Clappity Claps

Avonlea has taken to clapping whenever she is super happy about something, or when she is really excited about something.

It's adorable.

For My "Other Mothers"

Mother's Day is hard for me. That's easy to understand. I miss my mom. I miss my Mamaw Campbell. I am sad I don't get to celebrate with them, and share my own girls with them.

But I would definitely be remiss if I didn't take time to comment on the fact that I still have FOUR amazing women that I can call "Mom" on this day. And I want to take a few minutes to share how they have impacted my life.

First, "Aunt Sunni". When I talk about my life here in Los Angeles, it is nearly impossible not to mention Sunni. She is our next door neighbor, and our landlord--but she is so much more than that for our family. She has taken over the Mom/Grandma role for us ever since we moved into our current home. She watches the girls. She loves Avonlea like she was her own granddaughter. She makes Avonlea amazing gifts, like "pimped out Cozy Coupe" that looks like Minnie Mouse:

She lets our guests stay at her mother-in-law apartment. She brings food and does my dishes and hangs out with the girls so I can take a nap. She is the Mom that I don't have here. My friends all exclaim, "*I* want an Aunt Sunni!" We don't ever want to move because of her.

Secondly, Great-Grammy Klimis. We don't get to see her often, but she loves and cares for my girls so much. She sends them beautiful dresses for the holidays. She cared for her husband through his many years with Alzheimer's disease, and was an incredible example of self-sacrifice and spousal love. And she raised a wonderful son, who cares deeply for my mother-in-law, and that makes her an All-Star Mom in my book.

Thirdly, my Mother-in-Law, Gaydene. I know of friends who have horror stories of their mothers-in-law, but I have absolutely no concept of that fact. My Mom is loving and kind. She has a heart to serve and love others. It was one of my first impressions of her when we met when Nick and I were dating. She just wanted to make a difference in other's lives, and I can say first-hand she has done that. She absolutely loves her grandkids. She doesn't get to see them as often as she would like, but she stays involved in all of our lives. Avonlea is growing up with a love of her Grammy, even though we are several states away from each other. She didn't have the easiest time as a mom herself, raising Nick on her own for a period of time. But she did an amazing job raising a son of integrity, who values hard work and quality, who provides for his family and is a source of strength for us to lean on. She helped to make Nick the man that I married, and for that I am forever grateful.

Finally, Grandma Hume. I have so many amazing memories of Grandma. Of Saturday mornings eating Cream of Rice cereal with her and Grandpa. Of Sunday afternoons at the pool at Kettering Rec Center and falling asleep on her couch afterward while the water dripped out of my ears. Of dressing up in her old nightgowns. Of croquet matches in her backyard on the hill. Of climbing her magnolia tree and picking roses in her backyard. Of putting up her tree together. Of epic family dinners with enough desserts to feed an army. Of beautiful handmade linens and drapes. Of photos and cameras and memories in handmade books. Of Tupperware containers filled with treats after every college soccer game, and earning the nickname of "Cookie Grandma." Of 63 God-filled years of marriage. Of countless matches of Rummikub and Monopoly and Memory and Chinese Checkers. Of endless service projects at church and hosting missionary families and friends in a never-ending sea of hospitality. Many of the best moments of my life include my Grandma, and I know thousands of others who would say the same. She is going to need a wheelbarrow to carry around her crown of jewels when she eventually gets to Heaven. She's 89 and a little slower than she used to be, but she's still a spitfire and a woman I love with every bit of who I am.

Avonlea Overheard, Vol. 1

"Watt Mitty Moww? O tay."
(Watch Mickey Mouse? Okay.--she doesn't even wait for us to say yes.)

She Amazes Me, Vol. 2

Avonlea was pointing to the empty spaces and identifying which animals used to be in those spaces. It wasn't just "whale", either. She knew where the squid went--not sure I could have even identifies that! I couldn't believe she could do that!

She is also good at doing big floor puzzles. We have a Frozen one she got for her birthday and she can put all the characters' pieces in the right places.

She Amazes Me, Vol. 1

I want to keep track of some of the things Avonlea says and does that surprise me. She is always making me laugh or think or just blowing me away with what she knows. I can do more of this now that I have set up to be able to post things from my phone.

