HGE 2011

This entry is intended for 2011 HGE Participants only, as it spells out the instructions for this year's Holiday Gift Exchange in detail. Your HGE Giftee's name has been or will be sent to you individually so you can keep it a secret until the HGE Gift Opening Extravaganza, 2011, date and time TBD.

The HGE Theme for 2011 is......... We wish you a MERRY MONOGRAM!

The gift item you purchase for your Giftee must start with one of the Giftee's initials (first, middle, or last name), OR it must be purchased from a place that begins with one of those letters. For example, if you are lucky enough to have MY name, my gift must begin with J, M, or P. OR it must be purchased from a store, online site, etc., that begins with J, M, or P.

Special recognition will be given to any Gifter who uses both criteria for the gift purchased for his or her Giftee. Extra special recognition to anyone who uses both criteria AND writes a poem or jingle to accompany it at the HGE Gift Opening Extravaganza, 2011.

Any Giftee who wishes to do so may send the HGE Gift Coordinator (me) a short list of hints via email for gifts you might like your Gifter to consider, and I will pass the list along to him or her. I will also serve as intermediary for questions or comments between Gifters and Giftees, as has been the custom for HGE Gift Coordinators in the past.

This blog may be used for comments and questions of a general nature that may be of interest to one or more Gifters and/or Giftees.

Price range for the 2011 HGE: $25 to $30, not to exceed $30 under any circumstances!  Happy shopping one and all!

FINE PRINT:  Gift cards, gift certificates, gift I.O.U.'s or other promissory notes do not qualify as gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to family, friends, and winged creatures in the neighborhood.  

Here's Larry/Dad/Paco/Gpappy filling bird feeders in the backyard and on the patio with turkey and mashed potato flavored birdseed as a Thanksgiving treat for birds who couldn't make it home for Thanksgiving...

Another cousin is 4!

Happy Birthday, Miles!

This little guy is in the midst of a string of birthday celebrations with family and friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  He started off with a party at home in Otown on Sunday, sharing the Happy Birthday song and a yummy root beer birthday cake with Auntie Angie. I only got a couple of pictures with my phone, so you'll have to check Annie's blog for more, and for pictures of the Green Bay fiesta. Get your computer fixed, Annie and Tanner!!

Here are my party pictures. Miles, Ethan, and Owen had a private table. Westy sat with the adults, but kept his eyes on the bigger boys.

 Miles, lots of hugs, kisses, and Happy Birthday wishes to you!

 

Happy Birthday to Angie!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Angie,

Happy Birthday to YOU!

How old are you now? 

How old are you now?

How old are you Angie?

How old are you now?

November weekend

I'm not in a particularly chatty mood at the moment, but Dad/Paco/Larry/Gpappy said it was about time for another blog entry, so I'll give it a try.

The past couple of days the sky has been overcast and gray with a few stray moments of sunshine. Most of the trees are completely leafless, and the few leaves that remain are brown and wrinkly. If it were a few degrees cooler, it would be as November as it can get. I'll avoid sharing a photographic depiction of the gloom. You can take my word for it.

Fortunately, even on the gloomiest of days, spending time with certain little kiddos, either in person or on Skype, makes everything brighter. Today we skyped with Hannah, who enthusiastically referred to herself as Professor Bug, and with Vivian, who ate lunch contentedly, entertained by her sister's dramatic telling of her recent party adventures. This picture, sent several days ago by Elisabeth, portrays a similar situation, although in this case Vivian appears somewhat shocked by Hannah's vivaciousness.

On Saturday, Otown was our destination. We spent the day with Miles and Westy while their mommy and daddy shopped in Rochester.

Here's rosy-cheeked Miles, awake from a cozy nap, sporting a sort of Troy Donahue look for those of you who get that reference.

When we went outside to play, Westy's elf cap protected his 
soft curls from the blustery weather.

Miles showed us fast riding techniques on some of his vehicles.

After supper and baths, Westy plotted a sneak attack on Miles.

The weekend actually began on Friday for us because Ethan and Owen played with us at our house all day while Miss Gayle had a day off from daycare. We got some work out of the boys as you can see here.

They had stories to tell that were pretty darned funny.

And there was playtime in the front yard with the football 
and a rubber ball to kick around.

Well, that was our weekend in reverse. How was yours?

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!