My grandpa is turning 95 in just a few days. For the occasion, I sent him our most recent family photo along with this letter about our family. After reading it, my husband thought it was worthy of a post, so I really hope you enjoy reading it, too!
Dear Grandpa K,
Happy 95th birthday! Boy, 95 years sounds like a really long time! The girls and I put exactly 95 heart stickers inside the numerals. It took us a long time, so we concluded that 95 years is indeed a very long time!
We are really enjoying living in our new home in Orange County, California! Would you believe that we have lived here for more than a year and have not used the air conditioning once??? Although it does get hot during the day, we live close to the ocean so it is cools off considerably at night. There are also very few bugs here, which is, for us, a welcome change from mosquito-infested New Orleans. I do, however, miss the fall colors and the winter snows that you get to experience! Every time I fill up the gas tank, I find myself wondering if perhaps we should relocate!
David enjoys his job teaching and researching at UC Irvine. He will be applying for tenure this year, which is actually a year-long process. I really enjoy homeschooling the children, although I never imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom, let alone a homeschooler!
Mary is now seven and has so many interests I can’t keep up! She loves to play soccer, sew, knit, and read. Her favorite subject is history; her favorite games are chess and Scrabble. Right now, she aspires to be the first woman president!
Maggie will turn five in just a few weeks. She is such a bubbly little girl and wants more than anything to be a mom! She loves to play with her baby dolls and help me with the cooking and cleaning. Even though she’s only five, she does an excellent job folding laundry! She is also very excited about her first soccer season this fall.
Matthew and Jonathan are two years old and certainly keep me running. I often marvel at how you raised my dad and Uncle Jim because I now know what a handful they must have been. The twins like to speak to one another in their own language and get a bit frustrated with the rest of us to whom it remains a mystery. They are the best of friends and can get into a lot of trouble in a hurry. They have been known to raid the refrigerator early in the morning, unload their dresser drawers during naptime, and bail water from the toilet. Even so, they are a bundle of fun for which we are ever grateful!
Josiah is now five months old and is learning new tricks every single day. He smiles for just about anyone who crosses his path and is a pretty easy-going little guy, except that he still wakes up a LOT at night. He’s a toughy and doesn’t even cry for shots or nail trimmings! As the youngest of five, he also tolerates thousands of kisses and whacks!
We hope that you have a wonderful 95th birthday celebration surrounded by your loved ones who are close. Our family is celebrating this milestone with you from sunny California.
Much love,
David, Maura, Mary, Maggie, Matthew, Jonathan, and Josiah Mobley
Maura, this is sweet, beautiful and I don't know what else except it is a great job. Thanks so much for you and the girls taking the time for this very lovely and loving "note from home." I always thought that your Uncle Jim and I were perfect little angels? :)
ReplyDelete