The L-O-N-G Weekend

We are all tuckered out.

Yes that's the vacuum tube on his stomach.

The vacuum is on. He slept through it.

His father did it.

I wasn't home.

I think we survived the weekend unscathed. We did stay up until 2 AM, not one, but two nights (I wasn't even blogging!). The kids too.

Not.

We are getting older, but not much wiser, so it seems. And apparently with age comes redundancy, so it seems. We did not get to go to Hawaii like this person does every. other. year. Try not to hate her, she's really nice and my bff since 8th grade. Before texting and bff's, so it seems.

Anyway, we did turkey at my in-laws'. Since we had a smaller group than the usual 50 we have with my family and the common-sensical paper plates, I tried to play Eddie Ross. (I took baby steps, Martha.) (Eddie works for Martha.) (And she comments on his blog.) (Whoa.) (Well, I'm pretty sure it was her, but I couldn't actually check, so don'tquoteme.)

My centerpiece before Little Miss Sassy Pants came.

I think I love burlap. Because I'm so classy.

I wanted Mason jars at my wedding. Maybe Lex will let me use them at hers.

After she brought her acorns. Not a huge difference, but I'm learning here.

Our father-in-law's signature table setting. (With Sassy Pants' charger.)

Look hard, what's wrong with the picture?

It's all about convenience. Don't mess with us.

I made fancy drink.

It was cranberries garnished with beverage. It was supposed to be the other way around until I dumped Maine's entire harvest from this year into the bowl. I did it before I added the liquid so I wouldn't get splashed, but it's hard to guess proportions.

That's Mr Sassy Pants Jr. who got stuck with Barbie because Mr Destructo got the one Star Wars plate.

Lexie found a game. Her dad's excited to play it. They never figured out the rules. This Game is Bonkers has been kid-tested, mother disapproved, and scatters all over the floor really well.

This is Mexican Train Dominos. Prepare to burn your eyes out of their sockets. It's fun. I actually beat Mr Sassy Pants Sr. He always wins. Well, actually, his wife won, but I came in 2nd and smoked him. Sort of.

I have realized one of my life's great ambitions. I can die now. But I'm too lazy. And don't want to. I have to see what the Nester's up to.

Mr Destructo got into the wood-burning stove downstairs.

That was luckily not burning any wood.


The cousins played.
Yes Mr Destructo is in a girl's baby stroller.
With his younger i.e. smaller cousin pushing him.


Tiny Miss Sassy Pants chillin' with her peeps. I love it when they spit out their binks.


We took some photos of the brothers and their babies. Except that's the single (available) brother-in-law holding my baby. He only has a cat named Baby. That opted to stay at home. Thank goodness.


I tried for a new profile picture, but had jaundice. And I am always holding that baby.

And apparently have big wrinkles under my eye. Note to self, get new make-up. And go to bed before 2 AM.
And
New life ambition: get profile pic without S-man.


Took more brother picture's.

Single Brother adores Mr Sassy Pants Sr. He kept doing that!
I think Single Brother just wants to hold the baby and is telling Mr Sassy Pants Sr with his eyes.


More pictures of oldish bald men.
And two thrilledish babies.

Mr Destructo and Mr Sassy Pants Jr were awfully quiet while everyone was upstairs taking pictures?
Mr Destructo recruited.

And they got into the fireplace again.
(Mr Sassy Pants Jr was a little hungry I guess.)


The clean up: Mr Destructo has to be outnumbered--look at him holding up his hands like a criminal.

That was our cue.
We left soon after.
We had a lot of fun.

Sorry, my family, that we never showed up.

You ate pie without us anyway.

Sacrilege.

Next year I so want to play walking basketball. I really do.

Christy and Brandon, you know you want to come to our side again so we can hang out more.

The day after Thanksgiving my cousin got married. I forgot the salad dressing for my wedding-dinner-offering and we were pushing it to be on time before we had to go back for Kraft Raspberry Vinaigrette Light and totally missed the ceremony. So did one of my other cousins and his little family. And the cousin getting married? His brother totally fell asleep on the couch in the foyer and missed the whole thing too.

The cousin about to cut the cake is a Marine, if you didn't guess.I was not one of the photographers.

That's a fourth cousin holding his big fancy new Nikon D60 SLR that stands for Something Looking Really fancy that takes awesome pictures. I guess it's a Nikon D60 SLRFTTAP.

I have so many cousins. The mystery to disposable goods at Thanksgiving is solved.

My cousins' (another one) cute little daughter who always snags the flowers. Smart girl.


Amongst all the weekend's excitement, I harbored dreams of getting the hovel decorated for Christmas.
We got the tree up. It's making it's debut this year. It's bigger than the old one.
I thought it would be bringing more lights. Whatever.
We started decorating it.
With 7 ornaments, 7 strings of beads (we're all about beads, I also harbor hippie dreams), and it was attributed with 7 muttered-under-the-breath swear words. It's a heavy tree.
Nothing is sacred. Hello? S-man?! No touchie. See that blurb on the floor? It's the clicker that turns the lights on and off.
He already figured it out.
This picture looks familiar...
I have pictures of Mr D doing almost the same thing, but they wouldn't upload.

I made so much progress with the rest of the sty.
Hmm.
Wow.
The desk just vomited all that stuff. I've never seen it before. Two monitors? What two monitors?!
Packrat? What packrat?!
(Melissa--that's one of your baby's garlands on the back of that chair--what do you think so far?)
Breathtaking.

And just the look I was going for.
Georgeous.
The bathroom rug drying on a chair just completes it.
And we had a kidnapping.
Apparently the sheep got in the way.
I promise I don't have a fluorescent light bulb in the lamp right above it.
We've put out several Amber alerts and interrupted lots of bube-tube viewing, but to no avail. Good thing I'm a packrat and have like 13 other nativities.
Oh well, at least I already mailed out our family newsletter.
Don't hate me, I emailed it.
Try it, you might love it like I do.
Oh, and make that 3 nights until 2 AM. With early church. I am so smart.