Last weekend.

I have been meaning to write this all week long. Yep, it's been one of those weeks!

We had a great weekend. My uncle Mark and his three kids came into town last Thursday and were here until Sunday afternoon. Also, my brother, his girlfriend and their two boys came into town over night on Friday.

Everyone came in to see our grandmother for her 71st birthday. My cousins had not see Gram for almost 3 years, so it was a very good thing for her to see them all. She seems to be adjusting very well to the nursing home. I think the consistency of seeing people, having a roommate and social activities are exactly what they need to be doing for her. She knew everyone, but mixed up names some, but that's no biggie. We all (minus my bother and his family) met at Cracker Barrel on Thursday night and my gram sat next to David and acted as though he was her date. It is really cute; I think his sense of humor and general demeanor remind her of my grandfather who passed away in 1999. It must be very comforting to see the reflection of someone you lost, but were married to for more than 45 years, in someone you know even now. David never met my grandpa, but he has some characteristics that remind us all of how sweet grandpa was.

On Friday we all went to the local part and the kids played for almost two hours. Saturday we took Gram lots of balloons and some flowers and spent about an hour talking with her on her birthday. She seemed to enjoy this time, but I think it may have been overwhelming to have all that attention. That afternoon we went to the zoo. All the kids had a great time. The elephants and giraffes were awesome. Afterwards, we went to Jillian's, a huge arcade-- that was a great idea! That evening my brother left. Sunday, David and I met my uncle and his kids out at the beach boardwalk and rode a 4 person bike/cart thing. It was super fun.

We really enjoyed spending so much time with my uncle and cousins (ages 16, 12, 6). They are all very outgoing and game for just about anything. We are looking forward to seeing them again.