Mommy's Birthday!

*Due to our flood, this post was overlooked. We hope that you enjoy reading it now, though it is a bit late!*

Last month, we celebrated my Mom’s birthday! That morning, Rubia, Roma, and Josiah had swim lessons in the morning. As soon as she left, I ran around the house baking treats and packing sleds, snowsuits, and food in our car, because as soon as she got home we were going to take her on a surprise birthday trip!

We have done birthday trips for several years now. Instead of having a birthday party every year, we take a trip somewhere. In the past we have visited museums, zoos, science institutes, toured factories, and even been to Niagara Falls (that was a very special trip!)

Thankfully, I finished all of my preparations before Mom got home. I knew she would get suspicious if she saw me making 3 dozen cookies and packing sleds and snowsuits in the car. I ran upstairs and was reading my devotions when she came home. She walked in the room and said, “You’re exactly where I left you!” J If only she knew. . .

We all got ready for the birthday trip, and then Mom opened her presents from us.



Roma made this beautiful theme gift for Mom: her favorite tea mug, several bags of tea, sugar cubes, and homemade petite fours.



Mom reading a homemade book of pictures that Ruby made her.



A beautiful bouquet of flowers Roma gave Mom. Note the contrast between the beautiful flowers, and the sub floor of our kitchen!



After she opened her gifts, we packed up and headed out for her birthday trip! My Dad worked very hard to make sure she didn’t know where we were going. He stopped at Birch Run to look for a wallpaper steamer; he dropped a hint about the snow-fest in Frankenmuth; he drove through downtown Saginaw; he stopped in Zilwaukee to purchase a steamer, and then he drove through Midland. He pretended we were going to a one friend’s house, then he drove by the library. I don’t think Mom had any idea where we were going!

We then drove through a back-roads neighborhood. And finally, we pulled up to one of our very best friend’s house! And our other good friend’s car was parked in the driveway! Mom was thrilled to tears to see them. Our families have grown so close, we feel like family. Unfortunately we don’t get to see them often, thus making our visits extra special!



The boys (and men!) enjoying appetizers.



We enjoyed visiting and “catching up” for several hours! Whenever we see each other, we just pick up wherever we left off. Our families live very parallel lives even though we hardly get to see each other. So when we do get together, we will start to talk about something (for example, healthy eating) and another will pipe in and say “We’ve been doing that too!”



We enjoyed sledding down our friend’s stairs that were covered with snow. We also enjoyed swinging on their rope swing and jumping off into snow drifts.



The boys really enjoyed playing a strategy game called “Axis and Allies.”



We ate a delicious dinner of pizza, salad, chips and salsa, veggies with dip, birthday cake, cookies, and ice cream!



The “boys table.” Note all of the suspicious looks I get when I walk into the room with a camera.



Mom, blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.





We so enjoyed our time with friends! So much so, that we didn’t leave until 10:00 p.m.! J We especially appreciate their willingness to have us over despite our late request! Birthday trips with friends are always the most memorable ones!

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:28-30

I am very blessed to have a mother who strives to be a Proverbs 31 woman! She is such a blessing to her family, and desires to have the hearts of her children. I can say that her children do “arise and call her blessed” and “her husband also, and he praises her.” There is not another Mom I could ever ask for or hope to have, because God has given me such a blessing in my Mother! I love you so much, and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!