Happy birthdays

Today is my oldest granddaughter's birthday.  Cayenne is in college now, and I'm so thrilled for her. I was glad she weathered Irma the hurricane at home in Tampa with her family, rather than staying at college (where she's only been a month) in Jacksonville, FL.

Proud dad, Marty. (Just grabbed this from his Facebook post, (somehow I didn't have it before 11:30 am today)

Cinnamon a proud mom with her new grad, Cayenne.

End of August was not only my paternal grandfather, George Rogers' birthday on the 28th, (more about him HERE) but also my son, Russ' wife Michelle's mom, Joanne. Wish there was a term for co-mother-in-laws.

"Poppy" 1877-1960, George Elmore Rogers Sr. a Texan all his life.

A lovely family photo from way back - Michelle on left and her mom Joanne on right (birthday Aug 28)

I just found out my neighbor across the way has his birthday Aug. 27, while mine was the 23rd.

Another person in my church community has the same birthday I do (1 year older) and she's also a clay artist!

Remember I like to make funny faces at my age!

Beginning of September, my maternal grandmother (above) Mozelle Miller Munhall (1897-1960) just had her birthday on the 8th.

My paternal great-great grandfather had his on Sept. 10, (Alexander G. Swasey, 1784-1861) born in Swansea, MA, died in Newport, RI. He was a mariner and ship builder and wood carver.

Did I forget my youngest son, Tai, who had his birthday on the 4th of Sept?

Tai as a teen (who just turned 38!)

Or my middle son, Russ, who had his birthday a week before mine, on Aug. 16? His wife is Michelle, pictured above with her mom and dad and sis.

Russ who just hit his half century mark!  Congrats to you!

So many children...growing up, getting older, and living such interesting lives!

Next birthday in my family is Michael, my oldest grandson! But not till October...

Michael on left, Cayenne middle, and other brother, William on right!

And in case you read my recent Rant about Birthdays blog, here are the mothers of the birthday folks, the ones I know anyway.  Congratulations to birthing such wonderful people!

Cinnamon Arkwright Heym, mother of Cayenne and William.
Betty Bass Rogers, mother of George Rogers, Sr.
Rose Kinsella Fiore, mother of Joanne
Mataley Munhall Rogers, mother of myself
Eugenia Booth Miller, mother of Mozelle Munhall
Sarah Helon Swasey, mother of Alexander G. Swasey, Sr.
Myself, Barbara Booth Rogers, mother of Marty, Russ and Tai.
Deborah Lewis Thurston Fernandez, mother of Michael

Mothers and sons

Happy mother's day to all the women who carried another human being under their heart for 9 months...and gave birth in whatever manner, then spent the next however many years feeding, cleaning, dressing, guiding, teaching, nursing, disciplining, hugging, laughing and crying with their children.
   

My grandmother Ada Phillips Swasey Rogers with her firstborn, she's in her wedding dress!
She had 5 sons and one daughter, and only 4 of the sons lived to be adults.  There are now 8 cousins alive as her grandchildren, and many of them are grandmothers themselves.

My maternal great grandmother, after whom I was named Barbara Booth, though I never met her.

Below, my mother on the left, with her mother, Moselle Booth Miller Munhall by her side, and my little sister in front.  My mother worked most of her adult life outside the home, as well as clothed, cooked and fed us, and cleaned our home! We were glad Dad brought home the bacon!

These were women of the 50s!

My mother, Mataley Webb Munhall Rogers, in high school in the 30s.

My mother before I was born...

Good friends Christine and Martha (in hat) who are both nurses!

Last week was Nurses Week, and I'm reminded of the nurturing creative care that these people give, even if not actual mothers.

So whatever may become of us mothers, no matter how our children may have grown and had their own lives, we are still women with memories of lots of joys, sorrows, laughs and sharing.

Happy Mother's Day 2017.

Shared with Sepia Saturday...a bit late this week!
I've been wanting to gather these photos of myself, and my family of mothers and sons...sorry it's not on theme for the Sepians.

Graduation surprise!

Both my (oh so young !!!) grandchildren graduated at the Florida State Fairground in Tampa Friday May 5 morning...and I found out by Facebook posts from their parents...as it was happening! So Facebook again let me be right there when it was happening! And I didn't have to deal with parking, sitting on those awful seats for hours, and looking for them in the crowds...my son and his ex did it for me.  Thank you!

My son, Marty, took a video of his daughter, Cayenne, here in a still shot as she received her diploma for completing the first two years of college before graduating from high school!  It's called Collegiate Academy in Florida.  Her high school graduation will be in another 2 weeks!

And her older brother received his AA diploma this morning at the same ceremony from Hillsborough Community College. 

He's just walking onto the stage on the right here.  Congratulations for job well done, William!  He's been attending part-time while working part-time for the last few years.

Cayenne looking at her mom in crowd of over a thousand young grads

Will in center of shot, marching into auditorium

Will second from right in cap and gown on a big screen.

Prom dress for Cayenne!

There they were in 2013 when Will graduated from high school!

I'm so proud of them, and their parents who gave these young people the very best support and direction for their lives!

A big congratulations to you both, Cayenne and William!

Today's Quote:

We were made for these times.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

You only turn 51 once

As I post this, the day before my eldest son's 51st birthday, I'm thinking how it was the last day of that pregnancy. 

A first time mother, about to give birth in a Naval Hospital in 1964.

I had no women friends, and my mother lived 800 miles away.  My grandmother was closer, but I didn't think to ask her to come help me through this.  I was so sure it would be easy to do.  I was so wrong.

Well, this is that good old 20-20 hindsight.

Women need other women when giving birth.  I now have so many more women friends who support me whenever I need to share, emote, laugh, or just let my hair down.  Why oh why did I think one man, my ever lovin' husband, would be enough for all the support I needed.  It had to do with believing mainly in romance...like novels and movies, and sometimes TV shows.  That of course eventually led to my wising up and getting a divorce a few years down the road.

In reality, doctors and male nurses helped deliver my son.  I'm so grateful that they knew what was going on, because I sure didn't.

I was really thrilled the first time they brought him to me the next morning after his birth.  The night before he'd been weighed and given a number based on who knows what (my nurse friends do)...and taken to the nursery, while I went to a room full of other new moms.

And I was taught how to breast feed, fortunately by a female nurse by now. 

I'm so glad that new-born babies are given more comforting and so are mothers these days.

But the main point of my story is that he's lived over half a century now, and is doing fine.  I'm so proud of him, for his accomplishments and his children.  He has a wonderful sense of humor, is an imaginative and creative person, is very intellectual, is a great dad, a gentle boyfriend to his lady love, and works diligently on his newish (to him) home.

Congratulations, Marty!