Rinn Reflections: July 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

On July 1, my grandma Dolores turned 90! For over a year, several family members have been scheming of how we could best celebrate this milestone. My uncle Jon commented that many extended families only get together for sad events (i.e.: funerals)...so to counteract that, we decided to make her 90th birthday a big, happy celebration for our family!

All of my grandma's 5 children, 7 of her 10 grandchildren, and all 5 of her great-granchildren were there....plus her 3 remaining siblings and many, many more family members and friends.

Grandma and her 5 children

Seven of Grandma's grandchildren...missing Leah, Andrew, & Brian

All 5 great-grandchildren (I love how Isaac is trying to hold Kate's hand)

Grandma and her sisters & brother

So many family members helped with all the details of the party. My mom & cousin Nate put together an incredible video with pictures and music from all the different "eras" of Grandma's life! I don't think there was a dry eye in the room when the video was over....especially since it ended with "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." If you have met my grandma, you know that she loves to sing "oldies" and hymns. She has a song for every situation, so this was a priceless gift for her. And, to go along with her love of pictures, I made these photo bouquets as the centerpieces for all the tables.

Grandma received many incredible birthday presents. She is a Scrabble WHIZ, and so Dave & I made this unique Scrabble board for her. My friend Kimi used her incredible skills to mat & frame it, too!

A few more fun pictures from the party...

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma! I am so blessed to have a grandma who has shown such love & support for me my entire life. I am so thankful that, even though I now live many states away, we have been able to stay close through phone calls, letters, and visits back to Minnesota. We love you!

One of my favorite pictures from our visit to Minnesota: Scrabble & Dairy Queen with Grandma!

Isaac: 9 Months

Happy 9 month birthday, Isaac! What a big month it's been!

Highlights of this past month:

Isaac's first trip to Covenant Pines! We were in Minnesota last week for my grandma's 90th birthday party. After the party weekend, Dave headed back to Texas, but Isaac and I were able to stay for the week in Minnesota. We headed up to Covenant Pines to visit my sister, who is on staff there this summer. Covenant Pines has such a special place in my heart...I spent 2 summers on staff there and loved every second of it. Maybe someday Isaac can go there as a camper...!

Grandma's 90th birthday party! Our family had a huge celebration for our dear Grandma on Sunday, July 11. All of Grandma's children, most of her grandchildren, and all of her great-grandchildren were able to attend. It was a wonderful time for our family to be together and honor Grandma 'Lor!

3 new teeth! Isaac had a new tooth each week for the past 3 weeks! I have to say that he is a great teether....there have only been a few times when he even seemed fussy from teething. I love this picture that shows 2 of his teeth...the third one is also on top.

Happy 9 month birthday, Isaac! We love you TONS!