This past week was great! Mother’s Day was on Sunday, it was a wonderful day. I woke up to silence, that’s a gift right there! I read for almost an hour before Cal woke up and came in and we cuddled for a while, and then he asked me get him some breakfast. Lucy woke up shortly after. Awww! Such cuties!
Emma woke up a lot later. She's not so much a morning person, he he! Emma is my junior Mommy. She's a sweetheart. After Dave, this is what I have to wake up to every day, and I love it!
We went out and ate cinnamon rolls I made the day before, and we made some scrambled eggs and orange Julius together. I always tease Dave about doing breakfast in bed, because he’s not a morning person, and I’m always up way before him on weekends. He told me the night before there were cinnamon rolls waiting for me for my breakfast in bed, and joked he’ll do dinner in bed. Emma woke up while we were making breakfast, and ate the delicious cinnamon rolls and then we played together.
These cinnamon rolls that we ate are my favorite! I thought I’d share the recipe, since I get asked for it all of the time:
Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour
Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.
*Freezable Recipe: After shaping the rolls and placing them on the baking sheet, cover with lightly greased saran wrap and a layer of tin foil. Store in the freezer. The night before you want to serve them take out the rolls and put them in the refrigerator. Let them thaw in the refrigerator. Take them out about 8-9 hours after being in the refrigerator and let them rise until doubled. Bake according to the recipe. (If you have less time, you can take the rolls out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter – about 4 hours, then let rise until doubled).
The kids all woke up happy, and we had a fun morning. I just played and played with them, that’s my idea of a great Mother’s Day! It was a carefree morning. Then we all got ready for church and headed out to Jerry & Stacy’s ward in Clearfield for the blessing of Brody, our newest little nephew. His blessing was good. He is such a cute boy with so much thick, dark brown hair, and he looked dashing in his blessing outfit. Then we went to classes. Stacy is the Primary President in her ward, and she told me while we were feeding our babies in the mother’s room that she was stressed out because her Sunbeam’s teacher didn’t show up. I told her I would be happy to teach them, if she couldn’t find anyone. So she took me up on the offer and I sat with them during Sharing Time. There were only three, so it was just a small, fun class. One of the boys fell asleep while sitting up during Primary. I put my arm behind him, so I could catch him if he started falling over, but he slept like a pro like a high-priest sitting up on the stand during sacrament meeting. It was hilarious! Then we went to our class and I taught them the lesson “I am Thankful for My Hands”. We did all sorts of little activities and songs with our hands, and then thoughts here and there. I had to keep them busy. One little boy said “I don’t like going to church! I have to be still and be quiet, and I just want to go home and eat dinner and play with my dinosaurs!” I told him that was too bad and that I enjoy church, but I can see where he was coming from. It is hard to be still and quiet for that long. But by the end of class, he and the rest of the three-year-olds were enjoying some things and I think they learned they were grateful for the hands Heavenly Father had given them. Those lessons are so simple, yet so profound. The kids were super sweet and lots of fun, yet super busy as well.
Then we went over to Jerry & Stacy’s for lunch and to hang out for a while, and that was fun. I just love my neice Tayla, and nephews Kaison and Brody. Stacy’s family is great, too.
Then it was off to my mom’s for a Mother’s Day dinner for her. We did a fondue night, which is something we’ve never done before. We got her a fondue pot for her gift. We did cheese fondue with French bread and veggies, and meat fondue with steak and chicken, and then caramel fondue with apples, pretzels, marshmallows and brownies. It was delicious! Amy made all kinds of cute decorations, it looked adorable! She really is the hostess with the mostest! Grammie also was there, which was so fun. For their gifts, we put together a jar that had memories, things we’ve learned, reasons why we love them, etc. on slips of paper. Amy made the jars look all cute as well, of course. I thought I’d share some of the things I wrote about my Mom and Grammie, as well as a little something about my mother-in-law Sue.
First of all, my Mom, amazing! She has always been an amazing example to me of developing and using talents. I have always been so impressed (and I'm not the only one, I'm sure everyone agrees with me!) that she is so talented in every way. Kindness, cooking and baking, sewing, needle arts, painting, cake decorating, spirituality, gardening, music, reading and writing, this is just the beginning. It's not that they have all just come easy for her, she has just worked hard for them. After she develops her talents, she is so willing to share them with others and bless others lives by sharing them. I'm so lucky to have had her share many of her skills with me, so that I can learn them as well. Someday, I just hope I can do some of these things as well!
Thank you never does seem like enough. I'm forever thankful for ALL she has done for me, because you have done just about everything and know she would do anything for me.
She is so well rounded. It seems she knows how to do just about everything and you fit so much into a day. She is such a great example to me of being a wise steward over your time.
