Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone. There are so many women in my life that exemplify great motherhood. Growing up I had several extra mom's. Faye and Karla really helped shape me and were great examples. My Grandma Truman was a saint. I think of her often and hope I received a portion of her sweet disposition. She truly was a peacemaker. I have several friends who are great moms and I get really good ideas from them. Sherie my mother in-law is incredible. The word that best describes her to me is gracious. She is a lovely person and a wonderful mom and grandma. I am lucky to have a husband who was raised by her. Jill my sister in-law is an awesome mom to Wyatt and has done it on her own. she is very sweet and my boys love spending time with her. My sisters are great mom's and help parent my own children. I am so thankful we are doing it together. They say it takes village to raise a family and I know this to be true.

But today I want to want to tell my mom what a great mother she has been. I love her and hope I am as good of a mother as she is. I will tell you a couple of my favorite things about my mother. First, she is a whirl wind. She gets more done in 15 minutes than I do sometimes all day. When we were young and we watched t.v. at night every time a commercial came on she would say everyone pick up four things. With five kids that was 20 things and she would get 20 done all by herself. By the way she was never watching t.v. she was always doing a project. After you have a baby she comes to your house and has it transformed in no time at all. I wish this trait had rubbed off on me a little more but I guess I will keep trying.

Second, she can do anything. She is not afraid of a challenge and is a very independent woman. She has taught her family to believe in themselves and has instilled complete confidence in her children. This "I can do it attitude" has helped all of us accomplish many things and our mom always reminds us it's not that hard if you will just do it whatever it may be. She has ran several marathons including the Boston, can sew anything, is a great candy maker, exercises faithfully, excels at her church callings, works full time, plays the harp and makes jewelry (just to name a few of the many). I remember in 8th grade sewing class I decided to make denim shorts. Me being the procrastinator waited until the night before to complete the project. I thought I had done a fabulous job and left them out for my mom to look over. She worked night shifts at the hospital so she arrived home sometime around 4:00 a.m. Apparently I had done them completely wrong and she fixed my mistakes and I got an A+ on the assignment. Now I know that might sound like I was cheating but my mom couldn't bear to waist the fabric and have such an ugly pair of shorts. My sewing teacher thought I was very accomplished but I did confess I had a fair amount of help.

Third, she always makes good choices. She is never tempted to skip church which quite honestly I don't know how. If she commits to something she never backs out or takes a short cut. She is feisty and determined which keeps her on the straight and narrow.

Lastly, she is a great friend. I feel so lucky to have a mom that enjoys talking to me everyday. There are very few days that go by that I don't have at least one phone call with my mom. She asks me my plans for the day and helps me use my time wisely. The other day when I called her she was in a race with Nicole to see who could get the most done. Why Nicole thought she could win is beyond me but I think she was hoping my mom's motivation would rub off. She talks to all of her girls all the time and helps us all stay close. She is a fantastic grandma and my boys love spending time with her. They especially love the treasures (a.k.a. JUNK) she gives them each visit. Her cackley laugh is infectious and puts you in a great mood. I feel like I have so many more things I could say about her but I am not very eloquent so I will stop. I am thankful to her and feel so blessed to have her for a mom.

Thank you mom for being you!

Mom in Switzerland (Did I mention world traveler?)


Mom and Jack she truly loves her grandkids.