Enisi and Edudi Come to Visit

Months and months ago, the Crockers planned their visit to us, and as it got closer to their trip, I asked if Bill would be willing to share his expertise, and help save this wall!  They brought some tools with them, so we could knock it out while they were here!  

That said, Billy and I were in Poland when they first got here, but the trips only overlapped a couple of days! Apparently, only Alice was actually home when they arrived, but we all made it home eventually.

Grace has really upped her piano game this summer, in anticipation of playing percussion in band!  Here, Edudi was adding some notes that made Grace's song sound really polished!

The very first time that Billy and I went to Max's Southseas Hideaway, Billy told me how much his dad would love it there, so we made the trip, and brought any of the kids that wanted to go!  Normally I would have pushed a little harder for everyone to go on a trip like this, but it would have required two cars making the drive, and since Alice and William had very little inclination to join us, they missed out this time!

They had some fancy drinks on the menu, and you could get yours served in a pineapple for a slight upcharge!  Emily and Grace were really excited to get their pineapple drinks.

Juliet declined both of her drinks being in pineapples, but did enjoy seeing Grace and Emily's on the table!

Billy and I shared a different flaming drink this time!

Emily and Grace both ordered the kids' sushi plate.  Juliet had grilled cheese and fries, which she shared with Enisi!

Grace added a flower to her hair!

We also ordered the smore-like dessert, so that the girls could play with fire. lol.

Everyone, except for me and Billy, got up and toured the building, while we waited on our food.  We did take one more picture in front of the fountain.  It is such a cool place, and everyone left impressed!

Emily and Grace wanted to help with the wall, so after says of mudding and sanding, it was finally time to prime the wall!  We added two layers, because of the navy paint.

Enisi was a good sport and played lots of board and card games with the girls, while Bill and Billy played a video game together.

The finished product looks soooooo much better!  It also makes the hallway lighter!  I'm hoping to get some paneling put in there, ideally, so maybe eventually, but for now I'm just thrilled that it is such a vast improvement!

I hope they had a nice visit, it's quite the trip for them, but always good to have them here!

later days

edit 8-21-25: backdated for continuity. 

Thanksgiving 2024

This year, Bill and Brenda got to come up for almost an entire week!  They have a trailer that they improved into an RV.  It is comfortable enough for the dogs to spend their days in, and them to spend the nights, well, until we stayed below freezing for days in a row.

Before they arrived, I subbed and found the most apt Thanksgiving poem in a book at the twins' school.

The twins usurped all of Enisi's time the second they arrived!  They couldn't wait to show her all of the things we collected for her during the year.

All 5 had two days of school the week of Thanksgiving, so Monday night saw us all going up to the school for the twins' art show!

Grace showing off her art.

Juliet showing off her art.

Not the twins' art, but a very cool effect on the clay pumpkins! It maded them look really soft, but they were porous and rough to the touch.

For "friendsgiving" Grace wanted to bring sprite (so easy!) and Juliet wanted mashed potatoes (not so easy.)  But I made up 32 servings of mashed potatoes to deliver to school on Tuesday afternoon.  My girls are really good at gratitude though, so it was totally worth it!

All three Williams (II, IV, III) and Grace!

All my girls!

Billy's parents, very kindly, gave him one of their vehicles, a Cadillac XT5.  It's so fancy that I had to get instructions just to use the gear shift!  This meant a trip to the SOS, but with an appointment, our wait was minimal! 

Thanksgiving this year was paid for by my sister, since Billy hadn't yet started at his new job, so Bob Evans did the heavy lifting, and my mom helped me reheat the food, while Brenda entertained the children and Bill and Billy argued something political, or monetary, or something very important. ; )

In picture one we got Avia and Alice,

Picture two had Grace, Emily, and Enisi!  

No pictures with everyone, but Juliet did a good job, and made sure everyone had a handprint on the tablecloth!

By my calculations, I have 10 years left on this tablecloth, and by then we'll probably need a new table anyhow!

We sent some leftovers home with Avia for Sarah and Acea, so they could also enjoy some tasty Thanksgiving food!

Grace decked out our garden pumpkin for Thanksgiving!

 

Speaking of Grace, she was totally, 100% safe getting down the fire starter.

I finally got out my favorite Christmas decoration from my childhood, after 10 or so years of it being stored away, and found that it was wrapped in a wiggles sheet?!  Is this considered vintage yet?

And there he his!  The Santa with his cookies and toys!  I had to replace two of the bulbs in the cottage this year, but bought a 5 pack, so as the others burn out, I'll have replacements!

Once the Christmas decorations were out, and the pumpkin pie was gone, the whipped cream disappeared; has anyone seen it?

So strange; I guess some mysteries will never be solved.

On Friday, all of my crew, plus Bill and Brenda, loaded up and went to see Moana 2!  I enjoyed the solitude and got many projects done around the house!

They left early Saturday morning, but not too early, since we got some overnight snow, and the plows needed time to clear the roads.

Hopefully they'll be able to come more often with the new trailer!

later days

12-22-24 backdated for continuity. 

Thanksgiving

Bill and Brenda came up this year to celebrate Thanksgiving with us!  This year the tree lighting was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and it was pretty cold!

We had our big meal a few days early, so that they could make it back down to Texas for another meal with John's family.  Sadly, their new iteration of Gretchen and Savage did not take well to our house, so Bill and Brenda ended up in a motel for the time they were up here.  We still got to see them lots, just not at night.

We added another round of handprints to our tablecloth!  

I can't believe this is only the fourth year of the tablecloth, it feels like we've been doing it forever!!  It makes me so incredibly happy to see!

Grace made name tags so that everyone would know where to sit! = )

While they were here, we also did our Christmas exchange!

While getting out the Thanksgiving things, we found the wooden turkey maker!  I half thought I'd gotten rid of it, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it! = )  And that's one of the pumpkins from our garden!

We also unearthed the miniature accordion. Grace and Emily spent the longest with it, practicing until they learned the tune to "Happy Birthday!"  It's kind of a weird instrument, in that pulling out and pushing in while holding the same button are two different notes!   

I was stained by the paint from the table cloth.  My children would not accept the tall tale that I was pecked by the turkey that we had for thanksgiving!  = 0  lol.

By having our big meal before Thanksgiving, it allowed us to spend the entire day of actual Thanksgiving decorating for Christmas, which was lovely!

It was cold, but a lovely time, and we felt well rested heading into the Christmas season!

later days

edit: back dated for continuity 12-24-23