55. When Sue was a child you would always answer when she called for a glass of water at bedtime. You probably thought she’d one day out grow this, but she’s 19 now and over the Christmas holidays you were still fetching water for her.
54. When you questioned Tracy about her squeaky brakes, you didn’t like her answer of “they still stop”. Instead you pulled out your pocket flashlight, crawled under the car in the restaurant parking lot and diagnosed the problem.
53. You carefully combed out bubble gum from Bonnie’s eyelashes (with the help of baby oil) when she popped her very big bubble that glued her eyes shut.
52. You held Suzanne through her concussion when Bonnie accidentally hit her in the head with the baseball bat.
51. After this you took the inconsolable Bonnie for an ice cream at Dairy Queen.
50. You told Suzanne that she was still beautiful even though her face was still blue months later.
49. You spray painted our tap and ballet shoes for dance recitals. (even though we gave you little notice of what color they needed to be and when they needed to be done)
48. Then you came and sat through 25 years of dance recitals - and never complained.
47. You came to Houston (many times) to help Bonnie’s old car “Betty” when she had a rough day on 610.
46. You were great when it came to making school projects. Because you were so meticulous, our fossils, solar systems, musical instruments, and diorama’s were always the best.
45. You lovingly took care of our pets. You clipped kitty toe nails, applied ointment and removed rodent/bird gifts that our cats brought to the front porch.
44. You buried all of our pets that didn’t make it. You’d spend hours watering the lawn so you could break through the rock hard ground in the summer time and give them a respectable resting place.
43. You moved each of us to college and found out just how many shoes a girl could really have. Bonnie won the prize on this one, and she moved to the 3rd floor.
42. You cut the comb out of Tracy’s hair when she thought it was a good idea to twirl it up to her scalp. She panicked at the thought of shaving her head, so you cut out the comb in very small pieces.
41. You rescue Tate from all of the chatting women and take him for walks outside. He loves when you let him play in the dirt. He’s been your little buddy since the day he was born. FINALLY A BABY BOY IN THE FAMILY!
40. You told me (Tracy) just how much you and mom had prayed for Tate to be born healthy.
39. You jumped a fence and kicked a stray dog to protect Bonnie. The dog limped away, and you limped for 2 weeks.
38. You made candy apples when our class was required to bring them to the carnival. It was a mess, and you concluded that we would never make those things again.
37. When we were little kids you would tuck us in, and grant our request for “a kiss on the wips”.
36. You should be applauded for being such a great dad of girls. You even let us fix your hair - and we know that that is why it thinned so much around age 35.
35. You allowed Tracy to have the slumber party that she wanted so much. You lived to tell about it, and told Bonnie and Sue they would never be allowed to have such a party. One night of 10 screaming girls was enough.
34. A Dr. Pepper and Milky Way made the perfect snack. If we went to the store with you we would get to get some too. (as long as we ate it before we got home so the other sisters wouldn’t know)
33. You put together bicycles, Barbie mansions, and the trampoline, while we impatiently asked when they would be finished.
32.You were a field trip dad. You accompanied our classes to Palacios, Austin, Washington DC, and even to see The Little Mermaid.
31. You never complained about living with four women. Even when the house only had 1 bathroom and the odds of getting to use it weren’t great.
30. Cayla loves when you give her piggy back rides, and always looks forward to playing with your pocket flashlight.
29. You found another use for baby oil when Suzanne tried to put Silly Putty in her ears and most if it ended up in her hair.
28. You calmly came to our rescue when we called saying “I backed into someone again” or “My car is making this click, click, boom” noise.
27. You tried to stay involved in our lives by getting a word in here and there while we made plans for prom dresses and cheerleading tryouts. We all talk so much (and so loud) it’s questionable whether we heard you. You tried to help out when we planned Tracy’s wedding. With all of us talking over each other, you ended up just making sure we told you where to be and when to be there.
26. We have always admired your hard work ethic. Your farmers are your friends and you would do anything to help them. Since the accident you’ve had so many visitors and their stories warm our hearts.
25. You carefully tip-toed in after cheerleading or Derby Doll tryouts looking for a sign of whether we were happy or sad.
24. Bonnie and Tracy love having combo birthday parties with you. This year, birthday week seems almost non-existent since we aren’t trying to decide where to eat, when to eat there, and who all is going to be joining us.
23. You’ve taught Tate how to “play tractors” in the dirt. Of course all of his toy tractors are John Deere.
22. You punished Bonnie with a “few weeks of silence” and took the face off the CD player in her car. This meant no CD’s and no radio.
21. You taught all of us how to dance, and we’d practice our skills at weddings. When we were very little you’d hold us, and as we got older you made a point to always ask each of us to dance. Everyone said that we got our rhythm from you.
20. You’re always up for eating our leftovers at restaurants. Nothing goes to waste!
19. We love hanging out on the dock in New Braunfels with you and everyone else. You carefully helped load the raft, and came to our rescue with life jackets when we were stopped by the river police.
