Happy Birthday MOM!!!

Born in 54 & turned 54!!!

& still looking better than ever! I SWEAR my mom NEVER AGES!!! I really really hope I get her "aging genes"! My poor dad has been bald since their wedding day & since his hair is now white...he's been asked MORE THAN ONCE...is that your DAUGHTER with you? Even if they have been mistaken for a father-daughter duo every once in awhile...they are the CUTEST COUPLE in the world!!!

My mom's birthday was on Saturday & we had a fun party over @ her house-ordering take-out from her very favorite place(Aloha Kitchen) & then topped off the night with icecream sundaes!

The grandkids all wanted to help blow out the candle!

Except they would have been happier to blow out 54 candles, instead of 1...since they fought over who got to blow it out:) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Just a few things about my AMAZING mom...

She loves to cook & her specialty is BREADS...whether it is breadsticks, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, orange rolls(my personal favorite!), pizza dough, breads & more...she does it ALL & we all get to ENJOY her talent every Sunday at dinner...when we DIG in to the delicious carbs!!!

She is a WONDERFUL Grandma!!! Grandma to 8...4 boys & 4 girls...seven of them under 3 years old! She lets them run all over her house, doing who knows what to EVERY room & she still has a smile on her face at the end of the night! She is so patient with all of them & can usually be found with a rag in her hand...cleaning up the latest mess.

She likes to camp! Every year my cousins go camping over Spring Break & more often than not...my dad is very busy with Chicago Cubs Spring Training...so she loads up the kids by herself, takes them all camping...cooking DELICIOUS meals in the middle of the woods for the whole week!

She never stops Serving! She goes above and beyond in all that she does. She is currently the Relief Society President in her ward & will be found doing SOMETHING for the sisters in her ward on a DAILY basis! She serves without complaining too...always smiling & doing whatever she can do lend a hand! Even before this calling, she was always doing something for others! She never ever ever stops going!!!

She is busy,busy, busy & goes, goes, goes...on very little sleep! She NEVER goes to sleep before midnight & is always up and running the next morning...with her next task underway! Her kids keep her extra busy...especially the youngest Heidi, who is currently in Choir, Basketball & Club Volleyball & my mom goes to ALL the events! Just last Saturday...Heidi had a Volleyball tournament in East Mesa & my mom was helping with a Preparedness Fair at her Stake, but left so she could pick Heidi up from her tournament & drive her to SURPISE for a Regional Competition for Choir!(she missed the bus, since she was at Volleyball) That doesn't include the basketball games she currently attends every week for her! If she isn't busy enough, she babysits for her grandkids on a regular basis!

She is very talented! She loves to sew & has made so many beautiful things...including her curtains, pillows, numerous baby blankets, dresses & even her very own wedding dress!!! OH...she worked wonders on my wedding dress too! Altering it, adding a waist sash, beadwork & ribbon to the bottom...oh & she made my veil! She also loves to do floral arrangements! This is mostly a fun hobby for her(flowers for highschool dances) but has done several weddings(including mine!) & currently sells some silk floral arrangements at my brother's store Matage

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She is a wonderful wife & mother! She enjoys spending time with her family & is always looking for an excuse to get together with friends & family! She puts up with a LOT from her own 7 children & takes pride in marrying off 4 of them to wonderful spouses & has sent 3 boys on missions & will be sending 2 more in the next few months!

I could go on and on...but basically...she is AMAZING!!!

Happy Birthday MOM!!!