Happy Belated Mother's Day

i thoroughly enjoyed mother's day...a day full of pampering, chocolate, kids singing in sacrament, chocolate, husbands being extra attentive, chocolate, beautiful flowers...did i mention chocolate? ;)
i read the funniest quote in my reader's digest "the more i go through parenthood, the more i realize that i owe my mother an apology". ha! isn't that the truth? so here you go mom--

i am sorry for.....
1. playing the "mom game" at every family get together. how you didn't duct tape our mouths shut is beyond me--for my siblings and cousins out there--you know EXACTLY what game i'm talking about. for those who don't--we decided to yell "mom! mom! MOMMMMMMM!" a million times in a row. can you say at least 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there? and for absolutely no reason.
2. thinking you never did anything during the day--oh boy, many apologies on this part.
3. trashing my room and furniture
4. my sassy mouth
5. always saying i needed to use that bathroom when it was time to do dishes and then never coming back
well, the list can go on really. i must say, i am so appreciative of my own mother. especially now that i am one myself. and it's not for all the big things she ever did for me. it's all the little things. like, i remember one time joycelyn and i were scared in our room at night. mom got on the intercom and sang us lullabies on it til we fell asleep. i remember her sitting on the floor between joycelyn and my beds and stroking joycelyn's head all night long because she had an ear infection and she couldn't stop crying. she wrote each and every one of her children letters each year expressing her great love for us. i remember her letting me wear her lipstick and doing my fingernails when i was very small. and then she let me pose in front of her mirrors because i knew she turned me into a princess. she had incredible patience for a mom trying to raise four very rambunctious kids. she ALWAYS took us to church after working all night long--when it would have been easier to just go home and sleep. with that, she instilled how important the gospel is. i'm thankful for all the help and guidance that she's given me since i've started my own family. she didn't jump in and take over, she's just hung out in the backround and helping out when i needed it. that's the absolute best. since i have this aversion to "being told what to do" and there i was a new mom without a clue, my mom was always able to just nudge me in the right direction without being overbearing.
so along with the above apology, here's a big thanks to my mother--for everything you've done, for being who you are. i love you.