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By the time you're 60...

This weekend, we celebrated Papa's 60th birthday.  60!  Can you believe it?  Well, I sure can't.  I've noticed two things about Papa that have changed and I attribute them all to things that happen by the time you're 60 years old.

By the time you're 60...

1-Your kids have moved out and you regain your social life. (I can't wait for this day and I've only been a parent for 5 months.  Hahaha.)

2-You start slowing down to take advantage of the little things in life. (i.e. Listening to the water run down the fountain the backyard with your Bug.)

All the above mentioned things are amazing changes I've seen in Papa.  For so long he and Mama have sacrificed so much for their children.  The lived for their children.  As we got older, I wondered why my parents still focused so much on us when we were adults- fully capable of taking care of ourselves.  Why couldn't they, after 30-some odd years of parenthood, just get a social life? Well, now I'm starting to get it.  My parents spent every waking moment taking care of us, spending time with us, etc.  It must have been hard to just drop all of that once your kids decide they're old enough to have their own social life. After a few years of begging them to just hang out with their friends, my parents went out and got a social life!  They started to go dancing and go out to dinner with friends on a regular basis.  Then I felt abandoned.  Ha!  I make myself crazy.  I feel bad for my parents for having to deal with that.  Hahaha.  It was a no win situation.  I'm thankful for the amazing friends my parents have, who have been there for them and shown them some pretty good times.  Sometimes I found myself at their house, waiting for them to come home.  Who is the parent here?  :P

Papa moves so quickly.  True fact.  He cannot stop himself long enough to just breathe.  My entire life he has always been working and when he's at home, he's cleaning, and when he's not cleaning, he's just pacing around the house looking for something to do.  In our household, if you were smart, you'd know never to mention that you were "bored".  Why?  If you did, someone could find a chore for you to do.  There's ALWAYS cleaning to be done.  I even recall my dad vacuuming at 11p.m. because he couldn't sleep.  Most people would just watch some TV. Hahaha.  These days, I find my dad vacuuming less and less in the middle of the night...probably because I don't live at home.  Nowadays, he spends his extra time with his grandchildren.  Often times when we visit, he and Bug take long walks (I'm talking LONG walks) and sitting in the backyard talking.  This is not the Papa I knew, but I'm glad that it's the Papa the grandchildren will know.  Sometimes he slips and gets to his busy self again, but more often than not, he's taking advantage of his family and friends and slowing things down a notch...or two.

Here are some pics from the party (mostly of Bug and company because Papa was really busy socializing).  The party took place in a dance studio (of course!).

The party started at 7pm, already one hour passed Bug's bedtime.  So we had a cranky girl before we left.









Bug is not as happy as Ninang.


Then Bug magically turned into a happy girl until 10pm!  WOW!


The birthday boy with 3 of his grandchildren.
 

My cousin.  Oh, to be young and in a sexy dress.  :)


My goddaughter is soooo cute!





The next day we had some quality time with Dad since we didn't see him all night at the party.  Bug was too busy socializing with EVERYONE.  Mom and Dad didn't even get to hold her until she passed out.


BEST. PICTURE. EVER. PERIOD.


Happy 60th to my Papa!  I hope when I'm 60 I look just as young and I'll slow down just as much. :P  Let's face it.  If I took after one of my parents, it's not Mama.

God Bless,
Kat

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