Ms. Allen's Adventures: Happy Mothers Day!!!

Today, Jessie, Mom, and I decided to take the kids to visit Big Mommy (my great-grandma Martha) and my great-aunt Cris. They live in Austin, IN, and it is always an adventure taking a mini-roadtrip with the kiddos. I guess it is a small taste of what we will experience when we head to Gatlinburg on Saturday.

Jessie and I have always called our great-grandma "Big Mommy". We never thought that this was weird, but as we've gotten older, people look at us like we're crazy when we mention it. The story behind the name is when Grandma Dee was pregnant with my mom, Big Mommy was also pregnant with my great-uncle Roger. Big Mommy said that she wasn't old enough to be a grandma, so she would prefer to just be the "Big" mommy and Grandma Dee would be the "Little" mommy. It stuck, and I will never call her any thing but my "Big Mommy".

Big Mommy is an amazing woman. She is 86 years old, and looks amazing! She is so strong, and tells me that I need to look for a rich old man to take care of me. She also tells us to never let a man take advantage of us or treat us bad. She's says that men just aren't worth the headache. When you talk about someone with a flaw or baggage, she says "He has a spider in his dumplings". I love that phrase! She smokes a pipe occasionally, and used to carry a pistol in her purse. She's Hazard KY all the way!!! I hope I'm just like her when I'm older. :)

Big Mommy and all of her great-great-grandkids

My great-aunt Cris is an amazing woman as well! She's in a wheelchair, missing a leg from her diabetes. She's blind, on kidney dialysis, and is a breast cancer survivor. After all of the physical attacks she has endured on her body, she still has an unbreakable spirit! She is one of the most caring, loving people I've ever met.

This woman needs to write a book! She has never been married, and she says that it's a good thing. She could never imagine having to ask for permission from a man to do anything. She also said if a man were to lay a hand on her child, she'd kill him. :) I completely understand. When I got pregnant with Lauren and wasn't married, she called and made me feel so much better. She balances never being judgemental equally with telling you exactly what she thinks.

Her son, Steve, was born one day before me. Cris and Mom were pregnant at the same time, and when Cris called to tell Grandma that she had just given birth to a baby boy, Grandma was getting ready to leave to get my Mom to the hospital because she was in labor. How crazy is that?

A few months ago, she was in the hospital for kidney dialysis, and Jessie and I put on a little impromptu concert singing a handful of songs for her. I've never felt so good about my singing as when we sang for Cris. She loved it! I feel guilty that I don't see her more often. Jessie and I need to make a concerted effort to make the good ol' trip to Austin every chance we have.

Jessie and I are very lucky to be surrounded by such strong, smart women. They are truly examples of what independent ladies should be. The bar certainly has been set high for Landon with the women he has in his life. He'll have a lot of trouble finding a girlfriend/wife that we think is good enough for him. :)

On a side note, my friend Kent from work and his wife Kelly gave birth to a big ol' baby boy on Thursday. Baby Cohen was 9 lbs. and 21 inches long. He's a doll. How cool is it that Kelly is celebrating her first Mothers Day with her three day old son. :)

New momma Kelly is absolutely beautiful!