Our New Year’s girl at home, ready to party like it’s 1999! We don’t have any other photos so I suspect the was a New Year’s Eve spent at home with Dick Clark rockin’ the countdown on TV. Barb notes this is a nightgown that Grandmom made Allie. Grandmom was especially proud of the smocking which was not easy. It was one of Allie’s favorites.
Maybe more of a Christmas picture 
I don’t think this ice storm was on New Year’s Day but the trees were very pretty.
On January 3, we saw the Embreys at their house. Time to pose on their stairs.
Later in the winter, Allie was ready to help shovel snow. Nice to have a helper.
In one of our last videos for a while, Allie settles in our bed to read us a story. The clip shows her reading the first two pages but the whole 7-minute episode is well worth watching, in my humble opinion.
Allie video, January 26, 1999, Bedtime Story (7:14).
Allie reads us a bedtime story, Love You Forever. Hope so.
Barb hosted a baby shower for Helaine at our house in February. Allie helped.
The resulting baby, Mattea 
We went to Florida to see the folks and celebrate Helen’s 80th birthday at her clubhouse. Most of the Barnetts came for the occasion from all around the country — Bill and Paige and kids from North Carolina, Susan and Jim from Portland, Oregon, Leecy from down the road. Only Bob and his family from California couldn’t make the journey. We had a nice party in a private room and then joined a spring celebration that was going on in the club’s main room where there was dancing galore, even some for me.
Birthday balloon wrangler 
Helen with noted hoofer Bill Barnett, Jim and Susan Rech at right 
Dad and daughter dance 
We lowered the average age on the dance floor
Easter was on April 4, the day after we returned from Florida. Barb had made a point of preparing an Easter basket for Allie ahead of time which Allie had seen. On Easter Sunday, Allie woke up and came downstairs looking excitedly all over the house. Eventually she came to us all weepy, crushed that the Easter Bunny hadn’t left a special basket. We didn’t know what she was talking about and pointed out that she already had a basket. That wasn’t good enough and a meltdown ensued. Evidently someone (we blame school buddies) planted the idea that, rather like Santa, the Easter Bunny sneaked into houses overnight on Easter Eve and brought special baskets of candies and eggs. Barb was simultaneously mortified at somehow failing as a mother but at the same time mighty annoyed that unknown forces had set unrealistic expectations in our daughter. That was our job.
We tried to make it up for Allie the next day with an egg hunt in our back yard with Kristen. It seemed to slightly ease the pain of being overlooked by the Easter Bunny. The incident, however, would not be forgotten.
This presents a chance to sneak in another couple of springtime photos.
Easter bunnies 
An official Sara photo 
Dinnertime at our house 
On April 17 we gathered with the Embreys to celebrate one thing or another. Joe’s parents and sister-in-law, Julie, was there and I think the event was at Joe’s parents’ house. In any case, it’s not Betsy’s house or ours.
Lovely ladies and a nice breakfast spread 
Barb with Julie and I think Joe’s dad 
Mystery solved! Further photo evidence shows the occasion was Sara’s confirmation. Congratulations, Sara! With love from your heathen aunt and uncle.
Port Discovery was a big children’s museum and activity center that opened in Baltimore in late 1998. We were early customers, though I’m not sure of the date of our first visit. Allie got a passport from the Egyptian exhibit which she inscribed with hieroglyphics of her own. We would return many times for various parties and play dates.
Barb participated in her first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a 5K run (or walk, in her case) in Washington, DC. She walked in honor of her mom. I think she did this first one with Leila. It would not be Barb’s last Komen event.
Allie’s dentist, Dr. Casey Crafton, got some new technology in his office to print photo certificates to commemorate good checkups. Barb had found Dr. Crafton through friend recommendations and he remained Allie’s dentist until she went to college. Dr. Crafton was always very nice to Allie and me. He had the nicest, most well-equipped dental office I’d seen which I’m sure we helped fund, probably along with some nice family vacations for him and his wife who was also his partner in the practice. On the upside, Allie was very good with her teeth and I think made it through childhood without any cavities. Far better than me.
I’m not sure exactly when, but just the three of us took another trip to Nags Head in the late spring or early summer and had another outing at the amusement park. This may have been the time we stayed at the Sanderling Resort in Duck which I remember doing once. It was a nice enough place but we weren’t tempted to go back.
The amusement park with Mom and Dad is all well and good, but it’s more fun to have a buddy.
In June, Allie sent Grand Pop a Father’s Day card and he wrote a nice thank you back with a photo. He even got some Alexandra stickers somewhere and used them exuberantly.
Snazzy couple at birthday party for an unnamed friend
In June, we celebrated Phil’s first birthday at the Harders’ house in Baltimore.
We also celebrated a horse-themed birthday party for Allie’s friend Kelsey and took a lot of pictures. Kelsey was not a super-close friend, but she ended up going to Australia with Allie for People to People and her dad (whose name I can’t remember) was a former Baltimore Raven.
Good to have name tags: ??, Darcy, Aly, Kelsey, Allie 
Gathering at the project table 
Working on project. Kristin at Allie’s left 
Gathering the herd 
Allie’s happy about it 
Kristin and DJ not so sure 
Birthday girl goes first
Who wants to walk the pony? 
Instructions for pony 
Allie’s turn 
Who’s walking who?
Child labor in the stable 
Upsie-daisie 
Ride ’em, cowgirl!
Cake time 
Pinata time. That’s Kelsey’s dad with pinata and mom at left. 
Pinata aftermath
At some point in the year, we had to make a final decision about Walt who had become our incredible shrinking kitty. She was by far our longest-lived cat, turning 15 in 1999, but had been losing weight and getting progressively sicker for a number of months. The staff at Lewis Vet sent a nice note afterward.
Allie was still in the Mulberry daycare at Barb’s work, as evidenced by these two documents. One is recognition for Barb’s volunteering in April and the other is an accident report when Allie had a tumble on the playground. Her care status
We went to a bowling party, I think for Jimmy’s 8th birthday. I guess we didn’t do much of a job of instilling a love of bowling in Allie. The game had been a rather big part of my youth and Barb’s but I admit we hardly ever took Allie bowling just for the fun of it. There were a handful of bowling birthday parties over the years but that’s about as much exposure as Allie got. Sorry, sort of.
Learning to keep score 
Hanging out with Jay 
Bowling alley cake? Really? 
Party on 
Barb relaying all her bowling skills to Allie
On June 20, Barb and Betsy met with their favorite teacher from Dusseldorf, Gerri Carlton. Gerri retired to Santa Rosa, California, and came through DC on an East Coast visit. I think Allie and I were there long enough to say hello. Gerri was especially nice to Barb and kept in touch via Christmas cards for many years. We would later visit her in Santa Rosa.
Allie went to another playdate with kids that neither Barb nor I remember. Someone does, no doubt. We include these photos as evidence of her extended circle of friends and our willingness to drop her off at various places.
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