A Stretchy Heart

This has been a rough week.

Lucy Lu-Lu has been sick,

and when she gets sick.....she REALLY gets sick.

When she's down and out, I realize very quickly how much I miss

the fun and laughter she brings into every day.

And it makes me so sad.

Even when she's sick though, she teaches me and makes me a better person.

We had the following conversation:

"Mom, I love you so much."

"Oh, Lucy, I love you too!"

Lucy: "I love all the persons in this whole wide world."

Me: "I do too!"

Lucy: "Of course you do!"

A minute went by and I asked, 

"Lucy, how do you have room in your heart for everyone in the whole wide world."

And then my sweet and wise Lucy Lu-Lu taught her mom.

She looked at me like she was surprised I didn't already know the answer.

Then in her sick, but suddenly strong voice, she said, 

"MOM. Our hearts are STRETCHY. So we have room for EVERYONE!" 

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Oh, how I love the beauty and simple wisdom of children.

Oh, how I love my Lucy.

And I love her amazing stretchy heart.

I See You!

Today, I had a "mom" moment that was very disappointing at first, 

but after my "Ah-hahhh" moment, it will always be a cherished memory.

It started this morning.

I was in my room, saying my morning prayers.

Lucy Lu-Lu was up, and was quietly watching cartoons, so I thought it would be a good time.

Well, in the middle of my prayer, I hear her little footsteps running around the living room, followed by, "Mom?".

I listened as her footsteps went from room to room looking for me. 

I could hear her opening the doors, one by one.

All, while saying, "Mom?"

Then she came to my room.

She opened the door, saw me praying and quietly went back out and shut the door.

Well, the day continued.

We remained busy running errands.

As we were running errands, Lucy Lu-Lu kept jabbering away.

(She really does jabber.)

I was on the phone. Then had another call.

And Lucy just kept trying to get me involved with her jabber.

After we got home, I sat down at the computer to take care of something,

And once again, Lucy Lu-Lu came over, climbed up behind me on my chair and tried very hard to get me involved with her jabber.

Finally, Lucy (who was still standing behind me), leaned over in front of me, grabbed my cheeks and aggressively turned my face to meet hers, and she said, 

"MOM! Do you SEE me?"

And I mumbled "yes" and tried to move my head back towards the REALLY super-duper important stuff on my computer.

But, she held on tight and again said, 

"MOM! Do you SEEEE me?"

And then I stopped.

I realized at that moment, that NO.....I didn't see her.

And I hadn't REALLY seen her all morning.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I immediately stopped what I was doing,

grabbed my little Lucy Lu-Lu and sat down on the floor with her.

We talked, I tickled, I listened, we laughed and I enjoyed a priceless moment with my daughter.

I had allowed myself to get so caught up in other things, 

that I really hadn't 'seen' my daughter.

And it makes me sad.

Today, I've decided to make the time to REALLY "see" my kids.

It doesn't matter how old they are.

I want to enjoy them, talk to them, and make sure I give them part of ME!

So, Lucy Lu-Lu.....

YES! I see you!

And I love you for helping me to be a better mom today. 

I Can Make You Smile

There are moments as a mom, where I am truly taught by my children.

I love those moments when they happen and feel very grateful to share my life with such incredible little people.

With it being the new year, I've been thinking a lot lately about my life, about how I'm doing, where I can improve, etc.

But, I've also been thinking a lot about my family. I have been thinking about each child and thinking about their needs, their personal strengths and struggles and what we can do as a family to help strengthen each other. 

Sometimes as a mom, that can feel overwhelming.

But, then I have moments like this, and I know that I'm not alone in my efforts. I'm surrounded by a small army of powerful people, who are currently housed in the cutest little bodies.

They love each other. 

They are committed to each other.

And they help each other.

Life is meant to be full of joy.

I firmly believe we have opportunities every day to choose happiness.

At any age, this is not always the easiest thing to do.

Well,

Lucy was having a hard time choosing her own happiness.

She was CRAAANNNNKY!

And she was determined to stay that way.

Until Zach came along.

I sat and watched Lucy try REALLY hard to choose ANYTHING but happiness.

She was determined.

But, Zach didn't give up. 

I sat and watched him for a couple seconds and grabbed the camera.

Then I watched as this sweet young man helped his little sister choose to be happy.

It was such a great example to me of the power we have to lift, to encourage, and to help those around us choose happiness.

We all need people like that.

