Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving at Ted and Pat's this year. The whole family was there (about 22 of us), but the babies, Maddox and Matthew, were the center of attention. I never did get a picture of the two of them together, but Chuck got some great video.

Here's Maddox with Grandpa and one of the many balls from the toy box.

As usual, Ted Jr. carved the turkey. Just missing from this picture is the Roto-Rooter man under the sink. Yes, the plumbing got totally clogged from all the potato peels in the disposal, and gunk was backing up in the bathtub - gross! Fortunately, all was working in time for dinner, and in plenty of time to wash all the dishes.

After dinner, we took pictures of the three generations.

Here are the "babies"- they did a great job of posing when we gave Maddox and Matthew some balls and got them all to say "hot dog".

Here are the "middles" - Jenna used to be the baby of the whole family, but no more!

And here are the "oldies but goodies"- actually, this was the toughest group to photograph. We never did get everyone to look at the camera at the same time.

It was great to be together, and we are all so thankful for our wonderful family!

Another Birthday!

First birthdays are so much fun! Our grand-nephew Matthew, Ted and Angie's little guy, turned one last week, and we got to help him celebrate. I snapped a series of pictures of him with his birthday cake, and although it took him awhile, he finally got it up to his mouth!

"Hey, what's this, and what should I do with it?"

"Yeeeow. that feels weird!"

"Guess I'll try it in my mouth - everything else goes there!"

"Hmmmmm - not too bad, but why is everybody laughing at me?"

"Now back to the really good stuff - new toys!"
Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Happy Birthday, Phebe!

Our granddaughter, Phebe, will be 5 on November 14th. Wow! How time flies! We won't be able to help her celebrate on her day this year, but we have been with her on some of her birthdays. Here are some pictures to show her growing and changing:

Just born - not even 1 hour old. Look at those blue hands!

1 year old - "I have chubby cheeks and curls, just like Maddox!"

2 years old - "I can blow it out myself!"

3 years old - "I love my Princess Barbie and my pink crown!"

41/2 - "I'm growing up soooooo fast!"

Happy Birthday, Phebe!

Birthday Party

What could be more fun than a first birthday party?? Maddox had his celebration on Saturday. He slept through the appetizers and the main course, but he woke up in time for the presents and cake! For more pictures, check out Heidi and Corey's blog.

"Look at me - I'm one!"

How about those dude clothes??

"Oooh, that chocolate cake my Mommy made is really good!"

We had to take a few family pictures, too.

Maddox has always been fascinated by Chuck's mustache.

Maddox had about had it by the time we got to the grandparents picture.
None of us are squirming, though! What a fun day!

Happy Birthday, Maddox!

Today is Maddox's first birthday.

What a difference a year makes!

We love you, Maddox!

Happy Birthday!

MEA Break

Jenna and I had a couple of well-deserved days off this week after two 12+ hour days of kids and conferences on Monday and Tuesday, and then more school on Wednesday. We planned an outing to Como Park with Heidi and Maddox for Friday, but rain and wind changed our plans to an indoor outing at Underwater World at Mall of America. What a great place to take a 1-year old! Maddox was so interested in everything!

We started the day by waking up Heidi and Maddox at about 9:30 when we showed up at their doorstep. We watched Maddox for a bit while Heidi had a chance to enjoy an uninterrupted shower. He still looks a little sleepy!

After Maddox's bath, he entertained us by sharing his favorite books, and letting us know all the off-limits things in the living room. He'd start to crawl towards the TV, then stop, turn to us, and say "no-no."

He also demonstrated his new walking skills - yeah, Maddox!

Then we headed for MOA and Underwater World. Maddox was fascinated with all of the fish, especially the sting rays that swam right over our heads. It was so much fun to watch his expressions as he checked out everything.

He even got to touch some sharks and sting rays in the petting pool. Actually, he did more splashing than petting, but he had the right idea. His arms just weren't quite long enough! We're looking forward to helping him celebrate his first birthday next weekend. I can't believe he's already a year old. How time flies!

Baby Buns

If you've checked out Heidi and Corey's blog lately, you've seen a great picture of Maddox's cute little buns. Well, I remembered a similar picture of Corey from about 27 years ago! I searched, found, and scanned, and the results are here for all the world to see........

Corey

Maddox

Sorry, Corey. I couldn't resist!

First Annual Family Golf Outing

We had the first annual CBCH golf outing on Sunday! It poured rain all morning and early afternoon, so we hung out at our house and munched while we watched the Vikings lose to Green Bay. :-( The rain finally quit just in time to head out to a nearby Par 3 course, and the rest is history!

It still looks a bit soggy, doesn't it? Jenna and Corey drew names to make up 3 teams of 3 players each. The teams were: #1 - Chuck, Jane, and Corey; #2 - Pat, Andy, and Joyce; and #3 - Ted, Jenna, and Paul. Our plan was to play best ball, and since there were NO other crazy players on the course, all nine of us set off for the first tee together.
Are we having fun yet?? We all teed off, and then each team made their next shot from their team's best drive, and so on. We were a bit slow as we made our way around the course, but it was really fun to all stick together and cheer for all the great (?) shots. Needless to say, there were a few duffs, too.

It started to sprinkle on about the 3rd hole, and Chuck's umbrella turned completely inside out in the wind. I missed the picture and the surprised look on his face, and by the time I got my camera out, he had it staightened out.

Here's dead-eye Jenna as she putts. Actually, Pat had the putt of the day on the very first hole to help her team get a birdie. What a way to start!

And the winning team is.....

Ted, Jenna, and Paul, with a winning score of 32!

We started a traveling trophy, so we'll see who gets it next year. It was great fun, even with the soggy weather! After golf, we headed back to our house where Heidi and Maddox joined us for supper. Maddox will probably be golfing with us next year!