Something Borrowed

Teresa started a fun tradition with her family several years ago; on Christmas Eve she gives them all matching Christmas themed pajamas to wear!

With eight grandkids that's a lot of pj's!

I've been wanting to 'borrow' her tradition for a long time and this year felt like the perfect year to start the Gering version of Teresa's tradition!Our version of the tradition will happen a night or two before Christmas Eve and starts with dinner, this year we had a taco bar. Dinner was followed by sugar cookie decorating. And a little pretend frosting tasting for the camera.





Josh has a bit of a reputation from Christmas' past for creating gruesome and grotesque sugar cookies. Normally his cookies don't make the 'cut' to be taken to Teresa's house for Christmas Eve! This year he started out making normal cookies but it wasn't long before he was back to his old tricks. See the blood spattered bear with the missing arm below.

It must be a guy thing because Evan made a yellow boot with dog pooh on the bottom and a bloody Brett Favre cookie!

Sara and Susan are responsible for the pretty cookies!

FUN TIMES!

Merry Griffmas

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

One little puppy who is very unhappy about having to squeeze into an elf outfit!

Griff's Growing!

Griff is getting a bit too big to be snuggled like a baby!

HA!!!!!!!!

Man Cave Upgrades

The man cave is now heated and ready for all seasons! A pellet stove provides the warmth! Josh & Evan, it's all ready for beer drinking and cigar smoking!
New signage so there can be no mistaking this is not just an everyday ordinary garage!

A little more reinforcement!

Outside looking in on a warm sunny December afternoon!

Thanksgiving Tradition - Puppy Style

The dogs' version of that age old Thanksgiving tradition of breaking the wishbone!

Griff's Game

First you get something you're not supposed to have, like a sock. You make sure your human sees that you have it. And when they begin to come towards you to take it away....You run, and they begin to follow you. So fun! But that's not the end of the game, oh no.



You take the object and run behind the couch, a place where you know your humans can't follow.




And then you come out and taunt them some more with the object still in your mouth.

Make a few more laps around the couch.

All the while they're following you....

And when they get tired of chasing you around the furniture because you are always just out of reach, you win!!!!!!!

My humans just love this game!

A Day in the Life

Sleep, eat, drink, pee, poop, play, repeat!

And charm the socks off your new people parents!

Griff (born 8/10/11)

She had followed me into the other room, and then on her way back to the living room she grabbed 'her' broom from the laundry room and dragged it to her bed like she does with all of her smaller toys, quite a funny sight to see!

Frog dog watching television!

Brewed Up North

Last week we headed north to visit Josh & Susan and to take a road trip with them to Traverse City! First stop was an apple orchard, complete with freshly made apple cider and donuts. It was raining when we arrived in Traverse City but after a couple hours of sightseeing from the car including a picnic while parked facing the Lake the sun finally broke through, the rain stopped, and we headed back to our picnic spot. I'm happy to report that Josh has inherited his Pop's talent for finding the most scenic picnic locations.

Coop exploring Lake Michigan. The water was much bluer than I expected, more like an ocean than a lake, but of course it is one of the Great Lakes! At an earlier Lake stop in the rain, Cooper got to chase some migrating salmon, a definite highlight for Bobby!

One tired puppy after fetching sticks and rocks in the cold water!

The dock.

Coop & Josh heading down the shore to explore.

Apparently Josh was inspired by all the fun that Cooper was having in the water, so before we left he decided that he needed to 'experience' a Lake Michigan swim in October! One very cold Tier 1 experience!

Cooper determined to find the rock that was thrown into the water. It looks like he is walking in the water, but it's deeper than it appears, he's paddling hard to find that lost rock!

Fetching sticks in the water! A very busy and happy puppy!

And my favorite picture of the day! Stunt Puppy!

The next day started out rainy too but we braved the weather for a very fun day of shopping, coffee drinking, sampling goodies at Cherry Republic, and more shopping. My kind of day!

Our first night's dinner was at North Peak Brewing Company, a fun place near downtown Traverse City! Josh picked up the check in what was one of the sneakiest check picking up maneuvers I've ever seen! Thanks again Josh and Susan it was a lovely birthday dinner! Second night dinner was at the Jolly Pumpkin, another brewery located up the peninsula on a tree studded hill, from the road the restaurant looked like an old sprawling house. Very cool and great pulled pork nachos!

Great trip! Missing my Michiganites!

Camera confessions: thanks to Susan for the pictures since I left my camera in the hotel thinking it was going to rain all day!

Birds of Fall

With the arrival of Fall we are seeing a new variety of visitors to the feeders and bird bath. This one is a Tufted Titmouse, sporting a stylish feathery mohawk! He's kind of a jittery guy who doesn't stay in one place for long. We think this little guy is a House Finch. He had been feasting at the feeder for 10 minutes or so before I went to get the camera, then he moved to the bird bath for a nice long drink after all those seeds he ate!

The October 1st "View".

And this......this is Regina who will be coming to join our family on October 18th! She will be getting a new name when we bring her home, Emma and Betty are front runners. We'll have to wait until we meet her to decide for sure. She has new toys awaiting her arrival too!

Battle of Lexington - The Best Parts

Yes, it was the 150 year anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, and yes it had been 11 years since there had been a reenactment in Lexington, and yes it had been 14 years or so since we had attended a reenactment.......but.... my favorite part of the weekend was still hanging out with family. I mean really, look at this sweet laughing face, who would not enjoy that more than a bunch of Civil War reenactors!

I think Jenny is trying to drill his dimples deeper in this picture! And his very content baby brother all bundled up against the damp and cold.

Teresa and her boys!
Five of the eighteen Gering, Johnson, and Rapp group waiting for the parade to start!

Members of the Memphis and Springfield branches of the family tree trying to stay warm with coffee from the really nice bookstore where Hailey used to work before she headed off to college!

Matt and Gage leading the parade! Charlie is a passenger in the fire truck!

Out at the battlefield; Lucas armed with a cob full of dried corn for the corn kernel wars with his Johnson cousins! I think there may have been a Gering or two throwing corn also!

Some cousin loving on the bus to the battlefield (before the corn wars!)

Grownups on the bus!

More cousin fun!

A pretty and stylish college cousin!

The other college cousin had to stay behind in Martin, TN studying or was it a fraternity function that kept him away?

More bus time! Charlie sure captured lots of pictures for such a short bus trip (and I'm glad)!

Newlyweds at the parade!

Mom & daughter stylin' at the parade! Another 'best' part of the weekend; the WINK game played around the dining table Saturday night where everyone was still gathered long after they had finished eating! Clara was the WINKer extraordinaire!