Jul 10, 2010 | Holidays, It's all relative |
Monday the 5th was hot,hot,hot. We had the boys and their respective wives, Grandma, and our friend Blake over for a cookout. {Technically it was a cook-in because the grill was broken, but that’s just a small detail.}
The two pictures below are my attempt at making up for not taking a picture of Andrew and Debbie together. I hardly think two side-by-side picture would qualify as a “picture of them” to two newly-weds, but I did the best I could.
Andrew really is a fashion icon, don’t you think?
The only way to truly beat the heat was to walk across the yard to our uncle’s pool. After all, somebody has to use it. The most popular method of entry was jumping/flipping/belly-flopping from the trampoline right next to the pool into the water. I’ve done this before, but since I value my life{also my dignity}I went in the way normal people do. And I was mocked for it. Once the mockery ended, we started a game of Sharks and Fishes. It’s like Marco Polo in that one person closes their eyes and tries to tag another person. Once they’re tagged, they also become a shark and so on and so forth. Eventually, there is only one poor, unfortunate soul who hasn’t been tagged being chased by six maniacs. I should know…it happened to me and I barely made it out alive. It really is a delightful game. 🙂
Erika the Shark makes her way towards the three little fishies who she now shares a last name with. Aaron seems to be the only one with any chance of survival.
You know things are getting serious when the purple noodle comes out.
Daniel came up with a “sweep the pool” plan he tried teaching to his fellow sharks while they all have their eyes closed.
Daniel: “Ok, everybody. Take the hand of the person to the left of you.”
*everyone starts waving their arms everywhere*
Erika: “That’s my face you just hit!”
Blake: “Who keeps hitting me? I’m trying to find your hand! Wait. What’s this?”
Erika: “That’s my bathing suit!”
Erika: “I have two hands now.”
Blake: “Somebody’s holding both my hands!”
*Blake and Erika do more maneuvering and finally, everyone is connected*
Daniel: “Ok, ok everybody. Now that we’re holding onto each other, the person all the way to the left is going to hold onto the side of the pool and we’ll all move forward in an orderly fashion.”
*more chaos ensues as none of the three actually knows who’s all the way to the left*
It was so funny to watch. What made it even funnier was Daniel trying to do the whole thing over each time a new shark was tagged!
Andrew and Aaron. Aaron and Andrew. Brothers and former room-mates.
I hardly think these two need an introduction.
Monday was one of those days{actually the whole week was one of those weeks}. I was so excited to be making a cake like this and everything was going wrong. I woke up too late, there were bugs in the sugar, we didn’t have milk, the batter was really lumpy, and on and on. I was sooo close to just giving up but I didn’t want to waste the ingredients and batter I already had. I decided to cut out the layer of stars and just make it a red, white, and blue cake. It was much simpler that way even if it wasn’t quite as fancy. After the morning I had, I wasn’t going to attempt decorating the top much, so I used a flag and some of Aaron’s Army men to re-create the famous Iwa Jima picture. It wasn’t perfect, but I ended up being happy with the results!
This Independence Day celebration was given to us courtesy of the greatest country in the world. This flag is its trademark.
Jun 22, 2010 | Holidays, It's all relative |
We celebrated Fathers Day over two days this year- Saturday with The CCE{The Cutest Couple Ever, aka Daniel and Erika}and then again on Sunday. More correctly it should be called Fathers Weekend.
Saturday
To start off the festivities we played Ladderball. Here we have Mom and Dad practicing together. I asked them to look really into the game and this is the result. Mom did a good job but Dad, well, I have no idea what his face is all about.
Our competition was pretty relaxed. Maybe that’s why they lost.
At least they were cheerful.
Look for the rockin’ team of Barbara{also known as Mom}, Erika and Sarah coming to a Ladderball game near you. On second thought, don’t look very hard for me. I didn’t come in as one of the top two scorers for our team.
After supper, we all{along with Grandma}drove to the building Dad’s renting for his new business so Daniel and Erika could see it. The twins got slightly bored listening to the talking, talking, talking{who can blame them, really. They’ve heard the business plan 312 times already.}so of their own initiative, they started peeling the unwanted border off the wall. Mom and I have has trained them so well.
Upon our return home, we did what any heath-conscience people would do: sit down to eat sugar-laden ice cream and blueberry pie{blueberries are good for you!}. I have to add that the coffee ice cream Elizabeth made was a huge hit. I think she should start marketing it. As we ate we looked at pictures of Daniel and Erika’s recent vacation to South Carolina and Colorado. Those people really get around. Here they are in Colorado:
I can’t go without mentioning the three beautiful birthday gifts Daniel and Erika bought me in S.C. ~a lovely green wallet with a butterfly clasp, a blue, green and gold glass necklace, and one of those light blue flowered Popcorn shirts. Once when I unexpectedly slept over there house I needed a shirt so Erika let me borrow her black popcorn shirt{we’re totally different sizes so this was the only “one size fits all” shirts she had}. The only requirement was that I had to sew a tear in it before I could wear it. She decided to buy me my own to make up for her actions! ; )
Sunday
For Dad’s special dinner I made Chicken with Olives. Despite the multiple flying-butter burns I received for my labors, it turned out well. I wanted to make a special dessert but I ran out of time. Besides, I was so tired you’d honestly think I chased, killed, and plucked that chicken.
