Miss Iris is celebrating her birthday today.
Just eight days before her 92nd birthday she walked to the hospital to visit me after I had given birth to Hunter. It was a surreal moment I remember thinking that my first born child was meeting my late great-grandfather’s sister, born in 1905.
Today in 2010, I am in awe of her. She is sharp as a tack, doesn’t miss a detail and can tell you a story from yesterday or decades ago. Iris has been retired since the early 1970’s from being a librarian. She saved diligently her entire working life and has been able to live comfortably. She is always thinking of others and extremely generous in her gifts. Iris is my grandma’s aunt, was my mother’s pen pal when she was a child and my pen pal as a young girl. When I was 11 years old she moved from southern Minnesota back to North Dakota, just a few miles from us. For a couple years, my great-grandparents and Iris lived just a few doors down the hall from each other in their retirement apartments. The memories I have from those years are some of my favorite.
Having each of our children have a special relationship with Iris like my siblings and I have had with her as children is equally a favorite time for me. I love this above picture of Iris playing with Anika. Miss Anika was wearing her “My 1st Birthday” shirt earlier this month and Iris was 104 years old. She pointed that out to me when I said she was going to 105. She said “but I’m not yet, just 104.”
Five generations separate our kids and Iris. Anika took her first step at Iris’s house in June. We always knew Anika’s middle name would be Iris and sought out a Scandinavian first name to compliment it.
I am long over due in posting proofs of Anika Iris’s one year pictures. Iris’s birthday seems like an appropriate day for the viewing.
These are original and copyrighted by Jacobson Studio, the photographers that shot my pictures as a child, our wedding and now take our children’s pictures annually.
Side note: Yes, her skirt looks really big on her and that is because it was. I mistakenly put Elizabeth’s matching skirt on her for her one year pictures and it fit. I didn’t realize it until that evening.
Anika is wore her white cowgirl boots under her dress. Thanks to cowgirls Dana Elizabeth and Miss Patti for sending them to her.
Mayville, ND, where the pictures were taken has a gorgeous community garden, all done on a voluntary basis. It is worth the drive to have your pictures taken there.
Precious Anika Iris is growing up and loving her one year life as busy, chatting toddler.
And Great Aunt Iris is 105 years old today celebrating with generations of family.
Katie,
How small of a world is this!! I grew up in Mayville and Ron and Toni have done my pictures since I was very little and did my senior pictures, engagement pictures and weddig pictures. Wow!! You went all the way to Mayville to get your pictures done as a child? How far away were you from Mayville? That is amazing!!!
105? That’s amazing! What a treasure she must be to your family. I’m a new follower from blog frog. Nice to meet you!
Wow! What a blessing!