Easter! plus b-days and Skippy shaming

A few weeks ago Skippy ate Nicky's leather belt. The aftermath was very unpleasant. Why, Skippy? He tore up the corner of one of our new chair cushions, too. Now he gets to stay in the laundry room when we go anywhere, which he hates. But he made his own (doggy) bed.

Happy Easter 2016...

...yeah!

Nana and Papa came up this weekend to celebrate Nicky's and Michael's birthdays...

Yet another Sam's Club cookie cake for Mikey the 17 (??!!?!) year old. Holy cow, those years went fast.

golden b-day boy

Nicky is getting to that pre-teen stage of spending more time in his room and has more occasional sullenness in his 'tude. He just turned 12 and wanted cheesecake for his birthday. Mmmm.

This pic is from January after a concert. We got rid of the old baby grand and reworked the living room arrangement since then. Thank goodness the piano stayed in one piece long enough to get it off our hands. Well, I mean the movers had to take off the legs and such, but at least the soundboard didn't fall out or anything while in transit.

He wasn't quite sure what he wanted, but decided he was "okay" with getting an iPod for his 12th b-day like his siblings before him. Ho-hum. I think I got shampoo on my birthdays. Kids these days. Oh yeah, new glasses recently too.

Skippy getting cuddly wuddly during present opening

Learn the Animal Kingdom

Is the snake danger noodle wearing a top hat? That makes no sense. But everything else does.
 

busy b-day

Don't like to seem like I'm tooting my own horn about having a bday this weekend, but except for that crappy getting older part, it was a nice one. Nate arranged for my family to come to our neck of the 'burbs for dinner Saturday night, and then Nicky played at Orchestra Hall in the MYS winter concert Sunday afternoon. And later the Super Bowl, which the Vikings graciously avoided so I wouldn't have to really care who won. Speaking of, did some lazy and/or corny person name the Super Bowl? It's Super! Short for Super Duper Bowl!

new shower fresh 2016

The holidays have come and gone. December was warm and rainy and occasionally even smelled like spring, so it was hard to get in the Christmasy mood.

Christmas Eve at home, after the 4:00 mass where Michael played in a brass ensemble again, and after our feast of ham and mashed potatoes *not* made from dehydrated flakes, woo hoo!

Adrienne was happy to get some clothes and a kohl's card to buy more clothes and cash for likely more clothes...

Nicky on the other hand made no attempt to disguise his displeasure at receiving a flannel shirt.

This one just cracks me up. One of the "off list" things we got Zach was a book light, 'cuz he likes to read before bed. But he didn't know what the blazes it was at first.

No need to feign excitement here; the boys were glad to finally get Mario Maker.

Skippy came with to Waconia and made himself cozy under Grandma Elaine's blanket...

And Duane and Doreen got this cool gift of a framed photo of the whole family in Branson last summer, where we celebrated their 50th anniversary. Nate's brother Erik made it with wood from the barn on their farm.

Happy 2016!

MYS on MPR

Most of Nicky's orchestra's portion of the November MYS concert played on Minnesota Public Radio yesterday. We forgot to listen live, but found the link: click here Scroll under the ornament picture and click listen. Some choral music plays first, then the orchestra starts at 12:27. It didn't work for me in Firefox or Chrome, only Internet Explorer.

full link:
http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/12/10/home-grown-for-the-holidays-ii

November concerts

More of the kids tootin' their own horns. Last month Nicky had his first MYS concert on the Bethel University campus. They played in the hall that Nana Doreen's graduation ceremony was held in, so that was kind of neat. But no photos or video allowed during the concert.

And band and jazz concerts. Michael didn't want me to fuss with his tie to try to straighten it.

almost turkey day...

Halloween 2015 and other junk

So last year after Halloween, Adrienne said never again to trick-or-treating, but that resolve dissolved (see what I did there?) when her friends all wanted to go this year. Given they were all gonna dress up, I said okay, what the hay. I only get annoyed when the older young-ins show up sans costumes and want my candy just for ringing the doorbell. She revisited the butterfly/fairy wings from a few years ago 'cuz we're all about being cheap recycling.

And more costume recycling, with wolfman Nicky and Dracula Zach. Zachula?

We won a scarecrow making contest at the church fall festival in September. We had showed up with little time remaining, and hardly any supplies were left. That 'shirt' is a pair of red pants that Nate refashioned. The head is pantyhose that Nicky colored a rabbit face on, but it washed off in the rain. Oh well. A few trick-or-treaters were freaked out by it.

Michael had his first concert of the year over the weekend as a member of the Wind Ensemble. The boys wear swanky tuxes and the girls wear pretty black dresses.

Had to snap a pic of Skippy after Nicky stuck him in his dragon hat the other day. Dunno why Nicky wanted dogbutt in anything he sticks on his head, but it made for a cute little green doggy burrito.

fall goin' ons

Zach turned 8 last month. Makes me feel old that my baby is in second grade. As do my sore knees and the gray hairs I keep finding. Here he is, bein' a goofball before opening his gifts...

Ooo, more fodder for the storm drain...

And when asked to pose for one last picture...

Michael and Adrienne wrap up the 2015 marching band season pretty soon. We went to the last home football game recently to catch their final halftime field show.

Won't miss dragging them back and forth to all those practices, but it is definitely satisfying to see the kids perform. There's a special sort of tear-inducing wistful proud nausea that grips parents at these sorts of things. Or maybe that's just me.

And one last one...a Skippy close-up.