To Our Mom on Mother's Day

I was trying to decide what we could give my Mom for Mother's Day and came up with this idea.. I thought she might like to see how we all feel about her. Enjoy! Thoughts from your children at 33, 30 and 23 years old.. and 2 precious grandkids at 5 and 8. :)

Jesse

Favorite childhood memory- Family vacations , trips to the library on Saturdays, too many too name. She will do anything for  her kids.

Favorite adult memory- How excited and at peace she is when all 3 kids are home at once since it doesn't happen very often.

Something I admire about her: her wisdom. She's Always right! It's creepy. I Trust her advice so much. Her advice is usually spot on with my guts tell me to do.

Her best piece of advice- To Treat people equally. Never leave people out.

funniest memory- is going whitewater rafting and falling out of the boat and not being able to get back in the raft because of laughing so hard and losing the energy and just floating there for 30 minutes until people threw her back on board.

Nicest thing she’s done for me was: always supported me in music and is still genuinely interested...

Something she always says- : Always says "nip It in the bud" when a problem arises.., always...

Time she was right: She's right a lot.. But probably most to respect people. When people teach you that as a kid, you continue to respect people as an adult. That's what she doesn't have any enemies, she's easy going and nice to everyone.  She's a great mom! Can't imagine not having her, as I wouldn't be who I am without her guidance, support. She's ALWAYS available, always there. Like a rock.

Jenna

 

My favorite childhood memory of her – There are so many I don’t know where to start. From the numerous vacations we got to go on, to my Dad always filming her butt as she ran out of the room. Every home video has this on it! Haha We are so lucky to have so many home videos of us growing up.She would always say “Are you having a happy childhood”? To which we would all reply yes! Sometimes annoyed at the question, but she always cared that we were happy.

My favorite adult memory of her- All of our family gatherings, she spends so much time cleaning her house, cooking all the food, and coordinating things. I always know that we’ll have a great time at her house because she puts so much work into it.

Something I admired about her- She has always worked full time and taken care of 3 kids too. She was involved in all of our activities from sports to music, etc. I know it had to be exhausting. She always took us to church even when we didn’t want to get out of bed.

Her best piece of advice-In my yearbook the year I graduated she wrote the verse “ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12 “ I have always remembered that. She encouraged us all to work hard and do well in school, watch our money wisely and just be good people.

Funniest memories- There are so many. I have to agree with Jordan that she does speed through parking lots pretty fast… one time we were in the car together and me and Jordan are looking at each other like “is she going to stop?!” like seriously terrified. I’m pretty sure that every meal for the last 20 something years of my life she has left baked beans, corn, or any other vegetable in the microwave while we’re already eating.. she always finds them like hours or days later. Never fails! And she always used to burn the bread and we would all make fun of her. Another thing is that she always used to sleep in this old denim shirt, like long sleeved, button up! And then she started wearing the denim shirt with jeans around the house so we would all say “oh no, she’s wearing DOUBLE DENIM!”

Nicest thing she’s done for me was- being such a good grandma. She would buy whatever my kids ever needed, or drop everything and be at my house on a moment’s notice. She’s never missed a birthday, special event etc of theirs and keeps them pretty much every weekend. She texts me every day to see how my kids are doing and never misses a day of talking to them.

Something she ALWAYS says- Wear your seat belt! 30 is the new 20! lol

Time she was right- Pretty much always, and as I get older I realize that more and more.

Jordan

Favorite childhood memories- Countless trips to libraries and bookstores, having her try to brush through my hair that was always in knots/needing to have objects cut out of it (sunglasses, headbands, etc.)

Favorite adult memory- The time we went to my orientation at OSU and someone kept scooting their chair around really loudly… which for some reason got us laughing and we could not stop. We finally had to exit the room because we were making a scene with our giggling, and the director of the Honors College gave us a very stern look for being so distracting.

Something I admire- I've never seen someone so willing to sacrifice for other people. She will do anything for her kids/grandkids, regardless of what she needed to do for herself that day.

Best piece of advice- She often reminds me not to compare my life to others'; never wish for someone else's life because you never know what's really happening behind the scenes with them.

Funniest memories- She drives at least 50 mph through every parking lot. This is always a scary experience. Also, sometimes her texts are impossible to decode because there are soooo many typos! haha

Nicest things she's done for me-  Dropping whatever she is doing if I call her and am having any sort of problem, whether it be serious or pretty insignificant.

Something she always says- "Wear your seatbelt, drive safe"… even if I won't be getting in the car or driving for the next 24 hours.

Time she was right- The day I moved into my dorm freshman year, I was suddenly terrified to start college and was afraid of the "big city" of Stillwater. I was literally frozen in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A and did not want to get out of the car. (Dramatic, I know.) She just told me I would have the best 4 years of my life, all I had to do was get started. And she was right.

CARTER

My grandma is:  56  years old

My grandma’s favorite color is: Blue

My grandma’s favorite food is :  Cake

My grandma always says : I love you

My grandma cooks the best : Everything !

My grandma’s job is : Deer Creek School teacher

My grandma always laughs when: I tell her funny things

If my grandma had time, she would love to: go somewhere fun with me and Cooper

My grandma and I like to: get Bampaw donut’s

My grandma really Loves: Me !

