Happy Holidays From The Dupree Family Yes, it's that time of year, when the focus for the Dupree Clan turns to the arrival of that Jolly Old Elf by the name of Saint Nicholas! As you can tell, the Dupree children are more than ready for Santa to arrive, as they helped choose the tree (below) and then decorated it on the left, with only a minimum of bad behaviors! As usual, the runup to Christmas is a busy one for our family, as we sandwich in all the holiday stuff with a dose of football and Dad's birthday just to make things even busier. As for your Webmaster's 21st birthday, Henry made me a crown that I got to wear on the right side of the page. What more could a guy ask for? The week before my birthday, the focus was over at house of Emily's parents, as everyone gathered there for the Thankgiving 2009 celebration, which means lots of fun for the six cousins! Here are the Half Dozen Cousins squeezed together on the couch. Henry is doing his best impersonation of the Kid Who Doesn't Care, while Teddy looks like he is not completely sure about how he is being handled by his sister and cousin Lilly. So there are the six kids, all under six years old! Yes, it was a fun time chasing all six of those kids around the house on Thanksgiving as that certainly livened things up for all of the adults. You can see the whole clan on the left! The picture just keeps getting more crowded! Meanwhile, Henry decided to cause further excitement by taking a rolling header down the basement stairs as well. He emerged no worse for wear. Maybe the most excited person at Thanksgiving was Cousin Tilly, who not only got to see Henry (she calls him Hern-ree) but she also got to hold Teddy - "Baby Tee" as she calls him. That's the two of them snuggling up on the right. Teddy was not as excited when Tilly and Elizabeth plugged up the slide over at the playground, but he'll get over it...and soon enough he'll be chasing them. As for the Tedster, he is on the verge of starting to walk, and is certainly becoming more and more of his own person - you can see how he's enjoying the playground on the left. And Teddy is definitely on the move as well, Army Crawling his way around the house and getting into anything that isn't nailed down! But with an infectious little smile like that, who could get made at the little guy, eh? Before you know it, his first birthday will be here. Time flies! It has been a busy time for the kids of late, as they made sure to travel a bit before Christmas arrived. In October, we all headed up the Jersey Turnpike for some socializing with our friends, the Laffins. On the left, the kids have just enjoyed an icy treat on a warm day and are now playing astronaut in the Space Shuttle. Henry is probably aggravated, so he's off to the side, as usual. To the right, all the kids are ready for action at the Pumpkin Patch! There were also apples to be picked before the rain arrived!! You can see Elizabeth and Nina celebrating their haul of apples on the left with a big hug for the cameras. Meanwhile, the three boys stick together on the other side - a big smile from Seamus and Teddy, while Henry is clearly more excited about chowing down on his own apple. Teddy also seems to want some! Yes, the run to Halloween was the usual fun and games for the Dupree Family, as we dragged the kids well outside the Beltway for a little fun at our own Pumpkin Patch. There were the usual tantrums on a crisp, Fall morning, but lots of smiles later! And there are the results! Your Webmaster went all out in 2009, doing the pumpkin on the upper right, using the stem as a nose, instead of his usual stock design like middle in the bottom row. It should be noted that the Fair Emily did all the rest for the kiddies! As for Halloween, it was a lot of fun! Elizabeth had a blast being Mary Poppins, as you can see from both pictures here. She had the hat, the umbrella and the bag! It was a big hit in the neighborhood. Henry - against his will - finally put on a costume, and was Thomas the Tank Engine. As for Teddy, he was the Very Hungry Caterpillar, but he wasn't too excited when we tried to trade him to the neighbors for a couple of Hershey bars! As for the run to the holidays, Elizabeth had lots of fun helping The Fair Emily make special Turkey cookies for Thanksgiving, and soon enough, some gingerbread houses for Christmas! And I know some kids who can't wait for Santa to arrive!! So, Merry Christmas to everyone and hope your 2010 is just as fun as our 2009!