Mother’s Day – It Takes a Village

I received flowers from ProFlowers for this post, all opinions are 100% mine.

A few months ago I was sitting at my 8 year old son’s baptism and it hit me hard that it really takes a village to raise my sweet children.
Yes, my husband and I take care of everything in the home for them, but I strongly rely on the help of neighbors, family and friends because I know I can’t do it on my own. I rely on other moms and hope that they are raising children that I will want my children around and vice versa.
Meet a bit of my village.
I realize I am spoiled because yes, this is just a small part of our village.
My baby sister, Chelsea, had her first baby this year. She has loved my children as her own for the past 8 years, and to watch her develop into this gorgeous mother has been quite an emotional ride for me. She’s patient, she’s loving, she does all that extra stuff like make baby food (while I laugh in the background) & she’s wrapped around her baby’s chubby finger. Even though she is a nurse practitioner and knows way more than I know about the health side of things, she is humble enough to ask for my opinion on the “mommy intuition” stuff. We are as close as can be and there has been a stronger connection that I didn’t know was missing.
Happy Mother’s Day love!

When I moved in almost a year ago, sweet Lindy and I met in front of my house. I’m pretty sure I was in pajamas, no make up, no shower…you know the real deal. Great first impression. If she is home, her garage door is open and kids from the neighborhood are running from the backyard filled with the best toys to the front yard where there are bikes, cars and chalk. Her driveway is full of bikes and helmets and she welcomed my kids right in. She also has the best eye for interior design of anyone I’ve seen. I mean, really her kitchen?! She has voxed me until all hours of the night with mood boards and pictures for my house and I’ve felt so grateful for her friendship.
Happy Mother’s Day beautiful friend!

Andrea & I met quickly after I moved in because she’d just moved into the neighborhood also. 5 kids, Young Women President, and one of the most kind, genuine people I’ve ever met. My girls think Andrea is their best friend. She is always right there to help. Need her to play piano for something? Done. You haven’t made programs for your son’s baptism and it’s 24 hours away? Oh, she’ll make them because she doesn’t have anything she’d rather be doing. You decided to paint your basement? She’s there to help with a coat and decides to paint your ceiling along with helping redo dining chairs until 2 am because it’s almost Thanksgiving, the in laws are on their way and you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
Happy Mother’s Day to one of my most favorite people!

My neighbor, Loretta. I met her and her husband right when we moved in. They were wondering what on earth we were doing to our house because truck after truck was there for 3 weeks remodeling before we moved in. Loretta is the Primary President of our ward & when I got called to be the Primary Music Leader, I had an incredible meeting with her and husband. They immediately put me at ease & gave me the courage I needed to move forward. She’s a mother to 6 girls and 1 boy and lost her dear husband last month to pancreatic cancer. My favorite story at the funeral was that her husband (who was the handiest man I knew) would engrave “Jeff loves Loretta” somewhere on every single one of his projects.
Everyone loves Loretta, she’s a wonderful lady, Happy Mother’s Day!

Kim is my friend that has 5 children of her own and always makes an effort to include our children. We lived in California at the same time and ended up in the same place after California. Her husband helped us find our home and she has taken me under her wing and helped me fit right in. She is a beautiful friend who knows what she believes, what she stands for, and is a wonderful example to her children. I beg her to let them come over all the time to rub off their greatness to my kids. She is the most organized person I know, having her calendar scheduled out months in advance, maybe even a year. I’m not kidding.
Happy Mother’s Day beautiful friend!

Our moms live 4 and 10 hours away from us. I adopted this lady right here. Funny backstory, her husband is a professional golfer and I grew up cheering for him and watching him on Sunday afternoons. When I found out they were going to be one of our neighbors I was so nervous….until she brought over pizza, donuts, and rootbeer. I realized quickly that we have a lot in common. We are very sarcastic, love to laugh, and enjoy being around people we love. The kids can’t get enough of Trudy. She’s such a babe and I believe we are soul sisters just a few years apart. When you walk into a building, you can immediately tell if Trudy is there because of her laugh. It’s contagious. Her 2 sons and husband are so lucky to have her.
Happy Mother’s Day my BNFF (best neighbor friend forever)! I thought I was pretty clever with that one.

I don’t feel that I could say enough about my husband’s mom. She raised the perfect man for me. He’s exactly what I never knew I needed. He supports me and is realistic and rational. All those qualities he gets from her. 10 years ago we were at a resort in Park City (prekids) and I knew I was screwed when she rocked a bikini (mine, because she forgot a swimsuit) better than I could have and I was 20! She runs marathons and loves to hike. She has stand up room only available on the 1st day of class because she is the best English teacher there is and everyone wants her for a teacher. She loves us and our kids like there is no tomorrow.
Happy Mother’s Day, we love you!
My mom, I can’t think about her without tearing up and getting a lump in my throat. At 29 she felt that she was an old maid and would never get married. She met my dad, they got married and she immediately had 5 step sons. My mom is the best, the best, stepmom you could ever imagine. She is the best mom and I don’t know how she ever did it. Our house was always the place to be. Her treats have quite a legacy in our city. Friends would come over and peek in the microwave and the lower oven and they were always filled. She took care of her mom for 18 years straight. Doctor appointments after doctor appointments while raising 4 young children of her own and also being extremely present for her 5 step sons. She never missed a game, a play, a reason to be in the classroom, and has truly shown the best example for selflessness.
If you will be at Elevate, make sure you introduce yourself to my mom and sister. They will both be there this year!
One thing I love about Mother’s Day is that you don’t have to be a mother to enjoy it! Villages are filled with nieces, sister in laws, friends, coworkers, teachers, and even simple acts of kindness from strangers. Any acts of kindness shown to my kids goes farther than I’m sure the other person giving it realizes.

Lucky for me I live by all of these women except for 3, and it was so fun to see their faces light up when I handed them a gorgeous bouquet from ProFlowers.