On Wednesday, March 7th we celebrated Mom's 60th Birthday! I got the family together at the Dunes at Maui Lani for a surprise birthday dinner. All her children, grandchildren, sisters, Granny, Dustin & his family & Chris attended. Christina came, too, and she represented Aunty Val so well! The look on Mom's face when she arrived was priceless. Through her tears, she grumbled that she wasn't dressed nice enough! Too funny!
Her special table was decorated with bouquets of roses, flowers, leis, and gifts. She and Dad sat at the birthday table so they could see everyone and just absorb the love each person brought that evening. We enjoyed great food, shared stories, reminisced, and laughed until we cried! Aunty Linda made the cutest card for Mom that included a list of "Remember whens . . . " We all enjoyed reading those memories!
We sang "Happy Birthday" and then Kamalani, Kamalei, and Kamaehu sang acapella to her. The whole restaurant got quiet and listened in. At the end of their song to "Tutu", applause could be heard throughout the restaurant. It was quite a touching moment. Of course, Papa got it on video and posted it to Facebook!
Throughout the evening we took small group pictures. We got an updated picture of the four generations - Granny, Mom, Me & Malia, and Kamalani. Mom took pictures with Dad, her sisters, her grandchildren, and of course, her son, Llewellyn! At the end of the evening we gathered for a large group picture with everyone!
It was truly a special and memorable night for me seeing my mother so happy, surrounded by love, laughter, and a great family, so full of life! Before bed, I thanked my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such a wonderful mother, friend, and confidant and for the fabulous evening we were able to spend with her.
I'll add pictures soon . . .
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