Double Nickles - Five Birthday Parties!

Yes, I turned 55 years old this Halloween.  It didn't bother me at all. The grandtots tease me and call me "Double Nickles Grandma" .... So silly.

But what was fun was that my family and friends had to kinda stretch out the celebration.  So I got FIVE parties for Fifty Five years old!  How lucky is that?

The first party was at our annual Halloween celebration at High Cliff State Park.  We were able to spend the weekend with our son Dan and his wife Heather, and the two grandtots, Allegra and Mason. The pulled out their camping trailer and we reserved them a site just a few sites away from us. Also, our nephew Matt and his son Matthew came to join in too!  This special Halloween Celebration is held the weekend before Halloween, and all 112 campsites are booked a year in advance and decorated for the festivities. It's a huge event and we get over 1,000 trick or treaters.. yes over 1,000!  The park attendance is between 3,000 and 4,000 to come through the main gate to participate just that day.

Here are some pics....  this first one is a bit fuzzy, but it's all our family.  Allegra and Mason's other grandma and auntie came to have fun too.  Steve had his little pellet campfire pit going to keep us warm as we handed out candy.

Our motorhome and campsite were decorated for the weekend, and we sure had a nice time in the park with everyone.  It's such a fun event and our fourth year doing this at High Cliff State Park.  All six of the campground roads get closed off to vehicle traffic and it is completely filled with people wandering up and down, gathering candy, looking at decorations, and just having clean safe fun!

Except for poor Steveio!  Someone dropped their RV sewer hose down in the hole at the dump station.  It was all blocked up. Ewwwwww!  He spent most of the afternoon cleaning that out and getting the clog below ground in the tank area cleared out. NOT fun!


Here are grandtots Mason as Optimus Prime (sp?) and Allegra as some gal from Monster High?    What do I know, eh?  Grand-nephew Matthew dressed as a ghoul handing out our candy.  My job was to keep refilling the cauldron!  We went through a LOT of candy, but it was worth it.  Matthew had such fun freaking people out, but being kind and gentle to the small children and he would remove his mask to show them he was friendly.

The grandtots gave me a present and we had a nice dinner together and a great night around the campfire after all the trick or treaters were gone.  It was such a good family time, and we were glad to have our son and his wife and kids camping just down the road a few sites. 

And here is my favorite pic of the weekend along one of the trails....

Can't you just hear those leaves rustling and crunching as you walk through them? 

Done with party number one....

The next party was when daughter Erin and soninlaw Waylen called and asked to come to sleep over at our house on Friday night and spend some time with us!  Soooo they came with grandtots Chelsea and Clayton, and grandpuppy Biscuit.  We had a yummy dinner and they brought a cheesecake for my birthday cake! Clayton blew out the candles right away, and we had to relight them so we could ALL have a chance to blow them out. LOL 

After I gave the grandtots baths, I sent them off to bed with their story of Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Now the grownups had an evening to chat and share....  It was so good to spend time together, it seems like life is soooo busy that we never get that.  It sure made the evening special.  

The next morning was a great surprise!  

The parents helped the grandtots make me a birthday breakfast!!!

They took over my kitchen for making strawberry waffles! 

Clayton helped to set the table....    and Chelsea worked on the batter 

After breakfast, it was time to get dressed in their costumes, and dress up our doggers too.  We were headed to Critter Sitters Doggie Daycare for Doggie Trick-Or-Treating!   Lisa Martin who runs Stockbridge Critter Sitters Doggie Daycare and Grooming had a fun time planned for anyone who came in costume.  Lisa also runs the Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue and helped us adopt Finnegan and Binney.  What an energetic gal.

Waylen, Erin, Chelsea, Clayton and little Biscuit! 

You betcha we posed with the Critter Sitters Dalmatian! 

Sooo that was party number two, now on to number three! 

Our RVing friends Mel and Paula were supposed to camp with us at High Cliff, but they had a mechanical problem with their motorhome and were unable to make it to the Halloween celebration at High Cliff.  Instead, we said we would come to their house the following weekend.  Paula cooked up a great meal of Italian Manacotti and we had a nice time with visiting, fun and thoughtful quilting gifts! 

Steve was able to help Mel with some of their RV repairs,

 while Paula and I got in a few quick stops at some thrift shops! 

The weather was so unusually warm that the guys even hung out on the deck. 

We enjoy spending time with them.  Steve and Mel do motorhome stuff, 

while Paula is the one who taught me how to quilt.

We are never at a shortage of things to talk about! 

That was party number three... 

now on to number four! 

Our youngest daughter Heather had been feeling under the weather on the Halloween weekend, and was unable to attend the High Cliff Celebration.  Instead, she planned a dinner up at her and soninlaw Jesse's home in Oconto for us last weekend.  We were treated to a Lasagna dinner and a pumpkin pie birthday cake!!!  Our son Dan and grandtots Allegra and Mason came too, so I got in double celebrations with them!  (Dan's Heather had to work)

Grandson Jameson entertained his cousins up in his "game room" in the loft while the grownups were downstairs.  Pretty lucky kid to have this big room for his video games.  He sure shows his appreciation too....  look at that smile!  Allegra and little Mason played so good and they all got along with no fighting.  Good Kids! 

I got in a lot of snuggles with the smallest grandtot, Whitney,

our little Ninja Turtle Girl! 

Heather was a wonderful hostess who said this was kinda her first real dinner party since buying their home, a remodeled school house from the late 1800's.  It's really laid out nice for entertaining. She even had a "Kids Table" and made sure to buy them sparkling grape juice which they drank from grown up glasses!  (I always did that with my kids for celebrations and she is carrying on the tradition)

The guys gathered in the great room and solved all of the world's problems.  I made sure I got in a LOT of snuggles with all the grandtots and even got to help clean up PlayDoh which I have not done in a long time.  It was a fun evening and we sure enjoyed ourselves.

I know these pics are all fuzzy... I managed to "lose" my camera and was using my cell phone instead.   Since that time, I now had bought a new camera.  But lo and behold, I found my original camera!  It happened to be in the motorhome where Steve had knocked it into a drawer while looking for batteries!   Now I have two and the pictures will be more clear from here on again, I promise.

That was party number four ...

and now on to party number five! 

My darling Steveio knows I love snow crab legs.... so on Sunday night he hauled out the propane tank and steamer burner unit.  We cook them outside so the smell is out there while steaming.  Yummmmmm   

Yup, we ate over 3 pounds of snow crab legs between the two of us.  We did have a big salad and fresh bread too, not just crab legs.  What a rich succulent meal... yummmmmm

There were HUGE, that is a full size dinner plate..... 

As a final birthday present to me... my darling Steveio got all the quarter round trim cut to size and finish-nailed into place in the entire dining room!  What a guy!~

I am so blessed to have such loving family and friends. 

I get choked up even typing this, knowing that so many people care. 

Thank you.