Today we tried to surprise my mom with a postponed Mother's Day lunch. She made it difficult when she made various other plans, since "nothing was going on Wednesday afternoon." My dad ended up breaking down and confessing that he had rounded up three of her four children for an afternoon meal, and that he had made reservations and would she please come. She decided it would be more fun to go somewhere without "white tablecloths". Which is how the five of us ended up at the fabulous Liberty Elm Diner, circled around a table in the back room.
Once upon a time these, albeit partial, (--we missed you Will--) casual family gatherings were a rare thing indeed. But my sister has moved to the east coast, and one of my brothers is back for the summer, and now that I'm here as well, meals like this are possible. Looking around the table at everyone laughing and telling stories, a couple things struck me. 1. Why don't we do this more often? 2. I have such a great family.
As the eldest child in our family, ahem, has a birthday coming up, my brother Sam pointed out that my mother has been a mom for thirty years! And that, come Sunday, she will no longer have any teenagers to call her own. This photo was taken a few days? weeks? after my youngest brother was born. I think its the first picture of all of us as a "complete" family. I love you mom. Good job.