Better late than never!!

It's been a busy week! Belated birthday greetings to Noah - the "baby" of the family who is now 31!

 

And Happy Birthday today to Dawn - the best thing that ever happened to Harry!

 

And Happy Mother's Day to Helen - first one without her.  Good memories abound however!

 

Second Mother's Day without my mom - miss her still!

There are 42 birthdays on my May birthday calendar - and Mother's Day, graduations, Memorial Day, end of school - such a busy month!!

Thinking about my mother today!!

Here's a young mother with 4 little kids - a third of her family at this point!!  I don't have many memories that young, but it looks like she cared how our hair looked!

 

Mother with Mrs. Vergine, the neighbor and mother of my good friend Judy.  This is how I remember my mom growing up! Moms really did wear dresses all day!!

 

 The other consistent memory is of her at the stove!!  And until a few months ago, you'd still see her at the stove quite often. Too bad I don't have a photo of her at the sewing machine - or behind the wheel of the car, driving us places.

As my mother declines, it is a time of reflection as well as sorrow.  And upon reflection, I am so grateful, not only for a wonderful mother, but for so many good memories - that she made for me!!

Mother!

I've always loved this photo because it captures so much with so little.  I'm holding Bonny, the sweet little girl who made me a mother.  I love all my children, but you only have one first child.  And that child has to bear the brunt of being first, so you sometimes feel bad about how inept you were at times.  Bonny has been generous and forgiving of our efforts on the learning curve!

And my mother and her mother are in the picture.  I heard something on NPR this morning - didn't catch all the details, but it was a woman who was performing with her son - and she hadn't performed for awhile.  Her son was speculating that it was a revelation to his children to see their grandmother as a whole other person than just the Grandma they knew.  And my mother and grandmother were definite people before they became "Mom and Grandma!"

My grandma was a stenographer, and she loved to travel.  She and my mom went across the country on the train every summer to visit in Ashland, Kentucky, my grandma's birthplace.  She was a wonderful needlewoman - but didn't really take it up until middle age.  And my mom always wanted to go to college - didn't get to go and graduate until she was 68 years old - the age I am now!  The more I visit with her, the more I learn - and I think I thought I knew all about her!!

Talk to your mom and your grandma - if that's still an option - and your daughters!!  Let's keep learning and loving and growing - and making our mothers proud!

Happy day today to all the wonderful moms I know and love!

Sunday Celebration!

The day was full of people - and I didn't get a photo of each one - or of everyone - but I did get Ara working away on her science project.

And the Grandmas enjoying their day.

The guys and the gals - or should I say "The guy and the gals?"

My "little" boy - I have to stand while he sits if I want to look bigger than him!

Rounding up the menfolk for a family shot!

The birthday girl and her guy - a great looking couple.

The favorite aunt still rules!

And the uncle still catches the interest of the nephews!

The lovely Miss Ella.

The girl cousins enjoying some bonding time!

Aunt Mary sporting her new short 'do.

Rusty - the "biggest loser" these days - go Rusty!!

The lovely Miss Isla.

The Mimi Cake reaches new highs - or maybe new lows??

The Quarter Century Special courtesy of the Young Women Dessert Auction!

Always help when you need some candles blown out!!

Bill and some of his family were there, some friends from the ward, it was a celebration of the birthday kids, the moms, the grandmas - good food, good company, good times.

On to the week ahead, fortified with sugar and spice - and even some veggies and fruits!

Maybe I need to remind myself how to do a slide show!!

A wonderful day was had by all!!

Greg certainly found a very large balloon - to celebrate all the mothers gathered for our Sunday dinner.

And we had a visit from Elder Schultz and his bride - they are here from Utah to enjoy a little vacay at Disnyeland!! Elder Schultz's new bride has never been before! At least we are having mild weather, so she can enjoy it!!

The men offered to do all the cooking - but Dawn still had a big hand in it!! Wanted to be sure it was just the meal she wanted!! The men did a good job - and did most of the cleaning up!!

Chicken Teriyaki salad sandwiches, pasta salad, strawberry and spinach salad, corn on the cob, with peach cobbler and key lime tarts for dessert!! Took all my will power to not eat too much!!

Paula had taken her little boy home to go to bed, but here are the mothers who were present.

My festive corsage - "Love, Bonny and the family!!"

The kidlets were on their best behavior - there are perks to having Mother's Day!!

Another Happy Mother's Day goes down in the annals of history - hope yours was a happy one too!!

That wonderful mother of mine - and Dad too!

Grandma Helen is not always keen about having her picture taken - I could find no recent shots of her alone.

This one from last Christmas is a particular favorite of mine, so I will post it once more.

I was reading on Facebook where Anna Fifield talked about losing her mom when she was only 14. And then a friend posted that she had lost her mother when she was 8. I don't know that I have always appreciated what a great blessing it is to have had a wonderful mother's influence for so many years. You would think that hearing my father mourn the loss of his mother over the years would have helped me keep these thoughts in perspective. But it has taken time for me to know the great blessing a mother's love is.

