Happy bday, Mimi!

This is my Momma's birthday! Hu-ray! My mother is more beautiful, more perfect and more wonderful than ever (of course. It's not like you're born with it, you have to DEVELOP it!). I sure love her. Even though this pic is of Marlies and Rosi, I remember learning the piano with my mother by my side. She would play the right hand until I was good at the left hand and then we would switch. She is the only reason I love music the way I do. I have spent YEARS learning how to be the musician she is with the dedication she has to it. The past few years of me teaching it has really taught me more than what I ever learned in a classroom. However, i learned more from her by watching her teach me and others than I learned from teaching myself. She is amazing and I am so grateful to have had her as a best friend and teacher throughout my musical world. My dad gave my mom a priesthood blessing when I was a baby that told my mother to take me with her in all of her musical ways. I cannot explain the amount of amazing experiences I have had because of this. I'm so glad my mom listened to the words of that blessing from the Lord, through my dad.

In a lot of ways, I really did more with us three in my household than with any of my other siblings (until we had all moved out). Ben and I were the only ones left at home when we made our journey to Oregon for a few short years. One of the few times I had bangs. You can also see how B-E-A-UTIFUL my mother is in this silly pic. She's using her REAL smile here, too.

Bill and Rosi have eight grandchildren now! I can't believe that happened so quickly. The oldest is seven. So, there were eight born in seven years (which probably doesn't seem like a lot to you, but boy! it does to me!)

Mom and Dad have been married for 42 years on Aug 25, 2009! They have survived (ha ha ha)
six children who are all so vastly different but who still depend on them for their love and advice on a regular basis.

My brother Tim, wrote home one Christmas (while he was serving an LDS mission) something that has stuck with me for YEARS! It describes my mothers' nature to a 'T'. If you've heard it before, its because I love the idea and hope to be this kind of person, too.

With six kids to feed, we would often run out of things (not because we weren't well fed, but because we went through a lot of food). My mother would be making the sandwiches for the family, or toast, or french toast, or whatever and we would run out of bread, except for the heels of the bread that no kid actually WANTS to eat. What kid chooses to eat his crust!? Especially a piece that is ALL crust?! My mother would quietly make those pieces hers and claim they were her favorite pieces. She still claims this. And I don't doubt her. But Tim mentioned that she liked those pieces because she would rather give the best parts to her family. And she did. There was never a treat in her purse that I did not find and ask if I could have. She would always give it to me, without thinking of herself. I'm not saying that she always gave up her food (which she did), but that she always gave me as much as she could, without thinking of herself first. I admire that so much and hope i can be that way too.

My momma never pushed me to be anything or anyone other than myself. I am loud and overbearing because of her. But I am also, trustworthy, loyal, honest and kind (even though I was never a scout) because of her too.

I love you, Momma.