Happy Birthday to Charlie!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, dear Charrrrrr-lieeeee,

Happy Birthday to you!

December 1979

 

January 28, 2012

Sunday morning

The 4 G's paid us a visit this morning. Westy showed up in his Dr. Seuss pj's (as Gpappy refers to them). He wasn't all that interested in being photographed by his mommy, as you can see.

Tanner, Miles, and Gpappy were in serious moods for a while, also. Maybe it was because the living room was foggy. Or at least that's how it looked with the sun coming in this morning.

The boys' mood picked up (so to speak) after a Skype session with Hannah, Vivi, Elisabeth, and Evan.

A

Thanks for coming to see us. See you again in a couple of weeks!

Testing...one, two, three

After two months of frustration, I decided to ditch the Nikon Cool Pix camera I bought to replace the digital camera I have been using for nearly five years. For every in-focus picture I managed to coax out of the Nikon, there were twenty blurry ones. I admit I'm not a savvy photographer, but even I should be able to do better than 1 for 20. The Nikon is on its way back to Amazon, and in its place I have a Canon Power Shot ELPH. It's easy to use and has only disappointed me with a few blurry shots of fast-moving targets who preferred not to hold still while their gma took pictures.

E and O were here today and they were willing subjects for some picture-taking practice. We had fun playing and reading, and we spent lots of time talking about uncles, aunties, and cousins, cousins, cousins, cousins! 

Oh-- I almost forgot about. . .

singing in the shower. . .

drawing with markers . . .

working with tools. . .

getting a tummy-drum lesson from guest percussionist Mary O.  . . .

snuggling with gpappy after a nap. . .

looking at pictures of monkeys . . .

 and the favorite pastime of all, making silly faces for the camera!

Grumpy faces

I went to the Kodak kiosk at Cub Foods a few days ago to make prints of a selection of photos of the six cute cousins, including many that are posted on the "A Cousin Christmas" entries on this blog. I couldn't resist printing the Hannah and Miles mug shots, because whenever I look at them I laugh. Naturally I also printed the buddies photo of the two of them together, since it's a classic shot of the two oldest cousins.

Most of the prints are in the photo collage frame in the front entry hallway where G'pappy and I can admire them often. Others--including the mug shots and buddy picture-- are in frames on the hall table, under the collage frame, right at little person viewing height. 

Ethan and Owen noticed the new pics the other day and, as they so often do, talked about each one and who was in it. Pretty soon I noticed Ethan closing the double frame holding the mug shots, and turning it around to be sure no one could see the pictures. I asked him about it and he said, "I don't like the pictures." Further conversation revealed that he was bothered by the crabby looks on his cousins' faces.  I realized after the boys went home that I should have told them Hannah and Miles were making grumpy faces for the camera and that they aren't grumpy now.

Today I got my chance, as once again E and O commented on the mug shots. We talked about how fun it is to make silly faces, and I asked them if they wanted me to take grumpy pictures of each of them. They did. After 10 or more shots of each of them in various venues (they're busy boys!), here's what most pics looked like:

However, we were finally successful. Sort of. Owen mastered the look, but Ethan? 

Well, you be the judge!

To be fair, I must also include a buddy picture of E and O:

A Cousin Christmas (part 5)

I saved the best pictures for last... or at least I'll say that's the case. Several hundred pictures had to be rejected for this five-part series, so who's to say the best ones aren't among the others. But, these will do, as they are pretty darned cute!

 

This reminds me of the Marx Brothers routine in the movie Duck Soup.

Ethan and Owen

Miles and Westy

Hannah and Vivi

Mug shots, or a preview of Hannah and Miles at age 14? You decide!

Much better!

They were 14 once, too, but they're making up for it now!

Ahhhhhh, Schmidts!

Gma Jill, Gpappy, and a gaggle of grandchildren

 A cozy crew of kiddos

Okay, we've had enough. Can we get off the couch and go play???!

One last gathering of the remaining cousins on campus 

outside Daddy/Uncle Charlie's office before we left for the airport...

Thanks to all the mommies, daddies, uncles, aunts, and cousins for filling our house with laughter, noise, movement, and fun. It's quiet now, as it always is after everyone goes home.  Thank goodness, because I need a nap! : o )

A Cousin Christmas (part 4)

Time for pictures of "Even More Cousins Tuesday", when Uncle Don, Aunt Janet, Mike, Amber, and one-year-old cousins Kasey and Allie came to visit. That adds up to THREE one-year-olds, which would have been bumped up to four if Westy had been here, too. 

Grandma Janet with Kasey and Allie

Vivi, eating lunch

E, O, Kasey, Allie, Janet, an almost-profile of Angie, and the back of Hannah's head

Amber, Evan, Vivi, Don, and Larry

Playing with the cousins wore Charlie out completely, so Ethan and Owen made him take a nap after everyone left so he wouldn't get crabby.

After naps, the kids had a rousing game of soccer across the street in the church yard.

Then it was time for supper, followed by a bath with wild animals, and a couple of lions and a tiger.

The Cousin Christmas Story could go on and on, but I need to end it soon. There will be one last part .... scheduled for New Year's Day, 2012. Annie, if you took pictures at your house on Wednesday, please send some. I didn't have my camera along!