Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Very Happy Birthday

I'm a little late in posting this. The weekend before last we celebrated my Mother In Love's 75th birthday.
For over thirty years she has (and still) runs her own restaurant. She is famous for her pies. That's why she has a pie themed cake. Hoards of people flock to the cafe every Wednesday for pie day. It's not an exaggeration to tell you that she bakes the best pies in the Midwest...possibly the whole world. I'm sorry to tell you that she has been interviewed to death by the media and will no longer be doing pie interviews.


A gathering with The King's family would not be complete without food...lots of food. So much so, that as the last of the dishes from a meal are washed and dried, the next meal is already being prepared. Oh, and the food is always ever so tasty. What else can you expect from the offspring and spouses of a famous restaurant owner?

The birthday girl cannot stay out of the kitchen. Never. There is a magnetic pull between her and any kitchen. You'd think that after all those years of preparing daily specials, flipping burgers, and rolling out pie crusts, she'd welcome any opportunity to stay away. Here she is helping her oldest daughter prepare one of our many meals for the weekend.


Half the weekend I couldn't find my camera. Thankfully this Sister In Love is rarely without hers. Thank goodness we have someone to faithfully document the family history through photos.

Here is the oldest granddaughter (one grandson is just a bit older) with her daughter...the first great grand child. One of the draw backs of marrying one of the youngest children in a large family is that you become old before your time. I became a great-aunt at the ripe old age of 26.
The younger ones had fun with a pinata. "Okay everyone, line up from youngest to oldest."
And when those little ones were unable to knock the pinata down, we called in for back up. Jouster gave it a good whack and knocked it to the floor. Do you see the pinata expert crouching down behind me? He was ready to make his move to gather candy.


Prince Charming got more than his little hands could hold. I realized as I was typing this that he is the youngest grandchild (not including the great grandchildren here). I wonder if he will ever lose his position?


Some of the older cousins had time to get reacquainted.
And spend time hanging out at the house reading.
While some of the younger cousins (the fan club) enjoyed watching their 'dult' cousin perform some worship music. Don't be surprised if you see her on stage one day. She is a talented young lady! Just so you know, a 'dult' cousin is one who is already an adult. They are the ones who provide my younger children with playmates...Yeah! But family gatherings can sometimes bring on the tears. Maiden was a little sad that all the other girls her size drove uptown together while she was stuck riding with Prince Charming.
We made Grandma a photo album with pictures and messages from the grandchildren and great grandchildren. If I remember correctly, Grandma has been blessed with 29 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. Only 9 of the grandchildren are married thus far...the number of great grandchildren is only going to continue to grow!Then the girls had to compare their pages with each other.
And no visit with Grandpa would be complete without a Grandpa Dollar. Here the kids are lined up to receive their $. Every time the grand kids visit Grandpa or Grandpa visits the grand kids, he gives them a Grandpa Dollar, a real dollar bill. The more times you see Grandpa in a year, the more dollars you get. Hmm...I wonder who really benefits from this tradition?
We all got to meet Grandma and Grandpa's new dog, Poochy. Prince Charming was quite smitten with him. (As were most of the grandchildren.)
A family photo at the end of a grandios weekend. After seeing this photo do you even have to question why I married The King? I had to be a part of this royal family. I am so blessed and thankful for them. God is good!


Happy Birthday Char! We love you!

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I love that woman, too, and I only know three of her boys.

    Katie

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  2. Sounds like one very great party! You are blessed indeed!

    About the corn dryer. I get so used to ours in the yard that when it shuts off, I jump up and think something is wrong and usually end up waking Chad up to tell him it shut off. You will get used to it. At least you only have to hear it for a few weeks out of the year (or does he have fans on the bins that fun more than that?)>

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  3. Hi Michelle, Looks like fun was had by all! The Grandpa Dollar..I just love it..what a great idea. Was it his idea? And Poochy..is he a Border Collie or a mix? Hard to tell by the picture! Happy Bithday to your Mom in Love! :)

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  4. Michelle-
    Thank you SO much for the great post! We were so sad that we were unable to attend, and it is so bitter sweet to see the pics. Great to see the wonderful time that you had together, sad that we were unable to be there!! That family is so wonderful, I expect something fun like that again soon!!
    Of course I love the pic of MY Mother in love, that pose is just too her!! Love it!!

    Thank you again!

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