It's good to have these women nearby

Left to right: Me, Mom, Baby Nephew, Sis

I still haven't been able to pull pictures from my iPod this week, so I stole borrowed this pic from my sister's Facebook page. (Thanks, sis!)

Mother Nature provided perfect weather for us on Mother's Day. After church, we attempted to go "out" to eat but the minimum wait for a table was an hour. Being the spontaneous and always prepared people that we are (ha!) and knowing Nephew wouldn't be a happy camper for that long, we ran to the grocery store and grabbed some simple lunch items, took it to my sister's house to grill, and had a wonderful afternoon together.

It's funny for me to see this picture because we took an {almost} identical picture a couple years ago on Mother's Day, but Nephew wasn't even a twinkle in our eyes. It is fascinating to me to see Sis with a baby because I can still remember when she was a baby and, other than being taller, she hasn't changed much. She is a wonderful mother, though, and beautiful in every way. I'm lucky to have her in my life. 

It's also strange for me to think of my parents as grandparents. I always dreamed they would get to see our children and now... dream come true. It makes my heart leap.

(On a side note, I love my mom's silver hair. I hope to have silver hair someday. I hope to have several of my mom's traits.)

Mom has seen me through so much. Although we didn't always agree on everything, such as curfue and what time to get out of bed on Saturday mornings, she was always understanding and patient with me. We've had many long talks about boys and cars and school. I remember "sunning" together on the back deck while we talked, and laying on her bed with the bedroom windows open while we read a book together, and swinging on the porch swing that sits under the carport (a.k.a. veranda) while we drank hot tea and admired the sunset.

She held me when I cried, but also told me to "put your big girl panties on and get over it" when necessary. She forced me to spend time with my sister during our teenage years, which I now truly appreciate. She homeschooled us during high school, which was probably the worst possible years to try it, but we did it. She taught me to cook some darn good eggs and Irish Soda Bread and how to bake cookies and cakes totally from scratch. She taught me to hide chocolates in my sock drawer for rainy days, although I don't do this often because I'm always tempted to eat them. She taught me how to milk a goat. She gave us "Saturday chores" for so long that now I can't seem to clean my house any other day of the week.

Mom is third oldest of nine children, mother to three, grandmother to one (and counting), a country girl, tea drinker, green thumb, creative, genuine, a wee bit Irish, hot-tempered, stubborn, and sweet as pie. And, best of all, she's MY mommy. I love you, Mom. Happy belated Mother's Day.