We need people who can recognize when we can't do it on our own, and who are willing to step in and  help.

Thank you Zach.

You make my job as a mom so much easier.

I Enjoy Being a Girl!

Today I'm grateful to be a GIRL!

No offense to all you BOYS.

But, I really am so thankful that I'm a girl.

I feel great power and strength in being a woman in the world today.

I've always felt that way.

I've always felt that there were certain strengths and talents that I enjoyed because I was a girl.

I've never felt slighted, I've never felt like I belonged to the "weaker sex", and I've always been taught to find great joy in the fact that I'm a GIRL!

Don't get me wrong,

I really love BOYS!

Especially my big boy.....Ricky.

I think we each have separate and very special roles that we play in this life.

And I am grateful for the men in my life who have worked hard to become great men.

I grew up in a home with 7 sisters 

(and 2 wonderful brothers.....but they aren't girls, 

so they don't get to be talked about)
hee hee hee.

I was surrounded by mutual hormonal craziness on a regular basis.....and I LOVED it!

These cute girls have been my strength in this life,
and I can't imagine a better life. 

We were all taught by my mom to be confident in who we were. 

We were taught that we were valued.

We were taught that we had great things to offer the world.

And I grew up COMPLETELY believing my sweet mom.

There's a song in a musical that I have been singing my whole life.

Here are few snippets.

I'm a girl, and by me that's only great!

I am proud that my silhouette is curvy,

That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait

With my hips kind of swivelly and swervy.

When I have a brand new hairdo

With my eyelashes all in curl,

I float as the clouds on air do,

I enjoy being a girl!

When men say I'm cute and funny

And my teeth aren't teeth, but pearls,

I just lap it up like honey,

I enjoy being a girl!

I flip when a fellow sends me flowers,

I drool over dresses made of lace,

I talk on the telephone for hours

With a pound and a half of cream upon my face!

I enjoy being a girl!

I am grateful for the natural tendencies that women have. We nurture, we have a desire to uplift, we are tender hearted, we have a desire to create and to make the world a more beautiful place. 

Ricky always says, "you are mercy and I am justice."

And he's right.

We have different roles.

And I'm grateful for our differences.

His male tendencies don't diminish me in any way.

If anything, they strengthen me and help me to be a better person.

I have many favorite quotes, and this is one of them.
I feel empowered every time I read it,
and it makes me want to be a better woman in the world.

So come on GIRLS!!

Be proud of who you are.

Get busy making a difference in our crazy world.

We have great potential to do good.

It's GREAT to be a GIRL!

My Kindness of the Day?

This is my sweet sister Britney (remember her?).

Well, I can't tell you how much I love her. 

I dump my problems on her on a regular basis.

And she always listens. She even comes up with some GREAT advice!

She is a strong, talented and impressive lady.

In a nutshell, she found a great deal on a really cute shirt and told me about it.

She knew things were tight right now, so she turned around and bought the shirt and had it sent.
It showed up yesterday and was such a sweet surprise.

Nothing huge, and I'm VERY grateful she got such a great deal on it, or I would be feeling really guilty.

But, it meant so much to me.

It meant that my sister thought about me,

and she went out of her way to let me know.

Are you seeing a pattern with all this kindness?

It really doesn't take much.

But, it always means so much.

Thank you Britney.

I love the shirt, but I love the fact that I know
I'm loved by you even more.

I hope you know how dearly loved you are by me.

I Prefer to Laugh

I'm grateful today for laughter.

I really am.

It's a magical thing me, and there's nothing quite like it.

Let's not kid anybody.....

raising a family is stressful.

It's hard. It's chaotic at times. It's full of concerns and worries.

And then you add 9 kids to the mix and it's magnified in ways that I can't quite describe.

Granted, Moses and Hannah are off on their own, but in some ways it doesn't matter.

We still worry about them.
And we still want their lives to be wonderful.

I don't want to ever give anyone the idea that life
is perfect and easy for us.

It's the same as any other family.

My kids aren't perfect.

And their parents aren't perfect.

But, we have figured out that when we can laugh in our home, 

the stress, the worry, and the chaos seems to diminish.

Laughter is a magical thing in our home.

It has a way of making everything seem right.

It reminds us that life is joyful, even when it's hard.

It helps unite us and erases bad feelings.

It really is magical.

The other night we had a "funk" going on in our home. 

I think it was the end of a long day.

Kids were tired.

Some were stressed.

And we were all kind of feeling blah.

