Sunday, December 19, 2010

Forty








Today we celebrated our son Mike's 40th birthday!! Very hard to believe, do all moms see only the little boy when they look at their grown sons? It is a strange feeling. Mike works at the Little Debbie snack cake factory, where he makes the honey buns. He often works 16 hours a day. He is also a deacon in his church. He has turned into a wonderful person, kind, caring, and sensible. A hard worker, but always with a huge sense of humor. As I get older, I wish I'd been a better mom, but don't we all? So who knows if he turned out the way he did because of me or in spite of me? Here is the birthday cake that his friend made him, she owns a local bakery. It is a penguin with a tennis racket, because Mike is a tennis player. And here is Mike with his daughter and Phil and I. In the last picture, he is dancing with Anne Marie, a spur of the moment twirl in time that had her breathless with laughter.


"The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!" Proverbs 23:24,25

27 comments:

Fred Alton said...

Ginny, I'm sure your son turned out this way because you did a great job following the book! "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it!" That's somewhere in Proverbs. Right?

Jenn Erickson said...

Your son sounds like a wonderful and hard-working guy. His daughter is absolutely precious! Looks like it was a very happy celebration for all!

Reanaclaire said...

Ginny, you should be very proud of yourself, what a wonderful mum you have been... just look at your son! I am sure God is blessing us all with our gifts of life He has bestowed upon us..

Kilauea Poetry said...

Sending Happy Birthday wishes..that cake looks yummy! We may all feel that way at times and ask the same questions. Sometimes it's a comfort to know this journey isn't over with yet (smile)

SquirrelQueen said...

Happy Birthday to Mike!

I would say you and Phil raised a son you can be proud of, seeing the way he and Anne Marie interact in that last photo tells me he is a good man.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue ι™ˆζ΄ι›ͺ said...

Couldn't imagine you have a 40 year old son.

You are blessed with a good heart and a good body.

I did take the Haka photo. That was two years ago at my son's school prize giving.

I write in my book when when I talk about Sam's gift, I don't want to make it sound like I am bragging. But to those who know what a hard time I had when I had my other son Andrew, I see it as God is blessing me doubling.

Anonymous said...

Forty-something is a good decade and the beginning is different. He sounds like a wonderful man and son.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Happy happy birthday to your son! I can't believe you have a 40 year old! Look at how cute Anne Marie looks in that outfit! He really makes the honey buns? I love them. Now I will always think of your family when I buy them in the store! I wonder if he had made any of the honey buns I have eaten. LOL

RoeH said...

You did right with him! That little girl. If only I could smile like that. She must be the happiest person on earth.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos of you, Phil, your son Mike and little Anne Marie. A long time ago when I worked outside the home, my co-workers teased me that I must own stock in Little Debbie snack cakes, because I had one in my lunch sack every day!!! Thank you for sharing your son with us and I wish him a very happy 40th!

From the Kitchen said...

Because of you! Happy birthday to Mike. Yes, we always look at our children as children--whether they like it or not. It just can't be helped!

Best,
Bonnie

MadSnapper said...

the cake is fabulous. i like the penquin. my two boys will be 44 and 46 in Feb, dan on feb 22 and dave on feb 14th both born on holidays. yes they will always be boys and you said what i think about me all the time, that they grew up in spite of me. i was not a wonderful mom most of the time. love that header, what and where did you find it

Karin said...

Those are wonderful family photos! Happy Birthday to your son! What a joyful family! May the Lord continue to bless you all!

Doris Sturm said...

Happy Birthday to your son! I hear it a lot from other moms that they wished they'd be a better mom, but we have to do what we must to survive, and it's not always perfect. I didn't want to go back to work when my daughter was just 8 months old, but we needed the money and time just slips by - I regret not having been able to be a stay-home mom!
I'm glad your son turned out to be such a nice young man and a deacon at his church, that's wonderful!
Again, many happy returns to your son and many more!

Stephanie V said...

Happy Birthday to Mike! Yes, Ginny, I see the little boys in my sons all the time. I often have to stop and do the math to remember how old they really are. I also see those little boys in most of the men I meet. It's a lot easier than seeing the little girls...I wonder why?
BTW, Anne Marie looks just lovely in that dress.

Kerrie said...

Wonderful post, you are blessed! hugs, Kerrie

S. Etole said...

A son that brings you much joy it sounds like ... as does my own. We are blessed indeed.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I've struck by the fact that my birthdays never make me feel old but those of my children do :-). Good things don't just happen, Ginny. You and your husband played a major role in helping your son become the man he now is. Hugs and blessings...Mary

Glenda said...

Aren't family celebrations the best?! I'm sure that you were a wonderful mom, Ginny; I guess we all question ourselves at times. But we did our best and that's all that's required of us!! We couldn't have a perfect "performance" if we tried a thousand times!! And I can identify with looking at a son and seeing the little boy he was . . . but at the same time appreciating and loving the man he is!

Anonymous said...

Hi Ginny, You have been a good mom and have raised a Godly son. That is wonderful and most important. I have a 28 year old son who we adopted when he was a five year old boy. Time really does seem to stand still when we moms think of our children. Have a super day!

Remington said...

Happy Birthday to your son! I hope the day will be full of new memories for years to come!

Ann said...

I'm betting that you were a wonderful mom but I do know the feeling of wishing you had done a better job. Been there done that :)
Happy Birthday to Mike.

Bobbie said...

Happy Birthday Mike! What a beautiful family you have, Ginny. Ann Marie is a sweetheart, and she has the most precious smile. You are blessed!! Hope you enjoyed your celebration> I wish I could go back in time and do things differently with my kids. So many lessons I've learned through the mistakes I made through the years. But in the end, it always works out for good.

What Karen Sees said...

What a fine looking young man. He looks like his Dad. I can't think of a greater blessing than for a mother to know her son has grown into a wonderful man! How blessed you are!!! (And I can say the same thing about my 3 sons. I think it happened in spite of me!)

LC said...

Ginny, when I voiced thoughts similar to yours about wishing I had done some things differently as a mother, my oldest son took me to task. "Don't you think we (he and his brother) turned out all right?" Point taken. From your posts, I am guessing that you prayed regularly for your son and for yourself, seeking God's guidance. Isn't it great that we don't have to do everything in our own strength!

Nature Rambles said...

Belated birthday wishes for Mike! That cake looks special. He must be a wonderful father to Anne Marie. Love the photo of the twirl...so important to be able to capture such a moment in time....
Sorry I haven't been able to come sooner. Busy time of the year so I'm thinking a bloggy break will do me good.

Wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue ι™ˆζ΄ι›ͺ said...

Your son looks just like his Dad.

I forgot to tell you, I asked my husband and I checked it out, an airbus is made by a company in France. I went once in a small airbus, there was no difference from a plane.

But this one in the photo has two tiers. A very big plane.

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