Saturday, May 8, 2010

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL OF MY DAUGHTERS!!

TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER -
 When I think about Mother's Day I always think about my own mother. She was born in 1916 and passed away in 2006. She had just barely turned 90 years old. For the last few months of her life she lived with us; and I  treasured each and every moment with her. I had already lost my dearest father in 2001; so it was difficult to know that my mother wouldn't be with us for too many more moments of time.

Only those who have lost a mother can truly know what it feels like to lose a parent. Even now whenever something exciting or sad comes in to my life; I have the thought run through my mind; I need to call  my mom but she isn't here. I hope that perhaps she is watching over me at times.Sometimes, we don't fully appreciate a treasure until we lose it.
My parents were so in love and there was never a doubt how devoted they were too each other. This was one of their legacies to follow.
Since it is Mother's day I thought I would share a few thoughts about her. My Mother was one of the most kind and loving of mothers. I always felt I could share anything with my mom and I did. She made every piece of clothing that I wore until I reached High School; then occasionally I could have something store bought. She made some gorgeous prom dresses. I didn't appreciate how hard she worked to make clothing for me at the time. She made my Wedding dress and a beautiful white lace dress for after the wedding which I know took so much time. I will forever love her for that. Often when I would be a way in the summer to a camp or whatever; I would come home to my bedroom being repainted or my bedroom furniture being re-done. My mother worked full time from about the time I was 11 years old; and she still found the time to do many things for me. She also was a master fisher-woman. She always caught the most fish on our fishing trips.
 She loved to visit with just about anyone. She enjoyed being around people. She loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was faithful in everything she was asked to do. She was just a beautiful woman that loved to take care of others; which she did. She never missed coming to take care of me when I had each of my six children. The one thing she loved to do with my father more than anything else was go to the Temple of which they faithfully attended. They left this earth faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and with strong and true testimonies. 

A TRIBUTE TO MY SIX DAUGHTERS -

Along with my three daughter I was blessed to add 3 more daughters, when my 3 sons were married. I considered them  MY daughters right off. I have always wanted them to call me mom. I seldom use the word daughter in law because in my eyes they are daughters.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY  MARY -

My first meeting with Mary was when Sean brought her home from Iowa with her two adorable boys that soon became my grandchildren.When Sean married Mary; she became our daughter. We have shared many happy and sad moments together. One thing that remains true is that I love and deeply care about Mary. Mary has had 8 of my grandchildren which are such blessings in my life. She was blessed with six sons and one very lovely daughter. In the last few years Mary has enjoyed going on adventures with her 5 younger son sometimes without Sean. She loves the outdoors and thrives in it. She has always loved having the babies and have cared well for them. Mary is very friendly and outgoing. One strong character trait is that she is ambitious and works hard to excel in anything she desires to accomplish.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO JESSICA

Jessica is my sweet granddaughter who is married to my grandson Jed. She recently had my very first great grandchild. I have loved Jessica from the first time I had a moment to actually get to know her. She is a very fun and  beautiful young woman. She is an awesome mom and I have enjoyed watching both Jed and her parent this sweet new little spirit. Baby Jadyn is a gift to us all. Jessica has a loving deposition. I love the moments that I get to be with her and learn more about her. One of my favorite characteristics that I have found in her is that she is has a very sweet and loving nature.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY AMANDA -

I met Amanda the first time when we were in Idaho Falls staying in a Hotel and Travis brought her over to meet us. She came in with cowboy boots on and the moment I met her I knew that she was perfect for Travis. 
Amanda has six of our grandchildren; four boys and two girls. She has a feisty personality which was needed to temper our son; which she does. Amanda has been a foster mother and she is incredible at it. I often wonder how she handles it all; but she does. She has a fun personality and always has cute comments back when talking with her children or Travis. She is a very hands on mom. One strong character trait is that she is very generous and has a lot of energy; which she needs since they have at least two children that are just like my son so she has her hands full.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY AMBER - 

