Time Passages

Birthday Girl with her Parents

I haven’t written in a while due to granddaughter induced delight which is becoming a recurring weekend event, to my intense satisfaction. Taking a page out of her father’s book the BRS is celebrating multiple birthday parties for her initial effort in that arena. Her father accomplished this because his July birthday usually coincided with one of our many summer household moves during my military service. He would have a birthday party at the place we were leaving, the place were going to and usually one each at his two grandparent locations visited during the move. The BRS is steadily approaching her February date of birth and Saturday marked the first party to commemorate that momentous occasion.

Great Aunt, Soxfather, ABFA Mom, and my Son

Keene Friend Couldn't Figure Out how to Keep His Finger out of Photo

We’ll be celebrating again down in Panama in a couple weeks and I’m  sure there’ll be additional events over the next couple weeks as the actual day passes. My Favorite Panamanian is marshaling the familial forces in Panama to have a big fête to mark not only the BRS’ first birthday but also her own as well as (obviously) her twin sister’s. The BRS followed in the FBR’s footsteps by arriving four days before one of her grandparent’s birthday. The FBR did this for mine and the BRS for my wife. It’ll make remembering birthdays so much easier as we ease into dotage.

See What I Mean

Sent him to Back Rank on Left

Our Gang

Here was a great turnout for this first party up at the BRS homestead. Great Aunt, Soxfather, Keene Friend, and many of the parents’’ college friends were on hand as well as the accompanying peer generation for the BRS. One of the coolest thing about the day was seeing the remarkable group of friends both my Favorite Son and the ABFA developed over the years now appearing with kids of their own.

Birthday Girl

With her Dad

Party Chaos

Those crazy kids who played beer pong in our backyard in Charlton seemingly yesterday were now responsible adults chasing after their own kids. While it did bring some immediate notice of how old I was getting it left me with a profound sense of generational passage. Here was my youngest child celebrating his own child’s birthday surrounded by these all too excellent friends with their own children. If nothing else it gave me optimism about the future as this next gen bunch is singularly blessed with their parents.

Next Gen Excellence

The BRS exhibited her usual social aplomb while surrounded by the seething mass of humanity assembled to honor her. She stayed awake for the entire day and was in a great mood for the duration. She handled the birthday cake with a tentative first dip and then dove in when the sweet taste registered. The parents decreed she was a little too young to wield Bonecrusher so the family broadsword had the day off. I was able to live stream the cake immersion to my wife down in Panama where my Favorite Panamanian engaged in serial cooing.

Ready for her Closeup

Whoah! That Tatses Good!!!

The Subsequent Dive

Briefly Came up for Air

Riggins reveled in all the attention he received although he also took advantage of the screen all the people offered. He set about pillaging the ball pit since so many of the balls were exiting the pit and rendered several hors de combat. His biggest moment came when, for the first time in his life, he went counter climbing and tasted his first ever piece of pizza. Somewhere over the rainbow bridge Buddy the Wonder Pooch smiled down at his antics. If Riggins wants to survive to attend future events (given my son’s reaction to this) he should be a little more stealthy.

Time with Nana

Riggins Sizing up the Target Rich Environs
Keen Friend and I Along with ABFA Parents on Couch

The party wound down later in the afternoon as those charged with young‘uns of their own fell victim to scheduled nap times and sundry other child rearing requirements. This left a very nice spell for those attendees from my generation, thoroughly unencumbered in that area for the past few decades, to spend a much quieter time with the BRS, her parents, and each other.  Since all good things eventually have to end this august group eventually had to leave for their own homes and I was the sole remaining party guest.

Dad Hangs

Late Night Audience

My son and the ABFA handled that fate with a predictable amount of grace. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with them on a more personal level. I ended up binge watching with my son a new NETFLIX series he was anxious for me to see, called You. It was a very dark comedy that take you into the mind of a very capable stalker who evolves into a serial killer (I did say very dark). I enjoyed it so much that I promptly spent all of Sunday afternoon back home watching the rest of the series.

Two Beautiful Ladies

And Two More

Walking with Grandpa on Sunday

Breaking Fast

Happy Girl

Happier Grandpa

Before I made that Sunday drive home though I spent breakfast with the rejuvenated BRS straight off her successful initial birthday experience. We all thought/hoped the exhaustion from the party would render a full night of uninterrupted sleep but she was demanded a forty minute audience with her parents around 1am. She was still chipper for breakfast though. I held her hands and she walked completely around the first floor which leads me to believe she could be walking on her own by the time she arrives in Panama in a couple weeks.

FBR Nails

The FBR was pursuing her own devices down in New Jersey over the weekend. She got her nails done which I’m sure made a certain Panamanian very happy as they could compare notes on yet another subject. My daughter and Wingman took her to Wingman’s new restaurant for Sunday brunch where the FBR promptly took over a cubby next to the bar as her own personal kitchen and began taking orders for everyone present at her usual pell-mell speed.

Peeking from her Cubby

Slowly Emerging

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues