Birthdaypalooza

Okay. I think I’m just about recovered from a weekend celebrating birthdays over and over again. You gotta love that about birthdays. Even when they’re not yours, there’s a reason to celebrate. Both my mother-in-law (Friday) and Keene Friend (Sunday) had birthdays this past weekend which we felt honor bound to recognize. Our First Friday Family Facetime morphed into a Deckzilla gathering of neighbors and friends to mark my Favorite Panamanian’s mom’s special day that continued after the sun fell. The temperatures “plunged” into the high 60s so all the Panamanians (and a few gringos) had to don some warmer clothes (in the Army we called it (“snivel gear”). Nothing slowed down the fun times though as the Neighborhood Mafioso and other neighbors and members of the Latin Mafia joined in to celebrate my mother-in-law. A fabulous night, spent with good friends.

4 Generation Span of Beauty

Saturday brought with it the need for additional loin girding as we welcomed my Favorite Son’s family as well as some more family, friends and neighbors to mark not only Friday’s birthday girl but also Keene Friend who journeyed down to join us. The BRS was still in her gymnastics uniform from her early Saturday morning and didn’t want to take it off all day. She eventually acquiesced to putting on some pajamas at bed time. She demonstrated somersaults throughout the day. BR3, fresh off her first week in toddler class, with the bumps and bruises to prove it, was her usual enigmatic self. She’s taken to putting her hand into the collar of whatever shirt she has on and leaving it there. I call it her Napoleon pose.

Friday Night Deckzilla

Mafioso with Mom in Law

Lots of Laughter

Cake Time

We were finally able to get both of my son’s daughters to cast their hands in concrete in my style challenged fireplace, joining the FBR’s handprints from a couple years ago. There is room for more. Just saying. The rest of the day sped by as it is wont to do when good friends and people gather. The FBR called into video chat and I could tell she really wanted to be part of the action. She starts school today though and her school has some strict pandemic rules which would have meant she would have to quarantine for two weeks if she’d traveled out of state; not the way she wanted to start her school career.

Granddaughters are in the House!

Grandpa Rides

BR3 Fierce Face

Saturday Gathering

Son Searing

Abuela on the Job

Extra Special People

Throughout the day that I kept thinking I had to remember something that was said or the granddaughters did to write for the blog. Unfortunately, as is bound to happen, adult beverages were in play with the usual boost in consumption rates when I’m surrounded by so many good people. I do remember the BRS commenting on the fact that she is growing very fast now and should be considered a big girl. We had another birthday cake ceremony where the BRS ably assisted Keene Friend in blowing out the candles and securing a bit of frosting in payment for her efforts. Great Aunt and Soxfather were present although Great Aunt had taken a scary tumble earlier in the day. Nothing would prevent her from joining in the fun though. It’s how she rolls.

Sisters on the Swing

BRS Helping Keene Friend with Cake

BR3 in Napoleon Mode

Dead animal flesh was seared on the grill by the family grill-meister, Favorite Son, and did I mention that a few beers might have gone downrange? After most of the debris had been cleaned up and the granddaughters consigned to their bed times Keene Friend, my Son, and I retired to the Man Cave to watch a horror movie (a favorite shared pastime). The wives didn’t join us. The ABFA thinks even Bambi is too disturbing to watch and my wife draws her line  at impalements, so, no horror movies for them. It really felt like old times having the three of us together watching carnage on screen. We were even treated to the almost unheard-of experience of seeing Keene Friend awake at 11pm. Shocking in itself, but it was his birthday.

BRS Helping Abuela with Hojaldras

More Grandpa Rides

BR3 is Determined to Take Riggins for a Walk

Riggins, Not so Much

Sunday was bittersweet because it brought the departure of my son’s family. We executed the requisite hojaldra breakfast because the BRS would have it no other way. I made the mistake of showing BR3 how much fun it was to have Grandpa lift her up like she was jumping very high. Thirty or forty times later I realized how much bigger she’s gotten but she’d lost no interest in stopping. I counted this as the day’s workout. By the time they left my arms were jellied. Just before they departed, we lined them up to the granddaughter growth measurement chart and found both ratified the BRS’ comment about growing. Way too fast!

Grandpa May Have Been Tired but so were the Ladies

Photos from Ride Home

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn