Two Doors Down, They' re Laughin' and Drinkin' and Havin' a Party...

(Okay, there are BIG M&V BUCKS available to anyone who can "name that tune" in reference to the title of this post!)

So yes, anyways, on Sunday Mudzuks and Vecais got to join their friend Kaiva in celebrating her momentous entrance into the world of three. In evidence were all the elements of every great party - dancing, laughing, drinking, falling, dressing up like cheap trannies... (even Vecais wanted a piece of that action. Then again, there were reports of him dipping into the beer cooler earlier that afternoon...)

MARCH OF THE QUEENS:

Mudzuks, Queen of the Broken Ankles

Kaiva, Queen of All Things Purple

Vecais, Queen of the New Metrosexuals


Meanwhile, earlier that afternoon...

On the Shores of Lake Ontario

Fall has definitely fallen, but that didn' t stop Mudzuks and Vecais from loading up the van and heading out for one final camping expedition. Well-accustomed now to their own personal sherpas, personal trainers, chauffers and scullery maids, they also dragged along Mamuks, Papuks, Nan and Vecdzanitis who assumed their proper positions and "took care of things."


Not least, this camping trip was certainly about rocks:

Rocks for climbing on...

Rocks for throwing...

Rocks for gathering in the nude...

and of course, rocks for eating. Yum.

Other fun adventures included:

Eating dirt and leaves (again, yum. Doesn' t say much for their personal chefs, does it?)

Swimming, cold water be darned!

Hammocking

A walk on the beach

A walk in the reeds

A walk in the cedars

Early morning contemplationRunning the plank (and subsequently falling off the plank, into the bog, unfortunately not captured on film. Mamuks and Papuks hope you will forgive them for putting "pulling out daugher" above "must be Paparrazi" on the to do list).

Grimacing...? Smiling...?

Brotherly-Sisterly love...

To the Lighthouse

Fire, fire, burning bright

(Points to those who can spot the last two literary references. Mudzuks and Vecais have been reading The Norton Anthology of English Lit lately, didn't you know...)

Little Red Wagon

On Saturday Mudzuks and Vecais went for their customary inspection of the neighbourhood (waving at fans, signing autographs - the usual), only this time Mudzuks' old faithful steed had finally become a two-person affair. Of course, being in such close face-to-face proximity with one another meant that our protagonists had little time for their groupies - laughing at each other laughing, for the most part completely oblivious to the outside world, is a much more urgent undertaking. Meanwhile, Mamuks and Papuks looked on, no doubt thinking: 1) This is amazing -- they are entertaining themselves for tens of minutes with exactly zero intervention from their regular parent-sized marionettes; and 2) This is precisely why we had two.

Two of Hearts

Kaiva is Mudzuks' neighbour and good friend. Sometimes they telepathically send messages to each other that insist they be dressed in the same shirt on the same day. And sometimes Mamuks sees the shirt Kaiva is wearing and thinks, "wouldn't it be hysterical if Mudzuks put on that same shirt which she owns and they went to the park together?" Usually, its the latter. And for the record, it was hysterical.

Finger Food

Now that Old Toothy is Gummy-No-More (he' s got four, count ' em - four!), food has taken on a whole new significance in Vecais' life. Who knew there was life after Baby Mum-Mums...?






Celery sticks seem to be the big hit these days. So exciting, in fact, that Sabina is determined to get in on that action. May no baby be without his or her celery!

Bye Bye Old Blighty!

(Yes, we know we're still a bit behind, but darn it we're trying!)

So after 8 marvellous days in Latvia Mudzuks and Vecais returned with their entourage to enjoy a final couple of days in England before boarding the Big Bird and heading homewards. The weather was gloriously autumnal, and although warm covers were definitely needed at night, our favourite odd couple enjoyed their last days soaking up the sun in their now-familiar Tollerton environs. And a few sad five a.m. good-byes later, they were on their way to Heathrow and beyond...

canal birdwatching

a walk in the (Cotgrave country) park

I see London, I see France...

And finally -- trying, but brilliantly failing, to get just one nice photo of Oma and all the grandkids!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Sad to see summer pass, Mudzuks and Vecais look back and reflect upon their various journeys - literally, that is. Like most smallish people, they are fascinated by all things transport. Here are some of the ways they chose to get from A to B over the last month:

The Nottingham Tram

Mudzuk' s latest craze: Train-building (This one diligently constructed from siblings and cousins)

"Taksometru! Vai tu runaji latviski?"

Beep beep.

Train to Babite?
Train to ... er, Tornakalns

Watch for the leftover barf in the next seat. (Ryanair's spoken motto: "At Ryanair, your saftety is our priority. " And their unspoken motto? "We couldn't care less about your comfort.")