the hostesses. That's our neighbors, Natalie and Cheryl.
People from all over the neighborhood come with their lawn chairs and side dishes. There is music. Kids running and playing. Cornhole. Laughter. Catching up with friends and neighbors. And of course, the food.
Here is the main fare. That's a combo of crawfish and shrimp, with the traditional corn and potatoes.
And one of my neighbors MADE these cookies that were picture perfect for the occasion. I scored a couple of them, along with this picture early on. I knew they wouldn't last long and they didn't. I live in a super-talented neighborhood full of super talented women. These were amazing!
Our contribution is always popcorn. We wheel the popper out and pop the night away. Here are John and Lexi hard at work. John said he ended up popping over 7 pounds of popcorn. Now that's a lot of corn! He was in charge of popping it, and Lexi was our server extraordinaire.
Time out for a quick photo with Mama.
And then after dinner, Lexi switched to a swimsuit and hit the slip n' slide with many of her friends from the neighborhood. Here she is with her friend Ellie from across the street. They will both start kindergarten this fall. Sweet sweet girls.
And here's one last photo from the night. This is me with my girlfriends from our cul-de-sac. That's me on the left, Natalie and Cheryl in the center (our hostesses with the mostesses!) and Besty on the right. I am so lucky to have these wonderful ladies. And check out Cheryl's earrings- crawfish!! Couldn't get any more perfect!! What a fun night. We always look forward to the crawfish boil every year!
Sunday brought another trip to the pool. It was busy. Lots of kids and fun all over again!! And wouldn't you know it. Lexi found a friend. This is actually one of her pre-school friends who just happened to be there. They palled around all afternoon long and had a big time.
Sunday evening brought a movie in the backyard with friends, and although I didn't get any pictures (darn it!) it was a good night. More popcorn, more friends, and more outdoors. The fun just kept rolling.
Monday was Memorial Day and John's parents invited us to their house for a barbecue. We made a pit stop at the splash park on the way, and it was so much fun.
Lexi has been visiting this splash park since she was a baby, and she still loves it.
But remember, we were on our way to a barbecue. We feasted on hamburgers from the grill, homemade potato salad and baked beans, corn on the cob, and some of the best lemonade I've ever had.
For dessert it was homemade strawberry shortcake!
And then there was time outside for a while. Lexi loved checking out all of Grammie and Papa's flowers. Their garden is gorgeous, as always.
Then it was home again, home again to wind down another long holiday weekend. We had such a fun time. And I hope you did too! I hope you've enjoyed this little photo tour of how we spent our weekend. Now that summer has officially (unofficially) started, it's sure to be a good one.
And here are the links to my photo lineups from previous Memorial Day weekends, in case you want to travel down memory lane with me.
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