BOO!

Halloween practice

A weekend with six little kids visiting is best shared in pictures. The dilemma is which ten or so to choose from the 200 that made the cut because they weren't too blurry, most everyone's eyes were open, and/or they weren't taken accidentally of someone's leg or a throw rug. 

The story of the weekend was most certainly "Cousin Fun" between various combinations and permutations of the one-year-olds, the two-and-a-half-year-olds, and the somewhere-around-four-year-olds. I'll give it a try...

A good deal of time was spent in the driveway and the doorway saying hello on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday morning Hannah, Vivi, Lar/Gpa/Dad and I watched the Halloween Fun Run from our front yard. Angie was hoping to run from the law, but instead she gave the cops a lift. Annie is the one who should've been arrested for race crashing!

Dave, Doreen, Tanner, Westy, and Miles stopped to greet us, and we waved at and cheered for other friends and strangers who walked and ran up Church Street in the bright and chilly weather.

Later, cousins had fun eating together,

...reading with Grandpa,

and stripping down to be semi-naked chefs.

The highlight of the weekend was the traditional couch picture-taking session, this time in full costume. First the make-up artists stopped by.

Then, we got a glimpse of the Count's number-filled cape.

Soon the cast of Halloween characters assembled:  Bate-Chica Hannah, Vivi the Octopus, Miles the Count, Bumblebee Westy, Patrolman Ethan, and Officer Owen.

A trial trick-or-treat run came later, with stops at the "homes" of several friendly family members.

Frenzied eating of a few candy treats followed, all in preparation for "real" Halloween on Monday.

 

Saturday night ended with the bigger cousins in pj's, having a cartoon fest in our bedroom. Gpappy joined in, making sure everyone was comfy.

 

On Sunday we got together at Charlie and Angie's house for playtime and doughnuts, and then off to the airport so Hannah, and Vivian could get back to NC in time for tricks and treats at Spanish for Fun Academy tomorrow. Evan, we're sorry you couldn't be here for all the fun.

I had to throw in this picture of Charlie, either laughing or crying--I'm not entirely sure. If you wonder what was making him emote to such a degree, it's an app that Elisabeth has on her new iPhone. Don't ask.

Happy Halloween!

Weekend wrap-up

Here are some boy cousin photos from the weekend. We met Annie and Tanner at the Happy Chef in Mankato late Friday afternoon to steal Miles and Westy and bring them back to St. Peter for supper and some play time while Annie and Tanner went to the Mankato Marathon Expo. 

My photo attempts were minimal. Between getting supper ready and on the table and two very fast little boys, I only managed a few decent pictures. We've got to get Westy to slow down!

Cowboy Miles and Rocking Horse Whisperer Weston

Miles has the look of a little elf here, don't you think?

Ethan and Owen arrived after going to the Expo with Charlie and Angie and having supper out on the town. Naturally, the boys got together for a bath, one of their favorite cousin activities.

Rub-a-dub-dub, three boys in the tub!

Annie, Tanner, Miles, and Westy spent the night at Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen's house. E, O, and their parents slept at our house so the boys could sleep through the early departure for the half marathon run. It also meant I could stay in bed until 7:00, which I appreciated!

While the runners ran and Miles spectated (is that a verb?), E and O kept us busy.  

After breakfast, E and O and Grandpa read the paper. Serious news this morning.

 Later, E and O --sporting their backpacks and carrying cell phones--waited at the 

bus stop until Grandpa picked them up and drove the bus to school.

After reading several books with Grandpa and playing with a variety of 

cars, trucks, and kitchen supplies, it was time for a twin brother tussle.

And here's the shot of the day. Why they both chose to make goofy faces at the same time is an unanswered question, but it's pretty dang funny!

Sounds like a good day for the half-marathon runners in our family. They're in charge of reporting on the race on their own blogs. I'm only responsible for what happens behind the scenes!

As soon as all the boy cousins are awake from their naps, we're on our way to Charlie and Angie's house for pizza. E and O plan to give Miles and Westy a tour and have some fun playing with toys. I heard a rumor that Annie made brownies for dessert.  I'd better get a salad thrown together so we can be on our way. 

Next weekend the girl cousins are coming from NC. We can't wait!

New camera

A couple of months ago I started thinking about getting new point-and-shoot digital camera. I've used a nice little digital camera since right after Hannah was born, four years ago, and it's been great until recently when I noticed that other family members' phone cameras took clearer pics than my Canon! 

