We headed to San Antonio to celebrate my grandpa's milestone birthday. Eli and Maddie were more than excited to make the trip to see Grandma and Papa, and the thought of another birthday party {this time to celebrate Great Papa} added to their excitement :)
Suitcases packed and ready to travel!
The car ride was...an adventure :) There were definitely some rough points, but considering they were confined in the car for several hours and rocking no naps, overall, they did
really well. We only had to stop once for lunch, and once for a quick bathroom/stretch legs break. I had a bag of new books, toys, and activities at the ready. I found some books and little toy cars/planes at Dollar Tree. I also bought these tiny
baking sheets and
magnetic puzzles. It seemed good in theory; my kids liked them, but I think we reached a point in our trip when nothing was going to make them happy, so it turned out to be more stressful than fun. But I know these will be a fun rainy day activity later. The big winner? These
magnetic drawing boards.
Most of the weekend was focused on my grandpa's party, but we still got to spend some good time with Grandma, Papa, Uncle Michael, and Sophie and Bella {my parents' dogs}. So basically, my kids were in heaven :)
Throwing coins in the fountain
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My grandpa was born in 1929. He is an army veteran {Command Sergeant Major} and served in both the Korean and the Vietnam Wars. He is currently living in a senior living home with my grandma, and he is doing everything he can to whip that place into shape...those military leadership skills just don't fade away haha. He met and married my grandma in 1950, so they will celebrate 69 years next month! Unfortunately, my grandma has Alzheimer's. But my grandpa has stood faithfully by her side, taking on a great deal of her care himself. He has beaten cancer and is in fairly good health for 90! My dad is the youngest of 3, I am the oldest of 6 grandchildren, and my kiddos are the first {and currently only} great grandchildren. And boy is my grandpa proud of his family!
We were able to surprise him with a family gathering for his 90th birthday. It was such a sweet time together, and I think he really enjoyed himself! I am so thankful for the blessing of still having all 4 of my grandparents living, and I am thankful we were able to celebrate this big milestone. He predicts he'll make it to 102 {as long as we all keep working and paying into his social security, of course!} :)
We decided to hire a
photographer to capture the special occasion, and I am so glad we did! It means so much to have these precious photos. And it was even more special that our photographer just so happens to be my very first friend ever {our moms were pregnant together}. We are so grateful that she was able to capture these memories for us, and I loved the opportunity to catch up with this dear old friend!
I loved working on this "90 Years Ago" board for my grandpa!
Surprising the birthday boy!
THIS is how I will always remember my grandpa. He claps when he's excited, and it's just about the cutest thing :)
Meeting his youngest great grandchild for the first time!
He gives the strongest hugs. You know he means it when he hugs you :)
Eyeing the cake and cookies haha
My sweet grandma. I'm so thankful Stacey caught this smile, as it can be elusive these days.
All of the grandchildren {+ spouse} and great grandchildren
The ladies
The men
The oldest and youngest of the Mazur clan :)
The birthday boy!
Father and son
With his youngest and oldest {unfortunately my uncle wasn't able to make it, but his boys were there}
Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa! We look forward to celebrating 100 with you. We love you!
