just fartin around

Greetings from my continued vacay with my family. It has been a lot of fun and the kids continue to be in heaven with their Gaengy & Pop Pop and Hannah. They're also enjoying being part of a family that has pet dogs. Gabe spends about an hour each morning out in the cold -no shoes on of course, playing with his goggies and jumpin' on the tramp. I must get footage, it is thoroughly entertaining. PS -I think he may have ADHD... {as with the time I wondered if he had Prader Willi Syndrome, I am only half joking...}

We've had lot's of time spent at Pop Pop's firehouse functions where Gabey has been in 2 year old boy heaven. He loves trucks. The bigger the better. And if you can climb on them and jump all over them and goober 'em up -so much the better.

I think it has been fun and eye-opening for my parents to spend so much time with this wild boy. He sure does love life. Almost as much as being naughty... And Laine and her new alter-ego 'Super Laine' have continued to be bright, cheerful angels -most of the time!

We've had a lot of laughs and good times. As many of you know, Katie and I, and possibly others of my sisters, have a real knack for having the craziest and stupidest things happen to us. However, I had no idea that it all started with my parents...

We keep laughing and laughing about a story they told me a few nights ago over dinner: When my older sister Nicole was in kindergarten, they had their first parent-teacher conference. Being new parents, they were really excited and welcomed the new experience and had high hopes for not only this child's, but their their others' as well.

On that high, they arrive to the conference and sit down to talk to the teacher, only to have her say, 'Nicole doesn't stay within the lines when she is coloring' and then she honestly, purely and genuinely looked at my Mom and Dad and to their faces asked 'are either of you retarded?' No jokes, no kidding. Purely, earnestly a serious question.

Needless to say it is the new family inside joke, well, one of them... and it was almost as good as this story of Katie's that pretty much goes down in Gildea history as the MVP. Will it be topped? Sorry if you've already read it on this blog and HG, I just can't get enough of it, and I'm worried that 1 or 2 new readers may have missed it, which would be such a shame.

Okay, I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Gabey and Gaengy 'fartin' around' on the truck

*FYI *Bringing out a classic Gildea inside joke. Allow me to elaborate... When we were in HS, my Dad loved to torment us in any way possible {what am I saying?? He still does. He lives for it actually} He used to see the caller ID and know who was calling and obviously then who they were calling for -so he would answer in a mock-woman's voice, 'Natalie Hotline, how may I help you?' or something stupid like that. Anyway, when we weren't home at the time, and our friends ever asked where we were and when we would be home -Dad's classic response was, 'I don't know, they must be out somewhere farting off"

It was kind of akin to all of the friends of mine who when they came to the door, he asked why they looked different and if it was because they'd had their head gear removed -when they obviously handn't ever had it on. As if my Dad wasn't intimidating enough. But it was hilarious, I'll admit it.

In a sick way, I miss it...

More farting off...

Can you believe she is the Grandma?? She's Madonna's clone. She hates that, but she is. She has the gap and everything -but not the fake British accent. I think I'll get her a leotard + corset and some heels for Christmas

The whole crew. We've been calling Laine 'Margo' from the Royal Tenenbaum's in her fur coat. I think I really will darken the eye make-up and get her a purse for a fabulous-hilarious photo-op. I'll of course enlist Katie's help since she was her for Halloween...

Awwwwe... cute

Inside eating, Gabe being a buckin' bronco on Gaengy's lap. I spared you the action shots, but the reel was pretty funny

Margo forgot to open her eyes for the pic

Why were we in some half-finished building eating do you ask? Days later I'm still not sure, but when there's free food involved I tend to not ask questions...

Okay, now this was the day we went to 'King's Buffet' -one of my Dad's favorite restaurants. Yes, it's an all you can eat, Chinese buffet, I'm sure you were wondering. Since we were going some place so nice, he wore his Rocawear shirt, as you can plainly see

That's why I dance so good, cause my Dad's a thug



Unrelated to our day at the buffet, here is a candid shot of my Dad the next day in the Marie Callendar's parking lot -rocking his G-Unit jeans

Back to Kings,

Laine and G

Even though we joked about Laine's helmet hair and call her the baby broadcast journalist, she really doesn't look 4 going on 44, as this picture would lead you to believe

Gabe, drinking his ice cream...

Okay, I know I always make promises that I don't keep, but there truly is plenty more where this solid gold diamond mine came from. I've got a whole other 2 posts worth of pictures, I'm on it.