Creating a legacy in your home

Last weekend we celebrated my fabulous grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.  I can hardly imagine 60 years of marriage, but I'm excited to try.  Through out the weekend, one thing really struck me.  My grandparent's have left an incredible legacy for us, one that I hope I can continue for my kids and even to their own kids.

Here are some wonderful things that they have passed down to us grandkids (some fun some serious):

Faith  
I don't know of any families where grandparents can say that not only are all of their children (and kid's spouses) walking with Jesus, but so are every single one of their grandkids!  I find that truly amazing, and such a blessing to be a part of.

A love of ice cream
Growing up, a visit to grandma and grandpa's meant one thing to me.  Homemade ice cream.  Not just homemake, but HAND CRANKED.  We all as kids got to sit on the maker and help crank the ice cream, then lick the dasher and enjoy it!  DQ runs are a must as well.

Fun
I can not tell you, nor could pictures convey, the fun that we have as a family.  It is amazing to experience and just have fun together.  We always schedule time for fun when we get together.  In the picture below, we rented a 15 passenger van (just enough seats for all of us) and drove around it all week when we were together celebrating Christmas one year.  We even put lights on it, SO FUN!

Family History
My grandma has been amazing at finding our family tree, keeping pictures, and even typing her mothers diary.  We today have a copy of my great grandma's diary from the 1930's on.  She and her sister's took it and typed it out, added pictures, and made an amazing family history book from it.  It is so amazing to see how my grandma grew up and what the world was like then.

Traditions
We always do something to create family traditions (like homemade ice cream), and find a way to keep them.  One of our favorite things, was getting measured every time we were at grandma's.  Her pantry door has all of the grandkids measured each time we came to visit.  My sweet boy even got measured this time.

I am hoping to build a home that is happy, full of life and memories.  I want to continue the legacy that my grandparents have built and pass it on to my kids and eventually grandkids.  As my grandpa said (paraphrasing here), "It's the little things in life that become big things, you just don't know it until later."

Here is to the little things that we do in our homes and with our families each and every day that will build lasting memories and a legacy for our kids.

Cheers!

Ashley