Two perfect days
#1 I tried to make Adam's high school graduation May 20, 2006 a memorable and special day for him. His dad and grandparents made the journey from Nebraska, and since he didn't invite any friends to the celebration, we let Cal have some friends come over, which was a thrill for them, as it turned out.
The ceremony was scheduled for 7:30 pm so we started the party officially at 3:00. The menu and recipes were planned well in advance to accomodate Adam's special tastes and cut down on my stress. Grandma Tuttle brought her famous Italian Beef in a crock pot. I had Sahlen's hot dogs flown in from Buffalo (well, overnighted). My last minute indulgence, and I'm glad I did it, was Jumbo King Crab Legs. Everything was delicious and everyone ate at their own pace.
After the food, Adam opened up the many cards he received. I presented him with a scrapbbook of his school years, made with love. Next was the Parlor Games. We were all sitting in a big cirle in the living room. Dad had given me this idea one day a few weeks earlier with tales of his youth and old fashioned games they played when he was a kid. We started with a "trick" where I went out of the room and nine magazines were placed on the floor. I had to guess which one the group had picked by how dad pointed at the magazines. I had somehow misunderstood the directions, but randomly guessed right the first two times. On the third attempt I screwed up, and we had a squabble in the other room about how it worked. Then Gary attempted the guess, and Carter, and no one could quite get it. Finally Dad revealed the secret forumula. We played "I never..." which Carter got everyone on, "I never ate Chinese food." We had a levitation game where someone stood on a skateboard blindfolded. We tricked them into thinking they were lifted way up off the ground, and then told to jump off. Carter again was the star with his dramatic jump of a few inches. Betsy led another blindfolded game of trying to scoop up the most cottonballs with a spoon.
#2 In early August the whole family was here. On Saturday evening we had a cook out at Spring Lake where Chris and his family were staying in the RV. The kids did some fishing, catching nothing and having a hard time sharing two poles between five kids. Michael got a little lost on the way home from fishing, but luckily I don't think he knew it.
We had hot dogs and salads for dinner, which no one was able to micromange. The kids all dragged a heavy picnic table across a field, like a bunch of ants transporting a large cookie crumb.
A hysterical moment came when the kids started sucking their stomachs in with their shirts off. Ethan was the winner of that one. He looked like a starving child of Africa (before the stomach bloats out). Each rib and some parts I didn't know existed were prominently displayed. We got lots of photographs which I haven't seen yet, by the way.
The kids played at the playground, swinging high and flinging their flip flops over the play structure. They played soccer well after dark, with Grace joining in. They were having a ball and drilling each other relentlessly. Grace helped Megan find the unusual items in the homemade Find Its. Ethan spilled one of the jars, necessitating a new item, grass, be added to the list.
Brother in law Chuck and niece Laura were the only family members missing. It was a very relaxed, pleasant way to spend time together.
The ceremony was scheduled for 7:30 pm so we started the party officially at 3:00. The menu and recipes were planned well in advance to accomodate Adam's special tastes and cut down on my stress. Grandma Tuttle brought her famous Italian Beef in a crock pot. I had Sahlen's hot dogs flown in from Buffalo (well, overnighted). My last minute indulgence, and I'm glad I did it, was Jumbo King Crab Legs. Everything was delicious and everyone ate at their own pace.
After the food, Adam opened up the many cards he received. I presented him with a scrapbbook of his school years, made with love. Next was the Parlor Games. We were all sitting in a big cirle in the living room. Dad had given me this idea one day a few weeks earlier with tales of his youth and old fashioned games they played when he was a kid. We started with a "trick" where I went out of the room and nine magazines were placed on the floor. I had to guess which one the group had picked by how dad pointed at the magazines. I had somehow misunderstood the directions, but randomly guessed right the first two times. On the third attempt I screwed up, and we had a squabble in the other room about how it worked. Then Gary attempted the guess, and Carter, and no one could quite get it. Finally Dad revealed the secret forumula. We played "I never..." which Carter got everyone on, "I never ate Chinese food." We had a levitation game where someone stood on a skateboard blindfolded. We tricked them into thinking they were lifted way up off the ground, and then told to jump off. Carter again was the star with his dramatic jump of a few inches. Betsy led another blindfolded game of trying to scoop up the most cottonballs with a spoon.
#2 In early August the whole family was here. On Saturday evening we had a cook out at Spring Lake where Chris and his family were staying in the RV. The kids did some fishing, catching nothing and having a hard time sharing two poles between five kids. Michael got a little lost on the way home from fishing, but luckily I don't think he knew it.
We had hot dogs and salads for dinner, which no one was able to micromange. The kids all dragged a heavy picnic table across a field, like a bunch of ants transporting a large cookie crumb.
A hysterical moment came when the kids started sucking their stomachs in with their shirts off. Ethan was the winner of that one. He looked like a starving child of Africa (before the stomach bloats out). Each rib and some parts I didn't know existed were prominently displayed. We got lots of photographs which I haven't seen yet, by the way.
The kids played at the playground, swinging high and flinging their flip flops over the play structure. They played soccer well after dark, with Grace joining in. They were having a ball and drilling each other relentlessly. Grace helped Megan find the unusual items in the homemade Find Its. Ethan spilled one of the jars, necessitating a new item, grass, be added to the list.
Brother in law Chuck and niece Laura were the only family members missing. It was a very relaxed, pleasant way to spend time together.
posted by susan d at 10:12 AM
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