Big Birthday!

Today my Great Grandma turns 105! That is one milestone I hope to never hit!! I remember when my cousins and I were little, every single day during the summer we would go visit her for a couple hours. I don't know if it was more to get away from day-care (both my mom and my cousins' mom had in-home daycares) or if it was for the ice cream. We really enjoyed listening to her stories and looking at her old pictuers. When we got new puppies, we ran all the way (ten blocks) to the nursing home to tell her about it, she asked to see them so we ran all the way home and brought them back and knocked on her window. She was inside her room smiling, clapping and waving - she seemed to be so excited for us. We took the puppies back home and got on our bikes to go back to visit with her. When she could leave for visits, she always came over for Christmas - as soon as she would get here, she would park her wheelchair in front of my piano and refused to eat until I played her a couple songs. The pictures are from her 100th birthday and sadly that is the last year she had her full memory - she was sharp as a tack up until her 101st birthday. We go to visit occasionally and she gets so excited when you walk into her room - you think it's because she recognizes you but she just gets excited to have company. My favorite quote she used to say to us everyday when we were getting ready to leave "Oh I could just eat you up but then I wouldn't have you anymore". Happy Birthday Grandma!

Tom and I with my grandma at her 100th birthday.

Five generations - myself, my mom, my grandpa and my grandma