I did some checking around and compared cameras in my hoped-for price range. I was willing to pay the combined total of the $$ I earned reading Ed. Dept. admissions papers + mileage for the month of September from trips to New Prague to see my student teacher. Teresa, there's a math problem for you to work on! I found the camera I wanted and managed to have enough money left over to buy a purse that called to me at Cranky Alice, a great little gift shop in New Prague.

I chose a Cool Pix S-9100, which is larger than my previous camera, and has more features to fiddle with, so it's time to study up! The camera arrived today and I got it in running order in time to try it out tonight when we went for a delicious fajita dinner with Charlie, Ethan, and Owen. Angie, we missed you while you were at conferences. 

Here are a few shots I took to test it out:

Grandpappy and the kiddos

 Fajita chef

The boys sent us on our way well after dark.

Westy is ONE!

The youngest of the Potts-Dellon-Grimmius Group crossed the threshold from zero to ONE today! Happy Birthday, little Westy! We love you!

Here is Westy with his mommy, ready for the birthday festivities to begin!

Old Blue is now a beater

Our faithful old blue 2000 Dodge Caravan qualified for automotive Social Security on Tuesday when the odometer turned over and hit the 100,000 mile mark.  Larry wanted to preserve the moment for posterity by taking this picture. We've had Old Blue since August of 2000, and it has served faithfully, asking only for periodic oil changes, a bay in the garage in the winter, three sets of tires (not all at once), and regular grade gasoline.

Old Blue was a remarkably flexible vehicle. Not only did it carry up to seven passengers comfortably if they didn't have winter coats on, it also carried hundreds of yards of leaves, twigs, and branches down to the city pile -- an all-around American utility dream. The only minor mishap Blue suffered was a few weeks ago, when one of our children (the one who moved recently) accidentally backed a moving van into Blue's left front bumper, denting the bumper in. Larry, being the handyman that he is, took a crowbar and popped out the dent, so Blue  is looking pretty good again.

We're thinking about replacing Old Blue. Rather than wait for President Obama to initiate another used car rebate program, we will consider taking offers via the comment section of this blog for those of you who might like to own this lovely and flexible, but slightly aged minivan. The price will be fair, in line with its new tires and brakes and the sentimental love that we have for Old Blue.

(Dictated by Dad/Larry/Paco/Grandpappy to Jill/Mom, whose only contributions were minor stylistic changes.)

The Pumpkinites

They come from near and far in search of the perfect pumpkin. They are called THE PUMPKINITES. This weekend, their quest took them to Grandma's Little Acre, a charming local vegetable farm and pumpkin patch on the edge of town.

Upon arrival at Grandma's, guests wander through an array 

of recently picked pumpkins.

Some greet each other with the official Pumpkinite giggle.

Pumpkinites who wish to pick personal pumpkins from the pumpkin patch 

are helped onto a haywagon driven by one of the friendly Pumpkinite drivers.

Pumpkinites young and old scramble to sit on hay bales for the slow, lazy, and bumpy ride to the patch. This bunch of eager Pumpkinites is on board and ready to roll.

Out in the pumpkin patch, young Pumpkinites spot the Great White Pumpkin, sitting alone amidst a sea of its orange cousins. Speaking of cousins, these cousins race off to reach the rare and elusive find...

 only to be outdone by young Westy, the champion Great White Pumpkin explorer.

His proud parents congratulate the weary pumpkin hunter on his success.

Meanwhile, other Pumpkinites enjoy exploring the pumpkin field, 

looking for a perfect pumpkin ...

Warm, dusty, and satisfied that the best pumpkins are going home with them, a group of Pumpkinites make their way to the hay wagon. Notice the woman on the right who is smuggling a pumpkin out under her shirt.

         

Happy pairs of Pumpkinites enjoy the ride back to the starting point.

Angie and Owen

Charlie and Ethan

Tanner and Westy

Grandpappy and Miles

Annie-- where were WE on the way back?? 

We must have been the ones taking the pictures!

What's up?

Family representatives at the Reps Field re-dedication

My thanks to Margot for bringing her camera, and to Sue Kolling (an old SV friend) for taking a couple of shots. You can see Sue's shadow in the picture above, but it doesn't do her justice. She's much more colorful than that. Not sure who the other shadow belongs to, but it makes for an interesting photo.

