big papa pump and foxy mama

 

there they are.  the two people that made me who i am today.  

i have the most wonderful parents, ever.  that's right, ever.  

they taught me everything there is to know about love, hard work, and laughter. plus a whole lot more!

my dad is the hardest working man i know.  he's a farmer, but works more than the usual planting season and harvest.  he has cattle, and cattle need attention everyday.  not to mention the many many side projects he has going on and the jobs he does just helping out family and friends.  he literally works 7 days a week.  he loves his job, even in the below weather temps and snow on the ground, he loves it.  growing up, helping dad was fun.  i won't deny that it totally sucked sometimes, but most of the time it was fun.  not a lot of girls grow up fixing fences, scooping poop, feeding cattle, grinding feed, chopping firewood, and washing combine windows.  but my sisters and i did.  it taught me a lot about hard work.  not everyone wants to do it, but someone has too.  i always knew that when the work was done dad was proud of us (plus we got candy bars and coke!)  dad didn't just drag us around to work, he taught us important life lessons too.  he taught us to stand up for ourselves when we needed too (i'm still working on that) and to admit when "it is what is is, sis" and you can't change it.  he has taught us what to look for in a husband, and we all found it.  our husbands are some of our dad's best friends.  they work with him on the weekends and he teaches them everything he knows, one saturday at a time. 

 

my dad is the best.  he loves my sisters and me, our husbands, and our kids.  he's proud of us all.  but really without him and mom, we wouldn't be who we are.  so thank you dad for all that you are and stand for and for wearing vests at christmas!

 my mom is fabulous. she is my best friend. growing up my mom was a stay at home mom, i loved it.  she's not the "sit on your butt watching soaps mom" either.  this woman literally vacuumed EVERYDAY!  she made beds, dusted, swept, did laundry, made lunch, did dishes, vacuumed, watered flowers, made dinner, repeat.  she's nonstop on the go and her mouth is the same.  she talks so fast and never shuts up.  she's made me and my sisters the way we are today.  we all get home from work or shopping and instantly pick up our houses and put away our goods.  it drives our husbands crazy! and just like her we all talk way too fast and also never shut up, unless you're me and annie then we get shy around people we don't know.  but abbie, never shuts it.  i am very close with my mom.  when my sisters were in the "maggie is a dork" stage, my mom was there.  i spent lots of weekends and nights just hanging out with mom and dad.  3rd sunday market was my favorite time.  i got to work on furniture with mom all month then go set it all up at a big show with her and dad.  it was a weekend of just the three of us, i don't know if they loved having me on their weekend away.  but it was the highlight of my summers. 

my mom is simply amazing.  she's taught me the girly things in life that are important for a woman to know, but has also taught me other things too.  she's a woman strong in her faith and has always taught me the importance of having God in your life and always having a close relationship with Jesus. she also has a huge heart and has taught me about giving to people in need.  i've grown up very fortunate in my life and if i can ever help out someone less fortunate than me, i am always willing. 

my mom is a great gift giver! oh my, the woman almost doesn't know when to stop on a gift.  i'm sort of the same way.  i think because even if the amount of money you "said" you were going to spend, is spent, and the present looks lacking, we fill it up more.  $30 just isn't enough sometimes for a fabulous present. sometimes those amazing pair of $30 sandals just don't look as good as the sandals, nail polish, foot lotion, and a foot scrub does.

all in all, my parents are amazing people.  they love all of us girls and our families.  but most importantly, they love each other and they taught us to love our spouse like that.  thank you mom and dad for being the most incredible parents i could ask for.  i love you.