Then I got my little camera out,

and the fun began.

And so did the laughter.

.....mostly my laughter, but it's laughter still the same.

hahaha!

I couldn't help it.

And remember when I said that my kids put up with me?

Well, they really do.

I love my family.

I love that they make me laugh.

I love that they laugh with me.

And I even love that they laugh AT me.

We all have things that weigh heavily on us.

We all have issues that cause concern, stress and worry.

Regardless of the cause of the stress or worry,

let's not forget to laugh.

My Kindness of the Day?

A friend who listened.

Then laughed at me.

Best combination in a friend.

A Boy Named Israel

Today, my heart is full of gratitude for Israel. 

He is 3rd oldest of our nine children, but right now he is the oldest at home.

It feels like I blinked and he became this grown up, really cool 18 year old.

I am grateful for Israel for many reasons.

He's not your typical 18 year old and is a hard one to describe, but I will do my best.

Israel is our observer. He sits back and quietly observes 

the world and the people in it.

I believe that his brain is always working.

Israel is just good. He's very tender hearted and is ALWAYS concerned about others. 

Because of that, people trust him and rely on him. 

He's just a remarkable young man.

Don't get me wrong, he's not perfect.

He's horrible with directions.

h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e.

And he's my pickiest eater.

p.i.c.k.y.

But, there really aren't many other faults I could share.

One of the things I am most grateful for is the 

way he loves his family.

He doesn't just tolerate us.....

he truly loves us.

And we all know it.

He's loyal.

He's protective.

And he's a great example of everything good.

That leads me to my act of kindness I wanted to share today.

On Halloween, Israel and Noah went and hung out with their friends. 

Ricky and I took the younger ones trick-or-treating.

There is one neighborhood in town which is THE neighborhood to go trick-or-treating.

We didn't go to that one.

But Israel and Noah and their group of friends did. 

yes.....I know......he's 18.

But, it's his last one! :)

When they came home later that night they had pillowcases that were over halfway full of candy. 

Luke and Lucy didn't have that much, which was perfectly 

fine with me, but it was not ok with Israel.

When Israel saw how much they got, he brought his pillowcase full of candy downstairs and LOADED their trick-or-treat bags up.

I know it was a small thing, but when those two little kids woke up in the morning and saw how their candy had multiplied, they couldn't believe it. 

It was the BEST feeling to tell them what Israel had done.

He didn't do anything huge.

Nothing grand.

But, to me, he did.

His goodness is just there.

He doesn't have to think about it.

I can't tell you how much I love this young man.

I am grateful that I get to share every day with him.

I'm grateful for the way he loves me.

I'm grateful for the way he takes care of all of us.

He helps keep our family strong.

Today, I am grateful for Israel.

Gratitude and Kindness: Lucy Lu-Lu's Kind Heart

Yesterday I had one of those "I'm so proud to be your mom" moments.

I've been talking to our kids a lot about kindness lately. 

I spend most of my time with Lucy Lu-Lu right now, and I cherish that.

Well, this morning I was talking to Lucy Lu-Lu about different ways we can be kind.

She had some interesting ideas of her own.

"I know Mom! I can not chew on Luke's Star Wars toy."

uhhhh....."Yes, Lucy. That would be kind to not do that."

Then came this gem.....

"Mom, I could give Aunt Boo Boo's magical powers back. 

She misses them."

uhhhh....."What magical powers Lucy?"

"You know.....her doctor powers. She flies babies up to the moon, and then she brings them back down. Then she takes them to the store so the mom's can go pick their babies."

uhhhh.....

"She misses her magic. That would be kind. Right?!?!"

uhhhh.....

"Yes sweetheart. She would probably really love her magical doctor powers back. That's very kind."

Later we went to the store.

My kids ALWAYS ask for a quarter for the candy machines.

And EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I'm a nice mom and I give them one.

So, Lucy Lu-Lu did her thang, and asked for her quarter.

I then asked her if she thought it would be kind to leave her quarter for some other child to use.

I was prepared for a little reminding chit chat on 

why we need to be kind.

Then she surprised me.

My sweet little Lucy Lu-Lu got a very excited look on her face, her eyes lit up and she said, 

"OH MOM!! That is SOOOO KIND!!"

She had a look on her face like I was the greatest thing on earth for coming up with such a brilliant idea! Then she hugged my leg. 

I teared up.

I was so proud of this sweet little girl.

She didn't need a reminder about kindness.

Because it's already part of who she is.

