The party goes on and on...

(I wrote this post over a month ago; I just found it again and I thought, hell, I'm going to share it.)

My two favorite shirts at the annual Pangbroehrn Holiday Party (which returned to its traditional date of Dec. 28):


A Christmassy geode cake made by Aiko:


Rebecca always serves up a great array.


 It's almost the only night of the year that we get a nighttime babysitter. My mom is not a night owl and hates to drive after dark. We had Polly asleep and left Nana to snuggle and watch movies with Tootie on the couch, but of course it's never that simple. But meanwhile...
Grown ups gathering!


Mikie and Marisa basically bounded into town (from LA) and straight into the party. 
Therefore, in this picture is the sum total of the chidlike energy at this party ;)


This party's White Elephant is a gripping occasion; people get SERIOUSLY invested, and Zack's presents (usually rad artwork) come with enigmatic instructions to the receiver, to be modified as the gift is passed along. I always bring something relatively cool (blu-ray of Edward Scissorhands) and go home with something pretty dumb (coffee cup shaped like toilet bowl). 



Coincidentally, two gifts from the party three years ago made a reappearance, the ever-popular stack of a hundred T Rex posters, and the 1970's erotic photography book Boyfriends, which Joey found when cleaning out our 101 year old grandma's garage after her death. I think Ryann went home with that this year, lucky girl indeed. 


Darin had left the party early because we promised my mom she'd only have to babysit until 10:30; now Polly was awake, and Tootie had never gone to sleep, and they were rambunctious. So he went home to relive her and I hooked up a ride with Joey and Scott and our friend Heather. It was about midnight when we and Mikie and Marisa left the Pangbroehrn's and headed down to the Bench for "one drink." Our other friend Scott met us there. I was still in vintage high heels and didn't even have my purse. It was a wild night for me. We leaned in close and talked each others' ears off and belted out 90's tunes from the jukebox. We closed down the bar, and then ended up back here in our messy playroom (the worst room in our house is always where people hang out) trying in vain to not wake Darin and the girls. You guys, I was up to my old shenanigans and it happened again two nights later! 

My only capture of the after-hours madness!
Two days later the whole Beatty clan was together at last! Now Matt and Amy and their kids and Mikie and Marisa and all of us Placervillians got to have "second Christmas" together. 


When the kids arrive here's how it goes down:
Jarom immediately searches for the cats.
Bella picks up babies and never stops again for the whole night.
Oey looks for something to climb.


Pomegranate seeds in prosecco: it's a little trick from Forest Feast Gatherings. I had my dad buy this beautiful book for Amy and Matt for Christmas, and looked through it for ideas before wrapping it, completely falling in love. Then (before we open gifts together) Amy starts describing the one gift she bought for Matt, how it was this rustic cookbook with pretty party ideas, and it didn't take me long to realize it was that same book! So I got to keep the other copy. lucky turn of events for me. 


The chaos that is my house when we are all together:


Mikie took over gift distribution; it was even wilder than Christmas day. The little ones watched and waited patiently. (sort of.)




Oh my ridiculous, handsome, hilarious, disgusting, dorky, brilliant, sparkling, sweet brothers. Mikie, Art, Matt, and Joey. Darin didn't even get home from work until after all this had died down. 
But the fun continues....





Comments

Amy Beatty said…
💕❤💕❤💕
February 24, 2017 at 3:42 PM
Unknown said…
Never stop getting up to your old shenanigans.
February 27, 2017 at 2:05 PM
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