Posts Tagged ‘Mom’s birthday’
Mom Time
Posted on: January 16, 2019
- In: Christmas | Family | Memories | special occassions
- 63 Comments
I have so many wonderful memories of my recent time in Canada including special school visits, Christmas with family, visits with good friends, snuggling with grandpets and fun with grandchildren. But the best memory of all is the valuable time I spent with mom. I saw her 17 days in a row, often more than once a day. We had some good laughs and a few tears as we reminisced. I usually sat with her during her meals, attended singalongs and quiz events with her, read to her and we looked at pictures together. We celebrated her 90th birthday by holding a party at the seniors home a couple of days before the actual birthday (which is Christmas day!) 48 friends and family came to wish her a Happy Birthday. She was so pleased, even though it was a bit overwhelming at times. I’d like to share a few mom pictures.
with a great-grandson
You can see she loves her teddy bears and was given quite a few for gifts. Many of them she won at Bingo!
On her actual birthday, on Christmas day, the staff decorated her place in the dining room with balloons and streamers, sang to her and presented her with a cupcake and candle for her to blow out. She was made to feel very special. The staff at Valleyview Seniors Care are incredible. I am so grateful.
Mom was showered with love. She is wheelchair bound, her hearing is failing, the words don’t always come out right and she is often confused, but she is happy and so well cared for. The more time I spent with her, the more alert she became. Her long term memory is very good. She remembers names of people I have forgotten.
It was time well spent and I am so glad I was able to be there for her 90th birthday!
Celebrating Mom’s 85th
Posted on: December 9, 2013
- In: Family
- 39 Comments
My mom was born December 25th, 1928. Yes, she was a Christmas baby. When we were growing up, Dad made sure we celebrated her birthday as well as Christmas that day. There would always be a Christmas gift under the tree for mom and a separate birthday gift. We always had a cake and candles included in all the festivities. When I learned to bake, I would secretly make her a cake myself and bring it out of hiding at one point to surprise her. It’s true she worked hard preparing a traditional Christmas meal and ensuring our Christmas was perfect, but she was always made to feel special on her day. She tells me she never felt cheated by having a Christmas birthday and no one ever forgot her birthday!
This year, since it was a milestone year, we made her party a month early so that all of us could be there. She still lives in Medicine Hat, Alberta, the community she has lived in all her life. One brother drove down from Edmonton, days before flying out to Thailand where he lives for part of the year. My other brother came from Calgary, and my husband and I flew in from Vancouver. We rented a party room in the retirement home she now resides in and posted an announcement in the local paper. It was a wonderful event as over 100 friends and relatives dropped in to wish her a Happy Birthday. Her sister from Arizona made the trip as well. Mom glowed with happiness.
Mom with her kids
Mom with her brother and sisters
It was a lot of work, especially organizing it long distance, but I’m so glad we did it. Everyone pitched in and helped of course. When we took mom up to her room after the party she looked through the guest book and all her cards and commented that she never knew she had so many friends. My beautiful mom is so well loved and we are blessed to have her.
She will still get calls on Christmas day from near and far as we never forget our Christmas Mom!
