MOTHER'S DAY MEMORIES

I have some very special memories of Mother's Day Weekend.  On Saturday, I was able to spend several hours with my Mom and sister, my oldest daughter Jennifer and niece MaryBeth.  We attended a lovely luncheon at my parents' church sponsored by their Christian Movement organization.  My Dad was there to help serve. The pasta/chicken salad and fresh fruit were delicious, followed by a yummy dessert.  The theme for the luncheon was "Step up to Friendship" and all the table decorations were "shoe" related!  Very clever! The church pastor welcomed us, offered a prayer and the ladies in the Christian Movement did a wonderful job with their greetings, stories, and the program. A special group of tap dancers (all over the age of 50!) danced to several favorite songs with a few costume changes between! Amazing!! It was a very enjoyable afternoon!

On Sunday, my children put together a special brunch for me.  Alissa and Alan hosted at their home.  The mimosas were refreshing, followed by a delicious egg cassarole, fresh fruit, muffins, bagels, and coffee.

Here is my husband enjoying Mother's Day after church...this is his usual posture on Sundays! ;-)

Here are the beautiful tulips which graced the table; Alissa shared them with Corissa and I when we were leaving. 

Here is Corissa on Mother's Day with her children!

Landon was really excited about the "open staircase" at Uncle Alan and Aunt Alissa's house! 

Cailyn and Landon kept us smiling throughout our meal, and afterwards we all headed upstairs.  Cailyn found Aunt Alissa's exercise ball...never knew there were so many ways to enjoy that piece of equipment!

Uncle Alan even took time during our visit to read stories to his niece! I love this picture!

This is my favorite photo of the day...

My children made me feel very special and loved on the day reserved for Mothers...actually, they do that everyday, just by being who they are!  THANKYOU again, dear ones, for all your gifts and love! I LOVE YOU!!

Finally, Easter!

Yes, Easter Season is 50 days long, so I better get our Easter pics posted before the Season ends!  On Easter Sunday, after mass, we enjoyed a family gathering at my sister and brother-in-law's home this year.  Terry and Ken hosted a delicious potluck lunch after a traditional egg hunt in their backyard.  Dad offered a special blessing over all the food that everyone helped to bring.

Terry's grandsons pictured above range in age from 8 years down to 21 months. With our grandchildren, ages 3 and 1, there were 6 kids busily looking for fun-filled plastic eggs in their beautiful backyard.  The weather was a bit warm, but no surprise there!

Here is Cailyn getting started...she had lots of practice on Saturday at home with another egg hunt, so she had the hang of it!

Landon is walking everywhere now, and of course, initially called the easter eggs "balls" but quickly corrected himself and said "eggs"! Balls are his favorite toys!! And, yes, he keeps the sunglasses on most of the time!

Aunts Alissa and Jennifer were nearby to assist with the egg-opening...Terry spreads her "everyday quilts" on the grass so the children can sit in the shade to open the eggs!  Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Janne helped fill the eggs, so they enjoy watching the children hunt!

Here Bode and mama MaryBeth are finding lots of surprises!

Ethan is an expert at opening his own eggs this year, with mama Amy watching the fun!

Here Cailyn is showing off a favorite "prize" to her mama Corissa!

After our delicious lunch, Mom and Dad surprised all of us with beautiful table mats that were lovingly quilted and sewn over the passed several months.  The table mats were given as "thankyou gifts" to all the families who traveled from far away to attend Mom & Dad's 60th Anniversary party and our family's reunion in March.  We will always treasure our mats as momentos from a special celebration in 2012!  Thankyou especially to Mom and Terry for all their time, talent and love in sewing the mats!

I love this picture of my sister with Landon! 

In April our roses were very beautiful.  The heat is slowing the blooms now, but we have enjoyed a fresh bouquet in the house a few times!