What's up?

Answer: The price of milk. Insurance costs... you get the idea. Almost any time three or more of Charlie Reps's kids are together and there is a camera is nearby and someone is willing to take a picture, we end up with a photo that resembles this one.  I think it all started with a Beatle-esque shot of the four of us looking somber while standing under the umbrella I got as a high school graduation gift, and an "aerial view" shot a few minutes later of the four of us lying on the floor with our heads together. 

Or, it could go back a few years before that to the infamous "Goatee and Foot"  photograph of Gpa Charlie (goatee) and Mark (foot) taken from the passenger side of our car as we were speeding along the open highway on our way home from California one summer. I'll have to check with my siblings to see if anyone has an accurate recollection of any of this. The '60s were a crazy time and  probably we were all doped up on "maryjane", especially Mike, who was about 5. Ha ha!

September becomes October

I am on the cusp of deciding to take a nap, and I think it's going to happen. This has been a beautiful weekend, weather-wise and family-wise. I won't go into all the details because if you're in my family, you know them. Mostly I'm happy that Annie had her surgery on Thursday and is not waiting and worrying for Monday's originally scheduled date. Things are looking good for her, and she's looking good. Let's keep it that way!

Friday started out with two little boys coming early to spend the morning, and two more little boys showing up to play not long after. It was a cousin-fest, and unfortunately a busy enough one that I didn't take any pictures. Thanks to Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen for letting Westy share in the fun for a while. He loves those bigger boys!

On Friday afternoon I drove to Spring Valley for the re-dedication of Reps Field, the local high school football field. A new sign and scoreboard now pay tribute to Gpa Charlie and all that he did for the school and the community while he and Grandma Bene lived, worked, and raised a family in Spring Valley. Mark, Kathy, Karla, Paul, Mike, Margot, and I were glad to be a part of the event.

Before the re-dedication ceremony, Dr. Henry Plummer, a graduate of Spring Valley High School around 1900, was named to the school Hall of Fame. Interesting to find out that this is the same Dr. Plummer that the Plummer Building on the Mayo Clinic campus is named after. Everyone comes from somewhere!

Saturday was Homecoming at Gustavus, intertwined with the Sesquecentennial Celebration of the college. Lots of hoopla, football, Chemistry Department Symposium, Education Department get-together for alumni and two-year-olds, trips to the BookMark, etc., etc.

Today there was a bit of time for play for the Potts and Grimmius boys before Angie, E, and O took off for Northfield to celebrate Grandma Dar's birthday. I won't say which one, but she had the big 5-0 last year. Happy Birthday, Darla! The boys have been practicing singing "Happy Birthday to You", and I'm sure they'll serenade you all through supper.

While E and O waited for Miles and Westy this morning, they played with Matchbox vehicles resurrected from storage in the shed since their daddy last stopped playing with them when he was about 21. Ha ha!

Thanks to Charlie for helping finish off the persistent devil plant we've been trying to eradicate since June-- gooseneck loostrife. The battle has involved eco-friendly and non-eco-friendly chemical applications, an attempt to suffocate it with black plastic and summer heat, and all manner of digging, swearing, and sacrificial rituals. Last week Larry/Dad/Paco/Grandpappy hit his limit of putting effort into the cursed plant plot and called in reinforcements. Charlie did the last of the digging work today and folded in bags of compost manure to prep the soil for non-invasive flower species. We won't do any planting this fall, but I look forward to following LaVonne's design plan in the spring.

Charlie dug while his admirers looked on.

I had a special surprise for four of the cousins today. The Kingsland booster club gave out little footballs at the Homecoming parade on Friday. I didn't get to Spring Valley in time for that event, but when I asked one of the booster club folks if there were any left, she went to her car and got six footballs for me to give to the cousins. Hannah and Viv have to come to MN to claim theirs! Cindy, if you're reading this, even after all these years it seems soooo strange not to see Spring Valley Wolves on the scoreboard, the footballs, etc.

Here are the boys with their new footballs.

Serious looking, don't you think?

The photographer must have thought so, too. 

Looks like she cracked a joke that went over Westy's head.

Tonight we're going to have supper with some friends. A great lasagna lunch delivered late this morning by another wonderful friend means I really got off the hook with cooking today. I could get used to it.

About that nap: This little entry has taken me over an hour. No nap for the slow-writing blogger, I'm afraid. Happy week ahead.