Four Generation Family Sleepover

As long as I can remember, I always wanted a guest bedroom in my home. In previous houses, I have had a home office/guest bedroom which was a bedroom which had been outfitted as an office with a futon stuck in there for the occassional overnight guest. Though this was better than nothing, for anyone who is as compulsive a host as I, it just wasn't the ticket.

In April of this year (2005), I moved into my current home which finally provided me with enough room to have both a home-office, and my heart's desire...a separate, dedicated GUEST BEDROOM!! Bring on the company ;)

Since I moved in, back in April, I have had many guests lay their heads on what I am told is one of the most comfortable beds you could ever want to sleep in. However, no turn at hosting has given me the sense of satisfaction that I received this past weekend when I hosted my spontaneous "FOUR GENERATION FAMILY SLEEPOVER"! On Saturday morning, I called my Grandma up out of the blue and invited her over to help me decorate my second Christmas tree downstairs and without thinking twice she agreed after which I suggested she pack a bag and make a night of it. My mother had been rolling with me the day before on a Christmas shopping excursion and had stayed over the night before, so she decided to stay again as well. My oldest brother and I get together occassionally and have movie nights at my spot so I decided to call him as well seeing as I have plenty of extra space for sleeping with the huge sofas I have in the basement. He agreed as well and thus...the sleepover began.

(l to r: My son, my brother, my Mother, and my Grandmother)

Pictured on Sunday morning sitting around my breakfast table, eating a breakfast I personally cooked (which if you knew me constitutes a miracle in and of itself!) are: (r to l) my grandmother (generation 1), my mother (generation 2), my brother (generation 3 which includes me, the missing person in the empty chair ;), and my 16 year old son (generation 4). As I sat at the table with my family members who I had gathered the night before for this impromptu sleepover, it occurred to me that I was actually sitting there having breakfast with four generations of my family. I was overwhelmed by how blessed that made me, and quickly ran to grab my trusty digital camara.

In the times in which we live, the liklihood that any family will span four generations is not something most would bet on, and at that moment, I realized that four generations were sitting at my table, and in actuality, I am part of a five generation family that is NOT the result of babies being born to babies barely old enough to have babies (No 13 year old mothers here!).

(The Five Generation branch of my family tree: Grandma, Hazel (my cousin), Odessa (Hazel's mother-my aunt), Anita (Hazel's daughter-my 2nd cousin), Storm (Anita's infant daughter-my 3rd cousin)...)

I am blessed to be a part of a family that doesn't only get together for special events, or sad events, or because we're obligated to, but just because sometimes we just want to! I am blessed to be part of a family that doesn't just "love each other", but one that actually "likes each other"!

Since I was a little girl, I can recall my extremely large extended family (at last count my grandma had 12 children who had given her 69 grandchildren who had produced 23 great-grandchildren one of whom had produced the single great-great grandchild...yep!, fertile as the Napa Valley ;) getting together at the drop of a dime and any reason or no reason was reason enough!

(Okay, okay, I'm third from left standing in grey dress with lollipop stick hanging out my mouth)

This picture was taken at my grandmother's when I was about seven or so, and though money was never something that was overly abundant in my family, its absence did little to curtail the joy we found in us...as they say, "Membership has its priveledges"!

So with Christmas fast approaching, I'm looking forward to hosting the annual family shindig at my digs. There will be more folks than I can begin to anticipate and yet, I invite more everyday. There will be plenty of good food and drink...because you know how we do. ;) But most of all, whether or not I will like my present is a moot question, because my present will be the sheer ecstacy that comes each and everytime I get to be swallowed up in the crazy, fun-loving energy that comes with membership in my big, loud, some say ghetto-fabulous, five-generation family.

THANK YOU GOD FOR HUGE BLESSINGS!!!