Open Doors: Every Day is Mother’s Day
By Andrea Tyler Evans
I am lucky, fortunate and blessed beyond measure. I not only have an amazing mom, I am a mom to two beautiful children and I am part of the most incredible mom network here in the Valley.
My mom Gwenn, now known as Gigi by her grandchildren, is the most determined, focused and thoughtful person I know. She worked tirelessly to make sure that my sisters and I all received college degrees after being raised in a family that was not given the path to do so. She gives hours upon hours of her retirement time to her church and community every day. She has an amazing mom-group of her own that showed me how to trust, love and lean on each other as fellow moms since I was a little girl and thankfully they are all still there for each other some 40 years later. Mom – I love you and yes, I am crying happy, thankful tears as I write this.
My favorite thing to do as a mom is to take our kids, ages 11 and 6, on adventures. It’s quality time spent, it’s an opportunity to learn (often together and from each other!) and gather up those sweet moments of wonder. And while we are blessed to travel beyond Arizona most summers, a lot of those adventures are right here in our own backyard. The Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Science Center, the Arizona Museum of History, the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and the Phoenix Zoo have become a few of our favorites as well as many Suns, D-backs, Coyotes and ASU sporting events. Our home is filled with memories form these adventures, including waaaay too many stuffed animals, and they remind us all to go back and do it again so we can make more memories together. Tom – thank you for loving me and sharing every day with me as I do my best to be a good mom to our two treasures.
My mom network consists of a core group of women from the North Central Parenting Group (NCPGAZ.org), my two best friends from high school and several sorority sisters and fellow ASU alumni. Thank goodness for Facebook, which allows me to keep up with all of our busy lives and precious moments. If you know someone that lives in the Phoenix area that is having a baby or just had a baby, I strongly recommend NCPG. Their bi-monthly classes, with an expert for each child’s age and development stages, are helpful and being able to share with other new mothers is priceless. These women and I have discussed everything from picky eating to fighting cancer. Ladies – you know who you are and I love you all more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for being there today, tomorrow and always.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone… and that includes all of the aunties, neighborhood grandmas, and fur-baby moms too! I hope you all get a moment to smile and celebrate YOU this month.
