My Mom's 50th Birthday Today...sort of

My mom was born Feb 29 1960.  She was born on Leap Year, therefore she only gets a "real" birthday every four years.  The years of the Summer Olympics she gets to celebrate on a February 29th.

Here she is as the little baby in the christmas photo.

Moms are just great.  Maybe it's not like this for everyone, but it seems to me your mom has the biggest influence on your life out of any other person.  That freaks me out now that I am a mom, but I'm glad for many reasons I ended up with Sheila as my mom.  She's not perfect, but I feel like she was perfect in all the important areas for being my mom.

What's weird is now as an adult how many times I stop and realize I am just like my mother.  From phrases I'll use, to ways I handle frustration, to having too many projects to handle and just thinking and planning more.

It's been really great living with my parents for now almost two years.  My mom works now that she's an empty nester, well except for us moochers.  It's been surprising to me that even as an adult with my own busy life to live, I have to admit I don't like my mom being gone all day at work.  It's weird to be in the house even though I live there too, and not have her there.  I guess it makes me realize that it's a blessing and a privilege to be a stay at home mom and I hope I'll always have that opportunity, and good reason to remember not to complain or think I hate my life when there's no better place to be...even if I'm just mindlessly cleaning up messes one after another all day.

Anyway, it has been great to have my Mom around all the time these two years and to have the friendship and share all our interests.  But for some reason there's always a comfort in having your mom around I think, and it'll be sad to move.  I never thought I'd be sad to move out of my parent's house.
When I was 18 and moved out to college, my mom called me every day for weeks and I was so annoyed.  I was really surprised how much she missed me, she had 2 kids at home still and I was kind of a wretch, which is why Herschel rejoiced and told me he'd been counting down for years until I'd finally leave.  But I guess it's different for moms...they miss even their wretched daughters.

I think when I leave the house this second time, it will be me calling every day and my Mom being annoying and thinking "Get a grip!"  

here she is with my older 2 siblings the early 80s