Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad

So, my Mom and Dad officially celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 21st!  However, this past weekend, we were all 'home' in Indiana to throw them a party.  We had a fun time with our entire family celebrating their 40 years together.

My whole family

 My parents and all my siblings with their families.

My parents with all ten of their grandchildren.

My sister, Debbie, and her family  

Emily, Brady, Debbie, Gabe, Hannah and Adelynn.

Our Family

 Ava, Jon, Andrew, and me.

My sister, Laura, and her family

Jason, Isabelle, Laura, Ian and Aiden.

My brother, Dave, and his family

 Liam, Tiffany, and Dave.

My Mom and Dad re-enacting the moment they cut their wedding cake.  This cake was home made by my sister-in-law, Tiffany.  It was delicious!

My Dad feeding my Mom...

Then, it was my Mom's turn to feed cake to my Dad.

Along with the cake, we also had a chocolate fountain for dessert at the party.  Here, Jon is helping Aiden rescue a banana that fell into the fountain.  The grandkids absolutely LOVED (an understatement) the chocolate fountain!

My parents addressing their guests at the party, which was held downstairs in their basement.

There were about 30 guests in all that came to celebrate.

As the festivities continued, I realized my munchkins had disappeared on me.  This always alarms me, just a little, at my mom and dad's house because they live in a subdivision that has 'lakes' in it.  My parents' backyard has access to a lake without any gates or fences.  

So, in this moment, my mind goes to the worst case scenario:  My kids have probably walked upstairs, out into the backyard, and wandered into the lake without anyone noticing them.  AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

  Well, to my relief, I found them playing quietly with each other in a room right off the main area in the basement where the party was being held.  Whew!  I think I need to keep a better eye on them next time we throw a party for my parents!  :-)

Along with having a party for my parents on Saturday, we all, my siblings and their spouses, took them out for dinner to a local Italian restaurant, the night before the party.  We gave them a '40th Anniversary' picture book that we all put together online several weeks before the party.  We had pictures of each of them growing up, when they were newly married, and as their family grew.  The book ended with recent pictures of us and our own families.  They REALLY appreciated their book and we were so happy to give it to them.  After we gave them their gift, we each went around the table at the restaurant and shared what we appreciated about them as our parents over the years.  It was truly a special time of family bonding.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  

Thank you for being a great example of two people committed to their marriage for the past 40 years!  We all love you so much!