The Big FIVE - OHHHHH!

Last week my mom turned 50.

Is she not the youngest looking 50 year old you've ever seen? Stunning!

My mom is my very best friend.

She is the most Christlike person I've ever known.

And therefore.....pretty darn perfect.

The older I get the more I cherish her.

Some things I love about her.

1: She is so pure of heart! When we were playing a game of Monopoly last summer...she was losing and we were all trying to keep her in the game by teaming up and selling things to her for cheap and bla bla bla. Finally after a few rounds of us helping her out, she quietly said, "You know...I really don't feel good about this. I should be out of the game." So she gave everyone their stuff back and left the game.

2: She's honest! She writes down her hours at work to the very minute! In the summer, my sister and I invited her to go to the pool. She asked how much it was to go. I told her that we figured out that you could sneak in the back gate just before swimming lessons were getting over and they would think you were picking someone up so they wouldn't make you pay haha. She looked at me and just said, "Oh, I don't do that. I'll just pay whatever the price is to be honest". Well geez....that taught me.

3: She's frugal and very self-less. She won't buy a thing for herself, but totally doesn't mind spending money on other people. She loves to take me out to lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays and insists on paying. She told my dad that she's trying to save money so for lunch at work she just has one piece of bread with some peanut butter and honey on it haha.

4: She's so humble! My family was at a wedding reception a couple weeks ago and my mom was off talking to a friend. The whole time I was staring at her thinking she was the most beautiful person in the whole place. She really looked smokin. I told my dad that and he said, "I know and the thing about her is she would never in a million years know it."

5: She has a strong testimony. She always talks about how she doesn't feel like she knows a lot about the gospel, but geez.... for not knowing enough about the gospel, she sure lives it to a T, and that's the most important. She's a doer, and when you look at her you can see her testimony radiating!

6: She's been the best example of working hard. I admire so much how hard she's worked every day of her life. She's always had a job to help out our family, but at the same time she's never neglected her children. She would work like 10 hour days, come home at night, feed us dinner, help us with our homework, play games with us, and always did it with a smile on her face. The older I get the more I appreciate that example because that is not an easy task!

7: She's very even-tempered. She rarely ever gets mad. She's one of those mom's you could go to about ANYTHING and know she wouldn't freak out haha. She totally has her head straight on her shoulders and sees the eternal perspective.

8: She's a lady of few words, but when she talks.... she always says the right thing!!  She really thinks before she says stuff. She's really good about writing letters and always making sure you know how much she loves you. That's important in a Mom when she has a lot of crazy emotional daughters. She's never critical she just always says what you need to hear, but she says it in the nicest way.

9: She's a simple girl. 10 years ago my dad bought her this beautiful diamond ring for their 20th anniversary, and she asked my dad to go have some of the diamonds removed because it was too flashy. Might I add...that it is not even flashy! She's just happy with things simple.

10: She is the best listener I know!! Because she is the best listener, she gets lots of people venting to her, poor girl. Everyone goes to her with their problems because not only does she listen, but she gives great advice. Sometimes I feel so bad cause I will leave their house and realize I talked THE whole time without getting a word in, but she never complains about it.

I could honestly come up with 50 things I love about her, but I think you get the point :)

For her birthday we went to Olive Garden...her favorite! Then we went back to our house to open some presents. My dad got her pearl earrings and a pearl necklace.

This picture is just funny because of Ashley's outfit. These are the PJs she picked out for herself.

This is the gift us kids made for her...

We made a quilt with 50 pictures....one from each year of her life. I hate to toot my own horn, but it's pretty awesome. It's definitely handmade.... I made lots of mistakes. I usually get my mom's help with the sewing, but whatever. Made with love, right?

Happy 50th Birthday, Mom!