Mother's Day

Growing up, I remember my mom disliking this day and how it always made her feel guilty. I remember thinking that she was crazy and how all of us kids, there are six just loved our mom. Well, fastforward to today, I can see whay she hated mother's day, there are such inspirational stories about the wonderful mom's that do "everything right" never get mad, love their difficult children with the right words being said. I am more aware of how I don't do anything the perfect way and how my children might be better off, if they had a better mom, but I also recognize the women that we are blessed to have as Grandma and Mom's. So, to pay tribute and express appreciation to the women that we love, I polled my famiy on what they loved about these women. . . .

First off, my Grandma, Alta Brown

My Grandma, or GG as my boys call her, is the Mother to two children, Grandma to six and Great-Grandma to almost thirteen
She is an accomplished artist, expert seamstress, amazing quilter, excellant cook, has a green thumb and to this day grows beautiful flowers to name a few of her great talents.
When asked, my boys said she is nice, she knows alot of rules for games (I guess she plays lot's of games?), She lets us play with her dart game when we visit, she lets us play her hoop game, let's us play games in her garage. She always wants to help us improve and gives us suggestions to help us be better. We love GG and are so grateful that she is in our lives!!

Our next person, is Jake's Mom, Pam DeGraffenried

Pam is the Mother of nine amazing children, Grandma to forty and I am sure counting
Pam has always enjoyed designing houses. With Ed being a builder she has improved upon many homes over the years. She knows where and what the best of all buildin materials are. She also enjoys plants. They have lived in many different homes that she has planted beautiful trees, and moved on before they grew to maturity. She prefers being out in her garden or working on something in the yard to preparing meals. A story that I have heard often is that she used to go fishing every afternoon until one of Jake's younger siblings was borna nd she had a newborn to take care of. She also is known for her love of tools. She just really enjoys them.
When I asked my family what they appreciate Grandma Pam for, this is what they said: She is a great Grandma and gardener. She lets us paly toys. She loves the gospe. She sets a good example. She worries about her family and them staying close to the gospel. She raised her son to love his family and the gospel. She does the things she is interested whle heartedly and totally embraces them! We are glad to have her in our lives!

Next is my Grandma Knapp, Agnes Knapp. I don't even have a picture of her, but I adore Grandma Knapp, my husband and boys never got to meet Grandma Knapp, but I wish they had.
Grandma Knapp would have been 102 this year if she had lived, my mom, was the youngest of five children. Grandma kind of had a hard life, her husband was not very active in the church and his political views were different than hers. They always agreed that she could raise the children in the gospel and he could sway them his way politically, she got her way in both. Grandma was a school teacher and loved reading. She was kind and made all of her family members feel loved and like they were her favorite. When we would go to visit her, we could just lounge, read in her room and play, no expectations and total acceptance. Grandma never was known for her cooking, but she was feisty. I remember when she was at my parents house my dad took her picture for our wall of pictures and she had been chopping onions, so she was told to smile, she pointed the knife at her! Love it! I could go on and on about my Grandma, but she wa amazing!
Next is my Mom, Maradel Brown.

I am biased, but my mom is amazing! She is the mom to six children and almost thirteen grandchildren. She enjoys reading, puzzles, traveling, shopping, her childrne, learning, teaching, talking to her family, my dad, amd anything her family is doing. She has been on two missions, and is coming home in June. We are excited about that. She has taught school for I think nine years in all. She has specialized in reading and has her master's degree. She always has been supportive of her kids and a great example to her grandchildren by setting an example along with my dad of serving misisons because the Prophet asked them to.
Wehn my family was asked about Grandma Brown, they said, they loved that she lets them play legs, she alwayse lets us read books. She lets us play micromachines she lets us climb her fig tree, she feeds us lots when she is home! She reads me stories she knows a whole lt about everything. She lets us climg the "walnut" tree (pecan). She tells Deana to be nicer to Jake. She is willing to sacrifice the comfort of family and home to share the gospel. She loves the gospel!

We love all of the women in our life! I still am not crazy about Mother's Day, andI still wishthat I can do better, but there is nothing that I wish that I could be doing over being mom to my three boys, even on the days that they try me and make me question, why I am doing what I am doing, I love when they come in from whatever they are doing and to here them yell, MOM, it makes it all worth it!