Pretty Please

Ever since she was little, Kate would do this cute thing where she'd stick both her hands up under her chin and smile real big. It was as if she was saying, 'Look at me aren't I so cute and sweet.' Then I started to notice that she was doing it more when I thought she wanted something. And one day I looked down at her doing it while I was getting her a cup and said, 'Oh, are you saying please?" And as soon as I said please she stuck them right back under her chin and smiled again. And it made us laugh. And sure enough whenever we tell her to say please that is what she does. Its her own sweet way of saying pretty please. I love it. Not sure why I didn't think to try and capture it before now. But as it turns out it not so easy to take a picture at the precise time she wants something and her hands and cheeks and smile are all so perfect. But you get the idea...

Finally winter

We've been having a very mild winter. And that's been ok with me. The kids have wanted snow though, but they got a little of that over Christmas at Gramma's house. Even so, they were thrilled when we woke up this morning to this...

Hard to believe just a few days ago we were out at the park in short sleeves playing in high 50/low 60 degree weather...

Yep, Kate still hates swings. Its only been a few hours of freezing, blowing whiteness and already PJ is complaining. I had to remind him that he lucked out that it didn't start til the middle of January and so it won't be lasting that long. He doesn't see it that way. He just hates the cold. We could find out any day where our next military assignment will be. He better start praying a little harder...

January 11th 1952

Today is my dad's 60th birthday. What a great milestone for, what I would consider, a pretty great life that he's been living. He's quite the man, dad, and grampa.



So when I realized (yes I didn't have it on my radar) around Thanksgiving that it was his 60th birthday coming up I wanted to do something special. I knew that getting all of us kids together on his actual birthday was practically impossible. But I did realize that all of us would be home for Christmas just a mere week and a half before his big day except for Lyndsay and her family. So I called her up right away to insist that she fly out so we could celebrate. That was my job because I am the family boss and nag. And nag I did. And maybe I'm annoying but hey, it got her there!... even if she didn't actually book tickets until a day and a half before she actually came (I told her not to fight with me about it for so long next time and to just listen). And we didn't tell our parents so it could be a surprise. So when she flew in and arrived at 11:30pm on the 29th they were both up in bed already. And TJ was the only one brave enough to go up and get them - only we should have sent someone else. The best thing he could come up with was "Dad, hurry. Can you come down stairs please there is a medical emergency!" Huh? Dad came. But he said he knew something was off because PJ, aka Dr. Wilson, was downstairs and could handle things. But he couldn't have imagined that he'd round the corner to find this (yes I stuck a bow on her forehead)...

And apparently mom had been in the bathroom for TJ's announcement so since we weren't sending TJ back up we sent Clay. Who was brilliant and knows what would get mom running. So he told her that the washing machine had over flowed and we think that it might be ruining the floor or something like that. And sure enough she came bounding down the stairs and went straight into the laundry room. Made us laugh. So she came over to see us and find Lyndsay. Very fun.
Friday we played and planned. Then Saturday morning (also New Years Eve) we decorated the house with the kids so that Grampa could have 'the funnest birthday ever'! Yes, we let the kids think that day was really his birthday and they were so excited for him. And when he came down in the morning the decorations were ready and so were the grandkids... and they sang him Happy Birthday to wake him up a little more...

And we had party hats, which he obediently wore...

And he got to open his present earlier in the day so he knew what the plan was...

... (it was a fondue pot) fondue at night with games! That is a favorite past time that he and mom have of doing fondue and games with the Peper family on New Years.
And after that us 5 kids headed out to a Mexican birthday lunch with our parents...

And when we got home we played games for the kids. They really wanted to play 'pin the something on grampa' because what party wouldn't be complete without a pin the something game right?!? So TJ drew Grampa and we settled on Pin the Hair on Grampa - landing on the nose got you 1 point, the ears 2 points, the bushy eyebrows 3 points and the tippity top of his head was 5 points.

And that made the kids happy. But what made them happier was that we saved Grampa's turn for last so they could surprise him with some silly string. However, he grabbed me at the last second and wouldn't let go. He said he didn't know what was coming but he knew something was coming when we made him go last and I had the video camera in hand and the kids were giggling. So he took me down with him and everyone made a big fun mess...

... but the cleanup crew worked quickly and easily. Still we decided against breaking out the New Years poppers and stuff because they had had enough fun already. And we moved on to the cards the kids had made him and the cake with 60 candles...

And then we put the kids down to bed and the party continued...

I hope it was a good birthday. We love you dad!