From a Small and Simple Thought

{I never got to write anything about my mom for Mother's Day about why she is so wonderful, but I'll recount what happened last night and let that speak for itself.}

Last evening we attended Kendle's softball game in Richland. It was a hot but beautiful day. Cooper had been dealing with a little bit of a temperature all day due to teething issues and I wasn't too keen on the idea of taking him out in that weather, but was determined to not miss another game and have our whole family there to support Kendle. We loaded up all the kids, the huge double stroller, and all of our gear and supplies we needed to take with us. We had to take two separate cars so Riley could leave straight from the game to soccer practice. When we got to the field I found a nice shady spot for the twins to hang out in their cool stroller and they seemed pretty content. As luck would have it they needed an ump, so Riley ended up having to fill that job and I was left with the three little ones. My mother-in-law and my mom showed up a bit later to help a bit and watch the game. In between chasing Morgan, getting him out of the mud, shooing him away from the water fountain and the puddles, and taking him to the bathroom I was only able to watch a little of the game. The babies soon got fussy and tired of their stroller and we ended up having to hold them most of the time as well. The little patience I had had upon arriving at the game was completely zapped.

As mentioned, right after the game Riley had to jet off to practice so my mom helped me round up kids, pack up our stuff and head back to the car where it took a good ten minutes to get everyone back in the car and figure out how to squash the huge stroller back in it's original space in the car so I could get the door shut. Kendle wanted a treat, Morgan wanted to play on the toys, the babies were crying and I wanted to go drive myself off a cliff. So much noise, so much chaos, everyone was unhappy. I quickly said my thanks and goodbyes to my mom and mother-in-law, hopped in the car and raced back to Pasco telling kids to be quiet and calm down the whole way. I didn't have time to make anything for dinner, nor was I in the mood to make something, so I tried to be the fun cool mom for a moment and drove the kids through Sonic to get some food and a little ice cream. After getting the food and pulling into our driveway, once again chaos errupted. "Help take things inside" I say to the kids as I grab big armfuls of stuff to pack back inside which pretty much fell on deaf ears. I unlock the front door and the kids immediately rush to the counter to start eating (and fighting) while I go back to get the rest of the stuff and the babies out of the car. I plop everything in a big pile by the door, and set about getting the babies out of their car seats..

As I start to get Cooper out of his car seat I realize he is more than just fussy he is super hot and really sad. I take his temperature and sure enough he has a fever. I start applying cool washcloths and trying to soothe him. I had one of those out of body moments were you look around and you feel like you're in the eye of a storm. Kids fighting, babies crying, you can't think a coherent thought without being interrupted by noise. I was so exhausted and frustrated and I only have two arms -not enough in times like these. I still had kids to bathe and put to bed, Kale needed to be fed and changed, the house needed tidying up and I was worried about poor little Cooper and what to do. It was about 7:30 or so at this point. At the exact moment I thought I had completely and officially gone insane and felt totally discouraged, I heard someone trying to open the front door and then knocking on it. I had no idea who it could be. I opened the door and there was my mom.

She told me she got as far as the freeway heading back to Oregon and had a thought that she should turn around and come back and help me.

I couldn't have been more thankful she was there. I instantly felt a huge wave of relief wash over me the minute she walked through the door and I knew everything would be ok. Even though she had to get up early for work the next day and still had a 45 minute drive ahead of her, she stayed until Riley got home at 9:30. She helped get the older kids to bed, rocked and soothed babies, and gave a listening ear to my frustrations. It's acts of kindness like this that personify my mother. She always puts others before herself and constantly serves her family. She never seeks accolades, glory, or public acknowledgment for her good works. She is a quiet miracle worker with a humble and loving attitude. There is no better example I could have for what kind of mother I want to be like and what kind of grandmother I hope to be someday.

How can she be 58?

Today is my mother's birthday. I still think she has the energy and attitude of someone my age. It amazes me all that she can do in a day with a smile on her face. I don't know if I could have made it through this last year without her. She has been such a strength of support and encouragement. She is so much help to me and offers good advice without sounding preachy or overbearing. She loves to have everyone home for visits and misses them when they leave. I could go on and on about how great she is but put simply, to know her is to love her. She brings sunshine wherever she goes.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday!

My wonderful mother turns 56 today! I know she won't mind me sharing her age because she looks and feels much younger than that. I wish I could be there to help her celebrate, but since I can't, I'll celebrate her a bit by sharing who she is and why she is so loved.

A few years ago she gave me a book titled "Mother's Memories, For My Daughter". Inside she included pictures, facts, and memories about her life and mine. I treasure it. I pulled it out this morning, and some of these thoughts come from there.

My mother was born in Blackfoot, Idaho at the Bingham Memorial Hospital to Max and Eddis Covington. This picture of my grandmother holding my mother was taken five days later when they returned home from the hospital. Can you believe my grandmother's tiny waist?


























She grew up catching frogs, climbing trees, and running around with the neighborhood kids. They played in an area that encompassed about 10 blocks and she's sure her mother didn't know where she was half of the time, but you didn't have to worry like you do now. She also developed a love of reading at a young age and liked Nancy Drew, Robert Louis Stephenson, and poetry. She wanted to be Annie Oakley.

























