Happy Birthday Mom

My mom: taught me that I don't have to ever answer the door just because someone knocks on it. I'm not obligated to answer.

My mom: made homemade play-doh with us.

My mom: drove me to my first high school dance.

My mom: loves to buy me things, even when I try and talk her out of it. She likes to treat her kids to nice things.

My mom: suffered through many hours of labor and a painful birth to bring me into this world. She didn't know I would be a girl, but was so glad to hear that I was.

My mom: used to claim my name in college theatre, "Heather Janis Erwin"

My mom: taught me the proper usage of "fewer" and/or "less". Among many other grammatical proprieties.

My mom: screams "NO!" every single time she makes a mistake when playing her violin.

My mom: is my biggest fan.

My mom: respected all my wishes when I was giving birth to my daughter. That meant a lot to me, not everyone did...

My mom: cleaned our ballet studio to help pay for our ballet lessons.

My mom: I admit I dislike her chili (unlike the rest of the family) but her stuffed peppers & harvest soup are to die for.

My mom: has a theater degree. She got the lead role in the first play she ever auditioned for, which was in college.

My mom: met & fell in love with my father while playing across from him in "The Rainmaker". Supposedly she thought he was a jerk at first when he showed up for rehearsals late.

My mom: tans much more easily than I do. I'm ok with this.

My mom: can spot a spelling/grammar error in a 1,000 word essay faster than you can say "spellcheck." (Which makes her a great editor...)

My mom: turned down a proposal from a rich man because she knew she wasn't in love with him.

My mom: made me answer the phone "Hello, this is Heather speaking." when I was little. I was embarrassed at the time but now I'm glad she taught me basic manners.

My mom: has good taste.

My mom: has always gone out of her way to make sure Christmas & birthdays are special to her children. Our Christmas stockings are always packed full of wonder.

My mom: unintentionally taught me to be afraid of spiders. But not of snakes.

My mom: sees through people very easily.

My mom: was always supportive of my ambitions. When I decided to play baseball one summer she supported me. When I decided to try out for my first community play, she supported me.

My mom: is a freaking awesome grandma to my baby.

I love you mom! Happy Birthday!

{Read my sister's Happy Birthday to our mom}