Happy Mother's Day!

You know when you're trying to sum up how awesome some one is and then realize your vocabulary is way too limited? No? Well, I can't write accurately portray the beauty which is my Mom so here are some sweet stories that show her compassionate self. 

When I was really young, I always wanted to use this small, pink, hairdryer that really didn't work because it had hearts on it. Although it took 3x as long she would use it because I loved it so much.

She worked weekends and a nights to be home with the children during the day for years!

On my birthday in Kindergarten she made cupcakes and then covered the pan with tinfoil and then decorated them with "happy birthday" ribbons and I can just remember feeling like it was the prettiest thing in the world.

On the first day of first grade she put surprise pictures of our family in my crayon box.

We used to have the funnest birthday parties. I usually loved going to the skate center but one year we ate at a Mexican restaurant and I saw someone being sang to with a sombrero and it was my life's new goal to achieve that. I said I wanted to bring friends to that restaurant and be sang to with a purple sombrero and she made it happen. When I look back at being little, I just so appreciate that she went out of her way to do these little things that were so fun.

I used to get so nervous taking multiplication tests and I can remember her sitting down with me coming up with strategies and she even told told me to sing "I have confidence" from "Sound of Music" (genius) but not the entire song because then the 90 seconds would be up and I would not have even started my test.

When I started 6th grade Brentwood kids had really cool clothes and I'll admit I was jealous and bratty about it. Everyone had clothes from the Limited and I really wanted some too. (because everyone else did! duh! Middle school is such an embarrassing time) These clothes were way more than we usually spent on clothes but she found sales, yard sales, etc and I got Limited and Gap clothes and even perfume for Christmas that year.

This angel spent hours upon hours upon hours finding dresses and witnessing breakdowns in dressing rooms all over town attempting to find dresses for school dances.

In high school she let me have way too many sleepovers that kept them up all night, I'm sure.

She could have driven to China and back with how many places she drove us over the years. From voice lessons, baseball, the gym, girl scouts, the mall, every neighborhood in Brentwood, and all in between, she drove us everywhere!

Before going to Europe with Ray and Lindsay, I had to fly by myself to D.C. and then meet them in Brussels. I saw a small plane and flipped out. I thought they were unsafe and started crying and said I didn't want to go. She made me get on the plane and told me how safe I was etc. even though I know (she told me later) she wanted to take me home.

We looked far and wide for the college dorm room attire. Our first theme was purple and we had purple everything. Computer, bed spread, lamp, literally everything you could think of. It was so fun going out and finding stuff!

When we went to freshman orientation, I was just so out of place and she really kept her cool. (yes, even though it was MS and 1,000 degrees in July) I thought there would be tons of new kids and people looking to make friends but somehow I got in the Jackson, MS orientation group and everyone already knew each other and I was so miserable. We paid for me to stay in a dorm room and get the "real experience" of college and Mom stay in a hotel. I was upset so obviously she cancelled those dorm plans real quick and we had so much fun staying in our hotel room together just hanging out. My Mom just has that gift of finding ways to make things okay.

They came to Oxford approximately 4,000 times during my college years. One time they went to my church 6 weekends in a row, I thought they were going to be asked to organize something they were showing up so much.

Of course planning our wedding was such a fun experience for us to do together. She even told me she didn't tell me when she didn't like some things, because she knew I did. Although planning a wedding is super stressful, I can't imagine doing it if you weren't close to your Mom. 

And on and on and on. Every day is a magical memory with my Mom. I hate that this is all from my point of view and my stories but that's how it is when you're a kid. Clearly, I'm not a kid now but when I think of my Mom, I still feel like one. She makes the ordinary things feel so special and magical during our childhood and continues to do the same now. We are so lucky to have our sweet Momma!

Happy Mother's Day to every Mother and especially mine! I love you!

For Natalie's News this has been, Natalie-Corinne.