Are you sure Mother's Day is only once a year??

What a nice day. I am so thankful for a husband who truly values the role of mothers and appreciates me. The picture below is a gift for Gerda from all of her grandkids.

After church, we went over to Don and Gerda's home for a Mother's day feast. It was prepared lovingly by the guys!! No girls were allowed in the kitchen. They really did a great job and it was fun to see them in action while the girls sat around and talked. Very impressive. I definately think we've started a new tradition!!

What can be more wonderful on Mother's day than a musical seranade by Kylee and Averi, produced by Abbie. Take a look for yourself. It is hillarious. If you are wondering what songs they are singing, Kylee is showing her composing talents by shooting off the cuff and Averi is singing her version of "What time is it?" from the High School Musical Soundtrack. Owen is the supporting cast!



I couldn't resist another "make up as you go" song from Kylee and the Hannah Montana theme song from Averi.

Now the gushy part,

I was thinking a lot today about my own mother and what she means to me. Adam had the kids in his sunday school class write a letter to their moms and come up with 10 things they love about their mom. It think I'll do the same:

1. Mom is unwaivering. She taught us what was right and never rationalized. We never questioned her position, what she expected of us and what we should expect of ourselves. You could, and still can, always feel the Spirit so strong in her home and she made sure there was nothing that would take away from that (ie: Tattoo's and earings - Josh I love you but you know what I'm talkin about!!:0)

2. I love that to this day, she stays awake at night trying to solve all of our problems. I can often recall her saying "so I was thinking last night...." this usually meant that she hardly slept and has been prayerfully seeking guidence on our behalf.

3. She sweats the small stuff. She loves to hear about the silly little things that happen in our lives. She was always awake when we came home during high school and always wanted to hear about everything. And now, I know she'll be excited to hear about the great sale item I picked up or the funny things the kids say.

4. She has incredible faith. She has always quoted "this too shall pass..", which was a simple reminder to have faith of our own.

5. She is supportive. She has always respected my decisions and never made me feel like I wasn't capable of making them on my own.

6. Mom is available. She has flown out on a days notice, she watched our kids for a week for our Mexico trip last year and stayed 2 weeks for Wade's birth. The best part is that she just fills in where I leave off. She is so good at keeping a normal schedule for the kids and I feel so comfortable having her take care of them (you'll have to ask her how comfortable she feels:).

7. Mom always made me feel beautiful (and if you've seen some Jr High photos, you know that this could not have been easy). She always found a way to take us shopping for new school clothes even when we knew there was little money.

8. She loves dad! I love that Friday night was date night even if it meant Burger King and window shopping.

9. She loves her grandkids. She makes each of them feel special and loved (and hey thats not easy when you have 23!). She always sticks up for them. Even when I call and complain about how my kids are acting, she never agrees. She always makes excuses for them like, "he must be tired", "she's been so good though". It makes me feel good that she never has a bad thing to say. They sense that too.

10. She loves her mom. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and immediately, she and my dad rearranged their home and set up a little appartment for her. She is full of charity.

Mom, I'm grateful for you! I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Now to Gerda,

I can't leave you out of this. I am grateful that you raised such a wonderful son. I am grateful that you were so patient with Don and his spiritual growth and testimony. I am grateful that you took your kids to church every Sunday and taught them to pray. I am grateful that you love me and our kids. I am grateful that you set an unreachable standard for cooking and that you feed us on a regular basis. I am grateful that you are a pro shopper and always seem to find the best deals, for the perfect clothes item that fits just right (again an unreachable standard). I am grateful that you hand sew my kids favorite blankets and that you fix them as the start to fall apart. I am grateful that you have a neverending supply of popsicles. I am grateful that you sacrificed time with your husband (for the bakery) so that we don't have to. I am grateful that you love the Lord. I love you, Happy Mother's Day!