18. You treated Chris as a son of your own, and took him to meet your friends and have “guy time”.
17. You and Chris usually have good ideas, but generally we women don’t hush long enough to hear y’all. In the end y’alls suggestion is usually the best option, but y’all don’t rub it in our faces that it was mentioned long ago.
16. You can fall asleep anywhere anytime. (even waiting your turn to open a Christmas present)
15. You went to more craft shows than any man should ever have to endure in his lifetime.
14. You would always go fix grandpa’s tractors and help out in the barn. The rest of the family appreciated your help with their cars and tractors as well. Everyone knew you were the best mechanic.
13. At mom’s request you’ve painted and repainted every room of her house. Patiently you’ve hung and re-hung decorations and rearranged furniture until she finds it to be just right. We all know how indecisive she can be.
12. You taught each of us to drive… enough said. If patience is a virtue your place in heaven is reserved.
11. You’ve been to countless Cheerleading and Derby Doll competitions. We all know that ones at George R. Brown were your favorites because they sometimes had car or gun shows going on in the same building.
10. You coached our little league teams for years. Little did you know that coaching girls meant some players picked flowers in the outfield and occasionally they came to practice wearing ballet shoes.
9. For your 31st wedding anniversary you worked long and hard with mom to prepare for the hurricane. This meant moving all of her “favorite” things first (at her request), knowing you’d still have to prepare the structure itself and trim the limbs later.
8. You probably aren’t too fond of landscaping but you’ve moved numerous bags of mulch and garden stones. (not to mention all of the times you’ve moved and covered the plants - just to be on the safe side because it “might” freeze)
7. Quote - “Whenever the car is clean and running great mom claims it as her car. In other circumstances it is our car.” - Louie
6. You quickly jumped into action when the dog had 9 puppies under the playhouse or the cat had a litter of kittens in the kitchen.
5. You taught us to use your blow dart gun. We’d have competitions shooting it at a piece of card board.
4. You are the lone “adult” to participate in our New Braunfels Home Run Derby, and you are better than the any of us.
3. You let us sit on your lap while you mowed the grass. Occasionally you’d let us steer and you wouldn’t stress if we ran over a pine cone. (or the water hose)
2. You taught each of us to check our oil, even though the hardest part seemed to be finding the latch to open the hood.
1. You’ve given all of us an excellent life. Since day one you’ve been our number one fan, and have supported all of our endeavors (even those that seemed a bit crazy). A list of 55 fabulous things sounds nearly impossible, but it came together quite easily and we know there are hundreds that haven’t been mentioned. We send you all of our love on your 55th birthday!
Love, Ruthie, Tracy, Bonnie and Suzanne
54. When you questioned Tracy about her squeaky brakes, you didn’t like her answer of “they still stop”. Instead you pulled out your pocket flashlight, crawled under the car in the restaurant parking lot and diagnosed the problem.
53. You carefully combed out bubble gum from Bonnie’s eyelashes (with the help of baby oil) when she popped her very big bubble that glued her eyes shut.
52. You held Suzanne through her concussion when Bonnie accidentally hit her in the head with the baseball bat.
51. After this you took the inconsolable Bonnie for an ice cream at Dairy Queen.
50. You told Suzanne that she was still beautiful even though her face was still blue months later.
49. You spray painted our tap and ballet shoes for dance recitals. (even though we gave you little notice of what color they needed to be and when they needed to be done)
48. Then you came and sat through 25 years of dance recitals - and never complained.
47. You came to Houston (many times) to help Bonnie’s old car “Betty” when she had a rough day on 610.
46. You were great when it came to making school projects. Because you were so meticulous, our fossils, solar systems, musical instruments, and diorama’s were always the best.
45. You lovingly took care of our pets. You clipped kitty toe nails, applied ointment and removed rodent/bird gifts that our cats brought to the front porch.
44. You buried all of our pets that didn’t make it. You’d spend hours watering the lawn so you could break through the rock hard ground in the summer time and give them a respectable resting place.
43. You moved each of us to college and found out just how many shoes a girl could really have. Bonnie won the prize on this one, and she moved to the 3rd floor.
42. You cut the comb out of Tracy’s hair when she thought it was a good idea to twirl it up to her scalp. She panicked at the thought of shaving her head, so you cut out the comb in very small pieces.
41. You rescue Tate from all of the chatting women and take him for walks outside. He loves when you let him play in the dirt. He’s been your little buddy since the day he was born. FINALLY A BABY BOY IN THE FAMILY!
40. You told me (Tracy) just how much you and mom had prayed for Tate to be born healthy.
39. You jumped a fence and kicked a stray dog to protect Bonnie. The dog limped away, and you limped for 2 weeks.
38. You made candy apples when our class was required to bring them to the carnival. It was a mess, and you concluded that we would never make those things again.
37. When we were little kids you would tuck us in, and grant our request for “a kiss on the wips”.
36. You should be applauded for being such a great dad of girls. You even let us fix your hair - and we know that that is why it thinned so much around age 35.
