birthday bash weekend

It started out Friday night with the band concert at school, the Pops Concert.    This is a great, fun night, popcorn and pop music.  It's a long concert, runs until late in the evening, perfect on a Friday night. 

Well, except Lydia complained that they played Led Zeppelin for twenty minutes and then butchered Bohemian Rhapsody.

I thought it was all fine.  (What do I know?)

That's James, second from the right.

And then Saturday morning was the party at John and Dannell's.  There was a feast and lots of racket, and people went sledding.

There were gifts.    That's my dad in the gray striped shirt. He and Mom are finally back from Florida.  They have the right. They were gone a month.

It felt like a lot longer.

 Tim and Kirsten:

 The college freshman and the college senior, both smiling.

 She's just playing around with his glasses.  They look good on her.

 It's cake time.

 Cheese!

 Ahh! I got him!  Fastest candle-blower-outer in the world.

Then there was a spontaneous sleepover.

Okay. 

 And here are a couple from tonight.  We had a party here so James could invite his friends, and the whole family was here too.

There was chicken divan and basketball.

It was outrageously loud and wild, even for us.  The babies were tired out from the sleepover, but that's okay.

Screaming is allowed.  Fighting is not encouraged, but is tolerated. 

Messes are ignored, though I admit a moment of concern when they told me babies were in my bed watching a movie and eating crackers, and a bottle of Ranch dressing was also involved.

???

!!!

Nothing. It ended up to be nothing.

This guy wanted to take a bath with the others, but the tub was crowded, and he was distracted by a video.

James?  Baby James?  Jimmy?

 

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart.

 

You have brought Dad and me so much happiness, and to the rest too, who reminisce about your gopher cheeks and mouse voice, your funny, bent thumb and the strange way you have of making everything look effortless.

 

I know it's not, but you make it look that way.

 

Seventeen years of loving James?

 

Lucky, lucky us.   love you forever, Mom, and Dad and Everybody

 



p.j. is three!

Heidi had this swimming day planned with Dannell and Alicia and the little cousins, but didn't tell p.j. until this morning because she'd be confused and pester and be angry waiting.

Well, Heidi said when she told her this morning p.j. was so excited she clenched her fists under her chin and her whole body shook.

Her whole body shook!  Oh my goodness.

The pool was warm and gorgeous and the air around the pool is lush. There are huge windows providing natural light.   The concession area and locker rooms though, ouch!  Not warm.

We had fun, and the kids loved it  That's a picture above of Julia, Tim, and Lydia, newly confident after 10 weeks of swimming lessons where they learned a lot about proper kicking and strokes and breathing.

They're older now, not little tykes.   They caught on instantly.  Funny how that works.

But back to her--we had Princess Pizza afterward.    Her mom, aunts and I have puzzled where this princess phenomenon came in?  No idea, but just like Julia's love of the Bieber, we don't ask that many questions, just go with it.

These are the amazing Princess Cupcakes!    When the baker brought them out, p.j. jumped for joy and hollered, "Yay!"   The baker laughed, pleased to delight.

Grandpa drove out to Wisconsin in the afternoon to pick up Maria at the university, and they came back later and ate Princess Cupcakes.

That's a picture of Julia and Lydia eating pizza.  The sofa is covered with sheets because the dog sprawls on it all day long while everyone is at work.

These are the guinea pigs, Rufus (the white one) and Rory.  They don't stink up the couch, not that they don't sometimes stink.   But usually they smell like hay and warm grass.

They had a lot of attention today. Lydia and Maria had to snuggle them. I kissed Rufus.   p.j. tends to lift them by the neck, which makes Heidi very nervous, but on a guinea pig there aren't really arms to get your hands under.

 Presents!  Lots of Princess presents!

Okay, see Julia there.  Looks fairly innocent and all?

She told us a story a couple days ago about how when she fake burps the alphabet, she can only get to V and then she feels like she's going to throw up.

She can't get the whole way.

 I don't even know what to say about that.   (That's a washcloth wrapped around the end of her pigtail so it won't drip maddeningly all over her shirt.)

And here's p.j.'s fine dog, enjoying the party SO MUCH.

This toy ice cream set is pretty beautiful, but it led to some serious arguing at points.   The pretend ice cream container flew through the air and conked b.g. on the head and he was incensed.  I think he was just frustrated by his little brother, aka Napoleon.

He's an angelic looking little dictator, but he's TWO and nobody forget it, or else.  Or else, you got that?

 Oh my gosh.  I find them all so entertaining.  But see the cones in that package? Wooden!  So glad those didn't bonk him on the head.

It was such a great, fun day.

And my darling p.j.? 

 

Three years ago at the end of a late winter day, there you were.

 

These are pictures from the next day when all the little aunts and uncles came to meet you.

 



She still feels that way about you.

 

We all do.  This whole family is so lucky having you for a girl. You make everything fancy and funny and sort of wonderful.

(If I could eat taquitos in my grandparents' bed in the morning and watch cartoons, I totally would do that right now.)

Happy Birthday, Honey.   Love forever, Grandma and Grandpa and Everybody.

 

 

t.c. turns eight

Here's a funny picture of you.    Even before you were born, I knew I loved you.

What I did not expect was YOU--that you'd be one of the most favorite people I've ever known.

You're fast and wild and a lot of times pretty loud.  Your mind bounces through ideas so fast we can't even keep up half the time.  t.c. does stand for That Character.

Think about all the hours spent rocking you and all your aunts and uncles keeping you entertained when you were little and crazy.

Happy Birthday, Buddy.   The whole family is better with you in it.

LIFE is better because you're in it.    

love forever, Grandma and Grandpa and Everybody







cousins

This was from yesterday.   Tomorrow is a whole cousins babysitting day.

I love how happy they are to see each other.  I love how they argue at intervals, watch a bit of PBS, ask for Moo Jrs, and make huge extravagant messes.   (That's why we have all these toys--for them.)

This is a funny story.

Monday when they were here I asked those two bigger ones to pick up toys so we wouldn't hurt our feet walking around.

They said no.

Okay then.  I started picking up toys and it went on and on because there was a lot spread out--potato head eyes, scraps of paper, doll dishes.

Then the b.g. one asked me for Yo-J.   I said no.  "You are not helping.  I asked you to help.  You said no."

A funny, concerned, thoughtful expression came over his face.  He started tossing dolls into a basket.

(The kid is smart, see.)

After the dolls were picked up we found him a glass of Yo-J.

Then the little girl, p.j. asked for Yo-J also. I told her, "You have not helped.  He did."

She peered at me, and shortly was gathering up mittens and hats and putting them back in the bin by the door.

Fast learners!   Yo-J is such an amazing incentive.  Why give employee bonuses or titles?  Just stick with the Yo-J.

love all you kids so, MOM, aka GRANDMA

three months from three years ago

Three years ago this week, Heidi and Joe were moving back into their house after living with us for just over three months due to a fire.

Insurance covered the whole mess, but it was still a pretty draining ordeal being displaced for that long.

My memories of the time they were here are good ones anyway--some funny, some ridiculous.   The week after they got home, p.j. was born.

Three years already, wow.

love you guys, MOM