Uncle Don WAS here

A tradition since 1973, when Elisabeth was born and Don became "Uncle Don", has been to mark certain family events by his presence, real or imaginary. For example, we know for sure that Don and Janet were in Minnesota the day that Miles J. Grimmius was born. So, on Miles' birthday, it might come up that Uncle Don was here. 

And there are some of us (me) who claim that Uncle Don was here on the Halloween night in the 1980's that Larry and the kids couldn't get VA Barnes to answer her door for tricks and treats. They knocked, then peered through a window and saw her lying motionless on the living room couch. They were convinced she had left this world to mingle with the Halloween spirits, but as luck would have it, she was only black cat napping. And Uncle Don was here! Maybe not, but I swear to it being so.

I could go on with more examples, but returning to the present...Uncle Don was indeed here on Saturday. I have no photographic evidence as proof, but he came through St. Peter in his truck, pulling the Scamp camper so he could leave it in MN to acclimate until he and Janet move to Forest Lake. He stayed for dinner (first burgers-on-the-grill of the season) and we caught up on their progress in getting ready for the big move.

Should anyone doubt the veracity of my claim that Uncle Don was here, get in touch with Annie, Tanner, Miles, or Weston. They stopped over after spending the day with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen, arriving just in time for Uncle Don  to meet Westy for the first time before hitting the road to go see Kasey and Allie.

Uncle Don, if you or Janet happen to read this blog entry, I'd appreciate some support on the "Uncle Don was here" Halloween incident!

Here are Miles and Westy, in their pj's, getting ready to go home.

Hey, Diddle Diddle

What do Mike Potts, Kyle Buchholz, and Annie Potts Grimmius have in common? I can think of at least five things:

1. They all live in Minnesota.

2. I know the parents of all three.

3. They're all around 30 years old.

4. They all have new babies.

5. They all received the limited-edition cloth book (pictured below) as baby gifts.

Okay, so I had to stretch to get five, when it is #5 that is the story here. A number of weeks ago, Mike Potts texted me a photo of one of his little sweeties chewing on--"reading"--the book. Mike's comment was about having received the book from me as a baby gift, and that Janet had saved it and passed it along to Kasey and Allie.

That, of course, reminded me that I likely had the comparable book I'd made for Annie, and sure enough I did. I threw it in the washing machine and out it came, dust free and ready for Vivian and Weston to sink their teeth into....er.... to read.

And if those two incidents weren't enough to remind me that I made the books over 30 years ago, lo and behold, an email arrived last week from Kathy Buchholz, a friend I'd grown up with and who lives in the Twin Cities.  Other than receiving Christmas greetings, I hadn't communicated with Kathy since our 105th high school reunion a couple of years ago, so it was a nice surprise to get her note. Here is the pertinent part of her message:

"We celebrated Kyle's birthday tonight (our middle son with the new baby girl) and I took him some of his baby stuff.... One of the things I had kept was a cloth Hey Diddle Diddle book. I looked in his baby book and found out that it was from you. Did you make it? I'm sure you remember, as it was only 31 years ago.  Ha! Anyway, I washed it and it looked like new, and Lily was reading it tonight, or rather chewing on it. It was a gift that kept on giving."

I had materials to make 4 of those books--the nursery rhyme characters were actually supposed to be cut out and stuffed to make little dolls, but I saw literary potential, and made books. I have no idea if I ever made the 4th book, but I'm fairly certain I didn't get around to it.

Funny how the planets were aligned enough for all three of the  known-to-be-published books to make an appearance within a couple of months of each other. If #4 is out there somewhere, I hope its owner will feel the vibrations in the universe and get in touch, too!

Running circles around grandpappy

It doesn't take much to entertain a couple of little boys we know and love. Just plop a grandpa down on a rug, give the boys a bath, and turn 'em loose.

A weekend with little boys

Grandpappy dropped me off in Richfield on his way to take part in a workshop at the U of Mn on Saturday morning. I got to play with Ethan and Owen while CP and A2P2 went for a run in St. Paul  in the morning (Charlie took Angie back to the scene of the cow incident). The boys and I had a good time together. Here's some evidence:

E and O played on the steps with various community worker "boys". This photo was snapped shortly before the little stinkers silently scrambled up to the second floor while my back was turned.

Ethan got in some work time behind the cash register. Scanning the
pretend credit cards is especially fun to do. It makes a great noise.

When he got off work, Ethan made some repairs on the wood floor.
Loose nails can be dangerous!

Owen used the "backum" to tidy up. Yes, it's a lawn mower, but if he thinks it's a vacuum cleaner, so be it! He can learn the difference when the snow is gone. In the meantime, the floor is neat and tidy.

I'm including this one just because it's cute. Notice how Ethan keeps his eye on the ball.

