We spent Jack's spring break last week in Utah. My sweet Grandma Roper is well into her 90s, and going up and down the stairs daily in her 4-story house with no main-level bedroom was getting to be troublesome. She made the decision to move into an assisted living home, and it was really important to me to be there. I wanted to attend the last official Sunday extended family dinner at grandma's house and be there to help with the move, and see her new home. Mostly I wanted to make sure Grandma was happy and introduce her to baby Alice, who is getting bigger much too quickly. I took lots of pictures, so I will divide them into two posts and add captions when I have something to add:
My pictures always load backward, so I will begin with pictures from the night we moved Grandma into Jamestown, and end with pictures from the family dinner.
^^It makes my. heart so happy to see my extended family come together to work and serve each other. I feel like this is a crucial part of my upbringing and family culture that I want my children to experience.
^^Jared and I got to meet our newest nephew, Walker, while we were in Utah. He is adorable.
^^For dinner one night I made my favorite bolognese sauce (I use Marcella Hazan's recipe). I made a triple batch and we invited Grandma over to enjoy it with us.
^^Jack's version of heaven. Grandma and Grandpa and cousins to play with all day.
^^Jack learned a new game and roped everyone into playing several rounds of Stratego with him.
^^So many baby whisperers in our family. This is only a small portion of them. We are so very lucky, and I only wish we had more time with all of them!
And now for some scenes from our last Roper Family Dinner at Grandma's house:
^^I have so many childhood memories of gathering at the base of these stairs with my siblings and cousins while the adults sat and visited in the living room.
^^A snapshot found in Grandma's office: Me, brother Jordan, cousin Cameron, and brother Chris with Grandma in 1995 <3
^^My last spin on Grandma's swing. I held it together pretty well until this moment when the tears started to flow. I'm so grateful Jared pulled me aside to take and document one last swing. I hope this swing hangs from the patio forever and makes many other children happy for decades to come. I am so grateful for the hundreds of happy childhood memories I have spending time with family at Grandma's house. This is the yard where Jared and I had our wedding reception, and where my parents had their wedding reception too. So many happy memories.
^^Nearly 50 family memories came from in and out of the state to attend this dinner. It was a wonderful thing to see and visit with them all over some favorite family dishes.
^^Great-grandkids running and croqueting. A beautiful thing.
^^The Grandma and Grandpa Haines House scenes my own children will remember for the rest of their lives. We are the luckiest and I am so grateful we were able to spend last week with family and with Grandma Roper. I will gather the rest of the pictures and post Easter and the second half of our Utah trip for Monday's post next week :)
^^I have many memories drinking out of these same colorful cups when I was Jack's age.
^^I will remember this scene as long as I live. The kids usually ate in the kitchen or downstairs or on the patio while the uncles and aunts and Grandma laughed and shared stories at this adult table in the living room.
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