Making Memories Monday: Family Gatherings
Growing up, I lived at least a five hours’ drive from my grandparents and extended family. I have fond memories of visits to Grandma and Grandpa’s home at the holidays and during summer breaks, but I remember being envious of cousins who lived nearer to my grandparents and were able to visit for a weekend sleepover, a Sunday afternoon dinner, or even an impromptu trip to the ice cream store.
I also have fond memories of big family gatherings with those same cousins and their parents: Christmas at Aunt Eileen and Uncle John’s, complete with a visit from Santa Claus; Easter at Grandma and Grandpa’s, with eggs hidden throughout the yard; shared birthday parties with my younger (by four days) cousin John, who now towers over me by almost a foot: all wonderful times spent playing, talking, and laughing with family!
As a young adult, I was adamant that I was not going to live more than an hour’s drive from my parents, my children’s grandparents. I wanted my children to grow up living close to their grandparents and developing a close, nurturing multi-generational relationship with them and their extended family.
My parents live in New Jersey. My in-laws live in south-western Virginia. When Patrick and I got married, we moved to Florida… and stayed there for eleven years. So much for living close! While we loved living in Florida, holidays could be lonely, and we longed for the boys to know big family get-togethers.
When we moved to Virginia four years ago, the three-and-a-half and five hour drives to visit the Grandparents seemed negligible compared to the 19 hour drive from Florida to New Jersey. We are excited that the boys are really getting to know their grandparents and that they are able to spend a week enjoying the attentions and excesses of their grandparents during the holidays, during the summer break, and at various times throughout the year, but big family get-togethers have to date remained elusive: my grandparents have passed away, aunts and uncles have divorced, and cousins have moved away.
This weekend, however, we had the opportunity to celebrate the college graduation of one cousin with a big family get-together reminiscent of the old-days. The grown-ups talked, the kids played, and everyone laughed… after all, how can you not laugh at a water balloon toss out a second story window… into a hot tub?!
Do you have a favorite big family memory, whether a regular event or a one-time gathering? Link up and share this or one of your other special memories for Making Memories Monday this week.
Remember:
- Please leave a link back to Adventures in McQuill-land on your Making Memories Monday post!
- Add your name to the MckLinky at Adventures in McQuill-land and enter a 2-3 word subject to give blog hoppers an idea of what we’ll find at your post. Like this: Jennifer @ McQuill-land (playing dress-up).
- AND… Please be sure to link to your individual Making Memories Monday post, not your home page. This makes it easier for blog hoppers to find your shared memory.