My Mom

I meant to have this posted for Mother’s Day, but it didn’t happen. If you don’t know my Mom you are missing out. Life is never boring with her around. Mom is one of those people that bizarre things just happen to without her meaning to cause them. She definitely fits part of the blonde mentality. Mom has a big heart and is always worried about everyone’s feelings.  She doesn’t want anyone to ever feel bad or be hurt. My Grandma Ila use to always tell us, “Now don’t be saying anything that’s going to cause trouble.” Grandma didn’t like contention in the family and Mom is just like that.

Until I was 18 years old Mom provided child care in our home. She could have 10 kids under the age of 5 on any given day. I would have gone insane. I don’t know how she did it. It takes a special personality to be able to handle that. My cousins were part of “her kids” and as a result we are all very close.  They are all still “her kids”. When Jan and I got home from school we were expected to help. I am grateful I was taught to be responsible at a young age. Mom taught us well.

One of the few constants in my life has always been my Mom. It is a great comfort to know she is always going to be there when I need her. All it takes is a phone call and she is on her way. No questions asked. Mom spent many nights in the hospital with Kyle so I could go home and get some rest. She always made sure we were both taken care of. Her and Dad took Kyle home and took care of him when I couldn’t due to work. They have been such a huge help and support for me. They are the perfect example of unconditional love. It never wavers.

Mom puts up with a lot from us kids. We tease her a lot. Years ago she took her girls, Emily, and Natalie to Disneyland. She looked the whole time for the perfect keychain that said Paula on it. She finally bought one on the last day. When we got home she got it out to show my Dad and the name on it wasn’t Paula, it was Dorothy. To this day we have no idea how she managed it. That same trip while walking back to the hotel from Disneyland at midnight she caught her foot on a crack and fell flat on her face in the middle of the crosswalk. We got her up and got her off the street. The next morning she had a bruise on her chin in the shape of a mickey mouse head. Mom spends a lot of time on the ground. She is well known for tripping and falling. The last few years it’s because of her legs, but she didn’t use to have an excuse. She was standing in the backyard last night and realized she was on really uneven ground and there wasn’t a smooth path out. She refused to move until we came and helped her walk to the sidewalk. I feel bad that she has to be that worried about it. Hopefully when she has her knee renovated again this fall it won’t be such a concern anymore.

Mom can drive me totally crazy and yet I couldn’t love her more. I will never be able to give back to her all that she gives me every day. I love her so much. 

Happy Birthday Marlee!!!

Today is my sister Marlee's birthday. Marlee is my best friend. She's the one I called the night my pregnancy test was positive and I went into panic mode. When the what was I thinking, I'm too old for this, etc. thoughts started running thru my head. She calmed me right down and reminded me this was a great thing and everything would be fine. I wouldn't have made it through the last few years without her love and support. She graduated from Utah State University last Saturday with her teaching degree in Special Education. She already has been offered a job. She is the new special education teacher at Sky View High School. I am so excited for her. On top of this great accomplishment she is marrying her sweetheart Tom on June 14th.

Things have not been easy for Marlee. In high school she became ill. She threw up everything she ate, and I mean everything. She missed a lot of school. They could not figure out what the problem was. They finally told her it was an emotional thing, but we weren't buying it. Finally once when she was really sick Mom put her in the car and drove her to Salt Lake to the emergency room at Primary Children's Hospital. It was eventually discovered she had a severe bowel blockage. After a stay there she was able to come home with the right medications and things got better. During this time she kept up with all her school stuff. When she finished she had a high enough GPA that she got a scholarship to Snow College.

College wasn't a great time for her. She and her best friend since 2nd grade, who basically lived with us for several years went their separate ways. College just wasn't a great experience for her. After a year and a half we were able to convince her to come back home.

She went back to school a few years ago and has worked so hard for her degree. I am so proud of her for overcoming everything she has and becoming the amazing woman she is. Marlee has a great sense of humor. The weekends she is in Idaho with Tom are very boring. I am not looking forward to her moving out after the wedding. I am going to miss having her around. I'm counting on the baby to bring her around frequently.

When Marlee was about 3 years old I came home and went into my bedroom to find her sitting on the floor surrounded by a mess. She had been pulling the tape out of all of my cassette tapes. She looked up at me and said, "It's not naughty, huh Kami." She always made it very hard to get mad at her. She use to put on one of our nightgowns, my Dad's cowboy boots, and sunglasses. She would get a mug and walk around to all of us, hold up the mug, and say, "Penny for the poor" and wait until you gave in. She tried the mug thing again recently and it didn't work nearly as well for her as it did when she was 4. 

Marlee has always believed she is a princess. I am so glad she found a great guy who treats her like one. Tom is a wonderful guy and we are so happy he is part of our family. I love Marlee so much. She is a great example for me. She has some big changes ahead of her and I know she is going to be awesome!