Happy Birthday, Anne Marie!

Today is my beloved daughter's birthday. She is a true blessing to our family (even though there were times when they were growing up that her brother might have disagreed!).


Anne Marie on her 7th birthday, with the $5.00 bill from
Grandma and Grandpa. Presents from family were
opened first thing in the morning--she was
obviously too excited to be bothered with brushing
hair first. Later that day she had a little birthday
party with several of her friends.

It's too bad we didn't have the equipment that is now available for taking and printing photos when our kids were growing up. Of course, if we would have had, my house might not be big enough to hold all the photo books! I do like to have prints, as well as pictures on the computer.

When I looked through my old albums for birthday photos, I was surprised to find how few were of the kids' birthdays when they were little. I guess I was not as focused on saving those moments as I am now. And film, flashbulbs, and developing costs often just did not fit in our very tight budget.

Now I might not get good pictures of Anne Marie on her birthday, because she doesn't much like being photographed.

Anne Marie, happy, happy birthday. I am so glad you are my daughter. I won't even mind clearing The Project off the kitchen table so we can have birthday cake this evening! (And be a good daughter and let me get some photos.)

Happy Birthday, Anne Marie!

Today is my daughter's birthday. Which has me thinking about the time when we brought home our first-born child. That little scrap of human potential planted herself firmly in our hearts. Thinking about this sent me to my old photo book, so I am sharing a few pictures of our new baby.

1969--newly home from the hospital.

Ten days old--just about to have a bath (I remember how nervous I was,
bathing that little thing!).

Her Daddy's Darling

Our little family--Anne Marie just turned two months old.

She is now the mother of a 15-year-old. She is a loving, caring, honorable woman. Life has not been easy for her family the past few months; Chad, Anne Marie, and Megan have all had medical issues. Even four of their five dogs have had many visits to the vet. Anne Marie hasn't been to nursing school, but she is always tending someone, or some pet, that needs care. She is a great help to me, as she was to her grandmother in the past. Because she is concerned about my vision problems, she does the driving for me. She is helpful to friends. She has added teaching a youth Sunday School class to her busy life.

2013--Playing with her cousin's granddaughter, Cordelia

She is a daughter, a woman, to be proud of.

And I am.

Happy Birthday, Anne Marie!