The father with his three remaining children that live under his roof.
Inside:“And we do brag about you…
especially to all the other people in the world you have fathers.
Which is everybody.”
And it’s true…every word.
Apr 27, 2010 | It's all relative, Uncategorized |
* Oh, I’m creative in titling.
Dad’s birthday party was a fabulous success. He was expecting us to just have his special supper that day and his real party when everyone{meaning both sets of newly-weds}could come.
We shattered his expectations.
Not only did Daniel and Erika come{Dad thought he was working late and couldn’t come},but Erika’s dad, heretoafter know as Mr. H, who was up for business came too. Mr. H came in before Daniel and Erika and Dad was completely shocked and confused to see him. Dad had absolutely no idea why he just showed up at our door and it took forever for him to get things straight! It was so fun to see Dad so excited, especially when Daniel and Erika came in.
I couldn’t get a picture of Dad’s face when Mr. H came in because it totally would have clued Dad off to the fact that something was about to happen had I been standing there with my camera waiting. It’s not like I haven’t seen him grilling supper before. Of course, I have other pictures, but the birthday boy doesn’t appear until the end because I forgot to take pictures of him.
She’s such a peach!
Exactly 6 months married and as cute as ever.
🙂
We’re really thrilled that a giant trampoline moved in next door. We were more than happy to welcome it into our lives.
This picture and the next are dedicated to Daniel{red shirt}and entitled What goes up must come down.
Even our fab sister-in-law joined in on the fun.
After dessert, we played a ridiculous version of Pictionary called Passanova Pictionary. It is not for the faint of heart.
This was Mr H’s rendering of the phrase “cry your eyes out”. If he wasn’t already a successful realtor, I’d suggest he become an artist. He has such a gift.
Aaron wanted to “inspire” Dad so he bought this little sign. Even though I’ve lived with him for over 15 years, I can’t exactly put into words what the look on Aaron’s face means. Its something along the lines of “I’m tired and goofy and really proud of myself…”. I do know that being related to Andrew is also a large part where he gets The Look.
Not having much advance notice about Dad’s party meant I was gift-less. After I recovered from the “I hate being gift-less at birthday parties” syndrome, I whipped up{literally-I did it in about 2 minutes}this topnotch little card letting him know I was getting him a gift certificate to the restaurant he requested. I stalled during the production of the card because half my brain was telling me “don’t use a sticker with pink letters for a guy! Are those words at the bottom purple ’cause they sure look like it! Don’t you have any manly colored stickers that say the same thing?” The other part of my brain was saying “you’d better do this quick ’cause they’re all waiting for you upstairs!” I tried to please both sides of my brain so I ended up with this. ; )
Happy birthday, Dad! I’m glad we have you to celebrate!
Apr 6, 2010 | Holidays, It's all relative |
Sherry Lane. The home of our Easter Extravaganza hosted by the newly wedded Daniel and Erika.
I went joined the CCE{Cutest Couple Ever}Saturday afternoon so I could help them prepare for Easter. For 6 1/2 hours Erika and I washed, scrubbed, cleaned, moved furniture,unpacked China, hung the table clothes held by skirt hangers from rafters to steam them{necessity is the mother of invention}, and baked. We felt like maids and had a fabulous time together.
All the hard work was worth it when everything was sparkling and decorated. I think the table almost looks like it could be featured in the best home and garden magazines.
We found these pretty eggs on our last minute run to Michaels. They added the perfect touch.
When the guests, aka our family, arrived after church, Daniel took us on a walk to the beaver dam. He may have built it up just a little too much as no beavers have lived there in years, much to the disappointment of the crowd.
The beaver-less dam. It looks so cozy, I don’t know how those beavers could have left. Did they know we were coming?
Dressed in a fine Italian suit with a glass of fancy wine in hand, the Father relaxes in a posh recliner. He takes time from his busy schedule to photograph the following:
The newer newly-weds, Andrew and Debbie. Having two newly-wedded couples in the family has presented some difficulties. We have learned to differentiate the two couples as “newly” and “newer” weds. What will happen when I get married? Will we have the “newly”, “newer”, and “newest”?
The 2010 edition of the annual Sarah and Molly Easter picture. She is such a little doll!
By some Easter miracle we were able to take a group picture before everyone went home. Besides the minor detail of some people{ahem Aaron and Andrew}already being out of their Easter finery, it only took three tries before almost everyone looked perfect. We missed the family that couldn’t be there to celebrate with us, but we had a beautiful love and laughter filled day.
Jan 23, 2010 | Friends & Fun, It's all relative |
I know I am so behind on putting up pictures from Daniel and Erika’s wedding, but I have good reasons for it. I’ve been waiting{and waiting and waiting}for my friend Hannah to send me to the pictures her dad took at the wedding so that I could do it all at once. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t use Mr Professionals pictures so I had to wait. Her dad-despite what he said-took some beautiful pictures during the ceremony and afterward many of which are similar to Mr. Professionals. There are lots and lots of pictures here, but I want to put them up anyway. I showed great self-control in not putting all of them!
