GratiTuesday - Road Trips & Birthday Parties

This week my aunt turned 80, and her kids had a party for her - at home in Pennsylvania.  The kids and I traveled up for the party.  We were able to eat dinner with one grandmother and my parents, then hang out at the party, where my kids spent time with people they've only met once before.  It was great!  

The Birthday Girl was in high demand, but we were able to catch her for a quick photo.

My other grandmother was at the party.  (Being able to see both grandmothers in the same day - unheard of!)

The kids were thrilled to see her and took turns visiting.  My Big Helper loved doing crossword puzzles with her!

My Little Man loved hanging out with my dad and his little brother.  I loved seeing all three of them together - first time ever!

Now, this was just cool.  Aunt Mary's family used to own a general store, and they had a candy counter that many people remembered fondly.  To incorporate this memory, her daughter put together this candy 'counter' selection in decorated jars with small paper bags for each person to fill and take home.

As you may imagine, this was a big hit with my kids!  They loved choosing candy to take home, and they sampled a few pieces there, too. It was a very creative and beautiful souvenir.

So today, I'm grateful for an afternoon spent with cousins I haven't seen in years and grandmothers I see much too rarely.  I'm grateful for all of the help my parents gave us to get us there, and I'm grateful for children who are such good friends.  They entertained each other for more than 16 hours in the car in a 48 hour period without complaining, fighting, or more than a handful of toys - they made it a great trip!  I'm grateful for family members who make family ties a priority and the opportunities that we have to strengthen them.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers!

Want to see the scrapbook page I made for Aunt Mary's party?  Check it out - and enter to win the digital scrapbooking software I used to make it here!