It seems in Relief Society when we're discussing gospel principles, I always think about her and comment about how she lived those principles and set the example to me. Her example was more powerful than anything she could've said, though she said a lot of things over the years that have stuck with me. Prayer, scripture study, service, genealogy, charity are just a few things that stick out in my mind. I thank her for not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk of a disciple of Christ.
I remember once when I was hanging out with friends at our house, and we were talking about another girl. We weren't necessarily even saying anything bad about this person, but I remember she looked at me and reminded me that we don't gossip and don't need to talk about other people. My friends were a little taken back, and I have to admit I was a little embarrassed at the time, but I'm grateful now. It was my Mom who taught me to think kindly and say nice words about others. I remember her saying quite often, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." If we said unkind things to each other, as siblings, on many occasions, she'd either start singing, or make us "Let us oft speak kind words to each other." I try now to make my words kind always, and when I am tempted to say something about another person, I can picture me as a pre-teen, and the look she had on her face. It helps remind me to always speak kindly of others.
I'm so thankful she taught me to learn, love, and appreciate music. It began when I was an infant, when you'd sing to me lullabies, hymns and primary songs. That was expanded when I plunked on the piano keys and tried out her guitar when I was a toddler. The classical music she played in our home throughout my time at home gave me an appreciation for good music. When we would all sing songs together growing up, I always had fun doing so, learned how to sing, and I remember how much I loved hearing ger voice. Then you began teaching me piano. I was so excited to start, but then I went through a phase when I didn't want to do piano anymore because I became frustrated. I was such a pill sometimes when it came to it and I remember making her cry even a few times because I didn't want to do this or that when it came to practicing and I remember saying that I wanted to quit a few times. I feel terrible now! Luckily, she convinced me to stick with it, and I'm so glad she did. She encouraged me all along the way, and supported me when I decided I wanted to pick up the flute. When I began playing the flute, it was so much fun to be able to play duets with her, and also with Amy on the violin, and over the years, it has just become more enjoyable for me. I'm so glad she's always there to play for me, no one can accompany the way she can.
She has had so many trials and challenges in her life, yet she stays strong and true amidst the adversity. I can't believe what you've had to put up with. When I start thinking my life is hard, it is inspiring to me to think about her and some of the situations Heavenly Father has put her in and how she's handled them. I don't know how she has (and is) surviving! I remember on more than one occasion, holding each other and just bawling because of the hard circumstances that we were dealing with. I remember us just saying how grateful we were for the Gospel and Jesus Christ, and how we will make it because of that. In between the tears and sadness, we just felt so grateful we had each other and the Gospel and didn't know what we'd do without those two things. We knew that in the end, it would all be okay.
I loved sitting on her lap listening to her read when I was young. I also remember frequently visiting the library to check out new books. I loved that she used different voices for different characters, asked questions and helped us learn and apply the things we read in children's books, scriptures, chapter books, or magazines. I saw her reading alone, which made an impression on me that learning and knowledge truly is power. This is something that has translated into a habit for my life. I'm so happy I had a reading mother.
Mom, you are the best mom ever! I know that phrase is over-used, but in our case, it can't be used enough. It's true!
Here's my mom with her two grand-daughters and two daughters.
My mother-in-law is the greatest! Most have horror stories about their mother-inlaws, I've got nothing but the good stuff.
I met her on our first date. We decided to go join some friends at the Bountiful Rec center for some ice-skating after we went to the State Fair. I didn’t have socks on, just flip flops, but Dave said that wasn’t a problem. He called his mom up, and when we showed up at their house a few minutes later, she came out (along with my now sister-in-law Julie) with a pile of colorful and crazy socks. I thought that was fun as I also take to cute socks and have all different kinds. I picked out some kind of toe socks that had clouds and butterflies on them. She seemed nice enough, I don’t quite remember the conversation, except for that she had a big smile on her face and my first impression was that she seemed like a fun mom.
And my first impressions were right. She is a fun mom and fun Grandma.
From the time I became a part of their family, she has always treated me just like one of her own (only nicer than that, even! Ha ha, JK!). When Dave brought me over for the big “meet the family”, to meet them all for the first time, she bought a new blanket. When Jerry brought Stacy over for the first time, Sue purchased a new garbage can earlier in the day. It wasn’t for the special occasion, but that became the joke with the family, that she bought the garbage can just for Stacy. We would joke around that Stacy would be taking out the trash with Jerry. So when I was to come over for the first time, she decided she should get something new in the house. The blanket sat on the back of the old peach couch, and it was pretty cute. Luckily, it was a pretty nice thing, but it got ruined and they had to throw it out. Hopefully that’s not a bad omen. (: We still joke about the garbage can and the blanket, and we’re all eager to see what she gets when Randy or Brian bring over their girls to meet the fam.
