Happy Birthday Mom!!

My mom is the most amazing woman I know. She's such a hard worker and she never does anything halfway. I always know if there is a project to be done, she will be in charge of it, making sure everything is done the right way the first time. When mom was here visiting us last time, she spearheaded the reupholstery of our couch. Looks amazing, doesn't it? Like I said...she never does anything half way. (She finished the couch cushions at home...and it killed her to leave it "undone.")

She's also the most helpful mom I know. In our family we have a running joke that my parents' house is "Rancho Relaxo" (a la The Simpsons) because when you're there, mom and dad do their best to make it a fun, relaxing vacation. Mom always asks what meals you want while you're there, she and dad love to (or at least pretend to) play with the kids...which is especially nice in the morning when we can catch an extra couple hours of sleep, they babysit the kids so we can go out on dates, and just make the whole trip to an otherwise ho-hum, small town, absolutely wonderful.

She has taught me so much. Most of it was by example because every time she tried to "sit me down" to teach me something, I usually didn't cooperate. I think I got that from her too. Anyway, through her example she taught me how to be a good wife and mother, how to be a leader, how to serve others, how to be selfless, how to be patient, how to clean a floor the right way--on my hands and knees...you get the idea.

Since we've lived in New York, my mom has come to visit us at least once a year and every time she comes I'm amazed at how much she is up for! This city is not for the faint of heart...or for the lazy. To make it here you have to walk everywhere and put up with a lot of inconveniences. She always keeps going and going...never letting me put her to shame. I love exploring the city with her because she enjoys the same things I do...just bumming around. We're both able to have fun just window shopping and walking. I'm glad she passed this trait along to me.

With both births of Jackson and Sydney my mom was right there to help as much as she could. She's stepped in whenever we've asked and we can't wait to have her here in 6 weeks for the next little one! She really has made our little family possible and I can't imagine doing it without her.

My mom means so much to so many people, but I'm so happy to be blessed enough to be one of her children. She has blessed my life in so many ways and I hope I can continue to return the favor...even if it's only sharing my funny kids with her.

After all this, you may wonder...just how old is your mom...walking all over the city like that, working as hard as she does. My beautiful mom is SEVENTY today! I'm so proud of her.