Another Birthday :-)

Wow, these birthdays seem to roll around faster and faster. This year, my birthday started VERY early in the morning. I've been occasionally helping Heidi and Corey with some babysitting this summer, and when I do, I have to be at their house at 5:30 am when Corey leaves for work. Heidi works nights, so she gets home around 8:00 am, checks in with Maddox, and then heads to bed. I stay until around 1:00 pm when Maddox joins her for a nap. Anyways, I agreed to help out on my birthday, and when I arrived, Corey had a cake waiting for me. Now I love chocolate, but 5:30 in the morning is way too early even for me to start eating cake! Maddox and I each had a piece later in the morning, though, and he even sang "Happy Birthday" to me - how sweet!

I set the timer on my camera and snapped this birthday picture of us reading a book. I don't know why it turned out fuzzy - I sure didn't move the camera since it was sitting on a shelf. Oh well - you get the idea, and the wrinkles don't show!! Maybe fuzzy is good...

As Maxine says, "Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up!"

Since I've been posting baby pictures of everyone else in the family for their birthdays, I decided to go on a search for the very first picture I could find of me.

I'd say this was probably taken on my first day home from the hospital, so I may be a week old (moms stayed in the hospital longer in the olden days). Big brother Ted doesn't look too impressed!

July, 1949

This was a Christmas card picture of all three kids:

Teddy - 4, Janie - 2 1/2, and Joycie - 6 months

December, 1951

Fast forward to this year's family celebration at Olive Garden. We had a great dinner, and Maddox entertained us all, as usual. Chuck surprised me with pearls for my present this year, and also a pink bike helmet. Hmmmm, I wonder if I should wear them together? That would be a real fashion statement as I bike down the trail. Too cool!

I can't forget our annual July friends celebration. We got together on Tuesday (Linda's actual 60th birthday!) and since it was a really hot day, we went to MOA and stayed nice and cool inside. We had lunch at the California Cafe - yummy! We were short one this year due to Jo's unexpected gall bladder attack and surgery. We'll just have to go again when she's all recovered.

On Wednesday, I went to a workshop in Minneapolis with 9 other teachers from Cannon, and Maureen brought along a carrot cake for me. We went to Culver's on our lunch break, and she brought in the cake, along with paper plates and napkins, and served us all. I was glad they passed on singing!

Thanks, everyone, for helping me celebrate another year. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so many great friends!
And again, as Maxine says, "Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!"