Thursday, October 22, 2009

100 years old

This past weekend we traveled with my parents to my mom's hometown of Kansas City, Missouri for a very special event. My Grandpa, C.P. Henry, is turning 100!!

This is the birthday boy :) Isn't he cute? I just love him.

So the big debate a month or two ago was: do we ALL go to Kansas City or just me & Chloe? Or me & Chloe & Audrey? And can Chad and I survive a 3 hour plane ride and 3 nights in a hotel room with our kids?? Obviously we decided to go for it ... but with much fear and trepidation on my part. I always seem to picture the worst. But ultimately we felt that we wanted to ALL be there for my grandpa. And he had never had the chance to meet Carter or Chloe, and who knows how much time he has left? So off we went.

The kids did AWESOME on the plane. We had lots of snacks, games, and of course the handy-dandy DVD player to keep them occupied. Crisis averted.

My grandpa's church had a reception for him on Saturday, and there were probably at least 100 people there. I think my Grandpa taught Sunday School there for like almost 50 years. What a wonderful Christian heritage!
This is our family with him. From left, my brother Andy, Aunt Linda, Uncle Ron, Grandpa, my Mom, us, and my Dad holding Chloe.

Chloe & her Great-Grandpa. Almost a century apart in age!

Probably the most amazing thing about my Grandpa is how healthy he is for his age. Sure, he moves slowly, but he still exercises just about every day!! He also has a great sense of humor and is a wonderful story-teller.

The doting grandparents with Chloe.
Every time I turned around someone new was holding Chloe. She was a good sport about being passed around. I just hope no one was sick ...

I didn't notice this at the party, but do you see anything unusual about this cake?
Hint: spelling errors drive me crazy ...

Most of this trip was not very kid-oriented (ie, Carter spent most of the reception running the halls of my Grandpa's church ....) but we tried to keep the kiddos occupied and made a few side trips to keep them busy and happy. One morning we took them to a local mall that had an indoor play area and this really cool double-decker carousel. Another day Chad took the two older kids to the park to play. Gotta get that kid energy out somehow.

Chilling in our hotel suite.
The hotel we stayed in had free hot breakfast, free popcorn and sodas every afternoon and evening, and free drinks and snacks around dinnertime. The kids loved this feature of the hotel, and we were right around the corner from the food area ... I think we got our money's worth in the food department. :)

It was a very busy and semi-stressful weekend, but I am so glad we went. I think it blessed my Grandpa to have us all there, and I am so glad we got to spend time with him and that my kids got to meet him!

2 comments:

nateandkatesmom said...

There must be some good genes in your family! Your Grandpa looks great....and yes, he is cute! So nice that he got to meet Carter and Chloe. Your so lucky you still have him and that he's still in good health! What a good long life he has lived serving God...and still is! I have no Grandparents left and I miss them soo much.

Unknown said...

Noticed the error right away before I even read your comment about it. :) It's the editor in me. That's pretty funny though! Grandpa is super cute and what a rich Christian heritage indeed. Glad to hear you all went!