the 20th birthday party

Here's where I asked him how it is being twenty.

He said, "Well, actually I'm not twenty for a day and a half, so I don't know yet."

Here's the lovely cake, decorated by young squirrels.

Okay, Here are Maria and Heather, laughing at something inappropriate James said.  No idea what it was, and that's probably for the best.

Oh, those video games, ei-yi-yi.

Usually we do presents after cake, but p.j. was so tired it seemed like we should speed the show up in case she had to go home to bed.   It works fine either way.

This is the dragon puzzle Tim built when the kids stayed overnight with my parents.  It's large and fragile, and was doomed to eventually be knocked around or handled by nephews.

He put on some dabs of Elmer's glue, and I hung it from his ceiling by thread, where it looks very cool and seems to be also safe.

Oh, time for presents:

Here's my sweetie, announcing he's a Vampire Bear.

This patient woman, about to give birth, wow, that's a baby.

Here's the sweetie as a vampire kitty cat.

And this is the hole in the floor to the office.     It's a hole from when a radiator was moved--a pipe ran through there, and if you crouch down and put your eye to it, you can see Grandpa's desk and depending on how you angle it, part of the office can be seen.

So someone was in the office sticking things up through the hole and then down again, to harass the kids.

When Jay realized someone was in the office, his eyes flew open.  He hates kids in the office unsupervised--too many papers and parts and no, no, no.   You have the whole house, not the office.

It was only Dan.  He's safe in the office alone.

Kirby laughing:

Jimmy goofing around:

It was a great party for a great guy--happy birthday again Jay.  love always, Mom and Dad

day two

Here's a cozy guy with Aunt Maria.



He  he is enjoying a fine nap in the swing.  We all tiptoed around, and he slept for almost an hour.

Julia asked Maria and me about something mysterious: "Those stick things--from real estate, could I have them?"  We listened and asked questions and had NO IDEA what she was talking about.  "They're in the stairway, by the wrapping paper."

Finally I said to bring them and show us.

Old Christmas crap for sticking in flower pots with pine branches?

Yes,  you can have them.

She tried to plant them like trees, but they kept falling over, too tall. After a while she put them back in the stairway with the gift wrap.

What they have or ever had to do with real estate, I have no idea.

(Though the only actual real estate call I've had all week happened when all three of them were hollering at once.  Talk about timing.)

Here he's ordering Uncle James to build bridges.

And here he's climbed up in my lap for a rest.

Oh! Tattoo time:

This girl is finally up from a long nap, and ready to play.

In zebra shoes!  She's got great shoes, true.

Yeah, that's me rubbing my eyes while p.j. scatters the little baby's diapers all over the place, and James is playing spotter.

And here's where she keeps telling him her "Hiiii!" story and nuzzles his head.

And shortly their parents came back to take them all home.  Babysitting is kind of a lot of work, true.

But it also feels very worth it.

We did a bit of math mixed in here among the babies, and tonight got busy cooking and cleaning for Little Jay's birthday party tomorrow night.

The child is turning twenty.

TWENTY.

Twenty years of loving YOU?

 Unbelievable.

Thank you, Sweetheart, for being ours, for showing up and being our baby, and growing up to be our brother, our son, our friend.

This whole family is better with you.

We were transformed by little old nine pound you, actually.

With more love than there are words for:  Happy Birthday, Son.   love, Mom and Dad