Flashback to the early '80s

With all the visits to Rochester in the last two months, we were able to connect in person with friends Cindy and Paul in December, and again yesterday. Lunch yesterday was lots of fun, and I swear all four of us were talking simultaneously at times. Lots to catch up on, always. 

Paul has been organizing family photos, and came across these pics of the Potts family on a visit to their cabin in Wabasha, circa 1983. Cindy or Paul, have you found any pics yet from that weekend that include the Satre boys? We know they were there!

All five of us, looking 30 years younger than we do now.

Rough rider, Elisabeth. I don't know how we let her ride on the 3-wheeler. That may have been the only time in her life that she's ridden one!

Paul (age 14 here!), giving Charlie a ride while Annie gets as close to the action as she can.

Now it's Annie's turn!

Thanks for the flashback, Paul and Cindy. I remember a lot about that weekend and how much fun it was. Do you ever miss the cabin?

Cousins at play

All the hype about the cold weather in MN this weekend and into next week isn't just hype. It's true. Somehow, it doesn't seem as horrific when displayed in blues and purples.

We moved to St. Peter from Mpls in 1972, in the middle of January, in weather similar to what we're experiencing today. On the Saturday we planned to move, it was so cold that the little U-Haul truck we rented wouldn't start. We waited until Sunday, which was Superbowl Sunday, and still faced temperatures of about 15 below zero with a slightly less torturous wind chill than the day before. My brother Mark helped us move, but we couldn't get anyone else to volunteer because of (a) the Superbowl, and (b) the cold weather! Since we only had a bed, an old dresser, a couple of chairs, some lamps, and boxes of books, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Annie and Tanner moved this weekend into a different house in Owatonna, which is why I brought up the frigid move we experienced. Fortunately, it's not Superbowl weekend, and they had a lot of good help. Westy stayed with us on Friday and Saturday nights, with brother Miles joining him late Saturday afternoon. Here's a recap of Westy's activities:

The drive from Otown to St. Peter was comfy. Westy chatted with us about dozens of topics. 

Gpappy and Westy had a dance party. Here, they're singing along with a "bideo" of Hannah, Vivi, Ethan, and Owen dancing to "Call Me 'Baybe'".

Eventually it was time to brush teeth. We read some stories before bed, Westy's clear favorite being Rotten Teeth, the story of a first grader named Melissa who brings a jar of rotten teeth to show and tell (to her teacher's dismay and her classmates' delight). Then, dreamland.

Look who woke up happy and ready to be goofy! 

After breakfast and playtime at home, we visited the library. First stop for Mr. Hat Hair was the fish tank.

Next stop was the kiddie computer. It never works for me, and Miles later informed me it's because someone at the desk has to turn it on (Why didn't I think of that?). He said it was a preventative measure to keep kids who just want to fool around from playing with it. Sounds like a library rule, doesn't it?

There is nothing more fun to do at the liberry than hop from one huge beanbag seat to another in the adolescent section. 

A paperback book that had fallen behind one of the beanbags caught Westy's eye. He told me he wanted to read it, so he sat down and got started. W told me that the title was something like, "Don't Go to the Hospital because There Are Bad Guys There." The bad guys are most likely zombies, since that's a big part of Westy's repertoire of bad guys ever since Halloween.

 

Time for a nap after all that exposure to great literature.

  

While we waited for Miles to arrive from Otown with Grandpa Dave and 

Grandma Doreen, Westy and I tried on each other's glasses. Both of our noses look big.

And here's Miles, exhausted from a morning of basketball camp and an afternoon of helping with the move.

Nothing like a shave in the bathtub to make a couple of guys feel clean and fresh at the end of a busy day.

These two love to have dessert. Come to think of it, so do I!

On Sunday we visited Uncle Charlie, Auntie Angie, Ethan, and Owen. We brought along Sunday morning doughnuts. Earlier that morning Miles pointed out that he was glad he and Westy had chosen yogurt and cereal with milk for a healthy breakfast because their second breakfast of doughnuts wouldn't be quite as healthy (My personal choice was to skip the healthy part today in favor of a glazed twist doughnut later on.).

The adults were invited to a play as after-doughnut entertainment. Angie referred to the production put on by Owen, Ethan, and Miles as "three one-act plays", since it was never quite clear that they were on the same wave-length. Westy started out as the announcer, but he had an attack of stage fright and decided to watch instead.

It turned out to be an audience participation show, with Angie providing a wild ride for individual and groups of the pajama-clad actors.

 

And here are Boys in Tubs...

Thanks for a fun morning on Bunker Lane!  We went home for lunch (yes, M and W each managed to eat part of a sandwich and some fruit even after the doughnut bash), we warmed up the car again and met Mommy/Annie and Daddy/Tanner in the parking lot at Lowe's in Mankato. A quick transfer of Grimmius boys and their belongings from one car to another, an even quicker exchange of hellos and goodbyes due to the frigid temps, and we were off. Enjoy your first night in your new bedroom, Miles and Westy!