We then went to the car, found some index cards, 

and wrote a quick note.

Then Lucy Lu-Lu got very serious about her act of kindness.

Not once did Lucy Lu-Lu ask for a treat out of those machines.

My sweet daughter is who I am grateful for today.

And I'm grateful to share my life with 8 other amazing kids who teach me by their example on a regular basis. 

I truly am better because of them.

The Gut Giggle Picture!

Recently, my sister and her family went to Disneyworld.

She posted pictures from her trip and in the mix of all her cute photos was this gem!

I get a MAJOR GUT GIGGLE every time I look at it. 

Oh my gosh!
How can you not laugh??
Seriously!

I've looked at this picture many times.

There are many things that I love about it,
but the thing I love most about it is Liam's optimism and effort.

SO FUNNY!

It's my new goal to attack life with the same effort and attitude!!

We all have our "things".

You know.....
The "things" that you want to overcome.
The "things" that you want to figure out.
The "things" that you want to improve.

How awesome would it be to be more like my cute little nephew?

It makes me want to keep trying to conquer the world!

Thanks Liam!

This girl isn't giving up!

Moments as a Family

FAMILY

We all have one.

Yet, they're all so very different.

We had the Blaylock Family Reunion this weekend!

Can I just say how much I LOVE my crazy relatives?!?! 

Yes.....CRAZY.

SOUTHERN crazy!

There's a difference!

And you know who you are! :)

In all seriousness,

they are amazing and I completely love them.

The time with our big extended family has made me think 

of my own crazy little bunch.

Sometimes I sit and observe our family. 

I listen to the conversations they have with each other.

I hear them laugh at things that I am completely clueless about.

I watch as they sort out their differences.

I watch them get frustrated with each other, and then exercise forgiveness.

I watch as they patiently try to deal with the chaos of a big family.

I watch as they all mature and grow up.....right before my eyes.

I watch their personalities develop.

I watch them decide every day the kind of adult they are going to be.

When Moses graduated from high school and left for college, it changed the dynamics of our family.

Then Hannah graduated and left for college, and it actually cemented in my mind that our family would never again be the same.

I know, I know.....it's part of the process.

But, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

:)

Israel is a Senior this year, and Noah will graduate next year.

Zach and Keely will be in High School next year.

And it's all happening so quickly. 

How is it that time seems to be passing so much more quickly now?

So, I've been thinking a lot about the transition of our family.

Luckily, we have a big family, so we'll have kids here FOREVER...

but the days of EVERYONE being here, waking up together, lounging together, watching Star Wars together and laughing at the dinner table together are sweet little memories of the past.

It's a hard thing to start having to accept that.

But, it also fills my heart with joy. 

I love these little creatures that I get to share my life with.

And I have loved the moments we've had together as a family.

I treasure them right now in a way that is hard to explain.

Those memories, those special moments we've had, are little treasures that I will always have.

I'm excited for our crazy family.

I'm excited to see what new adventures await us.

I'm excited for them to keep growing, changing and becoming unbelievable adults.

Although I'm excited at the sheer possibility of having an actual office, craft room, and space for all my "stuff" one day, I'd much rather have a jam packed house full of kids and noise.

Lately I've been feeling the need to hug my babies. 

Enjoy the noise. 

Embrace the chaos. 

Listen more closely and love more completely.

One day, it will all be different.

Still wonderful, but different.

I love my family.

Time always brings change,

so I'm grateful we have strong roots.

Girl Power!

I was listening to Keely and Charity laughing the other day.

And it was a great sound.

Sometimes I take it for granted that I have these two darling creatures living in my house.

They are at such a fun age and the thing I am most grateful for is that they really do love each other.

Being thrown together in the situation of a blended family
can be really challenging. 

There are issues that you can't prepare for because you've never
experienced it before.

And I firmly believe the ones who struggle the most are the kids.

(There's my little plug for working hard at your marriage.)

These two have had some ups and downs, but what I've realized lately is that those things have been a bonding force for them.

They know each other so well.

And they love each other.

They understand each other.

They have had to learn to be patient with each other.

They have had to learn to open up their lives to each other.

I will always be grateful for the way they
have chosen to love each other.

I have watched them create a very special friendship.
I have watched them lean on each other when they struggle.
I have watched them take a tough situation,
and make it a great one.

They have had to work at it, and it has been challenging
at times for both of them.

But, they have been a great example in our home of how to do that.

And I will always love them for that.

