When Family Gathers . . .

It can be for many reasons. The best ones for most are celebrations of happy holiday times together. That's how part of our family spent the recent Thanksgiving holiday. 

This post has a lot of smiling faces for which we are very thankful. Several years ago, the holidays were not happy times. There was a lot of family tension and discord due to my mom's failing health. Thanksgiving was the last holiday we celebrated with her.

We traveled to Lancaster, PA, to meet up with members of my family who traveled there from NJ. My brother, Tony, his wife Anita, their daughter Julie and husband Michael and their daughter Autumn Rose. She's the first of our two great nieces born in October.

At just over 6 weeks of age, this holiday was Autumn's second celebration after Halloween although she didn't trick or treat this year.

There were quite a few a lot of family photos taken with her. She napped through many of these, including some with her parents.

While she also napped with her grandfather, Autumn posed with her grandmother. Yes, she has a full head of dark hair just like both of her parents.

Great Uncle Pat (Grenville) must have shared a funny turkey story because she really gave him the most big smiles.

Maybe, he was telling her about how her family members took photos wearing the silly holiday hats and headbands provided by her grandmother (middle photo above).

This newest and smallest family member made everyone's holiday even more special. We'll see her again and other another new family member during the Christmas holidays. 

That's because we will be meeting our second great niece and Autumn's cousin, Savannah Marie. She and her parents Jamie and Mike spent the holiday with family in NJ. 

Grenville and myself (Pat and Dorothy) hope that your celebrations included special time spent with family and friends. Our family is relatively small as parents, grandparents and several aunts and uncles have passed. We remember them as we celebrate and make new family memories. That is what matters most to us.