two different worlds

Here we are celebrating our 35th anniversary with the kids.

Here's where we are this week.

This is what's going on back at home:

 

 

 

 

 

 Kirsten is showing them a good time.

 

 

Love you all so,  MOM and DAD



 

 

 





his fifth birthday party

 Just a few pictures.  It was a great time, silly conversations.

 Best wishes always, Mister.   We hope it's a GREAT year.   Happy Birthday, again.

love, Grandma and Grandpa and Everybody

a sweetie turns five

 It was so nice you were here yesterday--day before your birthday.

You kids had fun.

 I absolutely love the little high chair you invented using the Dora chair.  It fit your brother so perfectly.

But I dug around and found pictures from back when you were born.   Here's your brother in bed with Tim and Julia.  He stayed here with us while you were being born.

 This is the first time we met.  Look at you!   We were so happy.

Your brother was a little wound up.   On the way back to the car, he wanted to jump over a speed bump in the parking ramp, and that was fine.   Well, he jumped about ten times and then got mad and started screaming and got going on a big overwrought explosion of excitement and too much-ness.

Tim and Julia had their hands over their ears in the car, and Kirsten tried to wave from her car on the freeway ramp and make him smile, but no way.   He's all grown up now and real calm.

But right there that day, he was just so excited by the whole occasion of you.

You however, don't really ever throw fits--you're more of a huff kind of guy.  Oh my goodness.

Sweetie?   You do make everything sweeter: funny, charming, imaginative YOU, with all your good ideas and crazy stories, your big hugs, your curly eyelashes.  This whole family is better having you in it.  We are so darn lucky you're ours. 

Happy Birthday, Buddy, with love forever, GRANDMA and GRANDPA and everybody

sleepover babies

 

Here they are arriving last night.

 

We had supper--Jay made pizzas.   We bought cheesecake.

 

They hardly ate. 

 This game where they're upside down is something about a spaceship.

Then Barbies started appearing from the bathtub.   The first thing Kirsten and I noticed was that they all had very short hair, unusual in a  Barbie.

A couple kids looked a little nervous, but then Lydia explained--the hair was so ratty it was hideous, so they cut it off and felt it was an improvement.

Okay, then.

 This guy was here for the evening too, always nice.

 They wanted the Barbies to swim.  Ei-yi-yi, so not working in that sink.

So we got out the big Tupperware thing and filled it with warm water.  It was a good game for a little while.

 Here's James, showing the high dive--he livened things up a bit.

And things got wetter and splashier until pretty soon all three kids were soaked to the skin and the floor was turning to a lake.

 Time for PAJAMAS! 

 

Shortly after this picture was taken, I informed them that we were to the point at a sleepover where we SLEEP!   I found pillows and blankets and the little guy went into the portable crib and the other two attemped to fall asleep on the big, red couch.   

 

She was asleep shortly, but his eyes would not close, so eventually he got back up again for a while.  In an our or two we tried it again and his eyes were still big. 

 

I asked Jay if he'd snuggle with him while I took a bath.  He said, "Yep, sure.  I'll defeat him with my body heat."

 

When I came back from my bath, the child's back was against Grandpa's chest and they were both sound asleep.   I had to wake Jay up so he could squiggle out.

 

In the morning, I heard the little guy wake up, "Mom?"

 

There was a pause, then he called, "Everybody?"

 

Oh, so cute.   Yeah, in this big house full of people, is anybody out there?

 

Then the party still kept going.   Dannell and her kids came, and Joe took p.j. and Tim and Julia and they all met to see The Lego Movie.   Then after that we went to Dan and Alicia's for supper. 

 

It was a great weekend, full of fun, and it's supposed to be 30 degrees by the middle of the week, and February is almost half over, and a Sweetie has a birthday, and things are all looking fine.

 

Onward.  We can do it.   love you all so,  MOM

 

here's a funny one