This is my first mothers day with legitimate rites to the flower after sacrament meeting thanks to Liv. But in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of pics and shout outs to Liv since she is my life every second of every day besides the hours of 10:30 am-noon when she takes her sacred nap and today is not about Liv, it's about my own mom. I don't like being away from my mom on Mothers Day. It just feels wrong. It's like not having a Christmas tree for Christmas. I love my mom. Everyone loves their moms. Just check out everyone's facebook statuses (stati?) if you're doubting the validity of that statement. It's bigger and deeper than a facebook status because like Good ole' honest Abe said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
I love my mom's face in this picture because when I look at it, I can hear the sound she is making and feel how happy she is. When my mom gets excited about something, you know it. Everyone knows it. It's as contagious as swine flu. I didn't fully appreciate my mom until I became a mom. When I think of my mom I think of us playing endless Racko games all summer long every night and having sleepovers in her bed. I think of her in her long flannel night gown staying up with me until 3 doing final school projects the night before they were due, helping me pack for girls camp, girls state, trips, my mission, every major event in my life it always seems like it would be mom and I just up. I never ever packed by myself or did the project alone. Ever. If I ever see the game, "Clue", all I picture is Sunday night drinking a smoothy with my mom dancing around saying, "The Con-serv-a tor-eeeee" when she would get to the room. My mom loves to have fun. Let me give you one case example:
When my mom and Em came to West Virginia we were driving home from exploring an old train (per my mothers request). As we drove there was a ridiculously broken bridge that we passed. Immediately my mom started yelling, "Stop, I would stop there. I want to get out." Em and I just stared at each other not knowing if she was serious. She was. We turned around and my mother turned into someone on an Indian Jones episode and started scaling across this bridge. She saw an old blue door frame below and was convinced that she had to have it.
I could only scale across the bridge for a few minutes before my life risking adventure stamina for getting a moldy blue door ran out. Not my mom. Em and I just watched her from above the ravine in amazement. This is a fundamental difference between my mother and I. She has been to the top of Mount Timp 26 times, loves to sleep in the dirt and used to teach survival courses. I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a pillow top on a king sized mattress. I feel like sleeping in a queen sized bed is roughing it. As a child I remember going camping with my mom and she pulled out some beef stew from a can. I politely asked where the spoons were (trying to process why we were out in the wilderness in exile when I knew perfectly well we had a warm home with electricity just 45 minutes away). She laughed and said, "Chel, this is camping! Go find a stick to eat with." Let's just say that all the adventure seeking camping genes shriveled up and evaporated in the womb with me. Nevertheless, I love it about my mom. I don't understand it, but I love it.
After a while she emerged covered in leaves and sticks like the man when he jumps out of the closet on Jumanji. All her plundering and sliding straight down the hill was not in vain...she triumphantly hiked up with the precious blue door treasure in hand...
My mom loves to do. My mom has a serious allergy to just sitting and doing nothing. While I am perfectly content to just sit like Jabba of the hut and chat for hours, my mom in the meantime will whip out a quilt or some darling headband or purse that could sell for 40$ bucks easy at any of the trillion boutiques in Utah Valley.
My mom is like an idea factory that is open 24 hours a day like Del Taco or Kinkos. She always wants everyone to be doing something and would do anything to make everyone have a good time. I have never had a Thanksgiving where we don't all have to make up our own Indian names and wear headbands to the dinner. I just thought that was normal. Egg hunts, leaf hunts, birthday quizzes are all out of control fun with unbelievable prizes thanks to my mom.
When I came to Utah one night she said, "let's make a headband for Liv." I agreed since I knew whatever my mom makes turns out amazing. At 1:30 am we were still sitting on the floor crafting our hearts out. I love that about my mom. It doesn't matter what time it is, or what the cost, if you're making a memory or creating something, she's all in no matter what. She called me yesterday to let me know that she had decided she wanted to start making her own honey and was getting beehives and bees for mothers day. The funny thing is that this did not surprise me one iota. Whether it's teaching drivers ed, selling eggs from chickens she is raising, hosting foreign exchange students or organizing grad night for the PTA, my mom always always is involved in something; and whatever she is involved in, is always fun. Always.
My mom loves when everyone is home. She would love if we all moved back in and had a sleepover at the house for the rest of forever and stayed up every night talking, drinking strawberry milkshakes that she makes and eating her homemade bread. There is feeling when I walk through the door of my home that is unlike any in the world. My home feels like home because my mom makes it feel that way.
One of the greatest things in life is having my own mom love my baby and
realize that no matter how many generations come or what experiences
happen in life, Jennifer Harris Savio will always be my mom.
Today Liv was holding this baby doll that she loves and it suddenly
weirded me out completely to realize that someday Liv will do what I am
doing and have a daughter make her a mothers day card. The motherhood
train just keeps on chugging. My sister is going to be a mom. Everyone
has a mom. My mom has a mom. I love being part of the great Lion King
circle of momness.
When I was younger I needed my mom to pic me up from stake dances, teach me about periods, people, and practicing the piano. Now I need her much more but not to make me dinner or drive me anywhere, but to be my friend. Motherhood goes through different phases and I am so grateful to have my mom in every phrase. I miss my mom and it's not just because it's mothers day.
I will always need my mother. Always.
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