Grandma Anna's 70th

My Grandma Anna (my mom's mom) turned 70 in April. My mom came over during her spring break and we made a "memory book" for her. It is a scrap book full of pictures from through out her life. We also included cards from friends and family who had written down favorite memories with my Grandma. 

It was a process...

A few weeks later, I drove to Spokane with Cooper and the two dogs BY MYSELF. I was nervous at first, but once we were on the road it was easy! I decided to leave around Cooper's bedtime and he slept the entire trip. I also dehydrated myself in order to prevent any pit stops.

My family before heading to my Grandma's party.

I swear, Kris is happy. 

A shot of the scenery on the way to the party.

The party!

My aunt had the great idea to have a "hat theme." If you know my Grandma, you know she can roll into any occasion with a hat on. The theme was quite fitting. So we all brought hats to wear, and my aunt decorated with hats.

Hat cakes

All the kids sang "Happy Birthday"

Gram and her boys.

Cooper and Claudine. Claudine made Cooper's cradle board and moccasins, you might remember from this post.

Cooper was getting really tired by the end of the party, but not too tired to meet his great, great, great Uncle Elton. That is correct 3 greats! Uncle Elton is nearly blind and can hardly hear now, but it was not long ago he was showing me the invention he created that loaded his fishing boat onto his truck with out him having to lift a finger. I will also never forget his reaction when he found out I got my belly button pierced. I thought he would shake his head in disapproval, but it was quite the opposite. He absolutely got a kick out of it!

Grandma danced with each of her grandsons. She looked so happy. 

She even danced with her great grandson.

After the party, we took Cooper to meet Grandpa Mel. My brother took him over to the headstone and the first thing Cooper did was reach out and touch the picture of my Grandpa. And if that doesn't give you chills, then maybe the image of 7 bald eagles circling above us at the cemetery will. As you can see in the picture below, Grandpa Mel has eagles engraved on his headstone. We all think of Grandpa Mel when we see an eagle.

The party was a success. Despite an interrupted nap schedule and a long day of driving, Cooper was still full of smiles and joy. He was passed around from extended family member to extended family member without so much as a squeak. It was like he knew it was special to get to spend the day with these people. Not only did he have a smile on his face all day, but he created many smiles on the faces of others. My heart swelled when he reached out to touch my great uncle's face. Cooper brought a lot of love to the day. 

Not only was the party a success, but I had a great time seeing friends and family during my trip to Spokane. Cooper loves standing at the slider and watching the dog pack romp around my parents' backyard. 

 Cooper was telling his Uncle all about how to care for a baby. Kris will be a dad in July! 

My mom, my cousin, and I ran a 10K while I was in town. The Spokane River Run is a wonderful trail run through Riverside State Park. 

While I was running, Cooper was getting some Nana snuggles! He loves his Nana :)