My Mom

Mother's Day is coming up. I've never really given it too much thought. I love my mom. She knows. We're good right?
Being a mom to 4 kids changes things though. My entire life is dedicated to them; every penny is spent on them, my every waking hour (and at least half of my sleeping ones) are full of them.
My mom had 7 kids. I'm sorry; my mom HAS 7 kids. I can't imagine how she dealt. Well, yes I can actually. She put her life on hold. Raising kids and doing everything she could for them was her life. She was constantly in the car driving us who knows where; probably to a ballet class. Or voice lessons. Whatever it was, it was for our enrichment and it wasn't cheap.
I have a couple of specific memories of my childhood that I'm going to write down. Should I ever be tempted to take her for granted, I have them here to remind me.
The first one is of scripture study in the morning. We sat around the table for breakfast. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ate cereal in the morning, something my poor kids do every day. As we ate, we took turns reading from the Book of Mormon. We each had our own copy that stayed in the window sill by the table. I've often wanted to follow that example, but I have no idea how we did it. It is a remarkable feat to have scripture study in the morning with the entire family. To have that in a family requires a mother with a strong testimony and commitment to the gospel. She has to care about her children enough to fight their complaining and introduce them to habits that are hard to maintain. I can barely drag my butt out of bed to get my kids off to school. Imagine her dedication!
My next one starts around a kitchen table as well. We had water fights. Someone would throw a glass of water. It didn't matter who started it. Soon everyone would be in on it. The water is flying in the kitchen, we get to the back door, we continue outside. I don't remember cleaning up one single cup of thrown water. Can you imagine letting your 7 children make a bathtub of your kitchen? What a nightmare. She has way more patience than I do!
Lastly, I have Galena. I don't speak to a specific memory here, but to all of it. My parents spent thousands of dollars every year for the experiences we got. We got to travel and participate in some amazing things. I was in the national fourth of July parade in Washington DC one year. I got to go on cruises and perform in a way that usually only professionals get to do. They spent money that they could have been saving for a rainy day. Rainy days are upon all and I don't think my parents regret one penny of it. My mom made spent hours upon hours of sewing to make sure we had updated costumes. She worked her butt off planning tour and working finances to fulfill her volunteer hours.
These three memories are the tip of the iceberg. I chose them because they are examples of specific things given to us by my parents that my mom had a huge part in. She blessed our lives by trying to instill a love of the gospel in us, she let us have fun and be children, she dedicated her time and money to making sure that we had the very best possible opportunities.
My mom continues to do whatever she can for her kids. Her role has changed as we've grown into adults and had our own families, but she is still there for any one of us that needs her. Her role now is taking care of our dad more than anything. How amazing that she has any energy left! I am personally so grateful that dad has her. She is a caregiver like no other I've seen. She loves him so unconditionally that it's enough to make my eyes well up just writing about it.
Her life has been and continues to be her family. What a great example she is to me and all my siblings who were so lucky to have her.

Friends

A friend of mine said to me yesterday: "Thanks for playing today! Hanging out with you makes me feel better and feel like I want to be a better person."

I'm not going to lie to you... I was in shock. Just two minutes earlier my husband had said I made too many sex jokes. (Sorry for the TMI, but we were talking about if our spouses became quadriplegics. Someone said they didn't know how they'd deal with not being able to have their husband touch them. Um... basically, I got described my ideas and how they'd work. Anyone that knows me knows I have a creative mind...)

I digress.

I asked how in the world I make her want to be better. She said it's apparent that the gospel is a part of my life every day and that I renew her desire to grow spiritually. I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten. This friend knows my life better than most people. She knows the things I'm good at, but I also talk to her about the things that defeat me. She knows my biggest struggles and the things I need to improve. It was pretty amazing to have someone know me so well and see the best outweigh the bad.

It was a good lesson for me. Kyle thinks I give people the benefit of the doubt too much. The truth is the opposite. I'm way too judgmental. Once someone has disappointed me, I tend to dwell and stay disappointed for far too long. The bad darkens my view of someone and who they could be. It is a weakness I've been working on. Heaven knows I would not want people to dwell on my mistakes. They'd never like me! We're counseled to "judge not, lest ye be judged."

Another one of my friends shared a very spiritual experience of hers last night. It was something that had given her peace in her time of struggles. I could feel the Spirit so strong and was amazed at the outcome of a girls' night.

I'm grateful for my friends and the good they bring to my life. In telling me that I make her want to be a better person, my friend has had the same effect on me and I think that's pretty amazing.

Hehe

Kyle was hanging out with Lily on the bed watching TV. I came in and he said "Putian (Lily) is very upset. I don't know why, she won't talk to me."
That's all. I giggled and didn't want to forget that. :)

Men vs. Women

I had a baby 8 months ago. I know that seems like a long time, but it may as well have been yesterday. I'm still struggling with baby fat. Every day I work out; I eat less; I try not to think about food.
My sweet husband on the other hand has been working out to put on some muscle.
I would like to tell you about our midnight snacks. We are watching TV and here's what we're eating:

Kyle:
2 things of Greek yogurt
1 banana
1 ice cream bar

Me:
Carrots

Thank you Eve.

Girls

I see a common trend, one that I am a part of. 3 sons, then a daughter. I have to wonder at the Almighty's plan behind it. Does he give us 3 boys first to get us ready for the madness of one tiny baby girl? Or is it that if we all had daughters first we would have no more children? Certainly if Lily was first I might not have the number I do. She tries my patience and sanity in ways 3 boys never did. Right now I am sitting next to her crib. She is quiet. Because I am within a two foot radius of her. Her face is still splotchy red from screaming. I imagine if someone were to inspect the inside of my head right now the same colors of chaos, maybe mixed with angry black would be all they saw. Gotta go. Accidentally moved out of eye line and set the beast off again.