Mom Mom (Mom)

I have always adored time spent with my Mom Mom. Her and I are a lot alike. We are both silly, adventurous, random, and nosey. When I was younger I spent a good amount of my time at her house, and always felt as though it was my second home and really attached myself to her.My parents were young still working to establish themselves and a good home for us. My mom was in nursing school and my dad working as an apprentice, so Mom Mom helped the best way she knew how, and would watch after me when they needed her to through much of my toddler and preschool years. I have learned how to cook from her, how to take care of and love animals from her, how to make a home from her, how to just be goofy and not care what anyone thinks from her, a lot of random things like ride a bike, swim, roller skate, plant a garden, run a race, swing on a swing, and so on, and the importance of family from her. She has a presence about her that just makes me comfortable, and when I am in her home it is that feeling that you just want to curl up sip on some tea and fall asleep in the hammock, it is that kind of comfort I get from her.

My Mom Mom will drop anything if I need her and is always thinking of little ways to help me, from doing my laundry when the pile has reached its limit, sewing dress ups back together, will scrub and scrub to get the worst of stains out of my favorite shirt of Kendall's, watching my kids so that I can run here or there, making tuna casserole for me when I have had dental surgery and she knows that I will not want to cook for my family and also won't be able to really chew much.She has gone above and beyond for me.

My Mom Mom is 72 and still keeps up with her yard work on her 10 acre farm, has only a little bit left of the Appalachian Trail to hike, just climbed to the top of a 20 foot tree yesterday to attach a cable to it and the ground because it was leaning and threatening to fall, goes and works out every other day, is the first to roll down a grassy hill to show Kendall how to do it, plays golf at least once a week, and the adventures don't end there.

She is a fine example to my kids that possibilities are endless. That an adventure can be found around any corner. That each day can be more fun than the last. To conquer fears and to live life to its fullest.For my 16th birthday she gave me a gift to fly in a bi-plane with an open cock pit with my best friend because I wanted to do flips in the sky in a plane. I was able to do just that. For her 65th birthday she took a hot air balloon ride.

Each week I try to get to Mom Mom & Pop Pop's home and spend the day there. Kendall and Ethan are already learning so much from her. Kendall is also goofy which is only brought out more when she is at Mom Mom's, her Mom Mom Mom. Kendall is also following in Mom Mom's sense of adventure and loves to take hikes in the 'forest,' and explore something new. They have recently made a play house in the trees on her property making rooms, furniture, and appliances out of rocks, logs, and things found outside. It is quite a little home and Ethan and I were able to come for 'dinner' yesterday, as long as I brought the butter, (dandelions with the stem taken off), for the corn on the cob (pine cones). We had that, some roast beef, (pieces of bark), and some salad, (moss), and ate with our forks, (sticks). Ethan was found with Mom Mom after Kendall and I had eaten our delicious dinner, in the corner of thier property overlooking a road just watching the cars go by. In typical boy fashion he would hoot and holler when a truck went by; the bigger the truck, the louder the scream. Ethan was also enamored by the fish in the pond and sat for close to an hour watching them feed. Mom Mom takes the simplest things and turns them into the most interesting things. The kids are usually exhausted by the end of the day and Kendall will talk about her many adventures with Mom Mom Mom until the next time we go there.



There are lots of animals there and Ethan has attached himself to the dog Jack, and he and Jack are usually found together as Jack sees it has his responsibility to watch over Ethan. They even have a nap time together. Kendall loves Elmo and Meghan, the donkeys, and thinks that it is her job to make sure they are fed and taken care of while she is there. I think they are just Kendall's speed. Not as big or as fast as a horse, she goes right into their fenced area with no fear. It is also Kendall's 'job' while she is there to feed all the animals their dinner. I think this makes her feel pretty special since they all flock to her while she is feeding them and she spends time with each of them petting them, calling them by name, and taking notice if one is missing.



Needless to say, I have many childhood memories that involve my Mom Mom and I know my kids will now have the same. They are so blessed to have some pretty awesome and hands on grandparents to spoil them, love them, and teach them all there is to know. Mom Mom is just one of them, but as you can see, she is pretty special and worth mentioning today.