Halloween Party at The Letts House

Games...

Food...
Blood?

18 moms and kids came over this past Wednesday to celebrate Halloween, Letts-style. We had so much fun, but I am exhausted! Check out these amazing costumes. Even some of the moms dressed up!

Evan was a chicken. He did a good job of sharing his very favorite toy, his lawnmower. But, seriously, how could a chicken stand up to a monster like Leo-stein?

These were the Storm Fighters: Spiderman & Rocky Raccoon. They played outside the entire time, protecting the rest of us from storms. Alex looks fairly tough here, but it seems Owen is being devoured by a giant raccoon.

Evan met his match for baby lovers. These two tickled and kissed this little guy while he giggled and gurgled at them and even showed off his rolling skills. It was ADORABLE!

The 60th Wedding Anniversary

This weekend, while Jim worked, I drove down to Osseo (WI) with the boys to celebrate my grandparents' 60th Wedding Anniversary.


It was nice to see my parents. Evan quickly ensued a game of "I Hide" with Bumpa. And then with the rest of the kids.
















The big kids were running in and out of the house, so we had to find entertain- ment for Evan. It wasn't too hard since we had his two favorite things: a vehicle and a baby.











Baby Bennett Lundberg was born to my cousin Brock and his wife Tracy only two weeks before. My Grandma loves babies. She and her sisters were together one time and Owen was crying. They passed him around singing to him, holding him this way and that, bouncing him... each one, down the line, gave it a try. Finally, the last sister handed him to me and admitted, "He's hungry." Then, when Evan was little, we were together again and the same thing happened! They each just had to get their hands on that baby before he went off with Mama. They do have a special touch. *I suppose with 30-some grandkids and more than 60 great-grandkids in the family, they have had some practice!


Graham is the oldest cousin by far, but he seems to really like Owen and Evan. I suppose they are something different then his little brother, sister and first cousin.










Owen loves to do the bidding of older kids. Graham made him his lackey and sent him to ask Great Aunt Peggy for treats for their "pets." Their pets happened to be Brenna, Gus, and Greta tied up, pretending to be puppies, something they actually like to pretend anyway. It was win/win for everybody, I guess.

Happy 60th Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa!
We love you!

*I'll have to get the exact numbers on that, but I'm not underestimating.

Halloween Extravaganza

Tonight was the Halloween Extravaganza at Dodge Nature Center. Jim works late on Fridays, so Anna came with me. I wasn't sure if I could get them both down the trail, in the dark, on my own. Before we even got into the event, we could smell the bonfire. When we walked in, they handed us sticks and marshmallows. The boys just ate the marshmallows without toasting them, so we moved on.

Down by the farm they had a some goofy skits and refreshments. The boys watched the skits completely dumbfounded, so we had some hot chocolate and popcorn and headed down the trail.

There were two trails. A Spooky Trail for people 12 and older (and with no heart conditions, just kidding,) and a Trick or Treat Trail for those who value their health, but not their teeth. We saw a lot of kids turning back from the spooky trail. We thought this Trick or Treat Trail-head Greeter was spooky enough.
The only thing Evan wanted was to see a ghost. He said, "I scare ghost?" so many times, I thought if we didn't see a ghost I would have to cut up my sheets. Luckily we found one hanging from a tree off the trail. He went up and said, "BOO! I scare ghost," and then repeated that just as many times.
The Trick or Treat Trail was just long enough and had just the right amount of candy and decorations. The greeters were all dressed in costumes with varying degrees of creativity. At the end of the trail we ran into one of Owen's preschool teachers who was clad in a hobo costume. It was perfect for these guys.
We decided to check out the education building before we left. The sign said, "Snakes, snakes, and more snakes." Apparently we missed the really exciting ones, but we did get a close up look at a Gardener Snake. Here Evan is showing us how it sticks out it's tongue. Then Owen asked, "How does it smell?" The Naturalist there told us that snakes actually smell with their tongues, which is why they stick them out so much. Also, the reason their tongues are forked is so they can tell if the smell is coming from their left or right. We were all pretty impressed with this new knowledge.
Outside the Education Building was this cart. Evan wasted no time taking the wheel. He wants to drive every time we get in and out of our car. Owen didn't want a turn, but looks so sad in this picture. Perhaps it's because he's being eaten by a giant raccoon.

As we walked out, the DJ was cranking and kids we dancing on this platform. Evan wanted to join them so badly. All of a sudden, he just took off to the top of the platform. I thought for sure he was going to jump around, but he just stood there taking it all in. Then he fell to the floor, perhaps to lay some eggs. I was worried I was going to have to trudge my way through the toddlers to fetch him, but a minute later he got up, jumped a few times and then ran back down the ramp. I just don't understand that kid sometimes.

Thanks, Anna for helping me! I owe you candy.

Duke Gardens

Our last day in North Carolina, we drove over to Durham to visit the gardens at Duke University. The weather was beautiful and it was a great place to let the kids run around before piling them all on the plane. Evan hopped the stone barrier to get a closer look at these mums. It's a nice perspective on how tall those grasses are. He looks like a little garden gnome.

Evan wants everyone to "look" or "watch" everything he does and sees. He enjoyed investigating the flowers with Grandma.

There were also several ponds. The kids were fascinated by the carp.

Eventually we found our way to a grassy field to let the kids run and Addie crawl around.

The big kids had a blast rolling down the hill. Eventually Grandpa Neil went over and showed Evan how it's done.