I have probably told this story before, but I recall as a young teen worrying every time my mom went to the hospital to have a baby that she would die. Women stayed for ten days - sometimes two weeks - and you didn't call and talk to her either. My dad went and visited each evening and just came home and reported. I would imagine that someone wasn't telling us the truth.

I started worrying when my grandmother once said, "I wish your mom wouldn't keep having babies. If she dies, I can't take care of all of you." Later Alice asked me, "Is Mom going to die?" I remember saying I didn't think so - but I worried after that.

I recall thinking that if I could make it to 21, I wouldn't worry about it anymore!! Ah youth!!

But she has been with us almost 91 years now - and I've had almost 66 of those years. I would be lying if I said I always appreciated her. Over the years, I have come to realize how faithful and strong she is. I have come to realize that she loves and cares for each one of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. I have come to realize that she was a good wife. I have come to realize that she is willing to serve. I have come to realize that she is wise because she has lived long enough to learn many things - things I think the rest of us think we know - and we really don't! I have come to realize that she loves beauty. I have come to realize that she appreciates each day.

Mostly I have come to realize that she is a wonderful blessing in my life - and always has been - even when I wasn't appreciating it!

I'm afraid if I left it to Harry to get something posted about his mom, it might not happen. So I will tell you what I have come to know and love about Grandma Helen.

She too has lived a long time - and is wise with the wisdom of years. She is faithful - each day, she puts her life in the Lord's hands and trusts Him completely. She too has a great love for each of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She has known sorrow and loss, but she also has a sure knowledge of the blessings of the atonement.

I first met her when Harry was on his mission. Jim came and picked me up and brought me to the house on Emery for dinner. Grandmother Taylor was living with them. Watching her loving care of her mother was a sermon in itself. Seeing her faithful efforts to entreat the Lord to lead her husband to the waters of baptism was inspiring. The loving care she gave to Genieve for so many years was service in action.

And I loved how she would find a shoe she liked and would buy a pair in every color - a woman after my own heart!!

Let's hear it for Mothers - and Mothers-in-law!!

A weekend gathering

Mother's Day was a nice, relaxing day. It dawned gray, cloudy, and cool - but that was just fine with all of us!! Dad went to church with Grandma Terrill - and Molly came with me to our ward!!

Porter has taken to walking on your feet - fun for awhile! Bishop Stevenson referred to Porter in his talk Sunday - said he'd noticed when Porter came over to our bench one Sunday when Grandma Terrill was with us. And how he had snuggled in between Dad and Grandma - and he commented that he'd never seen Porter so still and quiet for so long!! Just goes to show you that Porter knows the score!! And loves snuggling up with his Great Grandma too!

Isla apparently enjoys snuggling with a great-grandma too!

Dawn did a yeoman's job on a great meal for all of us - we enjoyed having Team Bolander join us also.

And it's always nice to have Noah in the group.

Donna brought chocolate chip cookies - the best - as usual!

Honorary Terrill Greg!!

Dawn doesn't let some of us do much clean up - but she let's Mary!! Mary is a good sport - and an ace dishwasher!

Esme is doing a school report on Grandma Helen - and needed a photo.

A goodly portion of the wonderful Terrill Grandkids!!

Some people are always up for a sword fight!

Paula and Rebecca joined us - Isaiah and Andrew have certainly grown - they are 2 now!

Dawn made 3 desserts!!

And Porter was up for some tussling - on the new couch Harry and Dawn have now - guess I should have taken some shots of it - maybe next time.

Dad gave me a book for Mother's Day - a novel he'd heard reviewed on NPR. So I spent the day reading - a nice way to spend the day I might add!

Hope all you mothers out there had a great day too!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I'm pretty sure I was focusing on Harry and not the fact that we were surrounded that day by the people who were responsible for bringing us into the world - and bringing us up. And I'm also sure I wasn't thinking then about what a wonderful influence two wonderful moms would have on my life - and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

If I had the time and the expertise, I could probably find a plethora of shots of both Mom and Helen together. Phoebe has a black and white framed photo on her dresser of both of them at Harry and Dawn's wedding 10 years ago. I thought I had it too, but can't find it right now.

This is a good shot - from Hannah and Robbie's reception 2 years ago - they are both still "kicking up their heels" in one way or another~

Regardless of the photo, though, we both feel fortunate to have our moms with us still. In good health and fun to be around too! Not everyone enjoys that blessing today - and maybe not everyone sees it as a blessing.

I consider a wonderful mother - and a wonderful mother-in-law too - to be one of the greatest gifts I have enjoyed in my life. I hope that I can live my life in a way that reflects the faith and goodness they demonstrate daily.

Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms out there - you know who you are - and I hope your kids tell you that too!