Today is 3 months since the rehearsal dinner so its the perfect day to start.
***
I’ve only been to one other rehearsal dinner but I doubt that any will be more fun than Daniel and Erika’s. After we ate, we went to the living room for what was an Undisclosed Event. Turns out they had spent weeks preparing special heartfelt gifts for each of us in the wedding and it was time for the great unveiling.
Each gift was so creative and personalized for the recipient. I’m not surprised by creativity out of Erika,but the level of input from Daniel was STAGGERING. They gave the best speeches for every gift and had us dying of laughter the whole time except when I almost cried. It was so touching!
Wesley’s college has a lot of, shall we say, interesting musicians so Daniel and Erika thought he needed a few accessories to help him fit in: rainbow-striped suspenders, tie-dye shirt with a hippie 70’s group on the front, fake cigarette, and a black fedora complete with fake yellow flowers to top it off.
Between church, work, guitar practice, watching soccer, spending time with Joanna{side note-please marry her}, house sitting, calling his family back home in Africa and much more, Bernard is one busy man. To keep him organized, he now has a clock with tags going all the way around to help him keep track of where he needs to be. They even made him a tag to put at 2 o’clock reminding him of when the wedding was!
Before Erika graduated, she and Rudy were mistakenly taken for robbers when they were locking up the lab. They thought if she was going to be a robber,she might as well look the part…hence the mask,mustache, gloves, and extra-strong pliers. She laughs so easily anyway, so it was almost funnier watching her open the gifts then it was it see what was inside.
Gramma enjoying all the laughter.
The guys with their gifts.
Peter~ What does the person who attends four weddings in Canada within 1 year need? A rain poncho, map, travel games, and maple sugar candy!!
Wesley~ fully decked-out in his outfit
Geoff~ Geoffrey has a mild obsession with his name. He thinks its the coolest thing since sliced bread. I don’t know where D & E got the idea, but they ordered him shorts and a striped tie with his initials sewn on. He likes the tie so much he wore it to a Christmas party.
Bernard~ the busy man and his clock
Andrew~ Daniel and Erika thought he needed a little push in the getting engaged area, so they bought his this huge diamond ring. They also gave him a two picture frame with a picture of him and Debbie on one side, and the Nike ‘just do it’ symbol on the other.
And the girls with theirs.
Debbie~ She wasn’t in the wedding but being the recipient of the huge engagement ring she was in the picture.
Sarah~ {oh,that’s me!}I had told Erika a few months away that if they have triplets they can keep one, give one to her mom and the other to me. They bought me three of the cutest little dolls{that hold hands!}and wrapped them up in the blue blanket. How sweet is that?! This was the point I almost cried! ; ) Erika said I don’t have to keep the dolls but I most defiantly am going to save them for their little girls!
Dani~ Dani is very, very multi-talented. She’s an assistant manager at JC Penney,a clown, sheep sheerer, pizza maker, creative hairstylist, balloon artist,Irish step-dancer, mime artist, conductor, singer…and the list goes on. For each job, Daniel and Erika made her a real business card with her name and the job description on it!
After the gifts, Wesley played the piano while Dani taught the soon-to-be-weds how to waltz for their first dance. It looked like so much fun that most of us joined in. Erika’s dad was reteaching me and we had the best time together. He’s a very good dancer which means we danced very fast, but I was able to keep up {for the most part}. By the end, we were even twirling!
I slept over Katie’s that night since she lives so close to the church, but I really didn’t sleep much; I was waaaay to excited!!
Jan 15, 2010 | It's all relative, Uncategorized |
~Happy birthday to my~
card playing
laughing
kind-hearted
sweet
extremely generous
helpful
Patriot fan
loving
lobster eating
adorable
wonderful example
happy
food giving
best ever near-by* Grandma
♥
I love you more then you’ll ever know.
Thank you for all you’ve done for us all these years
I don’t think there’s any way we could ever pay you back.
{How cute was MY grandma when she was little?!}
* Grandma Connie is best ever faraway grandma
Grandma was so proud yesterday. Easter was the first-holiday celebration held at the home of one of her grandchildren.
We branched out into the traditions of Erika’s family by doing an outdoor egg hunt. We’ve also done them inside Grandma’s house. Daniel and Brian were dispatched to hide the 48 eggs while the rest of us talked and distracted Molly and Zachary from peeking out the windows.
The host, holding what appears to be a ball of sunshine caught in a plastic bowl.
Elizabeth bravely searches through the underbrush.
Andrew was mighty proud of his egg-finding accomplishments.
Grandma’s remake when seeing this picture: “Oh, I just look like such a happy little bunny with my Easter egg!!”.
The smallest members of the family counting their wares.
Here we behold one of the few action shots of our meal. Any and all photographers were too busy serving and eating to document much more.
