Birthdays in June

Birthdays in June

The next day was our family birthday party for the June birthdays. As our four married kids have started to have children and our "big family" has gradually grown, we have had to adjust our birthday celebrations. We used to all get together to celebrate each person's birthday, but now with five couples (counting Beth and me) and eleven grandchildren, we gather once a month to celebrate any birthdays for that month together. There are four in June (one of the best and most heavily-populated months in our family tree!)

Beth had arranged one of her "Grandma's tea parties" to coincide with the June birthday celebration. Because Beth's was one of the June birthdays, Daren and Jenna had the party at their house instead of here at our house where the parties usually are.

We had wonderful hours of games and music and pictures and gifts and cards and cake, and a huge amazing barbequed roast of pork that Daren did on their barbeque for us all.

Yesterday I finally downloaded my camera, a couple of weeks later, and put the 116 pictures into a slideshow that I can share with each of our four families. Beth and I enjoyed watching it last night.

Friday of that same week we had Matthew (18 months) for some of the afternoon and the evening. Our daughter Mandy lives next-door in the other side of the duplex, with her husband Don and their three boys. Ezra is 12, and Jacob is 11. Matthew is just half-way between his first and second birthdays. He is a strong, determined little guy.

That had been arranged for a while. But more last minute, Daren & Jenna had something on, and we ended up having the three girls here again too.

Around bedtime Beth took Evie (seven months) with her next-door to put Matthew to bed at his house. It helps when one of your four children and her family live right next-door in the other side of a duplex!

I got Amanda (6) and Christie (3) ready for bed again, just like the previous Monday. Only this time I tucked them both into bed in our room. We leaned back against the headboard and enjoyed two stories, prayer, and singing them each their "special song that Grandpa made up for you just because I love you". Then I put on a tape of special music that we all enjoy....

What a precious few moments, to relax with two little granddaughters snuggled up beside you, one on each side, happy and content while they take in a story Grandpa is reading to them....

This time Amanda as well as Christie went to sleep easily and peacefully, with no overwhelming loneliness or missing Mommy and Daddy too much.

That was on the Friday night.

It was two days later that things started really getting busy.