Tag Archives: Viv

Mother’s Day 2017

Desmond accompanying mom to her gifts and cards, near her Mother’s Day lilac bush

Eleanor’s flowers to mom

Cousins, chilling on the playground at the farmers market

Side effect of trying to grow grass: puddle splashing before lunch out on the deck

Liam and Viv look on as Des plays his first pinball with mom

Furious crayon action

While trimming fingernails after bath time, Des’ squirrel joins the already busy front yard (lots of robins feeding their adolescents with the abundance of damp soil). With the walnuts close at hand, his squirrel gets quite the dinner.

After patiently sitting through several minutes of his request for mom to read her non-profit book to him, Desmond eventually surrendered and accepted her offer to resume reading The Princess Bride.

April 29th, 2017

Facetiming with ma and his cousins

Sibling love, or, Ella strangling Des

DJ Drools-A-Lot

Dinner out despite the rain, Eleanor enjoys a thumb appetizer

At the play area after dinner, balancing equally running around and slides with the screen playing penguin B-roll.

“Spin!”

April 15th, 2017

Desmond finding new ways to get stuck under furniture. At least it was less crying this time.

Cousin love

Ella exploring new heights and toys

After brunch, the cousins popped out on the deck to see the chicken’s they could clearly hear while eating

A bit later inside, the front door was heard closing while Liam and Viv were in plain site. About 30 seconds later, it registered with dad’s classroom management spidey-sense that “door + cousins visible = des somewhere unknown.” Scurrying out the front door and jogging right to the backyard, a gate was seen standing open. Des had made a run for it. Pushing further into the backyard, everyone finds that Desmond (on the lamb) had also jailbroken the chickens from their pen. Shown here is Desmond and his accomplices looking up at the onlookers on the deck above- all looking down in astonishment in what he had accomplished in under two minutes.

Desmond, ever the big helper, assisting Liam with corralling the chickens back in the coop

Des temporarily commandeering a game of Stinky Pig

Unaware of the recent shenanigans, Ella hangs out with pa after her nap

All smiles

After nap time and the storm clouds pass, it’s time for a picnic with the Sobczyk’s at Stinson Park. Des and Ernie steer the playground

Abruptly warm, the kids were eager to run free

…and seek out puddles to jump in.

Dotty, Ernie and Des looking down at the alligators resting below (?)

Massive bubbles to chase and pop

…we all fall down

Lots of open space to just run

When two huggers say good-bye…

Eleanor sitting up by herself, seconds before falling backward

March 31st, 2017

Des wasting no time getting down to business upon arrival at daycare

Des hoping to be designated spinner for Candy Land with the cousins

Christmas 2016

Christmas morning began at 6:47am. Des wasn’t quite ready to start the day, so he lounged in mom and dad’s bed for a while, then watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the third time this season while the lightning storm passed. About an hour later, he was ready to shuffle downstairs and see what Santa brought. Or go get a pretzel.

All things “rocket ship!”

Des balanced being very thankful with wonder and distraction. About right for a toddler.

Eleanor slept through most of the morning activities, but woke up in time for breakfast

Desmond was most enthralled by his new train set

Assembling and reassembling, then further reassembling

After waking up from his nap at ma and pa’s house, Des was ready for round two. Proudly holding the R2-D2 ornament from aunt Megan, Viv, and Liam’s recent trip to Disney World.

The rainstorms continued, with 25mph wind gusts

More swirly, light-up toys

Ella relaxing with aunt megan

Playing with Liam’s new race cars and trying to bump each other’s riders off. “OVERBOARD!”

Back home, Des shows off his train to grandma

Ella, before everyone was just tuckered out.

A wonderful Christmas together, the first as a foursome.

December 23rd, 2016

Off from Daycare, Des spends the day with Viv, Liam, ma, and pa

Eleanor finds a snuggle friend, Buddy, ma and pa’s new puppy

A Shreffler tradition, making pretzels (dough) with dad

Mom’s fancy stand mixer makes it a breeze!

Getting every last bit. “Yummy!”

After everyone is asleep, dad works on this year’s “some assembly required” gifts

Union Hall Christmas

Everyone met at pa’s union hall to continue the tradition seeing Santa Claus. Desmond has only seen the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer since last seeing Santa a few weeks ago, but we’ve been talking him up.

Des decides just one grandchild on grandma’s lap isn’t enough

Eagerly waiting, which was notably streamlined this year with family numbers and reduced line time

Des still shy. If you look closely, that thumbs-up appears to be sarcastic

Aunt Megan and Ella

Yup, mostly slept

Hamming it up for ma

After unwrapping his new set of cars, Viv and Des instinctively got down from the table and paraded them, hand-in-hand. The sheer cuteness was apparently a distraction, as the two rounded the corner before any parent thought best to go get them 😉

Des unwraps—and immediately bogarts—his sister’s present. To be fair, the blanket outsized him, let alone her.

It was also a frog blanket, possibly establishing an annual theme.

November 6th, 2016

Saturday morning everyone met up at great-grandma Kathy’s house.

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Apparently it was story time