Thanks, Mom

I'd like to think that there was never a time in my life where I didn't appreciate my mother.

Seriously.

I was one of those rare kids who never went through that teenage stage where your mother is the worst, most ignorant person in the entire world.

Mostly because we lived an hour from all of the nearest high schools and therefore, had to board in town during the week. If you think your mom's bad, try living with someone else's (I only had one bad experience with that. For the last 3.5 years of high school, I lived with the best family ever. But, you should hear some of my sibling's stories about the families they lived with. NOT NICE)!

But, I don't think I've ever really understood my mother until now.

My mom had seven kids in eleven years - half of which were...ummm...surprises.

I like to pretend that I wasn't one of those since there's two and a half years between me and the brother just older than me. Obviously I was planned.

One time mom told me, "Erin, hey, I felt like I had to have a lot of kids because if I didn't, you would have been born in China."

My mom did her very best, but believe me when I say that she's not one of those personality types who just loved having seven kids.

I think for the most part, she was hanging on by a thread.

She was a markedly different person with her first babies than she was when my sister and I finally came along.

She said it took her a long time to realize that all of her children were different and that she couldn't just shove them into the mold she had in her head.

She also said it took her until age forty-five to really understand and use the atonement in her life.

Because you can't be a mother without help.  Or without doing your Jesus stuff.