Mid-November Highlights

Even with two blog posts in the last two days,

I'm still not caught up yet.  Here are some

pictures around home from last week.  And

they're not all grandkids!

I had the idea of setting up this tent in our laundry area
with a quilt underneath it.  It's a cozy little hideaway for
Hunter.  And his horsie.  Note: as the monogram says,
this tent was originally a gift for Amanda and Jennifer
from Uncle Buddy almost 30 years ago.

A drowsy, contemplative Hunter is ready to
ride again.

This buck appeared unexpectedly and unafraid
one afternoon.  We've been seeing deer tracks of
all sizes everywhere.

Recent rain had our waterfall bubbling loudly.

Since no grandkids were with us, Kitty Cat
accompanied me and Judy on our walk to the stream.

He even stopped to pose several times.  Or maybe
he was just watching a bird.

Many of the woodland plants are still displaying
beautiful fall colors.  

Not only does Kitty Cat cross the bridge with Judy.
He sort of takes over the bridge.  Isn't he handsome?

More fall colors on our return walk.

This willow oak is uncharacteristically
colorful.  It has been a good year for oaks.

Hunter, who usually detests hats, dons one of Grandpa
Loyd's WW II Orange Tail caps to help him with
puzzle solving.

In fact, both Bri and Hunter are pretty adept at these things.

Add a fleece to our new kid-size table and Hunter
immediately identifies a new hiding place.

Bri, like Claire, is really getting into making words
nowadays.  We have two of these vintage Fisher-Price
chalkboards and quite a few magnetic letters.

They don't know they're "playing school," and
I'm certainly not going to tell them.  Not yet.

Hunter: "I think I'll see if Grandpa has blogged
about me lately."

The answer is "Yes."
My next blogs will cover the Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday of Thanksgiving week,
 when we'll see grandchildren every day!

Party Time!

Because Evan was in Atlanta on his real

birthday for my father's funeral on 

November 5, his party at home was

postponed until Sunday, November 11.

But boy, did we celebrate!

Since it was also Veterans Day, Evan brings out
Captain America.  At least, that's one explanation.

Don't mess with Birthday Dude.
Captain America's watching his back.

Meanwhile, Hunter thinks the Mighty Hulk would
benefit from some school time.  But will he fit in the bus?

This single helium balloon provide lots of
entertainment.  It traveled all over the house
with Brianna and the others.

Hunter demonstrated his unique "belly slide" to
go down the stairs.

Since bedtime comes early, let's get this party moving.
Let's see that power puff, Evan.

Um, Ev-man-- I actually meant for you to look at
the camera, not my finger.

Stephen helps Bri jump for joy.

Claire, Riley, and Bri belly up to the bar for
their birthday cake.  Three hot mamas.

That's Claire in the airplane shirt.  But all the kids
have changed clothes during the party.  Changing
clothes is one of their favorite activities.

Hunter, now an experienced two-year old,
no longer needs help cutting up his cake. . .

. . . or knowing what to do with it!

GUESS WHO?
It's Birthday Boy!

I think I can follow Mommy to the presents!

If you really want it, son, jump higher.
(Actually, it was more like, "Jennifer, is this one next?")

While Evan checks out his super-duper World War I
airplane (that whirls, flashes, and makes noise), Hunter
is content to try out the new frog chair.  Not bad.

But Evan does get a turn in his own chair, while Mom
shows him his new book from Grandma and Grandpa.
And according to Jennifer, that book now alternates
between Claire and Evan's room.  Pretty cool.

The instructions say nobody can get hurt
with the inflatable Spiderman sword and
Captain America shield.  But we're working on it.

The final event of the party was a cool surprise from
Amanda-- a homemade pinata!  An E for Evan.
It took a lot of bashing from ALL the kids before this
one yielded its hidden candy.

And when it did, Hunter found a secret place to
eat his in solitude.

While Claire and Bri home in on the mother lode.

And Evan joins them.
Hey, whose birthday is it, anyhow?!

Well, I think we've answered that one now.

It was EVAN'S birthday, and a great one.

Now ALL the grandkids are at least two

and counting.  And every day brings new

changes and adventure.  If you don't think

so, just wait for the next blog post -- 20 minutes!

November Frolics: a mixed bag

I have still got a ton of catching up to do

on my November blogging.  Fortunately,

I'm only minimally involved in the prep

work for Thanksgiving dinner (by that I

mean I will do heavy lifting and transport).

Thus, I hope to get three blog posts done 

in the next two days.  These pictures go 

back 2 to 3 weeks.

Rather than climb up in my lap, a tired Hunter just
nestles on my shoe between my knees.

Here's the panoramic view.  Doesn't look very
comfortable, but to each his own.

They say three's a crowd, but not if they're cousins
who adore each other (Hunter, Claire, and Brianna).

On Halloween, we dropped in on Evan and Claire in
 their neighborhood.  Look at this pirate licking his chops.

Evan demonstrates how wide I should open my
mouth to eat this tractor.  I must look very hungry.

Claire, aka "Bad Guy Batman," casts a wary eye
from her Bat-Cycle.

Batman is a public servant, but he
gladly accepts candy.  Nice perk.

"Aarrghhh!  This pirate has an itch!"

A quick bat-scan reveals that all of
this candy is safe for consumption.

This jolly pirate seems to have something
sneaky up his tattered sleeve.

The cousins were reunited in Atlanta the 

following Sunday, the day before Daddy's

funeral.  Our family dined at the famous

(and family friendly) Athens Pizza.  The

kids were a hit.  

You don't want to keep this hungry bunch waiting
long.  They're heavily armed.

Of course, we know from experience that a good
book can take your mind off your appetite.  And
Judy came prepared with a mini-library for the kids.

All these kids have been immersed in good books
since (and even before) birth.  I highly recommend this.

The kids fit right in, warming up to being
outnumbered by a dozen adults.

These two handsome dudes sure made me
forget about my appetite.

These prince charmings are easily entertained by
my silly little games.

Proud daddy Matt holds up birthday boy Evan.  His
birthday would actually be the next day, but we
celebrated it early and often this year.

Bri feels right at home with her Georgia cousins.

Evan tops off the evening by blowing out the lights
on his personal size birthday cake.

More blogs following soon!