Yesterday, January 7th, was my mom’s birthday. She’s turned the big 5-0! Yup, she’s over the hill. So of course that means we had make her big day extra special. She’s been calling it the “50 days of Carol”, since we’ve been celebrating since the 1st. She thinks we should continue to celebrate–but let’s face it, we all can’t afford that. Even though she would deserve every last day and every last penny for as amazing of a mother, wife and just all around person that she is!

I know every daughter is supposed to say that about their mom–that they’re amazing. But she really is. She stayed home with us kids for 13 years before going back to work. Waiting on us hand and foot every second of the day for any and every need we would ever want or need. Then even after she went back to work she still kept up on us and waited on us. She has taught me how to keep our house and a home, how to raise good children, how to treat a husband, how to cook, and so much more.

She has instilled in me and love and passion and faith for Jesus–and what it truly and really means to be a Christian woman. A loving, honest, honorable, kind, welcoming, forgiving Christian woman. Because she has lived that every day of her life, or at least tried too with every ounce of her being.

But even more importantly to me, she has encouraged and pushed me along in the world of photography. She(with the financial assistance from other family members) gifted me my very first camera. She talks me up constantly, to my face and I know to other people. She passes out my business cards. She’s always there to offer any support I may need and is always trying to learn more about photography to be better able to understand all that I do and go through to get “those beautiful images that {I} get”.

So anyways–we celebrated her birthday…and hopefully she has felted the love that she has given to us over the past many years. She made it very very clear that were not to throw her a surprise birthday party. She’s not a big fan of surprises. So we didn’t throw any parties–but that doesn’t mean we didn’t freak her out with our other surprises.

On the 1st we told her to just dress warmly and warm comfortable walking shoes–put her in the car and drove her 50 mins to the National Harbor and took her to the ICE show at the Gaylord.

(Mitch and Kay feel asleep on the way–aren’t they adorable!)

The birthday girl and her handsome hubby! 

Kay pretending to lick the ice–they told us before we went in not to touch the ice because its very fragile and can break–she was tempted the entire time. She’s that kid you can’t tell them NOT to do something–it just makes them want to do it even more. 

Dad going down the slide.

Kay going down the slide.

The show was pretty cool, literately and figuratively haha.

The celebrating didn’t end there. On Sunday, we went to lunch at Annie’s across the bridge with Cindy and Al.

Then yesterday, the plan was for me to surprise her with lunch at work…well that didn’t work because I of course had to get a some virus. So we cleaned the house, and decorated, made a poster board card, got her roses, cupcakes from Kupcake and Co., and they all went to dinner with some friends.

Her sister had her favorite flowers and a balloon sent to the house 🙂 

(ignore the terrible quality–iphone pic)

So that was Mom’s 50th birthday! I think it was a pretty good birthday…I mean she said so 🙂 So that’s what important!

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!
Love you 🙂