When a son is one

Wait just one minute

Guess what. We had another birthday party since I saw you last.

Not another birthday party! You may be thinking. But yes.

We had a rollicking good time

(When the immediate family tots up to eighteen in number and we have birthdays in every month except November, it's inevitable and those parties aren't going to throw themselves.)

This time it was for our Baby Elliot a/k/a Skippy, who turned one year old the Saturday before last.

We celebrated our Skippy on his first birthday

At one month younger than Baby Guy, Skippy is the youngest of our eight grandchildren.

(BTW his parents do not call him Skippy. Mostly that's me, Audrey, and Dagny. But Cherica have not issued a cease and desist order, so we keep doing it. If you knew Elliot, you'd know how much Skippy suits him.)

His adoring mama made his cake at home

His party was held on his actual birthday, at Cherica's place. 

Due to that being the weekend when Hurricane Helene caused significant damage and power outages in our area, Erica was obliged to revamp her menu.

Erica saw to all of the details for her baby's party

That was because so many stores were closed due to having no power, and she had a grocery order in at one of them but the store was unable to fulfill it.

The power at Cherica's house had been restored the night before though, and she had frozen pizzas to heat up, and I made macaroni and cheese and we had chips and popcorn and a homemade cake, and it was enough.

The party's theme was the color blue

The theme that his mother had chosen for Elliot's party was the color blue.

We all wore blue and there were blue snacks and blue balloons and paper lanterns, and other decorations.

I did not know that Jello made candy

The cake was chocolate (white on the inside and ever so delectably moist), so Erica stenciled a one on top, with blue sanding sugar.

She then popped a cursive-written one into the cake.

Naturally there was a gift table

Elliot's single candle was in his smash cake, which was actually a cupcake.

He is a foodie and a chow hound, and after he'd devoured his lunch, his eyes got big and round when he saw his mother bringing that cupcake in his direction.

Skippy be like whaaaaat

We sang to him and blew out the candle and took the paper off the cupcake, and he went to town on it.

Later we had his present-opening time and that was a big success too.

Knoppers are bussin'

TG and I got him a pounding bench and if a video that Erica sent me last week is any indication, he's partial to it. He just takes the hammer and pounds away and then turns it over himself, to pound the shapes down again from the other side.

We love classic toys.

Dreams do come true

He got a Push 'n' Pop Bulldozer from his Aunt Stephanie, and an oversized dimple fidget toy from his Aunt Audrey, and some outfits, and many other things that he seems to be enjoying.

We're having another big party this coming Friday, and I'll tell you all about that next week.

I think I'm in love

It's not for a birthday; it's to do with our Audrey's wedding which will take place four weeks hence.

I am in the thick of preparations for that, as you might imagine. All of our decorations, both for the church and the reception, are homemade.

Not bad for store-bought

Or shall I say Pirate-made.

Speaking of the wedding, several days ago we had an event/activity having to do with that occasion, and it turned out to be so special that it was rather over the top.

This is a bit of all right

I wish I could tell you all about it but I cannot because it wouldn't be fun to do that without being able to show you pictures.

And yes, there are pictures, but the reason I can't show them to you is because they involve the bride-to-be wearing her wedding dress.

Can I have two of these next year?

Naturally only a few people can see that before the wedding day, and we cannot put it online because Mike might peek.

But after the wedding, I promise I'll tell you the story, with pictures, and I promise that it will warm the cockles of your heart.

All set to open my presents now

Whatever those are.

One last bit of news is that our Rizzo, my cherished nine-year-old rescue Chiweenie (chihuahua-dachshund mix), spent yesterday at the vet.

Working on my hand-eye coordination

He needed some dental work. Many hours and several hundred dollars later, I retrieved my dog, who could walk but was still woozy from sedation.

Dr. Chambers had been obliged to pull several of the Rizz Man's teeth, and I guess I'm going to have to start brushing my dog's choppers lest he lose the rest of them.

A guy can always use one of these

I'm trying to imagine Rizzo allowing me to brush his teeth. Not coming up with anything.

I've been promised by the veterinarian that when I take Rizzo back in ten days for a checkup on his dental treatment, I'll be given a tutorial on dog teeth brushing. And they'll likely try to sell me something too.

Ah well. He's my beloved canine unit and it's all right.

Rizzo

In closing let me say that our prayers are one hundred percent with the residents of the State of Florida, who are in peril at the present moment and possibly for many days and weeks to come.

May God bless and help them, and may He bless and preserve our nation, and deliver her from enemies both foreign and domestic.

Especially domestic.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Thursday