Happy Birthday, Mandy!

Here's a shameless blog in honor of our daughter, Amanda.  You moms will understand....
October 26, 1977 was a very important day for our family.   A tiny little girl was born on that day named Amanda.  Her friends call her Amanda, but for me she will always be "Little Miss Mandy Kay."

Mandy loved to go camping in our pop-up tent camper.  In those days, we had to bring all the baby gear along with us:  swing, diapers, pacifiers, the whole deal.  Makes me tired to think about it!

Mandy was one of those little kids who always clung to her mom's leg.  My very first memory of her in the hospital room was her putting her little arms around me, even as a newborn.  This girl came into the world with a kind, loving spirit that I can't take credit for -- she was just born that way.

She was a quirky little kid -- always had her shoes on the wrong feet, and for a stretch of a few years (as shown in these photos) EVERYTHING had to be pink.

Mandy's kind-heartedness extended to any and all animals.  Sometimes she loved them a little too much -- just ask the cats who were dressed in doll clothes and pushed around the house in a doll carriage (with one tiny pink arm holding them firmly in, whether they liked it or not!) 

One problem with being too cute for your own good, especially if you're the baby in the family, is that you tend to get away with murder.   I can't even count the times when Roger and I had to bite our cheeks to keep from laughing when we needed to discipline her.  A few incidents come to mind, like hiding her guinea pig in the door of the antique mantle clock (playing hide and seek).  Oh well, the replacement glass door was prettier than the original one anyway....
poor Squeaky, the guinea pig, was probably traumatized for the rest of its short life, though.

In junior high and high school, Mandy was often the peacemaker among her zillion girlfriends.  Her friends came from every group in the class -- she was (and is) an equal-opportunity friend.  Her loyalty is legendary.

Amanda is very artistic and creative.   She sees things through an artist's eye.  She follows her own drummer and thinks "outside the box."


She's a beautiful person, inside and out.  As much as I love the cute kid photos of her, my favorites are those below.  These photos show just what a kind, loving, patient, involved mom Mandy is to our granddaughter, Kaia, who is the center of her world.   The love just shines through in these photos:

  

Mandy, we're so proud of you -- you're doing a great job!!!

Happy birthday, Honey!

Almost forgot the whippet photo of the day.  Amanda isn't the only one whose birthday is October 26.  Our baby of our four-legged children, Chaplin, is eight years old today!  He still gets an e-birthday card from his breeder every year.  Thanks, Peggy and Steve, and Happy Birthday, Chaplin!  I'll make sure you have a special treat today.