AP and UT

AP= Aunt Penny
UT= Uncle Tom

I have a lot of wonderful memories with them as a child. Life and miles got in the way and I hadn't seen them in almost 20 years. Over the past few years, we have gotten reacquainted with my mom's sister and her husband. My aunt had to have her hip replaced and stayed with my mom for convenience and nursing and that was the start of it. We get packages every so often with goodies and postcards from my Aunt. The kids not-so-patiently wait for the mail to see if there are any "Penny Postcards".

The two of them have become a favorite of my children's, especially Gracie. I know my uncle has a huge soft spot for the wood nymph. A friend of mine took a gorgeous picture of Grace last year and we framed it and gave it to UT. Of course, it had some art work to go with it~ that's when Grace used "UT" for the first time and it stuck.

Gracie and I had a sleepover at AP and UT's house last year. Gracie still talks about it.... the mashed potato picnic, doing work out in the yard, their driveway of rocks. This picture was taken of Gracie and UT during one of our mashed potato picnics. It's one of my all time favorite pictures.

When we left their house after our sleepover, my aunt packed some food for our long drive home. She threw in a spoon for... I think, it was yogurt. Gracie was so thrilled to have a Penny Spoon that she used it for just about every meal. The battle over the spoon started shortly afterward. My mom came to the rescue and produced two more spoons that were given to her in a snack bag for the ride home via AP. So, now there are enough Penny Spoons to go around. Who knew that my aunt trying to get rid of mismatched silverware would turn into precious treasures for my kids.

As children, each of the grandchildren received a bench with our names carved into them, made by UT. I still have mine. Have I mentioned he is an extremely gifted wood worker.... cabinet maker just doesn't do his talents justice. They were each natural wood and gorgeous. Gracie got one........

When word spread that hers was pink, it's didn't go over well. What made her so special that she got to pick the color of hers!? ;)

My aunt and uncle are two very special people. I find them extremely genuine and am at a peace and calm when I am around them. My uncle can come across sometimes very serious. That's why I love this picture of the two of them together. It shows their silliness and love, not only for life but also for each other.