Mom's so Cooooool

Today Bruce threw a tantrum because I wouldn't allow him to eat just butter for lunch. Red in the face, kicking, screaming, crying, throwing rice, big mess, etc. There was probably gnashing of teeth in there too. And here were the first few thoughts that went through my mind...

"This is over butter?"
"My mom handled TEN of these?"
"Hmmm, what would she do?"

You kept your cool in such situations, so I did too. I removed his bib, washed the butter and rice from his hands, and set him gently on the floor so he could continue wigging out to his heart's desire. Two minutes later he was done and saying, "saw-wee, saw-wee."

Anyway, you're pretty much a goddess. We love you!

-Emily and Fam

love

Well, here goes... Mom, thanks for the great example you and Dad have shown me as to how a marriage is supposed to be. Trish and I have already made it a goal to be just like you guys. Good work mom.
love Chris

hey, good lookin'

I finally figured out where I got my good looks from.

Mom, thanks for putting up with me,

even when I'm a pain in the butt.

(Which is too often. Sorry.)

You're an amazing leader and

community member, but more importantly,

you're an amazing mom.

I love you. ♥

Marissa

Shirley Mars

What could anyone say or write that would come even close to adequately describing the quality of our mom, or the gratitude we have for her?! It is simply amazing how much good a humble mother can do. I fully expect that someday when you drive down st. rt. 43 through Brimfield and Suffield it will be named Shirley Mars Rd. I doubt that anyone has ever fought so hard for that community. Mom, you are truly legendary, and even if they never name a main road after you, there will always be ten children and twenty plus grandchildren that know how wonderful you are. Thank You mom!
love
David

Mom is only like...THE GREATEST MOM EVER!!! After all, it would take one pretty awesome mom to raise a boy as attractive, kind, intelligent, strong, handsome, great, fun, clever, ninja-like, and ridiculously good looking as the one pictured to the left.

No, but seriously, Mom is pretty great. Thanks for being my mom, Mom.

I wouldn't sell you for any less than $200 million.

=]

Mother

I looked up the word "Mother" in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, and this is some of what I found...
1 a: a female parent
b (1): a woman in authority...
(2): an old or elderly woman
2: source, origin
3: maternal tenderness or affection
4: (I am skipping this one as it was about some naughty slang)
5: something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale1 a: Mom is indeed a female parent.
b (1): There is no question about it, Mom is a woman in authority. She can make it happen (whatever it is).
(2): old...hmmm....I would say Mom is more timeless than old. Definitely not elderly. Mom has a very young and energetic spirit. For being a grandmother of 20+, she is young.
2: Mom is the source. From her came ten children. Mom is also an amazing source of knowledge, wisdom, experience, long hair, bargain finds, information, recipes, compliments, discipline, humor, happiness, faith, good cholesterol, advice, great penmanship...
3: Many people have been touched by the maternal tenderness and affection of Shirley Mars. Besides ten of her own children and many, many grandchildren, probably hundreds of our friends over the years have been touched by her kindness and love. Mom has probably fed hundreds (possibly even thousands) of different people in our home. Mom is quick to greet new neighbors. She has many friends. She keeps in touch with so many people. She nurtures everyone around.
4: n/a... no naughty slang about my Mom.
5: Mom is both an extreme and an ultimate example of motherhood. Ten kids is extreme by today's standard, her love is the ultimate by any standard.

Merriam-Webster should have included a sixth definition: Shirley Mars.

Love,

Karyn and Andy

Look what I've got!

Isn't this a cool shark?! My friend and I caught it at the beach, but we let it go back into the ocean. Happy Mother's Day!

Love you!

The ocean is great, but having you for a grandma is even greater! Love you!

THANKS GRANDMA!

I get my awesome muscles from my Grandma. Thanks for letting me inherit your GIRL POWER!

Bigger Muscles

Me, too. Thanks, Grandma!

HELP US!

Grandma, can you post bail so we can wish you a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY?!
Love, The Wunderlich grandkids

Live it up on Mother's Day!