Here is an example: I love how she is putting the stickers in appropriate places. She uses pincer grasp to pick the stickers off and reposition them where she wants them to go. She is identifying all the different animals and knows that these animals go in the rainforest.

New Changing Table

Changing Aria on Daddy's work desk...gotta do what you've gotta do!

Picture Testing

Came home to this sight. Be still my heart.

What I Want for Mother's Day

Avonlea and I go to Mommy and Me class every week at the local adult education center. We have talked about all sorts of things--family traditions, potty training, teaching your kids about sex and death, tooth care, burn care--everything that parents could want to know. The teachers are great, and they are very caring towards the kids and the parents.

But today's topic really hit hard for me. It was about Mother's Day. About what you remember about your mom, and what you hope your kids remember about you as a mother. Needless to say, it was a hard class for me. I cried pretty much the entire "share" time.

This will be my 4th Mother's Day without Mom, and they don't really get easier, especially now that I have my own girls. I wish that they had their Nana to celebrate. After all, she was a major part of how I turned out the way that I did. I will just do my best to convey to Avonlea and Aria about what an amazing lady she was, and how cancer really sucks for taking her away from us so early.

We went around the circle and people shared one of their favorite memories of their Moms. It was *really* hard listening to several of the moms talk about their moms being there for the births of their kids. I ended up being last--and as everyone was sharing, I was really struggling to narrow it down to *one* thing to share.

A few that came to mind:

• My sister got a karaoke machine (for a birthday? I'm not sure) and true to Hume fashion, we had an "oldies karaoke" CD with a bunch of Diana Ross/Supremes. We sat around the dining room table, and sang "Baby Love". My mom wasn't a singer (she could carry a tune, but she would NEVER have gotten up in front of anyone to sing), so this was a fun memory because it was such an unusual thing to happen.
• When I was in middle school, Mom and I would sit down for an hour or so after school (or sometimes in the evenings) and have Dr. Mario battles on the original Nintendo. She was SO GOOD at it! We used to do "battle mode", and we would start on the 2nd hardest level. I swear she was practicing at night after I went to bed.
• We loved watching sports together--especially football, college and pro. We went to an Ohio State game together, and also several Bengals games. She would always squeal and jump up and down on the couch. She had the OSU vs Miami Nat'l Championship game on DVD and would often re-watch it while working on mailings.

(Yes, we went to a Bengals game at the Colts stadium. Thankfully, Indy fans are polite)

• She was an incredible Realtor, and one summer, I was her "assistant". I use quotations, because I really wasn't that much help. But I remember getting to spend every day with her, and going out to lunch at the Jewish deli across the street from her office. In fact, there are many memories of going to appointments with her, or going to spend the afternoon in her office when she had "phone duty" back when she worked at The Realty Group.
• Every year at the start of the school year, Mom and I would sit down together and set goals for the school year together. She would set her business goals, I would set my school/athletic goals for the year. I found it a little annoying, I'll admit. But now I love looking back on that time that we spent together, looking forward together.
• I loved when I found my wedding dress, and getting to walk out of the fitting room and see Mom's face. When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she hoped to see me graduate, so to have her still around so many years later, and getting to watch both her girls get married was amazing. She and I both looked at the dress in the mirror, and said, "This is the one!"
• My final memory of Mom is holding her hand when she passed away. Being with her in her last few days on Earth was immensely difficult, but also precious.

But I guess as I think over the different memories, one thing stands out the most: Mom was *there*. She was at every game (and as a 4-sport athlete, there were a LOT), even through college when I was playing in Pennsylvania or Indiana or Michigan. She was at every concert, every church performance. She had a wonderfully successful real estate business that kept her away more than she would like, but I really don't remember that. I remember always looking in the stands and seeing her. Her continual presence was such a comfort to me.

And what I really wanted to say to the Mommy and Me class is that what I want my girls to remember about me as a Mom is what I remember most about my Mom. I want Avonlea and Aria to remember me being there. Being a part of their lives. Caring about what they are doing, supporting their efforts, encouraging them and challenging them to set goals. I want them to be able to look out into the stands, or across the auditorium, or even in the car pool line and see me there. Have them know, with confidence, that I will be there for them.