Jo's Blog: Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful Mother. She did such a good job of raising us four kids. We used to come home from school and immediately sit at the kitchen table and do our homework. Mom wouldn't even be there because she worked at Tektronix and got home after we did. Weren't we good kids?! Looking back, I feel bad that I didn't help Mom more with dinner. She used to come home from work and then have to cook dinner for all of us. Dad was easy to please so we never had elaborate meals. Mom is one of the most compassionate people I know. She is always thinking of everyone else. Everyone who meets my Mom, loves her. Thank you Mom, for being such a great role model for me.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be a Mother. I loved playing with dolls. We were married almost three years before Julie was born. I think Denny and Grandpa wanted a boy because they are such avid hunters and outdoors men. So, the best thing happended.... we had a GIRL. It was perfect because she got so much attention because she was the first born. And what a cutie she was. This is one of my favorite pictures.

She was just like a doll. This is the honest truth.............I used to lay Julie on the bed and then change her clothes. Then I would change them again and again.... It was like I was playing with a doll and changing her clothes all the time.! She was so patient with me.

About two years later, we had our BOY, Justin. We were so excited to have a girl AND a boy. Because of his Dad and Grandpa, we knew that he would grow up loving hunting and sports. And did he ever.

He received a full ride to play basketball at a division one college. He shot his first deer when he was only nine years old. Hunting and sports are still a big part of his life. His son, Dakota, has already gotten two deer, an elk, and every bird (duck, pheasant, chucker, goose, etc.) there is to hunt. He got his first deer when he was eight (had to beat his dad).

One of the cool things about being a Mother is watching your kids become parents. Julie and Justin are the best parents in the whole world. Their kids are their lives. I hope their kids realize how lucky they are to have such wonderful parents. If they don't, they will some day. Here are my babies now!