Happy Mother's Day MOM

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to the BEST MOM,
the
PERFECT MOM for ME!



Mom, this post is for you and I want you to know that I love you and sincerely and wholeheartedly appreciate all the LOVE you've given me and all the SACRIFICES you have made for me throughout my life.



My joining our family was a surprise to you and my entry into this earthly life was earlier than you anticipated but you didn't let 4 kids under the age of 4 (and 3 under the age of 1) stop you from being a wonderful Mom!
I don't know how you did it...thank goodness you have GREAT kids!



I don't have the pictures right now to show it but, I love that you took the time to take a lot of pictures while we were growing up, documenting all the fun times we had and just our daily lives!

I loved it when we would watch slide shows over the years. Back then, putting together a slide show was a time commitment but you didn't seem to mind. Actually you didn't seem to mind at any time that being the Mom to Doug, Sheila, Sharon and me was a commitment in every way. You did EVERYTHING like you didn't mind doing it and didn't complain or raise your voice. (As a Mom now, I know that any one of those is an impossible feat for the average woman!)

I love that I always woke up to a birthday cake on February 16th.

I (now) love that you and Dad actually listened to Doug and named me after a cartoon and not a family member.

I love that you and Dad made sure that we always did things as a family whether it was to go out to eat after you got home from work or take a major vacation. Our annual skiing vacations were a pure joy and something I looked forward to. For ALL our vacations you got everything ready and we were prepared for ANYTHING! Thanks Mom for doing all that.
The truly amazing thing is that you learned to ski when you were older than what I am now...and I'm afraid to go skiing again after 20+ years.

There isn't anything that you can't do. If you didn't/don't know how to do something, you research it out, and learn to do it.

I still think back to how you planned meals and had everything ready so that when we (us kids) got home from school, we could put things on to cook for supper while you were finishing up at work. And you still have everything at the house so that meals can be put together at any time. I don't even know what I'm going to fix for supper tonight.

I will always be amazed that you did it ALL...worked outside the home, cooked meals from scratch, canned, made jam, pickled, sewed cute things, kept up the house, kept up with the laundry (I could have helped a lot more with the house and laundry), threw great parties, made creative things, provided psychological support, kept excellent finances and budgeted/invested well, raised 4 children and supported them in all ventures of their lives...and maintained a cheerful disposition throughout all of it, AND on 5 hours of sleep each night.

I love that you truly let me know that you were/are always there for me no matter what.

Your faith and commitment to our Heavenly Father is unfaltering and the perfect example to me of how I want to be.

I have been blessed to have you as my Mom and I can't verbalized enough how much I appreciate your influence in my life and all that you do for me.
But, if that wasn't enough,

After I "left the country", you continued to support me and made sure that you visited every 6 months.

1988


And after I got married and started a new stage in my life....

...you continued to do it all for my kids also!

1991

There for Nicole's blessing

1992

Showing Nicole that there's always something GOOD and everything you need, in Grandma's purse.

1993

Making a birthday cake for Nicole

1994

Taking a drive to Waterton Park and showing the grandkids how to skip rocks.

1996

Still getting down on the floor to play concentration memory games!

Hanging out at the Salt Lake airport (Church History tour?)

1997

There for Chay's blessing in June.

Completing the finishing touches to a crocheted blanket for Chay.

Our visit to you and seeing Lake Louise.

Visiting again in October.

Passing on your baking skills!
I still don't make pies, and if I do, they aren't anything like yours.

1998

With the grandkids
(at the time we thought it was ALL the grandkids, who knew it was the "increasing number of grandkids?)




1999

A wonderful Spring visit to us in SLC!

A visit to PB in the summer from us.

A detour to Auntie K's garden.

Checking out the construction of the Edmonton Temple.

And being the thoughtful Grandma you are, checking out how Candi was doing at her job at the Calgary Stampede even though it was raining/snowing in July. Not too many people there for the ice cold fresh squeezed lemonade...

Your October trip to SLC.

With a side trip to Mesquite.

Showing us that you can still jam. Now we know where Doug and some of the grandkids get their guitar playing skills!

Making it a priority to take time to read with Nicole and teaching her the importance of learning.

2000

Hanging out as a family at the PB park during the 2000 reunion.

2001

April's visit involved playing games and making the Japanese race proud as you demonstrated your chop stick skills!

You also demonstrated your skill at some other games at the rock show...

Our summer visit to PB and watching the parade. I wonder if this was the year that Nicole realized that more of the candy thrown during the parade was coming from behind?

Because you're such a wonderful woman, you have all this to show off.


Your October visit this year involved a trip to Temple Square and Chay watching the movie on the Savior's visit to the Americas and Chay leaving and saying "That was a good movie!"

And something the kids ALWAYS look forward to when you visit, eating out with Grandma and Grandpa!

Taking time to teach Nicole another one of your skills, knitting.


And due to my inability to find some pictures and my book with CDs for multiple years, there is a big gap here. But Mom, there was no gap in your visits and support.
Thanks for showing by example that family IS important and a priority!

2006
Visiting us at our "Lindon home" with minimal furnishings when we decided to stay there for awhile during the "remodel".

2007

Letting the kids help with the food again and always.

2008

Still taking the time to play games with the kids!

There are never enough hugs and kisses.

Nicole and Chay were at school and so Blade was able to spend more time with you and have pictures taken with you!
The "before" shot of Blade with his long hair.

And the "after" shot with the boy haircut.

2009
Summer at Grandma's

What we see when we're pulling out of the driveway reluctantly leaving to return to SLC.

It's time for me to complete this blog because I am realizing that I'm unintentionally deleting pictures that I had.

Mom, I enjoy our talks and keeping in touch.
And no matter how advanced technology gets, thanks for taking the time and making the effort to remember everyone's birthdays and major holidays and sending cards so that they arrive at the perfect time! That in itself is an act of dedication and love. I've told you this before and it still holds true, "when I grow up, I want to be like you, and even now I want to get as much done in a day as you do!"