Tuesday, September 4, 2007

... and the weekend comes to an end

Sunday - Matthew's third birthday party - a cookout and Greg and Amy's house - burgers, dogs, barbequed chicken! WONDERFUL!

Matthew, of course, got tons of presents! The thing that surprised me the most was how well he shared his new things. It seemed as if there were almost as many kids there as there were adults at the party. And the little ones all wanted to play with Matthew's new toys (Josh and Tyler weren't all that interested in the bubble-blowing lawnmower). And Matthew shared! No tears - no "MINE!!!" - he just shared. There were some things he wanted first, but he really did share all his new stuff. He is such a sweeeeeet child! I'm especially fond of his squeezy-neck hugs! Luckily for me, he's more than generous with those! :)

The food was terrific! I'm always amazed at how easily Greg can cook for 20 - 30 people. I guess all those afternoons watching Yan Can Cook when Greg was small, really helped. It's interesting to me that he always found cooking fascinating. Julia Child was a favorite too, but she came later and Greg wasn't as dedicated to Julia as he was to Yan. He rarely missed an episode of Yan Can Cook. This past Sunday we were all the beneficiaries of Greg's interest in cooking!

Again, the whole gang was there. Kate was soooooo good. What a happy baby! And Bryce? Bryce seems to love being "the show". When it was cake-and-ice-cream time, all the kids were an icing mess, but Bryce was actually icing art work. He painted his face with icing (and his hair - and his ears - and... and... and... )! It's his turn for a birthday next week. It'll be interesting to see if he remembers Sunday's paint-with-icing sesssion and repeats it. :)

Gregory and Alex visited me on the deck for a hug and some quick conversation. On the first day of school, I gave them each a coupon for dinner at Cheeburger Cheeburger with me. I asked Gregory on Sunday if he and Alex were going to go together, or if they'd prefer to go to dinner separately. Gregory told me he thought they needed some separation time. That works for me. In fact, I'd prefer it. I'd love to spend more time with them - one at a time - to get to know them better.

AND... the new puppy (Bubba - although the puppy's name seemed to still be in the negotiation phase) was really good at the party. He's such a calm puppy - doesn't rattle easily - not one bit nervous with all the people. This is their fourth try at having a dog. I'm hoping that this one is the charm. This definitely seems to be the best puppy they've had. Plus the kids are older AND Josh and Tyler are around to help. Good vibes!

Monday looked like it was going to be a slow, lazy day - nothing going on. BUT Richard and Julie called to say they were going to Jimmy's for lunch and to invite Michael and me to meet them there. We were ready to go in 5 minutes and hurried over for an unexpected Monday treat! Kate, as usual was wonderful. She's just darling! Julie fed her baby peaches (as fast as Kate could swallow the previous spoonful). If Julie hesitated, Kate let her know she needed to get back to it! Fun! The three of them are SO happy.

What a great way to end a fantastic weekend!

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