2009 A Summer of Fun!
Having more fun than might be allowed by the government, the Dupree Clan
has been all smiles the past few months, as we've rumbled our way
up and down the Atlantic Seaboard and around the Washington, D.C. area.
On the left, the Family Dupree gathers on top of the dune walkway in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as we had a fantastic week with the family of the Fair Emily.
What may have been most amazing about this photograph was that Elizabeth
actually sat down for a picture, as for the most part, she tried her best
to escape the focus of any camera that might be taking a "family photo."
On the right, you can see why the trip was so much fun, as we got together
six kids under five years old, who entertained (and frustrated) their parents
on a sometimes minute-by-minute basis.
From left to right, you can see Teddy, Cousin Tilly, Cousins and sisters Kathleen and Lilly, Elizabeth and Henry (in the John Belushi "COLLEGE" shirt.)
Elizabeth used the fireplace for several stunning singing performances during the week, as she gave us her rendition of a variety of well known songs.
Here is a photo of the entire clan, with Papa Tay & Grandma Dolo, Your Webmaster and Henry, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Pia, Lilly and Kathleen, Tilly with Uncle Jay, Aunt Christine, Cousin Will, and then the Fair Emily who finally was able to put a stranglehold on the Little Pumpkin.
We had fantastic weather for our week at the beach, even as you repeated the daily grind of trying to hogtie your kid, put their swimsuit on and then
grease them up with sunscreen!
On the right, the Dupree Team gases up with some food after another
long day at the pool and beach. Henry became very adept at eating
three hot dogs in one sitting!
As for Teddy, he did pretty well for a little kid, for the most part
avoiding the usual bad move of putting sand in his mouth or getting
burned by bad sunscreen application by his parents.
Here, the Fair Emily has fun with the Third Kid in the pool out back, as there was only minimal screaming by the Tedster.
Also hanging out poolside - when he wasn't trying to get swept out to sea
on the beach - was Papa Tay, who showed off his tan while holding on to
Teddy, who obviously may have inherited his father's pale skin. Say it
ain't so, Ted!
Also having loads of fun was the crew from Kansas, as Uncle Jay, Cousin Will and Cousin Tilly made sure there were lots of smiles during Beach Week.
This was one of the rare moments when Will wasn't doing a gigantic cannonball into the pool!
As usual, Will did a fantastic job playing with the little kids, keeping
them entertained and swimming around with them in the pool, even as he
dreamed of how he could get a few more hours to play games on his phone. On the right, Elizabeth and Lilly are enjoying the ride in the pool.
As for Henry, it took him a few days, but finally he got into the swing of
things by floating on a boogie board in the pool. Dad called it a game of
"Man Overboard," which would send Henry scooting across the pool until he
fell off on the steps.
Tilly also took a few days to get used to the sand and the water, but by
the end, she was more than happy to be there, as you can see she isn't
running away from everyone in the surf, as all four girl cousins show
off their "Outer Banks" swimwear!
Meanwhile on the right, it was SNACK TIME at the beach for the kiddies! Nothing better than sand and Fritos, potato chips, Cheetos and more, eh?
As for Jeff, Pia, Lilly and Kathleen, when Uncle Jeff wasn't riding
the waves and getting some "sandburn" along the way, he could be
found hanging out in the pool, at the grill, or inside. Here he
relaxes on the couch with Kathleen.
On the other side, Pia draws the Lilly-Kathleen one-two punch in the surf, as the kids had a blast running up and down the beach all week long.
While the water was a bit cool since it was June, that didn't
stop little hands and feet from staying in it as long as possible!
One thing Uncle Jay tried to do almost every day was build a sand castle
for Tilly and the rest of the kids.
And one thing that Henry tried to do every day was knock down
whatever someone had tried to build. Here he puts the finishing
touches on Jay's final sand castle of the week.
And I must report that Henry really enjoyed doing this.
Here's one final photo on our last evening on the beach,
highlighted by the Kansas Surfer Dude lying on the sand!
And lets give a big round of applause to Jim and Delores, who put up with all of us, chased our kids around and helped make this trip possible!
And who took the above photo? Elizabeth did!
As you can tell, a fun time was had by all, as Teddy had a blast along
with all of the relatives.
And oh, what I would give right now to be asleep in that swing on the porch, with or without Henry the Hurricane, who only fell for the "Let's sit in the swing" trick this one time.
Your Webmaster did use it with Teddy at 2am a few nights while
we were there, but there were no on duty papparazzi at that
point in time to capure the moment unfortunately.
Before heading off to the beach, Elizabeth and Henry both celebrated
the end of school with their teachers.
On the left is Henry with Mrs. Wolf, who also taught Elizabeth. Henry describes Mrs. Wolf as "my friend."
The big smile on the right from Elizabeth is for her teacher, who is retiring after over 40 years at her nursery school, as Mrs. Andressen had a fun time with the Little Pumpkin.
Here's a picture of Henry in his classroom, playing with his
best buddy J.J., who moved here a few months ago from
Manitoba. That must explain why Henry keeps asking about
the Winnipeg Jets.
