Hats off to Grampa

 My Grampa Hudkins celebrated his 80th birthday this month. My cousin Jenny organized a little birthday party to celebrate Grampa and his amazing life. We are so blessed to be able to know him. I love that my kids will have memories of their great-grampa and I love watching him with them.

 My Mom did an awesome job putting together three hat cakes to celebrate our theme "Hats off to Grampa". They turned out great and were super delish!

 I loved this little display table filled with things that remind us of Grampa.When I was growing up they lived in Fort McMurray which was quite a long drive. I can still remember visiting and eating mini cereals and Jello puddings that they would pick up especially for us. Another thing I love about my grandparents is the fact that you can never leave their home without sharing a meal. If you go around lunch time campbells soup is always a favorite, or peanut butter and honey (sometimes banana) sandwiches. I've always thought there was wisdom in gathering us around the kitchen table for a meal where we can enjoy good conversation and receive advice or help with things we might be struggling with. It's amazing the way that a kitchen table can open conversation and I admire them for making that possible. They have always been such a great example to me. 

 There was also tons of pictures put up of Grampa through the years. It was so fun to look through them!

Camilla and Amelia were excited to be reunited!

These two are so cute together! Such great second cousin friends.

 Loved being able to see the grandparents with grands and great-grands.

 This picture of Finley totally steals my heart! Photo credit for most of these goes to my sister and her brand new camera. Also loving my mamma and little Joe.

 All of our kids went and sat with second cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents so Mr. Stannix and I were kind of left solo. It felt weird, but it was a good breather!

 We finished off the evening writing birthday wishes to Grampa for a special book and playing a game to learn more about Grampa. He is a pretty amazing guy and I teared up every time my cousin Jenny mentioned how lucky we are to have him. We are truly blessed!

Before we left we each took a group picture with Grampa and some random hats that my cousin brought to suit the theme. It's always so fun to celebrate with family! We sure love Grampa Hudkins!