A Major Milestone and The Family Icon!

Back in November, we journeyed west to the St. Louis area, stopping to spend a couple of days visiting Laurie’s family.  While we were there, we celebrated a major milestone for one family member and then we visited with the family ‘icon’ as well…

We joined the crowd celebrating Ken’s 80^th birthday. Ken is Laurie's brother in law, who is married to Glenda, Laurie's oldest sister.  The party was held at Stewart and Sarah E."s home and Stewart is one of their grandsons… 

Ken is sitting in the center of the photo at the back. Standing next to Ken is Stewart, his grandson and you can barely see Sarah E. standing next to her husband Stewart. Sitting against the wall is Bill who is married to Laurie's sister Bonnie. 

Sitting on the other side of Ken and against the wall is his daughter Judy and then her daughter Sarah N,with the long blonde hair, followed by Phyllis, who is the widow of Ken and Glenda's son Michael.  Sitting next to Phyllis is her and Michael's daughter Madie.  They also have a son Zach who lives in Texas with his wife Katie, but they couldn't get away.

The gathering included Ken and Glenda’s daughter Judy and her husband John and all their children, Sarah N., Stewart and Leah and Stewart and Sarah E.  with their children, Isaac, Liam and Gwendolyn. (There are two Sarah's, so we refer to them both as Sarah N. and Sarah E. when talking about them)

This photo shows Glenda seated on the couch, yours truly sitting at the back by the drapes. Next to me is Karole, Laurie's sister. Across from Karole is Laurie's sister Bonnie talking with little Liam. John, Judy's husband is seated next to his youngest daughter, Leah.

Ken and Glenda are truly blessed to have such a loving and devoted family.
Two great kids, Judy and Michael, who between them have given them 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren so far! :)

This is Sarah E. and Stewart, our hosts for the birthday bash!  Their home used to belong to Ken and Glenda before they downsized… The good news is that the home is staying in the family.  Stewart is Ken and Glenda’s grandson.

These are Ken and Glenda’s great grandsons who belong to Stewart and Sarah E.  The top photo shows Isaac and the bottom photo is of Liam.  Cute aren't they!? Gwendolyn was sleeping...so no photo of her.

The ladies were being entertained by Liam.  From the left…Sarah N.(a granddaughter), with Phyllis, (daughter-in-law), Madie (Phyllis’ daughter), and Glenda, Ken’s better half and Laurie's oldest sister!

Laurie took this photo of Bonnie, her youngest sister…

Then she snapped this photo of Karole, her 'middle' sister.

For reasons unknown, she also took this photo of yours truly.

Ken and Glenda’s daughter Judy oversaw the gift presentations.  Ken was focused on what he’d just opened… Happy Birthday for sure! 

Laurie was browsing photos on Leah’s IPhone.  Leah is another of Ken and Glenda’s grandchildren.   

All in all, it was a very good birthday for Ken and nice party with 4 generations represented! 

The next day, Laurie and I met up with Laurie’s sister Bonnie and we went to visit the family ‘icon’ and matriarch.  This January, Aunt Lois celebrated her 102^nd birthday!  Aunt Lois is Laurie's Mother's middle sister. She’s sharper now and has a better memory than I do… Aunt Lois is always glad to have visitors and she has plenty of them too!  Plus, she is a great Skip Bo player and champion! 

That’s it for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Laurie and Big Daddy Dave