As I watch them together, as I listen to their funny inside jokes,
 and as I see evidence of how much they love each other,
I am very grateful.

These two girls bring me great joy.

Many times when I see them together, I feel like this...

HAHAHA! 

Oh...the joys of life!

Dear Old Dad!

My Dad

This photo was taken at Hannah's wedding and it is one of my favorite photos.

When I look at this picture, I'm filled with love for my dad.

He is a great man.

There are so many things I could say about my dad.

He is someone I love more than I can adequately express.

He is my hero in many ways and I'm so happy that I've been able to share my life with him.

He makes me laugh with his crazy sense of humor.

I've always thought it was strange that he would read the dictionary just for fun, but I also love that he knows what every word means. And just for fun, he loves using those big words that no one else can understand.
Except for my sister Shawna, who also loves the English language.
.....strange little birds. :)

He has a tender heart and isn't afraid to show his emotions. I love that he showed my brothers that you can show your emotions and still be a strong man. 

I love that...so very much.

I have some very special memories with my dad. 

And the older we both get, the more important those memories are to me.

Some of the memories I cherish the most are ones of my dad praying.

I can't remember one specific prayer he said from growing up.

But, I remember him gathering us for prayer, and I remember how I felt when he prayed.
I remember him ALWAYS giving thanks for my mom.

And I remember him ALWAYS getting emotional as he did so.

I have always been thankful for a dad who has loved my mom so much.

It was a rule in our home that NO ONE disrespected my mom.

And we all knew he was serious about it.

I love that about him.

He does this dance-jiggety-jig thingy.

It's impossible to describe, but just the thought of it makes me laugh.

And then there's his laugh. 

No one laughs like my dad.

And my favorite is when he REALLY laughs.
It's extremely contagious and you can't help but laugh along.

When you look at this picture, can't you just hear it?

My dad is a hard worker.
He's never been afraid of working hard.
And that has been a great example to me.

He can fix anything and always knows the answer to every question you can throw at him.

One of the memories I cherish the most is dancing with my dad.

When I was growing up, we had youth dances at church, and my dad was there often.

And I always got to dance with him.

The best thing is that he didn't just go around in a circle, but he would waltz me around the room.

I love the feeling of being in his arms dancing.

He holds you tight and guides you.

And I have always loved that feeling.

When I met Big Daddy, one of the things that made me love him so quickly was that he reminded me so much of my dad. I've taken some pictures of him lately as he's interacted with the kids, and I have caught myself thinking about my own dad. 

Ricky is a great father.

Just like my dad, he has MANY kids and the weight of the responsibility to take care of them, is very heavy at times.

He takes his responsibilities to our children very seriously.

Not just to provide, but to teach and to guide.

He wants them to be great adults.

Just like my dad, he loves each child.

And magically, he finds ways to make them all feel special.

To be a father is a tough job.

I believe mothers are born with a natural tendency to nurture.

But, I believe fathers are born with a natural instinct to protect, to provide and to lead their families.

I am grateful for the father I have been blessed with.

And I am equally grateful for Ricky, for the father he is in our home.

I'm so happy to be lucky enough to say that this applies to both of these great men.

I am a very lucky girl.

The Squirrel Catcher

So, I walked in the kitchen the other day...

and there sat Noah.

On the counter.

And then this conversation followed,

"Noah, what are you doing?"

"I'm watching my squirrel trap."

"What?"

"I'm trying to catch a squirrel."

"...uhhhhhh......oh."

Then Noah very proudly points out the window.

"See?"

Then he pointed out the fishing line that went from the trap, up through the kitchen window...to his hands.

He was ready to pull that darn trap closed!

"...uh huh. I see."

"I've got an acorn under there!!"

BWAHH-HA-HA-HA!

"Good luck Noah!"

I have no idea how long he sat there.

At some point he put peanut butter out there as well.

Noah never caught his squirrel.
But, Noah is not one to be discouraged.

I have thought a lot about Noah and his squirrel catching episode.
There was no way anyone was going to convince Noah that his dream was not within reach.
He was determined that this was an absolute possibility.
And he had no problem being patient and waiting.

I do believe Noah will change the world.
He is a dreamer.
And he helps me to keep dreaming my own dreams.
He is a great example to me of believing in things that seem unattainable.

Such a delightful young man.

Such simple joys.

So easily entertained.

I love this kid.
And I love that he's a dreamer.

My Mom

Let me just say ahead of time...

sorry Mom.

hee hee hee hee...

