Spotlight: Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women out there. While I will be celebrating Mother's Day with my little family today, I also wanted to spotlight my mom and all of the wonderful things I have learned from her.  

 Say hi to my mom and dad.

 (My and my older sister with my mom and dad)

I come from a family of 10 (I am the second oldest of 8 kids) and while things always seemed chaotic at our house, my mom always let us invite all of our friends over. There literally must have been 20-25 kids at our house on any given night because it was the hangout place. My mom went with the flow and we have funny stories and memories at our house because of it.

(One of the only coordinated photos of us, I am the back middle.)

My mom is very creative and loves making things. She always let us help her with any project that she was doing whether it be baking, sewing, crafting, painting or photography. She never seemed to be bothered by her 8 helpers and was always excited to teach us something new. While we are both creative in our own regards, I definitely got some of my creativity from her. 

 (7 of the 8, baby sister wasn't born yet, I am the back left and LOVED my bangs. lol)

My mom is a great cook. She was always in the kitchen baking and wasn't afraid to try new things. While we often give her a hard time when we ask for a recipe and it is, "a handful of this, some of that, maybe this or that" I am grateful she taught us to enjoy cooking and trying new things.

The first six kids, I am back right wearing my favorite pink pants of all time with suspenders!)

My mom has an incredible testimony of Jesus Christ and never lets that waiver. The older I get, the more I appreciate the experiences she has had that got her there. She wants the very best for all of her children and in the rare moments that I am really able to talk to her and have deep, meaningful conversations, I get a glimpse of my mom in a different light.

(a photo of 7 of the 8 kids is doing good, I am the back left)

Our most recent family photo (one brother, one sister, my BIL & 3 neices & nephews missing)

Now that my baby sister (who was 2 when I got married and will always be my "baby" sister) is all grown up, I feel like it is a new season for my mom with many wonderful memories to be had.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!