The kids were tired by the time we left. Ellie and Owen dragged each other back up the hill. "Home is that way!" And they sat so nicely on the airport chairs while we waited to check our luggage.








We met up with the Lorentz clan at the terminal. All the kids lined up by the window to watch the planes go by.
There were nine kids in all and we all took the same flight. Some of the babies were restless on the flight, but we all just took turns walking them up and down the aisle to visit Great Grandma. Owen used the bathroom three times on the plane and went up to kiss her each time! Evan zonked out shortly after take-off. Now that's a sign of a fun trip!

Kim & Grant's Wedding

Last weekend we went to Jim's cousin Kim's wedding in North Carolina. Kim is the youngest of the cousins and has always been quite the dickens. In fact, that phrase has been spoken about her on numerous occasions. Here's a little story to prove my point. Jim's Grandpa Myles was basically immobile by the time I met him in 1995. He had a little grabber he used to help him reach things from his chair. He also was known to use bad language from time to time. (Jim's family is laughing right now because this is a huge understatement.) When Kim came up to visit that Thanksgiving, she must have been in about 7th grade. She and her Grandpa were annoying each other on purpose, but all in good fun. Finally, Myles said, "Come here you little asshole." I look over to see him reaching out for her with his grabber while Kim is wagging her butt at him, just out of reach, and laughing over her shoulder. So, that point being made, it is very fitting that Kim's new last name will be Dickens. You can just see on her face what a "Dickens" she truly is.

The Myles Lorentz Family
Minus Gary, Molly & Kameryn. Where were you guys?
Also missing Brad who was back home, the late Myles Lorentz and our beloved Beth Powers.
The Neil Letts FamilyThe Jim Letts Family

I was unable to take any decent photos inside the country club because it was so dark and my camera is too slow when using flash. Catching 9 kids, 7 on the go, is hard enough. Jim was the videographer for the wedding, so I had my hands full anyway. We did get these nice formal pictures taken outside before dinner. Owen is practicing his "grumpy" face in the first one. Jim has some really great video of Kim and the kids dancing, but I think the files will be too big to download, so most of you will just have to wait for the DVD!
This was my favorite photo of the whole weekend. This is Jim's uncle Joe and his eldest granddaughter, Kylie Jo. My boys adore her and she is so good with all the little kids. I just have this inkling that she is going to someday carry on the family tradition of being an educator.
Kim's in-laws are some of the funniest (really a group of Dickens) and dearest people I have ever met. I am so happy for Kim to be entering into such a loving family. I grew especially close to Grant's mother while we were there. We shared some sort of connection and it wasn't until the moment I took this picture that I realized what it was. She is the future me. Grant is the youngest of three. He is Dawn's baby boy. She was standing by this window, watching him smile and laugh while taking his pictures with his new bride. As she watched him, tears streamed down her face (as they are mine now.) I went up and hugged her and she said, "When you have a baby, they never tell you that you only get to keep him for 18 years." Then she said, "I am so happy." I cried too because I know, someday, I will wear those shoes.

It was a beautiful wedding, but not just because of all the work that the family put into planning it. It was beautiful because these two are truly in love and are loved. We were so happy to be a part of this beautiful day.

Kim's Bridal Shower

Friday morning we had a Bridal Shower/Gift Opening for Kim. It was a full family affair. There were nine kids present, all on our side of the family. The big girls helped Kim open her gifts.
The toddlers played "I Hide" on the couch. Ellie was new to this game and loved it! I think all the excitement was a little exhausting for Great Grandma Verna who is 86.


There was lots of love to go around. Evan got some quality Grandpa time, Owen got cuddles from Auntie Gina, and our niece, Addie, made friends with this cornucopia. Isn't she adorable?

My favorite moment of the day was when I came downstairs looking for my kids. I found all the kids in the basement playing and laughing with various other family members. It was like something out of one of those surreal feel good family movies like Parenthood or Dan in Real Life. Evan was watching the big girls color, Addie was practicing her cruising, Cole was huggin his cousin Alexandra in their Grandpa's lap, and parents were coming in and out of the room taking care of each others kids and not having to worry about their own. It was so great!
Later we all headed back to the hotel and hung out at the pool.

Evan and Owen came up with a game that's even more fun than "I Hide" or swimming: Push Daddy in the Pool. Since the pool was freezing and it's hard to play "I Hide" in the pool when you won't even get your head wet, I guess this was the best viable option.

We were already having so much fun and the wedding hadn't even started. Thank you Rose & Vic for welcoming us all in your house the day before your daughter's big day!

The Praying Mantis

Last week we were in North Carolina for Jim's cousin Kim's wedding. We went a day earlier than the rest of the family and spent some time with Jim's Aunt Rose and Uncle Vic at their beautiful home in Chapel Hill. The weather was gorgeous, as you can see.

The next day we checked into our hotel. As we were unpacking the car and loading the cart, I saw this thing sitting on my purse. It's a praying mantis. I could not believe how huge it was.

Jim used a roll of wrapping paper to move it to a nearby shrub. We all sat there staring at the thing. It could turn it's head and stared at me in the most disturbing way. Then the thing reared up, like a cat and pounced! Right onto...

OWEN! He was pretty brave; didn't scream, but he might have been so terrified he couldn't speak. I mean, it was right by his head. He just looked away. Then, as Jim was trying to get it off of him with the wrapping paper roll again...





The thing jumped on him!
This once interesting insect, was a little too interested in the boys in our family.










Sometimes I feel like my post names are kind of boring. I hope I never have a blog post named "The Praying Mantis" again.