party at the parents, 2013

My parents hosted this party again this year.  Everyone came, and it was great.

Lydia was a crazy cat lady, and James came up with his costume shortly before we left, shoved a pillow under his shirt, and looked pretty ridiculous, his skinny self with a big belly.

He teased his girlfriend, "Someday this is what I'm going to look like. Think you'll like that?"

She laughed, later said she was getting used to it and patted the belly.

Here's the amazing shoe pile.

That's a bunch of cousins and my brother-in-law.  He's dressed as The Count here.  (He is as good a guy as he is handsome.)

Awww, here they are together, so darn cute.

Here's a wee little batman struggling with his mask.

Nevermind.

My niece:

Heading down to the basement for games:

Jay got that sweater (below)  at Value Village for $3.  Not a bad costume at all.  I bugged him and Maria  little about how they stay out at college all the time and never come home and I get lonely, damn it.

He nodded.  They're busy, I realize.

That's my nephew hiding in the corner near the treadmill.  We laughed a little about that treadmill. One Christmas not all that long ago, kids were running on it, and one had a cup of punch and the other one ran faster and the punch went flying.

Who gets on a treadmill with a glass of punch?

And another person and expects that not to end badly?

Yeah, exactly.

He and I were also together in church one Sunday a while ago when Tim buttoned the left cuff of his shirt to the right and then tried to pray and clap like that.  I was glad he was a witness to that nonsense.

The Mummy Wrap Game was challenged this year.  The babies are a tad too little and a bunch of enthusiastic wrappers are now too cool for that.

The guy in the orange shirt is b.g.'s little brother and I personally wrapped him and he didn't mind at all, stood there with his big blue eyes grinning at me, pretty face.  Then when the game was done, he burst into tears!   Maybe he didn't know he could break out of toilet paper?

We don't know!  He was fine in a few minutes, but dang.

Here they're throwing little balls at a velcro target.

Okay this little toy is an outhouse, where b.g. told me, "A skeleton is going potty."

Yes, indeed, and the skeleton says, in a menacing voice, "I put the DIE in diarrhea."

Oh that's charming.

And his little brother kept backing up further and further away from the potty skeleton.

There were crafts:

And birthday gifts:

Awww, Johann.   It felt very good to wrap my arms around you.

Cake time!

At the end of the night while my mom was bundling up leftovers, they took a second to pose for me.

Thank you for hosting this wonderful party year after year.  It's a highlight, not to be missed.

We love you, love you, so darn much.     Love, Val, and EVERYBODY