Back when Dave and I were engaged, we were having a really hard time. My mom didn’t really like Dave or my decision at the time and we faced lots of opposition. My mother-in-law was well aware of the situation, as Dave would talk to her just about every night when he got home from being with me. I was talking to her on MSN messenger one day, and I just remember how she assured me everything would work out. She was very encouraging. She is also really funny. Since things were kind of drama at the time, we joked about how our reception might turn into the Jerry Springer show. We were teasing, saying people would be throwing chairs around fights breaking out. She jock ked that she’d keep her shirt on! I thought that was so funny! She just has such a fun sense of humor.
Whenever we go over to their house, she insists I don’t do a stitch of work, though
I try. She usually refuses and wants me to relax while I’m over there. I still sneak doing some dishes or sweeping sometimes, but she always wants me to just enjoy. She is very unselfish.
Sue never butts into our business. She is always there to help or listen, when we need, but she is never nosy and lets us have our space. I really appreciate that.
Their family isn’t a very huggy family, but every time before we leave their home, she always gives me a hug on our way out. She always calls me “Sweetie”. She is the sweet one.
Here she is with Emma, her second grandbaby, right after she was born.
Grammie (Dad's Mom) has had a big influence on my life. Some of my earliest memories with Grammie are when we would drive up every Saturday to visit. We always had fun in the tree in the front yard, or throwing balls around in the back yard, playing with fun toys like the G.I. Joes, reading books, eating lunch or dinner together, wrestling. Grammie is just so much fun. She can make anyone laugh, and feel at ease. She always made us feel comfortable and happy in her home.
I loved when we got to go sleep over. She took each grand child every once in a while for a sleepover at Grammie's and Grandpa's house. I so looked forward to those weekends, and always had so much fun. I remember going to see movies, going shopping, or just staying home to watch a movie and make popcorn. I'd sleep in the spare bedroom and remember getting scared by the Army wall paper and the shadows I saw from it, but I always felt safe. Sometimes we'd sleep outside in sleeping bags under the stars, Grammie would point out the constellations. I remember always hearing Grandpa Darrel snoring, no matter where you were in the house. Then we'd wake up in the morning to make Swedish. Once, I stayed over a Saturday night into Sunday. When it was time to get ready for church, I realized I forgot my church shoes. So I had my dress and pantyhose on, with Barbie sneakers. I was so embarrassed, and tried to hide my feet under the pew, but you reminded me that the Church was true no matter what, and it didn't matter what I looked like, it mattered that I was there.
I have always revered Grammie as being a sweet, yet tough lady. While growing up, when some kids would pick on my older brother Adam, I remember thinking, "If Grammie could just be here, she'd show these boys!" She would do anything for anyone (and does), yet she is tough, in a good way. She doesn't let anybody mess with her, but she loves all with Christ-like charity.
Grammie has a classic smile that is always on her face and a twinkle in her eyes that is infectious.
Grammie has always been one rad Grandma. I remember when she got her bright red Pontiac, we all thought she was pretty cool. Not a low-profile Grandma, this lady. I used to brag to my friends (and still do) about what an awesome Grandma I have. I told them how you still water-skied, they were quite impressed. I told them how she was soccer and baseball coaches, and plays all kinds of sports.
Grammie has been through so many trials, but never murmurs about how hard life can be. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she looks outward and thinks about and helps others any way she can. She has remained true during hard times. I am always impressed when she tells me about her conversion story. She has always been such an example to me of strength and dedication.
What can I say? Grammie is just the best!
After dinner at my parent's on Mother's Day, we went back to Dave’s parent’s house for a little while to be with his Mom. We gave her the card we made for her. For her Mother’s Day gift, all of the kids went in on a huge antiqued picture of the Provo Temple, that had “Ryerse Family”, and then the year my parents-in-law were married on it. Gorgeous!
That night, Dave gave me my gift, and we crashed! It was late by the time we got home and I fell asleep fast!
I also did the Mother’s Day themed preschool. We made jewel case frames with some bling (though the kids weren’t so into gluing the jewels and sequins on their frames), played Mother’s Bingo, read some books about mothers, ate chocolate and strawberries, played mother and baby animal memory, listened to lullabies, did a science experiment with light andvision, and I interviewed each child about their mom’s and filled out a questionnaire. Here’s Emma’s questionnaire:
What’s your Mom’s name? Mommy, Melanie.
What does your mommy do? She plays with us.
How old is Mommy? 26.
How many brother’s and sister’s does your mommy have? Three.
What does your daddy call Mommy? Honey.
What’s your Mommy’s favorite color? Yellow.
What’s your Mom’s favorite food? Apples.
What’s your Mom’s favorite TV show or movie? “Move that Bus!”
Where does your Mommy like to take you for fun? To the park.
What would you like to say to your mom for Mother’s Day? I love you, Mom.
So sweet! I’m so grateful to be a mother! I love my three sweet, perfect (ha!) children. They are such a blessing and bring such joy into my life! I can’t imagine life without them! I also don't know what I'd do without my mothers and those women who inspire me daily! I love you all...and you know who you are! (: Happy Mother's Day!