(oh, the glorious gut giggle)

I was thinking about my mom the other day.

Up until 7 years ago, she was someone I saw almost every day.

Living this far away definitely has it's downsides.

I realize how much I took her for granted.

And it makes me miss her more.

Why do I love my mom?

Well, many who may read this post will know her.

But, some won't.

So, at the risk of embarrassing her, I thought 

I would do a post about her.

My Mom.

Ruth Ann Evenson

I don't believe great mothers are just born.

I believe great mothers are created by years of personal experiences that mold and shape them into great women.

And I firmly believe that is how my mom became a great mother.

She was born into somewhat difficult circumstances.

She didn't have many things that others around her had.

Yet, she was surrounded by some who would have a profound impact on her life.

These are my great-grandparents,

Albert and Veronica Glaubitz.

I was named after her.

They were a very important part of my mom's life, and I am grateful for their influence on her.

I believe that their influence is a large part of what made my mom a great mother.

My mom went above and beyond to make sure we had a great childhood. 

And we did.

I, personally, feel like I had the very BEST childhood.

My parents made great sacrifices to make sure that happened.

And I will always be grateful to them for that.

Any one who knew my mom when I was growing up, knows EXACTLY what kind of mom she was.

She got up every morning, sometimes in freezing Wyoming blizzards, and did a paper route.

We all took turns getting up early and wrapping newspapers.

We loaded up our old VW bug with the papers, got in the car with my mom and would go deliver the papers.

I remember some mornings were so cold, that as the passenger, your responsibility was to take the ice scraper and keep the inside of the windows scraped. 

To keep the windows from fogging up, we would have to keep the windows cracked a bit.

The car was older, so I remember the heater not working very well.

I remember being very cold, with cold aching hands.

It was miserable.

As a child, I remember thinking many times how grateful I was that we all took turns.

Now, as an adult, I am filled with gratitude as I realize that my mom never got a break. 

She had to go EVERY day.

I don't ever remember her complaining about it.

She did this because it was something she could do to help. 

She made that sacrifice for us.

She is a great mother.

My mom was very frugal.

She was a crazy coupon lady.

And she had a newspaper route, so we had access to TONS of coupons!

She would get our piles organized and we would all start cutting.

CRAZY CUTTING.

There's no possible way to let you know exactly what our crazy couponing was like.

I look back on that now and it just makes me smile.

 My mom loves her kids.

All TEN of us.

She made our clothes, we had matching home-sewn Christmas nightgowns, she made our stockings, she made our dolls, our blankets and even made some AWESOME Barbie clothes.

She planted a garden every year, and we learned to work in that garden.

She made homemade bread...in those funny big soup cans.

She made homemade yogurt, granola, beef jerky, canned fruit, canned pickles, and canned everything else she could get her hands on. 

She made homemade candy at Christmas, and homemade costumes at Halloween.

She made the cutest birthday cakes.

Then when we got older, she made our beautiful wedding cakes.

On Christmas morning, our tree was full of presents, and many of them were ones that my mom had stayed up late at night making for us. And they were made with love.

She can look at something and know how to fix it. 

She can look at a couch and whip out a slipcover for it in no time flat.

She can create anything. 

(She will disagree with this, but to that I say, "Don't tell a lie Mom.")

hahaha!

She tolerated every pet imaginable.

Including the many strays I walked through the front door with.

There was always room for them.

Actually, there was always room for ANY stray, including friends, visitors, and families who needed our help.

She created traditions for us, that live on today in our own families.

As we've all gotten older, she has helped create new traditions that fit with our growing family.

Her family has been her life. She lives for us.....and we all know it.

And we all love her for it.

She has taught us by her example that sometimes you have to work a little harder because not everything is going to be handed to you.

She taught us to be grateful for what we had.

She has taught by her example to serve others and to always think of someone else first.

My mom's life has been about serving.

She did daycare for YEARS.

She had a home full of her own kids, and then opened it up every morning for many others.

And somehow she magically had enough love for all of us.

And then if that wasn't enough, in her down time she was busy doing something for someone else.

ALWAYS.

She has always loved being the one to give, to uplift, to encourage and to lighten someone else's load.

Being away from my mom has been something that is very hard for me.

But, in many ways it has made me love her more.

It has made me more grateful for her.

And it has made me realize, time and time again, what a great mother she has been.

My mom is incredible

And I'm grateful she's mine.

I love you Mom.