nostalgia



It's been a long day...one of those 'is it over yet? no, it's still only noon' kind of days.  It's 11:14p and the kids(and Dylan) are finally in bed.  Not before some peeing on the floor(courtesy of h), throwing of pizza(thank b), and screaming while being carried off by an arm and a leg(mr. d).  After cleaning up dinner(oh and the urine), changing jammies a few times, vacuuming, grocery shopping, cleaning up toys, unloading the dishwasher, writing some emails for church, cleaning out the refrigerator, and folding 3 loads of laundry(don't worry, there are still at least 6 left to be done), I have a free moment to blog.  I realized somewhere between loads 2 and 3 of laundry that A MOTHER'S JOB IS NEVER DONE.  And so, it's with that in mind that I write this short(I do need to sleep at some point so I can have the energy to do it all again in 8 hours) post. I had the opportunity last week to visit this sweet lady (the one on the right, not the left.  The one on the left is on my SL for peeing on my floor, remember?):



grandma carol and harper

We decided to make the trip to Medford, Oregon(about 5 hours) to see my grandma Carol and this sweet guy, grandpa Stan (who I love so much):



grandpa stan

It was so worth the trip.  The kids loved visiting, doing art, playing dominoes, and decorating the windows for Valentines day. 

 

we didn't actually play dominoes, carol doesn't care for it.  we made cities instead.



harper with her city



sometimes beckham helped with the dominoes



the only group picture I took the entire weekend...lame right?



our little artist

 All of the previous had nothing to do with the purpose of this post, but I thought you'd probably want to know the background and see some pictures.  Now for my point....
While there, I was reading through some memory books that my mother and her 4 extremely talented sisters made for Grandma's birthday.  The books were memories, photos, and keepsakes mounted into vintage story books...Little Women, Little Men, etc.  Each daughter created their own book and they were all very different.  The one thing they all had in common though was that they all contained memories and thank-yous to Carol...for the teaching, the stories, time spent together, memorable experiences, opportunities to focus on talents, and friendships formed throughout their lives as mothers and daughters, and eventually friends.  I appreciated the chance to see my grandmother as a mother, through her 5 daughters eyes.  This wonderful woman who I remember as a grandma...the woman who always had a warm hug and welcoming smile.  The grandma who offered carefree summers filled with cartwheels on the lawn and hours in the swimming pool.  The grandma whose house always smelled of coffee and the chime of her cuckoo clock woke you each morning.  My grandma was once a maid, cook, and chauffeur to these 5 little girls.
Okay, enough nostalgia...I am choking up (PS: I am a total cry baby, just for the record...song lyrics, commercials, tv shows...you name it).
Fast forward a few years...to this gal:

jill with grandbaby katherine

My mother Jill, began the task of raising her 4 little girls, just as her mother had done.  She was the perfect example of what every mother should be...understanding, thoughtful, and kind.  I couldn't begin to count the nights she was up much past 11:14p doing things for 'the girls'...making rice pudding for breakfast the next morning, finishing prom dresses, baking home made gingernsnaps(I'd never had a store bought cookie until college), and I'm guessing...folding load after load of laundry.  Without a complaint she performed the same thank-less services she had seen her mother do years before.  And now when I need someone to bounce ideas off of, or a delicious fool-proof recipe, or parenting advice for my own 3 kids, I call my mother because her work is still not done.
As I folded that 3rd load of laundry and sang 'I Saw the Sign' (yes, I occasionally sing songs reminiscent of the 1990s, but who doesn't?!) to the hum of the clothes dryer, I realized that a mothers work really is NEVER done.  And I am grateful that I have the examples of two wonderful women...
*sorry in advance to Jen and Jac, who are going to hate the following picture

And that I have these three to keep me on my toes...every day:

And that my work will never be done either.
xo,
tracy

PS: While in Medford, Harper insisted on calling Grandma by her first name...'Carol.'  It was so funny.