a birthday party, mexican style

we went to a surprise party over the weekend for my tio's 70th birthday.

he's actually my mom's first cousin.

but when you're mexican any male who is your parents' age becomes your 'tio'(uncle).

they had wonderful mariachis that kept the celebration lively for quite some time.

chris and i had mariachis at our wedding, that may be the last time i've heard them.
and i love them...their instruments, their voices, their enthusiasm, their love of music.

it is the first time my kids have ever heard or seen them.
i am so glad they had the opportunity to experience this part of our culture.
we all started dancing when they played 'la bamba'...

my tio (the birthday man) is the one in the white shirt next to me.
he is one of 7 kids from hermosillo, mexico.
and the only one who moved to the u.s.
he became an official citizen years ago.

i had not seen many of these relatives for years, like 10-15 years.
it was so good to be around them and be reminded of the history and culture of our family.

we really need to make a family tree...my grandmother was one of 7 kids.

and tio horacio's mom (her sister) also had 7 kids.

two of his sisters and one nephew came in from mexico for his birthday celebration.

tia vikki (white dress) and tia lourdes (blue shirt).

his nephew from mexico is named after him, hector horacio.

and his other nephew francisco lives here with his wife and 5 boys.

i need to document all this so i will remember who is who!

even though we don't get to see him very often, we have always been close to tio horacio.
he's the only relative we had living in the u.s. on my mom's maternal side.

my grandmother was the only one of her siblings to move to america.
so, all of our other relatives (and there are a ton) are in mexico.

we went there a couple times growing up.
and they would come visit and stay with my grandmother.
she lived next door to us, so we would see them when they came into town.
but, i never really knew how they each fit into the picture since it is such a big family.
now, i am putting all the pieces of who is who together.

john had a ball running around with all his little mexican cousins.
even though it was boiling hot outside, they all went out and ran around together.
he was the only one who came in totally red faced, since he is so fair.
i wish i would've gotten a picture of them all... he sticks out like a sore thumb-
my little white boy.

feliz cumpleanos, tio horacio!