Happy Birthday Dad

As promised I am squeezing a second post in this week!  We did have lunch on Friday and I promise to post about that this week, but first, I must tell you about dad's birthday bash!

Mom and I went back and forth with what to do for dad's birthday.  I offered to have a family dinner at my house as we had the pleasure of having my sister and Dan as well as Tony, Jen, Meadow and our newest addition, Amelia Jean, here for the entire weekend!  We had not yet met Amelia so this was a much anticipated occasion.

Mom didn't want me to have to cook and clean for such a large crew, I didn't really mind either way, dad took his usual stance..."whatever you want Florence"...but everyone else felt it would really be nice to just visit at home without the confines of a restaurant.  As it turned out...dinner at home couldn't have been a better choice. 

The men, Joe and Dan, took over in the kitchen and created a gourmet meal that would have probably gone for at least $30 a plate anywhere in town :)  On the menu was Steak served with fettucini alfredo and clams along with a gourmet salad of which I cannot tell you what all was in it...tons of veggies and green leafy lettuce...Oh, and of course, french bread.  I had to leave to watch Marlee sing at church, but I was back in time for dinner at 6:30.  Juggling a family our size is no small task!  It is a delicate balancing act that I perform every day!!

It was a rare treat to have the family over.  We used to have weekly family dinners, but since my sister and her family moved to the coast, these get togethers are farther and fewer between.  Adding Meadow and Amelia to the mix was icing on the cake :) 

We spent most of our time eating and laughing like families do.  The evening was topped off  with the birthday song and cake.  A 76th birthday to remember forever.