Yay for Mommy!

Everyone claims they have the perfect mother, but others are not to be believed. We (the Kennington Clan) do, indeed, have the best mother EVER!

Here's an ode to our dear Mother:

Luann Winchester Kennington

1 - Born June 29, 1972 (only 36!)

2 - According to her birth date, she was only 7 when she had Jenny. 

3 - She's the 3rd of 4 children and she is the only girl in her family besides her Mom

4 - When they were younger, she and her brothers would box. Uncle Kelly was Mom's coach and Uncle Brad was Uncle Paul's coach. Uncle Kelly would always tell Mom to hit Paul 'below the belt' and she always listened. She was never quite sure why she always won...(just for the record, Paul has 5 kids so don't worry - there was no permanent damage ;D )

5 - One time my Uncle Brad was making Mom so mad that she threw a metal tipped dart at him and it stuck right in his back with a *doeengggg*

6 - Her senior year of high school she starred in Weber High's production of "Babes in Arms"

7 - She has an AMAZING singing voice. If you haven't had the opportunity to hear it, you're completely missing out

8 - She sent her boyfriend Gary out on a mission to Munich and she pretty much waited for him. But then she started dating my daddy and the rest is history

9 - Mom and Dad grew up in the same ward and they were best friends all growing up, even though my dad was a year older in school.

10 - Dad got home from his mission to Boston in November of 1977 and they started dating in December (if I remember correctly). 

11 - They were married in the Ogden Temple May 18, 1978. That means that, a week from today, they'll have been married for 30 years!

12 - Jenny was born (premature) April 17, 1979 and that threw mom face first into Motherhood

13 - Mom didn't know it was bad for babies to sleep on heating pads (or anyone to sleep on them, for that matter) and since their first home was freezing, Jenny used to sleep on a heating pad as a baby. Don't worry, she lived.

14 - Loni was born November 19, 1980. I don't think mom and dad were planning on having babies that close to each other, but it's turned out pretty well (minus that one time Jenny chased Loni around with a knife..)

15 - Tracee was born November 28, 1984. This brought 3 little girls into the family. When mom was little she used to pray that she'd have a sister and she always said that Heavenly Father listened to her prayers because she had all these daughters

16 - Shawnee (her favorite) was born on her Dad's birthday, October 8, 1987. Just when they thought life couldn't get any better, Shawnee was born. And now it was 5 girls and one Dad.

17 - In 1990 Mom and Dad decided to embark on a new adventure and moved to the big, scary Salt Lake City from Ogden (where they'd grown up). Their little family moved into a duplex on Donegal Circle into the Garden Heights Ward. 

18 - A few years later, they move onto Jonetta Drive and continued to serve in the garden heights ward.

19 - They later moved to Atkin Avenue (still in the GH Ward) and lived in that house for many years. They loved that house, as it was the first house they owned in Salt Lake.

20 - August 5, 1996 Jason joined our family. It must have been quite a shocker to finally have a boy in the family, but mom and dad adapted wonderfully. I'm sure it helped that Jason really had 5 Moms to help out.

21 - in 2003 we moved to our current house on 1800 East. I think it was a shocker for the entire family to move out of the Garden Heights Ward after being in it for around 12 years, but we're in the same stake and our current ward in amazing, as well.

22 - Mom works at the Karaoke Shop at Day Murray Music and she LOVES it there! She doesn't work there because she has to, but because she loves it. We like to joke with her that they just get all the money they pay her right back because she loves to buy things from that little Karaoke Shop. 

23 - Mom has had many wonderful days in her life, but I think one of her favorite times to date was January 8, 2007. That's the day that she became a grandma and little Abi joined our family. She's the best grandma! She loves her granddaughters and was thrilled when Ruby joined our family July 10, 2007. She is so cute with those little girls, and she's completely wrapped around both of their fingers. She loves to spoil them and cover their cheeks in kisses.

24 - Not only is she an amazing Mother, but she's an amazing wife to my Dad. My parents are the most in love people you will ever meet. I swear it's like they're newlyweds. If you've ever hung out around our family I'm sure you've seen them kiss and make googly eyes at each other. When we were younger it would always make us say, "ewww Mom and Dad are kissing again! GROSS!" but now that we're all getting older, we realize how truly blessed we are to have parents that love and respect each other unconditionally. 

25 - Mom is so compassionate and sensitive. She cries at the drop of a hat (a trait that most of us have inherited) and, without fail, always gets teary when she and my dad are singing together. Just last week they were singing "The Circle of Our Love" for the Young Women and mom couldn't make it through the whole song because she started crying. It's wonderful that the spirit touches her heart the way that it does. 

26 - Mom is in the Relief Society Presidency and she ALWAYS fulfills her callings with everything that she has. She never misses a meeting unless it's an emergency.She knows all the sisters in the ward by name and what is going on in their lives. 

27 - Mom is a wonderful cook. She was 'blessed' with some very picky children and we didn't always make it easy on her. Ever since I can remember, Mom has made dinner AT LEAST 2 - 3 times a week. She always has something ready for my dad to eat once he gets home from work, and, even if she's already eaten, she will sit with him while he eats and talk to him about his day

28 - Mom and Dad have been blessed to travel to some of the most amazing places in the world. From Greece to Chile, Italy to Canada ... mom always insists that home is, by far, her favorite place to be. 

29 - having 5 kids, she's stayed up countless nights cleaning up throw up, singing to us, rubbing our tummies, assuring us that a bad guy wasn't coming to get us, and soothing sad children. She has ALWAYS been there for us, no matter what. I'm not sure about my sisters and brother, but I know that I certainly don't always deserve the A+ treatment that she gives me. I, for one, am not easy to deal with in any way, shape, or form and she has done a marvelous job. I love her with all of my heart.

30 - Sometimes mom would lose her temper, but every human does, and we always deserved it.

31 - Mom is so gullible, and we like to tease her about it (dad's right up there with her, but sometimes it's just his hearing that makes him confused). Mom is also one to always look at the reality of a situation. While we were telling mom about a plan Jason had to rub icy hot on a cows udder, shoot it with an airsoft gun, and see if it exploded her reaction was "well why are you worrying about it? he's never going to be able to find a cow." We tried to get her to understand that the nature of it was what we should be worried about, but she insisted it was nothing because "he's never going to find a cow to shoot".

32 - 3 words: "Shawnee! Feliz Navidad!"

33 - Mom has ALWAYS been a member of the ward choir. Even when we were little kids she would take us to choir with her (because my dad always went, too) and we'd sit and play while she practiced for choir

34 - Mom has always wanted to be a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but she has never tried out because going to church with her family is more important to her. And trust me, she would for sure make it if she auditioned. 

35 - She is the most un-selfish person ever! If you need something, anything, she'll do it for you because she is so charitable. She never, ever puts herself first.

Seriously folks, she's amazing. This is just a small list of things that even come close to begin to describe how awesome she really is. (I also included tidbits of her life, obviously). 

So here's to you, Mrs. Kennington ... your family loves you more than you will know ... whoa, whoa whoa ... God bless you, please, Mrs. Kennington ... heaven holds a place for you because you're the best mom in the entire universe! (I know I changed that up, but I thought it was fitting). Thank you for being so amazing and for being my mom. I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world. I LOVE YOU!!!