A family weekend

I had quite a special weekend. On Saturday, we went down to Bell Gardens (Los Angeles) to celebrate my grandfather's 84th birthday! Grandpa Tom is my dad's dad. I don't know why we've never done this before, but I'm so thankful the family decided this would be the year to get us all together in one place at the same time - - for a happy occasion! It must've been a huge effort, but it was so worth it! The look on my grandpa's face, when we sang happy birthday to him and he blew out his candles, was PRICELESS! He was pretty awed to see how large his family has grown, and to have them all in one place, having a great time together.

Here is a photo of all the Tiscareno's - - my grandpa, my dad, and my aunts* and uncles*!
*Keep in mind, my dad has seven other siblings, on his mother's side!

And here is a picture of his grandchildren - - my cousins* - - some of us are grandchildren, and some of us are great-grandchildren. I think there are just two grandchildren missing!






I had the kids pose for a picture with Grandpa Tom. I should've had a picture taken with me and my dad in it, so we could've had a picture with all four generations!

This is the huge avocado tree in my grandpa's backyard. This is where all the fun happens when you are a kid, and the adults are sitting around the table in the kitchen, talking adult talk! It warms my heart to see my kids playing in and under the same tree. That swingset was ancient when I was a kid, it's a relic now! Some of my favorite childhood memories are of being in this backyard in the hot, smoggy summer, and my grandpa would set a block of ice on a small table beneath the tree, and use a little handheld ice shaver to make raspadas (sno-cones). Yum! We'd also make our own little talent shows, usually by mimicking Donny & Marie (my aunt Sylvia was and still is quite the crack-up!).

After the birthday party, I drove my mom, sister, and her husband, up to Oakland for my cousin Rose's baby shower. We drove up the I-5 to Milpitas, spent the night, and got to Oakland on Sunday morning. When the shower was over, we crossed the Bay into San Francisco and I took the 101 all the way back home. We got home at about 11:30 pm, tired but mostly happy. The baby shower was quite special and I am so glad I made the effort to be there. My cousin Rose is a special gal, evident by the amount of long-distance friends who attended her shower. I participated in my first bead ceremony, which I really enjoyed. Her friends are great and I really admire the strong, supportive friendships she has with them. She's going to be a great mom.