Mother's Day 2008

Last night we went downtown to take some cool Mother's Day photos of me and the girls. This was the best one. This is my real life! This photo is the best reminder of what my day to day is.

Being a mother is hard for me most days and easy smeezy some days. Few people would guess how hard it is for me - but many would guess how important it is to me!

• I am a fun mom
• a loud mom
• a crazy mom
• a make a mess mom
• a spiritual mom
• a not afraid to tell you what I think mom
• a creative mom
• a madly in love with my husband mom
• a sensitive mom
• a pushover mom
• a your socks don't have to match - but you better have a bow in your hair kind of mom
  
• a fly by the seat of my pants mom
• but also a freak about schedule's mom (this makes me kind of a Jeckle and Hyde type)
• everything is sentimental so don't throw it away kind of mom
  
• a buy treats and balloons at the grocery store kind of mom
• a do what works kind of mom
• a get over it and stop crying kind of mom
• a snuggle cuddle mom
• a cry with my kids mom
• a bring bugs in the house kind of mom
• a never take my kids temperature or go to the doctor kind of mom

I was so excited to reread the talk by M. Russell Ballard yesterday that he gave in General Conference last month. Below the following pictures are words from his talk. No matter what your religion I think any woman will appreciate them.

Jeff is speaking in church today and was asked specifically to tell stories of his mother, I can not wait for this talk - I wish I could zap his mom here for the day - I think it is going to be really funny.
Stories on the list

• digging through a dumpster for carpet scraps
• playing volleyball on the beach to be reminded he didn't make his bed at age 16
• his paper route
• you don't by me *&%@! at Nordstrom

I can't wait he has some great Mom stories and a great Mom!

Happy Mother's day to all my friends, Mother in law and Mom!

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.


Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).
Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother. Parents can offer a unique and wonderful kind of prayer because they are praying to the Eternal Parent of us all. There is great power in a prayer that essentially says, “We are steward-parents over Thy children, Father; please help us to raise them as Thou wouldst want them raised.”

I hope all of you dear sisters, married or single, never wonder if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the leaders of the Church. We love you. We respect you and appreciate your influence in preserving the family and assisting with the growth and the spiritual vitality of the Church. Let us remember that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). The scriptures and the teachings of the prophets and apostles help all family members to prepare together now to be together through all eternity. I pray that God will continually bless the women of the Church to find joy and happiness in their sacred roles as daughters of God."
M. Russell Ballard