Mom

I got to throw a party for my Mom's 65th birthday...

Though let's admit it, she looks closer to 45. 

1950 - The year the most amazing Mom ever was born! And silly putty was invented. And the Korean War stared and other stuff.... But most importantly Nancy Hart was born! 

   As I parent I'm always thinking about my Mom; she inspires me. She is strong and selfless. Growing up, she trusted me and I would share everything with her. She encouraged me to be a little daring, have a little fun, think of others, explore the world, love nature, cook from scratch, let bad things roll off me. She gave me room to explore and deepen my faith. She let me paint my car. She is patient, wise, and caring.

  My children adore her. She is full of science experiments (she was an amazing teacher, which has its perks when it comes to fun kid ideas!), stories, one on one attention, and love. So, of course we were really excited to celebrate "Grancy." 

Birthday girl's seat.

My brother, Reese, holding Patrick. Behind him is a picture timeline of my Mom from birth to present.

And there was a pop culture/history timeline as well.

Vera helped with the candles.

Soooo.... I started preparing for this party a week in advance because with 4 young kids it takes a while to get things done. Nevertheless, I must have been distracted when I was making Mom's carrot cake. It looked delicious, but as I pulled it out of the oven and stopped to think, I realized... Oh no, I forgot to put the sugar in the cake. I felt defeated at the thought of starting over peeling carrots, so instead I took Justin's advice to "fix it" by soaking it in simple syrup. It was very moist :). And everyone ate it up :). No worries.

  So, to the most amazing Mom I could ever dream up, Happy Birthday! I love you, and thank you for...everything. I wish everyone could have a mom like mine, but I sure am glad that I got her.