I love my grandma because: She is the best !

COOPER

My grandma is  55 years old

My grandma’s favorite color is: Purple

My grandma’s favorite food is: Apples

My grandma always says:  I love you

My grandma cooks the best : Spaghetti

My grandma’s job is : a teacher

My grandma always laughs when:  I don’t know

If my grandma had time, she would love to: Go to the library

My grandma and I like to: go to Gattitown

My grandma really Loves: Me !

Thoughts on my 30th birthday...

30^th birthday blog… I’ve been thinking about what to write for what seems like weeks now and still can’t come up with anything good. What have most people done by the time they’re 30? Does it really matter what everyone else has done by this point or what God has planned for me ? It’s hard to not compare yourselves to other people. I’ve seriously been dreading turning 30 for about 2 years now, especially in the last few months. I don’t know what it is about that number. In some ways I still feel like I’m 16 years old. I don’t feel like I’m actually 30! It feels like 30 was always sooooo far away, and now that it’s here I’m not sure what to think. In other ways I feel like I am really old. I’m sure that having 3 kids makes you feel older compared to 30 year olds without any kids. I’m pretty much busy from the time I open my eyes until the time I go to bed at night.. and even through the middle of the night because when you are a parent you are always on call! I think that this year I will tackle some goals I’ve had for awhile, try some new things and start taking better care of myself. In the last year I’ve had at least 10 sinus infections because my allergies are out of control,( currently have one actually) developed high blood pressure for the first time in my life, and now I have this weird thing with both my feet killing me.. to the point where I can barely get out of bed in the morning.  Really need to get that figured out.

Here’s what I could think of in terms of what I’ve accomplished in my 30 years…

Had an amazing childhood full of great memories.. a lot of people don’t have that! It actually shocks me when people don’t speak to other family members because I didn’t grow up around that at all. There are no awkward silences when we get together and it’s always a fun time to this day. When I was little my friend JaneAnn said she wished she could be a part of my family because she didn’t have a lot of cousins, etc and we always had so much fun. Everyone loved being  a LaFave. Of course I just got lucky to get the family that I have, but I’ve always been thankful. Most people don’t have 25+people in their family alone they could call if they ever needed anything but I do.

Had a great high school experience- People think I’m crazy when I say I’d go back to high school and do it all over again. It was so much fun for me, probably because school was never hard for me. Things were so easy back then! I wish I would’ve graduated college on time but I’ll get there someday.

Learned from my mistakes!


Gained a lot of knowledge in the medical field and a lot of great work experience.

Been a good mother to my own kids and to Paizley. At the end of every long hard day, I go to sleep knowing that I was the best Mom I could possibly be. Even if I get nothing else right in a day or don’t accomplish much, I know that my kids think I’m a good Mom and they tell me often. That’s what keeps me going! They are 3 of the happiest kids and it really could’ve turned out differently for all 3 of them considering their past circumstances.

Been a thoughtful person- I love getting people gifts and cards. Just ask Dustin how many cards he’s gotten from me over the years.. sometimes he’s like really? Another card? Haha

Been a reliable person- if someone needs me to be somewhere at a certain time, I will be there. I’m hardly ever late, and I follow through on things that I promise.

Learned the piano- I started when I was 9 and just took off on my own. I wish I had more time to play now, but sometimes I’ll break out the piano and start playing and it all comes back to me. I hope my kids learn an instrument because it’s something they will love all of their life.

Played sports- I had so much fun as a kid playing softball. Just last weekend my family got together and played baseball. My Dad hit us balls like he used to when we were little, and everyone said I did pretty good.. for an out of shape almost 30 year old!

Kept going through really hard times- from a divorce to another awful relationship, raising kids by myself, there were times we literally had nothing. I worked 2 jobs because I always knew they depended on me. We got a new house and I loved providing everything they needed. It was never easy but I did it for my kids.

Having a great sense of humor! Ask my sister, anything makes me laugh. I think it’s how I get through hard times.. I just try to make a joke out of everything.

Found my partner for life and an amazing daughter came along with him. I don't know what I'd do without Dustin. Sometimes we want to strangle each other, but everyone would in our shoes.. the stress we have is unimaginable on a daily basis. We are the only 2 parents in our 3 kids lives doing any of the financial, emotional, physical things for them. I'm really glad we found each other and completed each others' families. I can't wait for many more years with him and as a family! I love being a Mom to 3 kids as hard as it is. I wouldn't trade my life for an easier life or more money, more success, etc... I think I'm right where I need to be right now. I'm pretty happy "just being a Mom" for right now and working part time.

Yes, I actually did have to make a list so I could see the positives... and of course, I am thankful to be alive every day! 30 will just take some getting used to.
While thinking of something I could do on my birthday, I ran across this verse:

Galatians 6:10 says, “Don’t miss an opportunity to be good to people.” When you’re good to people, you’re sowing a seed for God to be good to you.

I decided to do 30 random acts of kindness on my birthday to make it something positive! I always like to do nice things for people and I try to be thoughtful, but I’m sure there are many more things I could be doing in a day for other people. I hope that others will follow my lead and do the same today.

I will keep holding on to this verse:
 

 "Whatever with the past has gone, the best is always yet to come!”  

Check back later for my random acts of kindness J