The first time I met Amber was when we took James and her out for Breakfast. I loved her the minute I saw her. Again, I knew that she was the one. Amber has three of our adorable grandchildren; two girls and one boy. Amber and I went through a number of days together when our grand daughter Averi was very ill with Osteopetrosis. We always had a good time together even during the rough moments when we would almost lose our precious little Averi. No matter how bad things were she could come up with something to make me smile. Even today whenever she blogs or goes on facebook; she always makes me smile or laugh. I love to visit with her and usually at some point we start laughing so hard it can cause a problem. My favorite characteristic that she has is her humor. She is also very creative and likes to decorate her surroundings.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY CHRISTINA -
 My Christina was my first little angel girl. We had three boys and then came Christina. Christina is a gift. It was such a thrill to put a bow and a dress on her as an infant.
She has a feisty side to her that got her into trouble a few times; but mainly Christina has always had a sweet and loving nature. She truly would do anything for anyone. She is a loving mother of five of my grandchildren, four girls and one boy and an other little grandson Jesse who did not experience life. Christina and her girls lived with us for 18 months while her husband was in Iraq. Her girls are a treasure to me.
Christina loves to experiment on healthy cooking; and she home-schools her children; which is quite a feat.
 I have watched her suffer through a lot of things and she always remains faithful to her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My favorite characteristic that she has is that of humility.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO JENNI-MARIE-

Jenni was born into a very peaceful environment. Her father gave her a warm bath just moments after she was born. She just looked around and was just so peaceful. I was so thrilled to have another girl. Jenni is so dear to me.
Jenni is the mother of three of our grandchildren, two girls and a boy. She is quiet and reserved; but beneath that she is warm, fun and loving. I was so pleased when she chose to serve a mission. Jenni has a great depth in her thinking and in her testimony; I don't think she even knows how deep her love for the Savior goes. She likes to write Poetry and I would marvel at the depth of her thinking. She also enjoys singing. One of Jenni's most striking characteristics is her creativity which come out in many things she makes and does for her family and friends. I have had the privilege of living near her for a few months and it was delightful.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO TIFFANI -

Tiffani is the baby of the family. We thought she would be a boy; but just moments before she was born her father leaned over and whispered in my ear that she was a girl. We had only chosen boys names. Tiffani fits perfect because she is a Jewel and she was named after an ancestor Sarah Tiffani; of the Tiffani's of New York.Tiffani is always a bubble of enthusiasm. She also is very creative and always busy with some project or another. She has four of my precious grandchildren, two boys and two girls.She loves to sing and shares this talent frequently. She also loves to learn new things and is completing her BA degree this year through BYU. I admire her for her dedication to her goals.  One of her characteristic that I love is she is always optimistic and cheerful.

Dad and I wish for you all to have a very Happy Mother's Day. Know that we treasure you and we love each of you with all of our hearts. You are the champion's of our 30 grandchildren. We love you for your goodness and for the love you share with your spouses. We love you for your devotion to our Heavenly Father and Savior. We are grateful for your strong and true testimonies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We love you for teaching your children to love the Savior and know and feel the spirit in their lives. 
Thanks you all for our awesome grandchildren and great grandchild. Thank you for your loving kindness to us. Wishing you a very special day of appreciation for all that you do in your individual families. Love and Hugs, Dad and Mom

5 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

What a lovely post Leann. I enjoyed every word of it and all the pictures too. Bless you! xxoo

Cheryl @ TFD said...

What a wonderful post! I know all your daughters love you, too. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a good day!

Take care,
Cheryl

Susan Anderson said...

What a wonderful family of women you have. Thanks for sharing a little about each one of them.

=)

singing/granny said...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog today. Thanks for reading mine. It is fun to share in this way. Hope you are having a great day!

Dolly said...

I'm hoping to meet you this summer-maybe on a temple visit:) We were just up there for the opening of Iron-man movie at the Jordan Commons theater.

How amazing to have six daughters:) Very lucky! I grew up with six brothers and two sisters.