35. You allowed Tracy to have the slumber party that she wanted so much. You lived to tell about it, and told Bonnie and Sue they would never be allowed to have such a party. One night of 10 screaming girls was enough.
34. A Dr. Pepper and Milky Way made the perfect snack. If we went to the store with you we would get to get some too. (as long as we ate it before we got home so the other sisters wouldn’t know)
33. You put together bicycles, Barbie mansions, and the trampoline, while we impatiently asked when they would be finished.
32.You were a field trip dad. You accompanied our classes to Palacios, Austin, Washington DC, and even to see The Little Mermaid.
31. You never complained about living with four women. Even when the house only had 1 bathroom and the odds of getting to use it weren’t great.
30. Cayla loves when you give her piggy back rides, and always looks forward to playing with your pocket flashlight.
29. You found another use for baby oil when Suzanne tried to put Silly Putty in her ears and most if it ended up in her hair.
28. You calmly came to our rescue when we called saying “I backed into someone again” or “My car is making this click, click, boom” noise.
27. You tried to stay involved in our lives by getting a word in here and there while we made plans for prom dresses and cheerleading tryouts. We all talk so much (and so loud) it’s questionable whether we heard you. You tried to help out when we planned Tracy’s wedding. With all of us talking over each other, you ended up just making sure we told you where to be and when to be there.
26. We have always admired your hard work ethic. Your farmers are your friends and you would do anything to help them. Since the accident you’ve had so many visitors and their stories warm our hearts.
25. You carefully tip-toed in after cheerleading or Derby Doll tryouts looking for a sign of whether we were happy or sad.
24. Bonnie and Tracy love having combo birthday parties with you. This year, birthday week seems almost non-existent since we aren’t trying to decide where to eat, when to eat there, and who all is going to be joining us.
23. You’ve taught Tate how to “play tractors” in the dirt. Of course all of his toy tractors are John Deere.
22. You punished Bonnie with a “few weeks of silence” and took the face off the CD player in her car. This meant no CD’s and no radio.
21. You taught all of us how to dance, and we’d practice our skills at weddings. When we were very little you’d hold us, and as we got older you made a point to always ask each of us to dance. Everyone said that we got our rhythm from you.
20. You’re always up for eating our leftovers at restaurants. Nothing goes to waste!
19. We love hanging out on the dock in New Braunfels with you and everyone else. You carefully helped load the raft, and came to our rescue with life jackets when we were stopped by the river police.
18. You treated Chris as a son of your own, and took him to meet your friends and have “guy time”.
17. You and Chris usually have good ideas, but generally we women don’t hush long enough to hear y’all. In the end y’alls suggestion is usually the best option, but y’all don’t rub it in our faces that it was mentioned long ago.
16. You can fall asleep anywhere anytime. (even waiting your turn to open a Christmas present)
15. You went to more craft shows than any man should ever have to endure in his lifetime.
14. You would always go fix grandpa’s tractors and help out in the barn. The rest of the family appreciated your help with their cars and tractors as well. Everyone knew you were the best mechanic.
13. At mom’s request you’ve painted and repainted every room of her house. Patiently you’ve hung and re-hung decorations and rearranged furniture until she finds it to be just right. We all know how indecisive she can be.
12. You taught each of us to drive… enough said. If patience is a virtue your place in heaven is reserved.
11. You’ve been to countless Cheerleading and Derby Doll competitions. We all know that ones at George R. Brown were your favorites because they sometimes had car or gun shows going on in the same building.
10. You coached our little league teams for years. Little did you know that coaching girls meant some players picked flowers in the outfield and occasionally they came to practice wearing ballet shoes.
9. For your 31st wedding anniversary you worked long and hard with mom to prepare for the hurricane. This meant moving all of her “favorite” things first (at her request), knowing you’d still have to prepare the structure itself and trim the limbs later.
8. You probably aren’t too fond of landscaping but you’ve moved numerous bags of mulch and garden stones. (not to mention all of the times you’ve moved and covered the plants - just to be on the safe side because it “might” freeze)
7. Quote - “Whenever the car is clean and running great mom claims it as her car. In other circumstances it is our car.” - Louie
6. You quickly jumped into action when the dog had 9 puppies under the playhouse or the cat had a litter of kittens in the kitchen.
5. You taught us to use your blow dart gun. We’d have competitions shooting it at a piece of card board.
4. You are the lone “adult” to participate in our New Braunfels Home Run Derby, and you are better than the any of us.
3. You let us sit on your lap while you mowed the grass. Occasionally you’d let us steer and you wouldn’t stress if we ran over a pine cone. (or the water hose)
2. You taught each of us to check our oil, even though the hardest part seemed to be finding the latch to open the hood.
1. You’ve given all of us an excellent life. Since day one you’ve been our number one fan, and have supported all of our endeavors (even those that seemed a bit crazy). A list of 55 fabulous things sounds nearly impossible, but it came together quite easily and we know there are hundreds that haven’t been mentioned. We send you all of our love on your 55th birthday!
Love, Ruthie, Tracy, Bonnie and Suzanne
