This week we had a special set of visitors: Grandma and Pepe. Grandma came up on Wednesday evening to enjoy a day at the spa with Mom on Thursday.  Pepe took to the rail lines and joined us on Thursday. On Friday our Princess enjoyed a "Mother-Daughter" birthday party for one of her friends.  That was ok with Mr H as SuperNanny and Baby Julia took him to see Dad for a "Boys Lunch".  Saturday was filled with fun. Grandboogie came over and all of us (minus Pepe) went to a preschool festival hosted by our church.  That evening the adults parted ways for different events: Mom and Dad dressed up like cowpokes and went to the Cowford Ball (American Cancer Society Fundraiser), while Grandma and Pepe went to the local dinner theater.  By Sunday we were worn out by all the fun!

Pepe and Grandma came to our home for Thanksgiving weekend.  On Thanksgiving morning we were delighted to have a new kitchen to play with in our family room.  Our friends the Kato's and Fullerton's came over for some pre-Thankgiving cheer.  The adults had Bloody Mary's in honor of Grandpa.  Grandboogie came over with the stuffing, greens and gravy (Yum!).  She gave us a nativity scene which has moved all over the house. Uncle Chuckie was not able to join us but sent pies over (Thanks!).  Bono's did a great job with the Turkey.  Mom and Grandma  did a great job with the rest. After Pepe put his carving skills to work we feasted! We had a great Thanksgiving! On Friday Pepe visited the Beach,  Dad battled the Black Friday crowds while Mom and Grandma took us to a hands on museum.  We had a blast. On Saturday we went to our local art and vegetable market. That night Dad and Mom took out Pepe and Grandma to Mortons to celebrate their anniversary.  We finished off the weekend by picking out our tree and going to our church's Crismon service.  Enjoy the pictures:

Thanksgiving Weekend Pictures

Click Here for all of our weekend Photos on Flickr

Our family gets together every September for a beach weekend.  This year we returned to the Sirata.  We chose to stay on the resort grounds for the weekend. On Friday night Pepe and Grandma hosted us at the on-site restaurant (Thanks!).  After a very nice dinner we returned to their room and celebrated Ed's birthday. The next morning we awoke to rain. We were determined not to let the rain spoil our day.  After a bit of arm twisting Twin Mom convinced us to splash around in the rain. Later that day while the twins took a nap the big folks paddleboarded in the gulf with the manatees and dolphins.  We had a nice visit with the Carlson side of the family who spent time in the water with us and even hosted the pizza party that night (Thanks Uncle Karl!). Later that evening we celebrated Cousin Carter and Aunt Heather's Birthdays. Cousin Carter got a Huffy Bike from Grandma and Pepe! The weather was beautiful on Sunday morning so we splashed away in the pool before departing. Grandma sent us off with sandwiches which were yummy. We can't wait for our  return next year!

St Pete Beach 2009

The three videos are of the rascals swimming

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Cousin Carter

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Henry

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Kate

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On Wednesday Mom had her last birthday in her 30's.   To kick off the day Mr. H fell on his face and broke a front tooth.  He will be ok.  Mom did some therapy by getting a manicure. For dinner we celebrated at the Mellow Mushroom a pizza restaurant. SuperNanny II helped us get cupcakes to celebrate with Mom. Mom opened some gifts and we ate the cupcakes. The next day Grandma and Pepe came to our house to help Mom celebrate.  That evening Uncle Mel, Aunt Heather and Cousin Carter arrived for the celebration. We had a nice family meal followed by gifts. Cousin Carter scored a pair of alligator crocs just like ours! Friday started with a home cooked breakfast, compliments of Aunt Heather. Then we were off to the club for swimming. Cousin Carter sure is brave. He wore out the slide at the pool.  After naps we cleaned up and headed out for a Fiesta at our local Mexican Restaurant. A birthday celebration would not be complete without Sombreros and Tequila. We tried to get in some racing at the gokart track but were rained out. We played in the rain and had a blast. That night we ate Mom's one day old cake. July 4th started with another home cooked meal followed by some fun at the GoKart track. Even Mom and Aunt Heather gave it a whirl. We did some swimming at the pool and then said goodbye to Aunt Heather, Uncle Mel and Cousin Carter. That night we helped Dad cook up the Hamburgers on his Dad's grill. The night went out with a bang as we watched  fireworks. On Sunday we went to church, swam  at the pool and had a picnic lunch. That evening Grandma surprised us with a meal of crab and shrimp.....Yummy!   As you can see Mom does not just have a birthday she has a birth extended weekend! We can't wait to do it again next year when Mom celebrates her first anniversary of her 39th birthday.