After getting their chores done, boys decided to go for a ride together. The other photos I took of their excursion created a less cooperative an image than this one, so we'll just pretend it was smooth going the entire time.

Daddy and Mommy came home in time for lunch. Afterward, O, A, C, and E 'nuggled together for a pre-nap story, some of which I captured on video (I'll post it later on YouTube). CP and A2P2 have developed special voices for Piggie and Elephant, which the boys appreciate. So do I!

Grandpappy finally arrived after 5:00 after a long day at the workshop. We had a yummy dinner of Chili Pie, corn, salad, and chips with salsa and guac. Thanks for a great time and great food!

The weekend continued with another great time and more great food on Sunday morning. We traveled to O-Town for brunch at the O-Town Country Club and the best omelets Tanner's golf membership can buy! Afterward, we spent some time on Jadden Lane playing with Westy and Miles. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera (found it in the car on the way home) so there is no proof any of this took place. Trust me, it did!  Thanks for brunch and fun!

Sweet chicas and warm weather

We're back at home after a long weekend in North Carolina with Hannah, Vivian, Elisabeth, and Evan. "Long" refers to Thursday through Monday, but the trip was short as far as the length of time we had with the little chicas.

The weather was accommodating enough for us to have dinner outside at Cafe Carolina on Thursday evening. Hannah loves the fountain near the restaurant.

 

Meanwhile, Viv put on a bib and waited patiently for something to eat.

On Friday we took advantage of the warm weather again to swing...

 and to climb on the jungle gym at a very fun playground.

Saturday's fun included playing at an indoor playground. Hannah convinced Elisabeth to climb in a lifeboat with her.

Then, we met Cousin Linda for lunch. Gpappy, Linda, and Vivian caught up on all that has been going on since we last got together back in September, just after Vivian was born!

 

Later, at home, Vivian got a taste of her very first popsicle, 

thanks to Hannah's willingness to share with her little sister.

 

Hannah and Gpappy grilled a pork tenderloin for supper. While it was cooking, Hannah drove away some pesky bees by shrieking at them and threatening to call the police and send them to jail.

Evan got back from San Francisco late Saturday night. On Sunday we picked up fantastic pretzel rolls, chicken salad, and curry tuna salad from A Southern Season to have for lunch, then had a quiet afternoon at home. Vivian and Elisabeth shared a few laughs.

It was hard to say good-bye to everyone, but we'll see you on Skype, and then in person in May when you come to Minnesota!

Sweet Saturday

We went on a jaunt to Richfield today to see Ethan, Owen, Angie, and Charlie. I only had my cell phone, not my regular camera, so there are just a few pictures. Before nap time, Angie read an Elephant and Piggie book, I Broke My Trunk!

 

As you can see, Grandpappy took as much interest in the story as Owen and Ethan did. I think Angie's character voices are the reason. Ever hear a nasaly-sounding elephant with a broken trunk? Angie's got it down!

Part of the afternoon involved naps. Grandpappy and I managed to stay awake, and Owen slept in his crib. Ethan needed a little extra TLC, so I held him while he slept, and then Grandpappy took over. Pretty dang sweet, don't you think?

After supper (thanks, Angie and Charlie!) the Owatonna contingent called on Skype, so the four boy cousins had a little chat, and we got to see Roger, Miles' new teddy bear.  Now we're waiting to hear about Hannah's flower girl experience at Uncle Brian's wedding in Boston. 

Special note to the parents of my adorable grandchildren:  Time to set your clocks ahead. Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m.! 

Another weekend, here and gone

If I were a more frequent blog writer, I wouldn't need to resort to the passage of time for my titles quite so often. Of course, if I were a more frequent blog writer, I'd need daily inspiration of the type others would be interested reading. Not likely to happen.

This weekend, the Boys from Otown came to visit. Miles and Westy brought their parents on Friday evening and left this morning. We played and ate and read. We skyped with the NC cousins yesterday, and we invited the Richfield cousins to skype today, but they had a full schedule of traveling and playing, so it didn't work out. :o(
  
PS-- It DID work out after all! We had a Skype session with C, A, E, & O later in the afternoon. Lots of waving and smiling and cuteness going on at the Oliver Avenue Estate. And Ethan and Owen were adorable, too!

Westy is like Viv in his complete attention toward his older sibling. Miles, like Hannah, is great entertainment. We had a good time and here are pictures to prove it.

 Grandpappy and Miles surfing the freezer for something cold...

Grandpappy, admiring Weston...

Miles, striking a pose...

Weston likes to have his picture taken.

A little bit nudey...

Oh oh! Weston is using Rosie as a drool rag. Does Miles know?

Boys having fun together in the sun room...

Miles loves his little brother.

More brotherly love

Miles reflects on the weekend, deciding a good time was had by all.