Mom's Birthday!

I'd like to take this blog-ortunity to give a shout-out to my mom-dizzle on her birth-dizzle! Holla!!!

Like my new vernacular? Anyway...

My mom, I'm pretty sure, is the best mom ever. Pretty much everything I know about how to take care of a house and a child was learned from her. She did a great job of teaching us spiritual things too. I have so much Word hidden in my heart because of her (and the catechism!). Of course, most of it comes out to the tune of "Polly-wolly-doodle All the Day," but that's ok, right? Whatever works :)

Some of my best memories with my mom involve doing fun projects together. For example, when I was 4 or 5, we made a ton of lollipops together. That was really cool, and I was amazed at her very grown-up ability to not be afraid of the hot candy syrup, despite the fact that she burned the snot out of her finger. I hope I can be brave in front of Spud when I get hurt... a certain vicious gash of my finger lately was not handled with the most mature behavior :). I cried, and mommy took me to her bathroom and doctored it up for me. Thank goodness I was at her house; I guess I would have just bled to death otherwise. Mom also taught me how to make pie crust, how to dye eggs, how to melt all the yucky crayon bits into one giant cool crayon, how to make play-dough, how to make bracelets, etc!

I love my mom's fingernails. I think all grown up ladies should have pretty fingernails. Of course, I understand the fact that some women have an occupation that precludes them from having nice nails. I couldn't grow mine well when I was making jewelry all the time... yeah, that was the problem. NO, I was a biter. Until age 24, I was a chronic nail biter. SO GROSS! But, now that Spud is coming, I finally had to accept my responsibility, stop biting, grow 'em, and represent pretty grown-up lady fingernails for my offspring. It's funny because it's not like Mom is some glamazon who cares a lot about look or nice fingernails; she just naturally is the prettiest mom around. I really have never encountered a prettier, hotter mom that didn't have to try REALLY hard to look that way.

The other big thing in my life that began as mom's doing was ballet. She put me in my first lessons, and that habit got stuck hard and fast. I'm so glad that she shuttled me to all my rehearsals and classes and spent all that time with me in the Amarillo Civic Center dungeon during performances. I think it is harder for her sometimes that I'm not dancing anymore than it is for me just because she knows better than anyone what it meant to me and feels so sorry for me.

Now, my mom is a best friend. I wish we lived in the same city, but I don't think that's going to happen ever... well, until she and dad are senile, and I force them to move to live with me in Seattle :)

Happy Birthday, Mom! love jesky
Happy Birthday, [Grandma Name that I'll Choose When I Get Out]! love spudkin

Dad's Birthday!!!

Pictures!