Enjoy your day, get messy, live it up, because you deserve a wonderful Mother's Day!
(Fortune 500 Mother is from Janis)

Fortune 500 Mother

I can think of hundreds of reasons why I love Shirley Mars. I'll just mention a few:
I love the way Mom supports her children and grandchildren, and cheers our every accomplishment! She writes us adoring notes; she thanks us for even the tiniest things. She encourages and expects us to magnify our talents. She and Dad have sent 8 (2 more to go... pressure's on, Marissa and Ben!) kids to college. I'm not even sure a calculator could figure out how many resources (temporal and emotional) that it takes. Thank you for your dedication, loyalty and investment in us.

I love the way Mom serves her family, church, and community. If one could translate her countless volunteering ventures into a professional career, she'd be a Fortune 5oo executive. But she serves for a higher purpose. She uses her numerous impressive talents to help build a better future.

Mom holds more prominence in my heart than any other woman on this planet! I send all my love and gratitude to you and wish you a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

My Mom, My Hero

Mom, your love for life and for your family are a blessing. Your boundless energy and concern for others are contagious. Your light up the world around you. You are my hero.

Love, Will

A Poem From Amaya

Mothers are sweet, like flowers in bloom.
Mothers are beautiful, they light up every room.
Mothers are caring in every single way.
That's why every Mother deserves this special day.

Could have been...

You could have been an average mother
with one child or maybe two.
But you chose a greater path;
no less than ten would ever do!
You could have been an average woman
working a mere nine to five each day.
Instead, we became your life’s great work
starting early, ending late, no pay.
You could have been an average parent
telling us what we should and shouldn’t do.
But your example showed the way
A guiding light to help us through.
You could have made an average dinner,
calories from a can each day.
Still I’m surprised to be much thinner
since you made every meal gourmet.
You could have been an average servant
in the kingdom of the Lord.
But your always helping and serving others
with no thought of a reward.
You could have been an average mother
but by now you surely see
You’re the greatest woman and the greatest mother
that there could ever be!
We’re lucky to have the very best from birth
so with all our heart we say
To you, the greatest mother on earth,

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,
Erik and Lois

"your mom goes to college."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
You are the best mom anyone could ever have! You do so many great things for everyone from our family to the entire community!
Thank you for:
-letting Ben and I joke around with you
-packing my lunch every day
-helping me eat healthier
-making us clean up after ourselves and work
-buying me modest swimsuits
-BEING THE SWEETEST MOM EVER!
I love you!
Marissa

Mom's pretty great.

Mom, if I had to be trapped in a dungeon with any mother, I'd want that mom to be you. I'm so glad that I have parents that are cool enough to take me to Spain. You're the best mom ever . Thanks for always being there for me. Happy Mothers' day, Mom. You're pretty great!

-Ben-

Mom (and Dad... but it's not Father's Day yet) certainly has done something amazing in raising all of us! Somebody should give her a Phd in maternity. More than anyithing else, Mom taught me how to love ALL of my brothers and sisters. So many people never really learn to love their families! Her love for us has grown from the ten of us into seven of our own families (no need to make it eight too soon Chris!). It's hard to really say all that Mom has done for me, because any list would be incomplete! Mom THANK YOU so much! You taght me how to love the world I live in!
-David

Is she Wonder Woman?

After 30-some years I think I've finally figured it out. Mom is really Wonder Woman's secret identity.

How else could she raise 10 children and still make it to almost all of their activities?

How else can you explain being able to throw a great party, often with little or sometimes no advance warning?

Aren't the physical similarities obvious?

Have you ever seen anyone more willing and able to make a stand for what's right?

How about the way she's fixing the schools? She could do it with one arm tied behind her back.

Rain or shine, night or day - she's always there for her children and grandchildren.

She must use her super powers when she stretches a dollar and makes it go as far as it does.

She uses her supper powers when she cooks!

I'm not sure where she parks her invisible jet, but she must have one.

We sure love her and don't worry - her secret is safe with us.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

- Dan, Leslie, & kids

Your 2 little boys test-flying a brand new hot-air-balloon.

