MORE CELEBRATIONS

Wishing my wonderful Dad a very Happy 80th Birthday today. Twelve months ago today, he lay in a hospital and we wondered whether he would make his 80th birthday after suffering a pretty big stroke.
We had a lovely time as a whole family all getting together to celebrate the milestone of Dad's 80th. It was great to be able to do something so nice together after a pretty rough month for my parents. My mum took a heart turn a few weeks ago and ended up spending a week in hospital.

Mum and Dad knew that Steve and I were coming down to spend a few days with them so that we could celebrate his birthday, but he had no idea that the rest of our family, my sister Jude and her family, and my younger sister Lea and her family were all going to join us for dinner on Saturday night to surprise him for his birthday. It was quite an emotional time for him, but a good emotional time I might add.

Our 80th Birthday celebrations

My neice Natalie and her beautiful family
My youngest sister Lea and her beaut family
My middle sister Jude and her great family
And some not too good shots of us. Don't get to have too many decent photos taken of you when you are behind the camera most of the night.
All the cousins having a great time together
It was also great that we were all together for Father's Day, we got to celebrate it with Dad and all our kids got to celebrate with their dads also. We had a family breakfast down on the beach at Alexandra Headlands, and the weather was just perfect. The little kids had all taken their skate boards or scooters, and had a ball all together.
Our picnic spot at Alex Heads.

It was such a memorable weekend, the first time we have all been together like this in ages. Only two of the grandchildren were missing. It is times like this that makes you want to organise more family holidays so that you can all get together more often.

Thought I would share a few other photos from the weekend.
Love these photos of my girls trying to share their strawberries.
Love that they enjoy spending time together.

Now I am not sure I own this man. So typical of Pete. He actually drove up to the coast dressed like this and I am sure he would have even been game enough to bear it out to dinner if we had all let hime.
Aptly named - Pete the penguin. or as the boys in his house call him Penguin with a moustache.

Pete also bought his dog up for the weekend. She is such a gorgeous little thing, and Chloe couldn't get enough of spending time playing with her.

As Steve had been really sick all last week, we didn't end up driving through to the Sunshind Coast, but rather just drove to Bundy on the Thursday night and then headed off to the Sunshine Coast the following morning.

It has also been a while since we have caught up with Steve's family, so it was good to have a nigth with them. Steve's dad has been pretty sick also with this dreadful flu, so it was nice to spend some time with them.

A lot of mum's orchids were flowing in her greenhouse, so I wanted to take some photos of her flowers for her. These orchinds are absolutely magnificent at the moment.
We have another busy week ahead. A wedding this weekend.

Being with family this past weekend has made me realize us how wonderfully blessed we really are, so this week, I am so thankful for

1. A wonderful Dad who has beent here for us all our lives and who has had a huge influence on us where our Christian faith is concerned.
2. Great sisters and brother in laws.
3. Wonderful neices and nephews, and gorgeous great neices and nephews.
4. Amazing kids.
5. Safety on the roads as we travelled on the weekend.
6. That Steve was stil able to get around even though he has torn his tendon in his foot.
7. The opportunities for great chats in the car as we travelled for more than six hours together.
8. Worship music
9. Wonderful fathers in our lives.
1o. Wonderful weather this week.

Will be back again soon....