Julie's Big Birthday - Surprise 1

We got there while Julie was picking up Keats from doggie camp.

We waited...

When Julie drove up, Mom went outside to surprise her so she wouldn't freak out if she opened the door and people were inside.

Julie said "I wondered where this car came from."

She was surprised...

...and happy.

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Cake)

On the First Day of Christmas, we received a lovely cake!

On the Second Day of Christmas, we ate a yummy slice!

On the Third Day of Christmas, already half was gone!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, we still had quite a bit!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, we're down to just a slice!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, we only had a bite!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, we saw it's going fast!

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, how long can it go?

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, it's running very low!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, we still had half a speck!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, now there's just a fleck!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, alas! There was no more!

IT WAS WONDERFUL!! Thank you, Kate V.!

Aunt Margaret's 85th Birthday Party

Aunt Margaret's kids - Paula, Wally and Bill - planned up a surprise party for her 85th birthday.

Aunt Gertie and Uncle Bob came from Huntsville.

Gertie and Edwina planned out their route to visit Grandad Martin tomorrow.

Edwina and Diana May came from Houston.

Here is Aunt Margaret (second row, second from left) surrounded by relatives.

A Visit From Naomi and Danielle

Danielle and Naomi came over to spend the evening. We made some playdoh cookies.

We layed around.

We watched videos under the big blanket.

We dressed up fancy for a party. (The vaporizer was a special guest.)

We ate bread in the tub. (That doesn't work very well.)

Great GrandDad

We went to see a vestibular balance doctor at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. GrandDad did some hearing and balance testing, and was a star pupil.

We got back home in time to get a salad to go with his frozen soup for dinner.

Next time, we get to see Patty, the Vestibular Balance Rehab Expert of the World.

Grandvisit East

When we arrived, John treated us to his latest tricks on the rings. Over the concrete floor. With obsticles. Without padding. (!)

Christopher is still a real charmer.

Scooting for the Prize!

John spent a night with us at the motel.

Christopher is figuring out how sunglasses work.

Sometimes, he gets tired. His blanket is his energy replenishment source.

The Natchez Trace

So we loaded up the minivan, and headed for the Natchez Trace.

Here is a little history of the Trace. In short, it started as a foot trail from Natchez to Nashville.

Here is kind of what it might have looked like at some time. Except for us.

The trail went past lots of interesting areas.

Like this very swampy place.

And this gift shop. We bought a compass and a bird.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is what you actually drive on. It is a wonderful two lane road through beautiful country, with no billboards, gas stations, Walmarts or suburbs. Very pleasant and relaxing - as long as you aren't trying to get somewhere in a hurry!

At this time of the year, the road was almost empty except near towns where it is used by local traffic.

Naomi the Tornado

We met Jenny, Naomi and Danielle at Chik-Fil-A for a get-together.

First, we ate.

And we drank.

And then, Naomi did her Human Tornado trick. It was very exciting.

Afterwards, we walked over to Pet Smart for a visit.

We looked at fish, guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, rats, cats, stuffed toys, and lots of other stuff, and took a bunch of blurry photos that are not worth posting.

It was fun to see everyone!

Trick 'er Treat

Once again, we put on our usual effort to support the Halloween tradition. No, we didn't get to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! We did Trick or Treat.

Mainly, I sat in a chair by the front walk and harassed small children as they came by.

First, after their introductory chant of "Tricker Treat!", I ask them "What does that mean? What does it mean when you say Trick or Treat?"

Almost without fail, I get a blank look of incredulity and confusion. Then, upon pressing for an answer, I usually hear something lame like "It means give me some candy." Poor lost generation. Next year, I may start holding Trick-or-Treat classes, to restore the concept of retaliatory trickery to the treatery.

We did have some cute visitors this year.

There was a little policeman, who could only say "ta cue".

The Mario Brothers, and Sister...

Two Musketeers...

And probably the most accurate portrayal of Dorothy and Toto (live, about the size of a large rat) I've seen:


None of them seemed very frightened by the nearby spooky Halloween bats.

Shredder Fun

We recently added a lot of shredded paper to our compost heap (it's too disorganized to call it a 'pile'.) Naomi decided that it is actually meant for playing in.

We (repeatedly - 4 year old style) filled a flowerpot with shreddings.
Then we dumped it out like beach sand, to form a cake.

Then we sat on the cake to squash it flat.

And completed the cycle by throwing it all up in the air like a snow storm.

Danielle loved it.

Later, she investigated the 'plastic stuff' section of the kitchen cabinets.

And found some tools to her liking.

We all had fun.