Happy Birthday Grandma Olsen

Liam tripped in the gravel and lost a shoe.

On the way down

Isla, the queen of the swings. Seriously, she totally dominates.

Momma Goosie protecting her eggs.

Pedro was on the other side of the teeter totter give Elijah the ride of his life.

Grandma with Isla and Paige

Liam was unsure of this toy, so he decided to give his "baby" a ride instead.

Growing up with my Mom as a mom meant I would never be the kid watching Saved by the Bell with rolls of stomach fat weighing me down. The first thing she did when we moved to the farm in West Salem was climb up a towering Maple with limbs like scary mountain highways and build us kids a tree fort. Every unclaimed moment was spent on the fort, or running around as far as the fields and forests allowed, always turning back when confronted with signs of civilization. My mom never held us back, never told us to stay where she could see us. We grew up with a liberated feeling not many of our friends understood, but it was this environment that probably saved us (and saves us still) when things got rough.

She wears sexy high heel shoes to church now, but if you saw her back when I was five and she wore overalls every day, you'd never guess she had it in her. Grandma Olsen is a hottie, but she still has a wild forest fire under her skinny butt. A month ago she decided she wanted to put in some swings and a slide down by the pond, in preparation for Annelisa and Nate's wedding reception. Now, just four Saturdays later, the place looks like a neighborhood park with generous financiers. The day after her birthday we took some of the grandkids down to play. And play they did!

Happy Birthday Mom. I love you. We love you.