A sHoUT oUt tO mOm

In lu of Mother's Day I want to give a shout out to my amazing, wonderful mother. She is the perfect example to me of what a mother should be and I consitantly feel myself fall as I strive to reach the standard she has set. Now I can't truly show appreciation for all that my mother is and does without also giving a huge thank you with a cyber hug to Grandma Ray. She is an amazing example as well and I know my mom could not have turned out to be the person she is without the role model my Grandma played in her life.
I am also greatful for the wonderful mom-in-law I have...I am so lucky to have 2 awesome mothers! Suzie welcomed me as a daughter into her family and I have enjoyed being a part of their family so much. She is such a happy, fun person to be around that I really enjoy going home every time we get a chance! Suzie is a very good example of being open and inviting to everyone...I really admire that! I love that I can just talk to you about everything and know that you'll really listen and care and give me good advice. I have enjoyed all the fun times we've had together in the past 3 years! I wish Kiel were here right now so he could make a list of memories he's had with mom throughout his life but we'll have to postpone that one since he's not here. But I really wanted to say thank you for being such a wonderful, understanding, non-oppresive (lol...seriously! Some ppl struggle with that! ) yet supportive mother in law!

Here are some memories I have of my mom throughout the years:
~Mom bundling us up really good when we lived in Rexburg and letting us play in the snow for hours
~One day when none of us would do our chores instead of yelling at us she just sat at the table and cried and then all of us felt bad and got our chores done really quick
~Singing Two Little Boys and Niagra Falls to us as we went to bed
~One day when I was like 6 I went to my mom and told her that I missed her rocking me in the rocking chair so she put down what she was doing and rocked me for awhile
~Dressing us all up in matching dresses with matching bows in our hair
~Trying to get us to memorize all those poems for devotionals each morning
~Teaching me how to play the piano in Idaho
~Canning peaches, stew, apples, applesauce, pears, veggies, beans, and pretty much anything else you could think of
~Taking me to get a really nice frame for a picture I painted for Grandma
~Buying me a dalmation-Princess- without asking dad...he made me give her away that night:(
~Singing in the car on the 4 day road trips we'd take across the country

The thing that sets mom apart from alot of people I know is her COMPLETE unselfishness. Never ONCE can I think of a time where she put herself and her comfort above anyone else. I remember in highschool leaving lunches and homework at home and having to call her and ask her to bring them and she never once got upset or frusterated with me or complained of having to bring them. I remember her letting me stay home from school so that we could spend the day together because she just enjoyed us being with her. She always was careful about what she bought- and never bought things for herself- so that she could give us all music lessons and art lessons and let us participate in sports...and she always supports us in whatever we do. Thats the other thing...mom has always been my greatest fan. Anytime I accomplished something my mom was so excited for me! Everytime I finished drawing a picture she always acted so impressed (I look back on my work and know it had to be purely acting...) and she always went to support at my recitals and school musicals and soccer games and anything else I participated in. And can I say, there were dozens of parents there to support their kids at the games but mom's cheering and shouting orders or cursing out refs drowned out everyone else. It was very impressive and a little embarrassing sometimes... :) But I know I can always call mom and I can always come home and she will be the happiest person in the world because I called her or took over her house for a month. Her family is her most prized possession and everyone knows it because she puts us above, way above everything else.
Thank you mom for all you've done. You are the most amazing person I have ever met in my life. I mostly thank you for your example because I know from watching you exactly what I need to do and how to act to be a happy person and enjoy life and enjoy my family forever.
Happy Mother's Day!