Mom, you must have ice-water running through your veins to be able to repeatedly watch your little boy a few thousand feet in the air doing crazy stunts over the house without fainting. Thanks for supporting me and letting me chase my dream. You're also the best mother a missionary could ask for. So many times in Spain your letters, emails, packages, etc, turned an otherwise normal day into a Christmas morning. You've got to be the most generous person in the whole wide world because you give up lots of something extremely valuable that you don't have a ton of. You give it freely even when there seems to be a real shortage of it... time:)
I love you mom!
-Chris-

World's Greatest Mom!

World's Greatest Mom!

Mom, you always say that you have no creativity because you gave it to your kids. I never believed that. Meriam-Webster defines creative as:

1 : marked by the ability or power to create : given to creating 2 : having the quality of something created rather than imitated : imaginative

You are creative. You are resourceful and tenacious. You have created so much. You created an environment for ten children to thrive, learn, and grow in. You helped us find our talents. You made us work. Your creativity made us believe that anything was possible-- we could all have matching jams shorts before we walked out the door to school.

Ten creative children come from two creative parents. You may not play piano like Marissa, or sculpt like Janis, or build like Daniel, or figure out stuff about polymers like Will, or write like David, or design beautiful outdoor spaces like Erik, or fly anything like Chris, or draw like Ben, or take photgraphs like Emily, or paint like me, but you planted those creative seeds and nourished them and supported them. Maybe your creative talent is creating creative talent.

We owe you many thanks for that. We love you!

Thanks for a Healthy Start!

A few years ago, a good friend of mine was suffering from cancer. She told me that she attributed her cancer to an upbringing full of junky food: TV dinners and processed food everyday.
When she told me that, I immediately thought of my childhood, full of freshly made whole wheat bread and shiloh dogs, and I realized for the first time what a gift my parents gave to me!
Growing up with all that "made from scratch, whole grain goodness", I would often look around and feel sorry for myself that my sandwich was small and brown compared to everyone else's fluff bread sandwiches. But now I look at things from an entirely different perspective. It takes A LOT of work to make fresh, wholesome food, especially for a large family. It costs a lot more and takes considerably more preparation time. I realize now what a sacrifice it was for you and Dad to go about things "the healthy way", and I really appreciate the healthy start you gave us kids! (see the sculpture above: "White Vs. Wheat Bread Battle!")
Now I have my own family, and there is not a day that goes by where I am not thinking, "How did my parents do it SO WELL?" You continue to amaze and impress me with your many talents and ability to handle so many roles with ease. Basically, you ROCK!
I love you Mom,
Happy Mother's Day!
Janis

Love from Emily, Scott and Bruce

Happy Mother's Day!

With Bruce's birthday coming up next week, I've been thinking a lot about all the sacrifices people made to help me out. Mom, you did so much! And I'm sure I don't even know the half of it.

Mom took some uber-expensive flight so she could be with me right after Bruce was born. Then when she got here, she didn't bask in her grandmotherly glory like she probably normally does with newborns. Instead, she jumped into action and helped put a crib together, decorate Bruce's bedroom, get the changing table together, cook a bunch of meals, etc. And that was just at night! During the day, she came to the hospital and braided my hair and wiped my bum and made me drink water and helped me walk around. I think she was in Boston for about a week and she didn't even get to hold Bruce. She had the opportunity, but she gave it up to Scott and me since Bruce had limited time outside his incubator.

One of the many characteristics I love about mom is that she is completely unselfish.

We love you!

Emily, Scott, and Bruce

Mom, How did you do it?

Here is a picture of you with me and Janis, looking young and full of life - and looking forward to 10 kids. What's amazing is all that has happened since then, and what has grown from such a humble beginning, and how full of life and young-looking you still are! As I raise my own kids, I hope I can give them all the love, values, vision and healthy food that you gave us. I love you mom.

Will

Let's all add our stuff for mom

Let's create a blog to tell mom how much we love her. Each kid please create at least one entry. You might even let the grandkids get in on the action and each create their own entry. Let's tell mom how much we appreciate her, what she has meant to us, what are our fondest or silliest memories, etc. It would also be cool to upload any photos etc. Please have your entries in place before Saturday at Midnight. I'll send mom the link on Sunday. Do remember that a blog is a public place. I use only first names here. Let's let the world know what we think of our mom!

Will