The other photo is from Elizabeth's class. It's hard to believe
that she's going to be in Kindergarten in the Fall!
So what else have we been up to? Well, as usual, we race back and forth
across the Potomac River to see all of our friends and family.
Here the kids enjoy an ice cream treat on the front step at Papa Tay's house, as the Fair Emily and Aunt Pia try to take a celebratory deep breath on Mother's Day.
Here is Emily with her Mom, as they show off the Tedster for the papparazzi!
Among some of the other highlights from this year, Dad took the kids to see the circus over in the Old Dominion.
As you can tell, Henry was more than ready for the food aspect of the circus. He wasn't real impressed with the actual show, as halfway through the first act, he demanded to leave, repeating that for the next hour plus.
Basically, Henry was just having a bad day!
But we kept plugging away, because Dad said they had to!
As you can see on the left, Elizabeth also got some coloring on her face
courtesy of that Circus Slurpee. At least she didn't drip it all over herself like somebody else.
Hmmm. I wonder who that might be?
What was Henry's favorite thing about the circus? I would say, going home.
Next on the agenda for the Dupree Five was a quick trip down to the newest attraction in the area, the National Harbor, a big area of shops, restaurants and hotels on the Maryland side of the River, across from Alexandria, Va.
On the little beach there, they have brought in the "Giant" sculpture that used to be over at Hains Point, just up the river, and across from National Airport.
You can see that Elizabeth is waving to the photographers and well wishers in the crowd and enjoying every minute of her fame.
As for the Tedster, he is enjoying the time he's been spending unable to move, as he gets handed from relative to relative across the DC area.
In these photos, Teddy is more than happy to hang out with his cousin Lilly, who seems more than happy to hang out with Teddy as well!
So far, Teddy is doing great, and his brother and sister certainly treat him like a King as well. 
Of course, give them six months when he's moving around and grabbing their toys and they'll give him a shot to the ribs instead.
As you can see, the Tedster is definitely getting around a little on his belly, as for now he can only lie on his back and watch the TV from his spot on the floor, which he understands is not a good way to watch major golf tournaments.
That's why Dad was trying to teach him to stand up while balancing on the gigantic coffee table in the TV room. I think I heard him say he wants a bigger flat screen, honey.
While Teddy has been trying to get his bearings on the family room carpet,
Elizabeth has been wowing the crowds with her ballet activities.
On the right, you can see one of the many bouquets that was thrown to her after what the Bristol Evening Post described as a "glittering performance of rare perception."
You can see her performing on the right, all of this as she recovered from her winter sledding accident, which caused her to miss several weeks of practice, as she went on the 15-day disabled list.
On hand for her Kensington performace was the Big Guy and Grandma Shirl, as they got to enjoy the kiddies after the crowds had returned home.
As you can tell, Teddy was a bit non-plussed by the whole thing, but that's the way it is when your the youngest kid and get dragged from event to event all day long.
As the weather got warmer, the kids ventured out in the neighborhood, tackling the sidewalks with their bikes and trikes.
Elizabeth has herself a sporty bike now, while Henry isn't too sure whether he wants to be out there, as he doesn't like having his feet on the pedals.
Regardless, the nicer weather also meant running into friends from around the neighborhood, as on the right, Emily and her friend Nancy show off their new boys from the Winter of 2008-09!
Meanwhile, our kids who are mobile enjoyed themselves in the grass with Nancy's dog, as Chloe and Ginger watch Elizabeth, while Henry seems to be entertaining himself.
A few weeks later, the Family Dupree convened at one of their favorite picnic spots in the Spring, just across the river from Washington, over by the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Netherlands Carillion.
Elizabeth used the maze of tulips there to do her Spring dance, as she entertained the variety of locals and tourists who were enjoying the beautiful weather.
Henry, meanwhile, was on the loose, literally and figuratively.
As you can see, the little troublemaker donned his "cool" sunglasses, and spent most of our picnic trolling for nursery school chicks and evading capture as his parents tried to get him to sit down for a bit of food.
Yes, it's probably just a forecast of what's ahead in the future, eh?
Meanwhile, the Fair Emily got to enjoy some Spring Sun, and hung out with
a smiling Teddy, which made the evening much more enjoyable for everyone!
What was on the menu that night? Barbeque from Red, Hot and Blue!
Even more fun was the visit to Washington of Emily's grandmother from Columbus, Ohio, as Grandma Lillian got to see her newest great-grandchild for the first time.
The picture on the right was taken by our budding photographer Elizabeth, who sometimes seems as if she likes to take photos more than be in them!
But finally, after a little motherly pressure, Elizabeth relented and gave
us a smile with her great-grandmother for a photograph that spans four generations!
As you can tell, it's been a pretty wacky last few months, as Teddy sometimes sleeps one week and then doesn't the next (and the same might be said for Henry, who as I write this, is again refusing to go to sleep!)
But then there are days, like on Father's Day, when the kids all seem to smile and everything goes well, as here, Grandma Shirl enjoys all the little ones.
Everyone had a very good time over at Aunt Jacq's, as we celebrated Father's Day! We hope the rest of 2009 turns out as good as the first half!
