I am thinking about my Mom on Mother's Day and I thought it would be good to write down some of my favorite things about my Mom.
She loves toys. For as long as I can remember mom has always bought toys in sets and Mom collects the WHOLE set and keeps them with their names and accessories in neat containers and packages. SHe got me the Addy American Girl doll after months of me saving my money for her and then spent hours making the outfits to go with her and even made me and Addy matching pajamas. We had the whole set of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. She bought every Chevron car. When she got me my first Precious Places house, it was followed by years of collections of all the others. There was a pet shop, the mansion, park, baby house, ballet studio, church and more. She bought me paper dolls, all of them that were in a particular collection. I have even added to it since then.
I remember when she was pregnant with Alishia and I was starting kindergarten the next year. I sat o n the bed with her as she showed me how to write my name in a notebook. I remember months later sitting with her in the rocking chair (the same one that attacked my fingers between it and the floor). She read all those little books with me. I remember thinking that I would never be able to read. Fast forward a few years and I remember reading Harry Potter with her in the car. She read while I drove because I got carsick and she had road rage (:D).
Mom made birthdays and holidays special. She always cooked our favorite meals and took our requests for cake or pie for dessert. Everything tasted better when she made it. I'm sure it had to do with the extra cream and sugar she would add. She had a thing for butter. It was no doubt that she made the best foods because she loved butter. Growing up on a farm, she never had any problem with bacon either....and whole milk.
She planted petunias and geraniums and I'm sure many others, but those are the ones I remember. She bought a few flats of violet petunias one year and we planted them along the corner of the house. They grew into beautiful mounds and looked so pretty all summer long. She made everything pretty. The house was always nicely decorated and clean. She knew how to match patterns and colors well and was able to make each space comfortable. When she would set the table for dinner, she always set everything just right. She had us place the knife, fork and spoons in the right spots. We always set them all out, even if we didn't need all of them. The goblets of water were above the knife pre-filled with ice and water in addition to the glass pitchers on the table. Mashed potatoes and gravy were served in nice bowls with spoons. When she started working, I remember I was supposed to make rice and get things ready for her, when she got home she would whip up some chicken gravy in 10 minutes and we would still eat a hot meal. Dad took credit for instigating it.
Mom was always more adventurous than Dad. It would always surprise us when we would see her doing things my Dad wouldn't. She took a bunch of us kids on the Desperado. The tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world (at the time). Dad took Alishia on a different "ride". We would watch people on the roller coaster after we got off and all our stomach dropped as if we were on it ourselves. I remember mom moaning with a little laugh every time we watched the cars drop from higher than a 15 story building and then underground. She wasn't afraid to try the redneck water slide and fly down the hill with all of us kids. Dad watched.
She always gives you the reaction you want. I still, as an adult, want to tell her things because I know she will give me the reaction I'm looking for. The right enthusiasm, the right praise, all the attention you are hoping for :D. I smile even as an adult that she will edit my papers or take care of me. One day before we had Easton, she and Dad happened to be over and I came home from work. I had a little headache, but after a minute I felt awful. I threw up a few times and my body was shaking. Mom fed my kids, laid me down, brought me medicine, and put a blanket on me. She stayed far longer than she meant while I fell asleep on the couch. I really appreciated that day.
There is so much more I could say, but I feel like I want to be with my own kids. Hopefully I will be as good as my own mom.
