Happy Birthday Pata Peter

It's been almost nine years since my dad passed away, and I simple cannot believe he's been gone that long. On the other hand, a lot has happened during that time, most notably the addition of Noah and Ava to our family. While it makes me sad that they never got to know him, we try hard for them to learn about him through our memories.

Today was his birthday; he would have been 70. For the past few years, we have celebrated his birthday with the kids - cooking a breakfast I remember making with him when I was little and releasing balloons with a note we've written him. We also document our celebration and include it with the note in an album.

Looking at past years' celebrations in the album is always a highlight of this day. Our first celebration took place when I was pregnant with Ava - about 42 hours before her birth to be exact. Looking back at the pictures brought back vivid memories of being at the park for the balloon release - 9 months pregnant in the June Florida heat.

Now, I'm taking a blogging break to call my Uncle Tony and wish him a Happy Birthday. He is my dad's twin brother - my only uncle, married to my only aunt and the father of my only cousin. Yes, my family is small - which is probably why at one point I wanted four kids! But as they say . . . size doesn't matter. I am truly blessed.