Anyone who knows me personally or has followed this blog at all knows that I have a very close relationship with my mom and I think she is absolutely amazing. As I look back on the 29 years she has been my mother, I cannot think of a single time she has let me down -- not one. And believe me, there have been plenty of times that I have not been deserving of the unconditional love and support she has given me.
Quick story. When I was 14-years-old I got a job working in the snack shack at the city baseball fields. One day I got off work and walked out to the parking lot where my mom was supposed to be picking me up. She wasn't there. This was extremely unusual because she was never late. Since this was before the days of cell phones I had no way to get a hold of her so I just sat down and waited. I didn't know what had happened, but I knew she would be there. As I watched the road in the direction she would be coming I noticed someone approaching on a bike. As the biker got closer I realized it was my mom. She pulled up out of breath on my bike and explained that the car wouldn't start and she didn't want to leave me waiting so she just jumped on my bike and road as fast as she could to pick me up. I hopped on the bike with her and we pumped all the way home.
I am not claiming that my mom's mothering style is perfect, because I know it has it's faults, but I couldn't have asked for a better example than she has given me of how to love and serve your family. The ultimate example of her love and sacrifice was shown during Ellie's life. I could fill a novel if I started listing all of the things she did for my family that made it possible for us to not only survive, but to make the absolute most of the time we had with Ellie. When we found out Ellie would need a trach, my mom immediately volunteered to be trained along side us so she could help with Ellie's care, even though it pushed her incredibly far outside of her comfort zone. Words cannot adequately portray the love with which my mom cared for Ellie and oh, how that little girl loved her Grandma! Every single time my mom helped with Ellie, she would thank me for giving her the privilege of caring for Ellie.
Before my mom had even left from helping us move and get settled at the beginning of the summer, she had already booked her next trip to visit in August. It had only been two months with almost daily Facetime chats, but boy were we all excited to have her back. She timed her trip so she would be there when Mason and Brynn started school so I'd have some extra help while I got the kids settled into their new routine. We got all the final errands and preparations for school done and even had some time to play before the first day rolled around.
Grandma took Brynn and Mason on a special date roller skating. They had an absolute blast!
We took a trip to the Children's museum which was a lot more enjoyable for everyone with a 3:4 adult/child ratio rather than the 1:4 we had been doing all summer.
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And Scott and I squeezed in as many dates as possible and were so appreciative of the uninterrupted sleep we got while my mom offered to spend each night in Ellie's room.
My mom insisted on doing all of Ellie's care both day and night to give me a much needed break, but wouldn't you know I didn't get a single picture of her and Ellie together while she was here. It's at the top of my list of regrets. I'm so glad that my mom was able to be with Ellie in her prime. She got to see her developing personality and new tricks first hand. I'm so grateful she came to visit when she did.
The time to take Grandma to the airport came much too fast, and even though we knew we'd see her again in two months, it was hard to say goodbye.
Unfortunately, her return to Omaha was much sooner than planned. A week after she left, Ellie was admitted to the hospital and my mom was ready to jump on the next flight to come help, but I insisted that we needed to do this on our own. After all, we were the ones who decided to move away and we couldn't expectd my mom to drop everything and run to our aid every time Ellie got sick. Plus she was already coming out in October to help when Ellie was scheduled to have surgery and would be in the hospital for a week. She stayed home but was ready to board the next flight the moment I said I needed her. That time came when I called my parents as I drove to the hospital on that horrible Sunday morning. They both packed their bags and immediately headed to the airport. They arrived a few hours later and despite their own grieving swooped in and took care of everything while I was hardly functioning. Those first few days were the hardest days of my entire life and I don't know how we would have survived them without my mom and dad there.
Fast forward six weeks and my mom came out to visit for the kids' Fall Break.
As always, her stay was filled with fun adventures including Vala's Pumpkin Patch, a return visit to Skate Daze, eating out every night, walks to the park, and plenty of games played.
As I have previously mentioned, she did most of this while Scott and I were getting some projects done around the house. I don't think I ever would have been able to take down Ellie's room without my mom there with me.
Probably the highlight of the trip was Grandma's traditional Halloween party. All of the kids have been devastated that we wouldn't be in Utah for the cousin Halloween party, so Grandma brought it to us. Mason was so excited the night before he couldn't sleep. It was worse than Christmas Eve. He woke my mom up at 2 am asking if it was time for the party yet.
The party included making Grandma's witches brew, zombie sugar cookies, spider Ding Dongs, brain cupcakes, and of course following a spider web around the house to find their Halloween prize.
Once again, the time came to say goodbye to Grandma, and confirmed yet again how much we hate living away from family.
Now we are all counting down the days (55) until we go to Grandma's house for Christmas.
Thank you, Mom (and Dad) for all the times you have come to my rescue throughout my life.
I love you!!
