84 years of blessings

My mom is the second from the left in her family.  My god-father was third from the right.

But this is about Mom today!  Love those curls!

Growing up in a Christian family, as my grandpa was a Lutheran minister, was difficult at times, but when you hear Mom talk, it was the perfect life.  They sent her away (not the most perfect part) to teacher school for the price of a calf that the school just had to wait until it was born in order to get paid.  

But Mom taught in Nebraska and Colorado for a while before getting married to my dad.

Then along came the kids.  7... then later the eight through adoption.

And my mom was the ultimate career woman, being a wife, mother, teacher, missionary, everything.

Nothing slowed her down.

I'm the one on the far left with the staticky long hair my sister mocked me about.

Wish I still had that figure!

Meri is the baby here and Maddy in the blue shirt.  We went with Mom, my niece Bethy, and my youngest sister Jill, to see Grandma Wilma at the nursing home.

During the trip to Kristin's baby shower, our van had a flat tire and we almost didn't make it on time.

The Sam's Club guy pulled a steak knife out of our tire...  REALLY??!!!  Who throws a steak knife onto the highway?!

Mom is always in the hubbub of the family events.

My girls, especially, loved the one room schoolhouse that Mom and Dad bought when they retired.  The playground activity was to die for and the fallout shelter collected tadpoles in the flood waters.

Mom and Dad loved to remodel the houses they lived in, to the extent that the kitchen was in 4 different spots in our house during the time we lived on the acreage before they moved here.

And of course, they remodeled the heck out of that one room school house!

They, of course, would never miss a Thanksgiving if they could help it.  And Mom is SUCH a hard worker, always pitching in where she can.  

Unless there's a cute grandchild, or in this case Great grandchild around!  We drove with Mom and Dad out to Wisconsin for a wedding when Leon was a baby.  Isn't he a cutie?

A cutie-patooty!!?  Mom sure thinks so.

*help!*

Just before a wedding reception for a nephew, my sister orchestrated a surprise 80th birthday for Mom.  Wow, was SHE surprised?!  

Through the years she and Dad have been on many many adventures.  Although I think this is a baseball game, but some would still call it an adventure!  They've been to Africa too many times to remember for mission trips, helping build churches, parsonages, homes.  They've been on a couple exotic vacations and cruises with a sister and her family.  

She and another sister have played on my piano.

She and Dad have been through thick and thin together.

This is from a few years ago when we almost lost dad when he fell off a train.

AND this is a year ago last spring, when we almost lost Mom to cancer.

Just thinking about that and what may one day come, makes me tear up.

After Dad's broken back incident, Mom moved to a nursing home and has since, thrived there.  Dad lives with one of my sister's family now, but is there almost every day to see her.  Up until a few months ago, Mom played for music time and Dad was the DJ.  

My sisters and brother, who still live in town are fabulous!  They visit with Mom all the time and I'm so jealous!  Three hours away seemed like a good buffer when we were first married, now it seems like a hindrance.  But I love seeing pictures of Mom being the grandma and getting doted on.

This past year, we celebrated Mom and Dad's 60th anniversary.  Each one becomes more dear.

The pic below shows the whole clan except my youngest sister.

 The great grandchildren just keep popping up and Mom is loving it.

Her sign out sheet at the nursing home carries over for so many pages!  And some other residents only get taken out maybe once year.  Mom is an anomaly.

 Here are Mom and two of her remaining siblings and their spouses at our annual Thanksgiving meal.

Singing as they were brought up, like it was yesterday they were children themselves.

And Mom and Dad together for music time at Thanksgiving.

You know what I'm thankful for?

This woman...  I love you Mom!

Happy 84th Birthday!!!!