Happy Birthday, Kelley

It's hard to believe that in a few hours it will be 26 years ago that I became a grandmother for the first time. Being born into the Army life, Kelley Ann was a month old before I finally got to hold her for the first time. They arrived at our house in the middle of the night and I think I had her in my arms before my eyes were fully open!

We got to spend about 3 weeks together before she went to live in Germany for the next three years.

I had to be content with frequent phone calls, video tapes and cute pictures like this one as she grew up half a world away.

She was a little past three years old when we saw each other next and I worried she would not know me. But she dove for my arms when they once again arrived at our house in the middle of the night. And we picked up where we had left off...........

We were still blessed with SIX living generations. Her great-great-great grandfather was 102 in this picture. He died the next year, a month shy of 104 years of age. His wife died at 94, just three months before Kelley was born.

I'm in the back with my eyes closed next to my mother. In front are my son with Kelley, my great-grandfather and my grandmother.

Learning to bake bread with me and her cousin Christmas 1992.

The years have passed so quickly and she's all grown up. This was taken in 2004.

Kelley works as an EMT and lives in Massachusetts so we still don't get to see each other very often. The last time was the summer of 2007.

She wanted to learn to make some of the silk flower and tulle wall hangings that I had been doing and dug right in with no hesitation, despite not ever having done any piecing or quilting.

And made all of these in a couple of days.

It would be so nice if only she lived closer. Happy Birthday, Kel...we love you bunches.