The house she remembers most from growing up was on Shilling Street and it was a huge house with 2 fireplaces and chandeliers in the front room and dining room. There were 4 bedrooms upstairs with a huge sun porch on the back of the house that later became her bedroom. It had a scary basement and about 2 acres to run on with pine trees and lilacs all around.

Her teenage years were a lot of fun. She had lots of good friends and they were always staying at each others houses. They liked to go to dances, movies, or just drive around. My mom wrote this about her first kiss: "Morgan Adams kissed me on my cheek at a dance party in the 7th grade." Too cute.

She babysat a lot from the time she was 10 or 11 and had her first potato combine job at 13. She got her first guitar at 14. She wrote that she loved going to visit her aunt at Flat Head Lake, and another favorite trip was to Salt Lake to see Led Zeplin.

They didn't have a lot of sports for girls back then, but she was really involved in the church sports programs and also some of her high school's drill/dance teams.

How she met my dad:

She writes "I first set eyes on your dad in Jr. High. He was so cute. Later in high school we had the same group of friends so I would watch the girls fall all over him. I didn't really think I had a chance so I just tried to be friendly. One night after I had broken up with a boy, he sat by me on my friend Sarah's basement stairs and told me not to feel bad because someday he would marry me." She told her friends and they all had a good laugh about that. My mother was 17 at the time.

One of my favorite stories from the whole book that she shared was this one:

"My grandmother Marie was taking care of us while my mom and dad went to San Francisco. I was about 7 or 8 years old and was playing out in the back yard when suddenly I got this feeling that I should go look for her! I went into the house and looked in the kitchen and front room and finally found her in the twins bedroom. The window had fallen on both of her hands and she couldn't get them free and did not want to yell and wake the boys from their naps! I helped her get out."

I wish I knew all the great stories from my mother's life, but one thing I do know is what a great person she is and what an amazing job she has done taking care of our family through the years. She is the type of person that makes it impossible for you to be in a bad mood when you are around her. She has a sensitive heart and has always looked after and befriended those that needed it the most. It always amazes me how she develops such good friendships wherever she goes and is always able to soften up people's hard edges.

If anyone deserves a special birthday it's her.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I'm sure everyone has the same idea, but since it's Mother's Day weekend I thought I would dedicate this blog to the woman who inspires me to be a good mother, a good human being, and a good friend. My Mom. I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures of her and just tell a little bit about why she is so special.




When I tell everyone that our family has cute babies, it's pretty clear to see where we get it from. I can't think of a more adorable baby picture than this one. My mom has always been blessed to have a happy disposition. I've never met anyone as upbeat and optimistic as her. She chooses to be happy and that is something that I wish to emulate.




As a little girl she loved to sing and would perform for friends and family, and often at church. She has always had a knack for making friends, and I would be willing to bet that there isn't one person in this world that has bad feelings towards her. She doesn't hold grudges and is "cursed" with the need to mother and take care of everyone. My friends often referred to her as "Aunt Mel" and would come over to talk to HER when they broke up with their boyfriends or were having problems with their parents. Mom just has an aura of kindness and goodness around her that people feel instantly when they meet her. I never appreciated that enough until becoming a mother and realizing how hard it is some days to just be kind to your own children, let alone everyone else you come in contact with. Mom's always been kind of a free spirit and always seeks to make peace when there is any type of conflict. She is very forgiving and selfless.




I think my mother is beautiful in so many ways. She is a good person and doesn't believe in talking bad about other people and will always find something positive to say about someone no matter what. She is one of the hardest working people that I know, it's amazing what she does on a daily basis. She's the stake Young Women's president, work's full time, attends two to three of my younger siblings games a week (she's still raising two teenagers), gets some grandma time in with her grand kids, keeps the household running smoothly, garden's, volunteer's at school functions, the list goes on but the point being that she keeps very busy and almost all of her time goes to helping other people. And she is fun!!!(My mom once slid down a huge hill in the mud, sitting on a garbage bag at Girl's Camp when she was the camp director) We have such good times together. Having three older brothers, we stuck together and would have our girl's time going out to lunch or movies and when I was playing summer ball in high school we had many road trips to tournaments that gave us time to talk and become closer. She knows how to laugh and have a good time.




Most importantly though, I love my mom because of all of the sacrifices she has made for me. I wasn't always an easy girl to raise and gave my parent's plenty of worry and challenges as I got older. I'm pretty stubborn and have to figure things out for myself. And with all of the mistakes I've made and bad decisions, and stupid selfish things I've done, my mom has never told me anything but that she still loved me regardless and because of that I've never, ever felt unloved. Now don't get me wrong, my mom has the guilt thing down pat. She's never had to yell or get angry, it was always the really scary quiet voice saying how disapointed she was. That was always worse than any punishment she could have dished out.

Mother's Day is a hard day for my mom after losing her mother to cancer over 16 years ago. No matter how old you are you always miss your mother. I don't know what I would do without mine. Bottom line, Melodee Tovey is one in a million. The world would be a less lovely place without her.




My 10 favorite things about my mom:
1. Her smile
2. Her laugh
3. We both like chicken broccoli casserole
4. Her love of music, old and new
5. Her cute feet and hands (which I did not inherit)
6. Her ability to make anything fun
7. She makes the best pumpkin pies ever, also cinnamin rolls...mmmm
8. How perpetually young she is
9. The cozy warm feeling I get from being around her
10. Her pure humanity and love of those around her