Cousins, here and gone

CousinFest 2013 is over. How can that be? Our kids and their kiddos were here in various combinations from Monday (23rd) until today. Lots of fun, hugs, kisses, noise, playing, reading, sledding, technology use, puzzles, games, singing, dancing, superhero fun, eating, sleeping (adults taking naps whenever possible), 'toonie watching, playing "baby" and "puppies" and school, snowman building.... and more and more and more. 

For the last several cousin reunions I've posted multiple blog entries, sometimes arranged thematically, sometimes chronologically, other times randomly. As I looked through the mess-o-photos (over 600 this time!), I decided I'd put together photo books via Snapfish for each family instead. Annie did that a couple of years ago, and I've done it once, too. This will be the only blog entry to celebrate CousinFest 2013, and finish off my blog for this year. I'll print a blog book again, in case blogger.com disappears into the depths of cyberspace some day. 

CousinFest 2013

 There were elves everywhere, all week long.

Crazy cousins listened to stories galore.

 Moms and dads and grandparents and kids filled every nook and cranny.

Chilly children used great teamwork to build a happy snowman. This guy's most unique feature is a mouth made out of celery. Try to sing that line to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman"!

The Grimmius family grinned for a photo or two or ten.

 

The Dellons revved up the snow blower to rid the driveway of snow

The Potts four took a quick break from playing in the snow for a family photo.

The Superhero HGE theme was a super success, thanks to Annie. There were superhero tee-shirts and undies for the kiddos, superhero socks in abundance for the adults, and superhero-themed gifts for the HGE. The tree was decorated with superhero logo decorations.

Six superheroes were on duty throughout the week to keep the planet safe, for which we are grateful. Any resemblance between Batman, Captain America, The Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and/or Super Girl to the elves in an earlier photo is purely coincidental.

The handprint collection is in its third year. Everyone has grown, so it won't be long before the handprints begin to overlap!

Dad/Larry/Grandpappy and I had a great week of family fun with Elisabeth, Evan, Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, Hannah, Miles, Ethan, Owen, Weston, and Vivian. We love you all more than you want to hear, and we appreciate that you will sacrifice your time to be with the old folks and with each other several times a year. As usual when you all leave, it's far too quiet here!

Get your earplugs ready...

...because it won't be long 'til these six are under one roof. Ours! The Countdown to CousinFest 2013 has begun!

Friday the 13th

I didn't realize it's Friday the 13th until I looked at the calendar a few minutes ago. Not much of a believer in good luck or bad luck based on numbers and such, I won't connect our morning to luck of any kind. Just home ownership.

Any of you who've read the bathroom saga might want to stop here. It's not over.  The good news is that the mirror is being re-framed with a non-flawed frame today, and I should have it on Monday. The not as good news is that a plumber named Jesse, who we just met this morning, did this about five minutes after showing up. Sorry it's blurry. I was still shaking from the sound of the saw cutting through the plaster wall.

This is the corner of Larry/Dad/Grandpappy's bedroom closet.  There will likely be a matching opening in the wall on the right. That's two bathrooms out of three that have cracked pipes that are leaking....into the ceiling of the third bathroom, in the basement.  

The maybe good news is that Jesse the plumber, who replaced George the plumber (don't ask) probably won't have to cut into the new tile in the just-remodeled bathroom. 

I see more good news/bad news scenarios on the horizon. There will be more to report on Tuesday, when Jesse the plumber returns with more saws, blow torches, machetes, and Howitzers. Today I wrapped Christmas presents while the saw was buzzing. Tuesday I'll be baking cookies with Valium in them.

Superhero holidays, anyone?

Annie took on the responsibility of being the Holiday Gift Exchange Coordinator for 2013 (HGEC). It can be an easy job or a stressful one. It's especially stressful if any of the Gifters are thematically challenged like I am. As of this moment, I am close to knowing what my Giftee's gift(s) will be, provided I can locate what I have in mind. Enough about my shortcomings. 

The theme this year is Superheroes. If you're not a family member or if you haven't seen Annie's instructions for the HGE, you'll want to read her HGE 2013 blog entry for the entertainment value. It will be worth your time.

A recent addition to the HGE is tree decorations that fit the theme. The decorations really are for the six cousins, but oddly enough, the HGE is only for the adults (although I did hear a rumor that the cousins may be involved in some way this year, too). Last year's theme was Happy Holidays on the Farm. By now you've figured out that these are fantasy themes, as we have no known farmers or superheroes in our immediate family. 

I spent a part of the afternoon hole-punching and adding string to the superhero logos, which are ready to go up on the tree--a set for each Super Cousin that includes Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Superman.

Potts-Dellon-Grimmius adults, get busy and find your HGE Giftee a SUPER gift! I can't wait!

One more birthday to celebrate!

 Wishing a very Happy Birthday to our baby girl, who is a pair of 3's today!

Here is Annie at age 2 days, drinking glucose water with Dad/Larry (before he was Grandpappy)

Here she is at age 5, playing in the park with Dad/Larry.

Here's Annie last week, in her old office, a few days before starting her new position as Director of Quality Improvement at SCHA. And look who just happened to be there again!

We love you, Annie. Happy 33rd Birthday, and congratulations on your promotion!