eighteen hours at eighteen-ten

i wasn't sure we'd make it, but we did!  a last-minute decision to pile the boys in the car & join my brother and his family at our parents' house was just the ticket for a long weekend.  of course, the first order of business is to see if anyone's taller than Uncle Jeff.  ah, nope.

Uncle Jeff & Samuel, who comes the closest.

 little cousins were happy to see big cousins;

big cousins were happy to see little cousins!

Samuel (18), Alex (11), Joseph (15), Sam (8), and my brother (age undisclosed)

~ lots of hanging out & good conversation ~

Jeff and Dad

 my cousin Anne and her family joined us for dinner!

the kiddie table (clockwise):  Alex (in front), Joseph, Samuel, Becca, Juliana, & Sam

 the adults got the living room and the fire :)

the non-blurry photo; however, i look a little distracted.

 ah, that's better!

it is not a family gathering without a celebration of some sort;

this time, we feted all the January birthdays!

(plus a bonus inclusion for Juliana's end-of-December one)

two of the birthday girls blow out the candles

 in addition to celebrating everything,

it is a requirement to pose very well for multiple photos.

Dad helps Sam & Juliana with cake while Mom takes a photo of my cousin Anne, her husband Alan, & Becca

 view from a helicopter parent

everyone likes a basket of toys

  (and this is how you get a helicopter photo if you are short)

(photo credit: my brother)

Alex and the marble maze

 and, then, there was the game of musical chairs.
eventually, everyone got a turn on the red couch.

Mom and Dad

Samantha and my sister-in-law, Kelly

Samuel and Nana

Samantha & my brother, Jeff

oh, and then there's all the piano-playing . . .

the pianists: Jeff, Joseph, & Sam (and my mom, in absentia)

dueling pianists

collaborating for the win

AND THEN IT SNOWED!!!

here's the view from my parents' front porch

anyone else know why we should leave?

it's so C O Z Y here

and there are more conversations to be had

and toys to play with

 not sure who was more excited to get out the Ginny dolls,
me or my niece.

(the dolls were, originally, my mother's and her sister's)

they sure have gotten a lot older (unlike us).

it required some very careful playing to explore

the brittle clothes and accessories.

~ such fond memories of playing with these dolls ~

(so, back to all the reasons we should not leave)

like...hugs to give and receive

but a football playoff game was calling on our way-too-big television back at home, so we piled back into the car & headed out of town.....with, of course, a stop at Neomonde's for our kind of football food.....

everywhere i go.  the siren call of the octopus.

 the train tracks run along Hillsborough Street & were in use as we drove out of town.

train & octopus in the snow

 

 the last stop. always.