Mom Salute: Lindsay

Lindsay with her husband Matt and their kids Maisie, Paige, and Everett.

There may be a bit of nepotism going on with these weekly salutes, but I'm just lucky enough to be surrounded by and related to some pretty amazing moms who deserve to be recognized. This week it's my sister Lindsay, who is definitely one of the very best moms I know. I always tell people that she was one of those little girls who was just "meant to be a mom" and seeing her in action definitely proves how true that is. She and her family live across the country from us in Minnesota, but luckily she makes her way out to Southern California for several weeks every winter (pretty sure she's trying to avoid seasonal affective disorder...brrrr!) and I treasure the time we spend together not only for the fun times we have, but for how much I learn from her about mothering well.

The story that always comes to mind when I think of Lindsay as a mother is when she was visiting with her then 2-year-old girls, Maisie and Paige. Lindsay is very good at teaching her children to be respectful and polite, so whenever the girls would do something unacceptable, she would tell them "no thank you." Her girls caught on to her example quickly and when she asked them anything they wanted to respond to with a no answer, they'd say "No thank you." Even when she was upset, Maisie would yell in the cutest little angry voice "No thank you!!!" Cracks me up just thinking about it. Even when they were mad, Lindsay trained her girls to be kind about it. 

Another example of Lindsay magnifying her motherhood is the yearly videos she puts together for her kids. She asks them questions about what happened that year, what they want to be when they grow up, etc. What a treasure that will be when they get older, being able to watch those videos of themselves as they mature. She is also incredibly thoughtful and is always the first one to text me and our sister Kelsey before a family member's birthday or another holiday to come up with ideas for a gift we can give. Whatever she suggests is usually always absolutely perfect. She knows how to show love.

Lindsay is the type of woman who puts her role as mother above all else and intuitively knows how to teach her children. Her patience astounds me (the type of mom you can't imagine being angry at her kids- still working on that one myself, haha). Her dedication to serving her family and everyone around her is to be admired. She is the type of mom I created this blog to recognize.


Our youngest sister Kelsey said this about Lindsay:

I absolutely love that Lindsay is being saluted because she would never draw attention to herself, but is so deserving of the spotlight! She has such a sweet and quiet demeanor and has always been a natural peacemaker. In high school, I often found myself standing up for her when others mistook her quiet and sometimes shy demeanor as snobby or conceited. I would tell them, “You don’t understand, my sister is honestly the nicest person you will ever meet.” And I stand by that! 

I admire so many things about her, but most of all, I admire her constant obedience. As a teenager, I was often annoyed that I had such a goody-two-shoes for a sister but (luckily) I matured and realized what an amazing example and blessing she is to me. Doing what is right has always seemed to come naturally for her. She’s endured extremely difficult trials in her life but never wavered in her faith in Jesus Christ. Now, I couldn’t write a paragraph about Lindsay without mentioning what a fantastic mother she is. Her parenting is so thoughtful and whenever I’m around here I leave feeling inspired to be a better mother! I’m so grateful to call her my sister and friend!

Our mom wrote:

The first thought that comes to mind when I think of Lindsay, is watching her play with her dolls as a little girl. She absolutely loved being mom to all of them. She and her younger sister Kelsey are almost exactly two years apart. When Kelsey was born, it was nearly impossible to keep Lindsay away from her. She thought Kelsey was her own personal baby doll and wanted to hold her all the time.  

A few days after Kelsey was born, I discovered the baby swing swaying but totally empty. I followed the drag marks across the carpet until they led into the bedroom where I found that two-year-old Lindsay had carried/dragged, and then deposited, her newborn sister in the corner underneath the crib. Often, I would discover she'd pulled her doll high chair into my bedroom next to the very tall bassinet where the baby slept, so she could pull her out, climb down the rickety high chair with her and play. As Kelsey was only 5 lbs. 11 oz. at full-term, you can imagine the scare I had every time I discovered the baby missing! To this day, my bedroom still has a sliding lock on the top of the outside of our door which we finally had to install in order to keep Lindsay out and Kelsey in! 

All through elementary and middle school the little kids on the street would show up at our door asking if Lindsay could play. She was always so sweet with them. That's what made it so hard for me to understand why Lindsay would be the one daughter who would need to go through fertility treatments to conceive. The grace with which she went through losing Chase and Libby at five months gestation, her twins conceived through IVF, is still an example to me. Holding their small, but perfect little bodies made me wonder how a mother ever gets through losing something she loves more than her own life. I believe God blessed Lindsay for the unfailing faith she exhibited during some of the most difficult days she has ever gone through--first being unable to conceive, and then losing the twins she was finally carrying. 

The story of the adoption of her first child, Maisie, is a miracle in itself. However, after being told by the experts that she and her husband Matt would never conceive naturally, she then went on to give birth to a daughter and then a son without any kind of medical intervention--a blessing I don't believe is just a coincidence.  

I am so proud of Lindsay and the woman she's grown into. Her faith is unwavering. By listening to her children's sweet prayers, you can see all she has somehow managed to teach them in their short lives already. Often when I call Lindsay, I find she's making food to take to someone who is ill, or is having someone over to share her family's meal with them. She is one of the most tender, compassionate, and caring women I know. She has a gift for listening and is always more interested in learning about someone else than she is in talking about herself. You will never find Lindsay willingly in the spotlight. Rather, you will find her happily in the background observing and laughing at what's going on around her. She has a big, beautiful smile that warms my heart now just as much as it did the first time I saw it at only a few days old.  

I feel blessed to call Lindsay my daughter and know that all who have been blessed by her gentle words or acts of service feel fortunate to know her as well.

Her husband had this heart wrenching story to share about how Lindsay exemplifies a mother's love:

You know how certain words bring an image or memory to mind? Whenever I hear the word "mother" I'm reminded of a very tender moment that makes me so grateful for my amazing wife Lindsay. 

After we got married and graduated college, we learned very quickly that fertility challenges would make starting our family very difficult. After meeting with some specialists we learned that IVF would be the only way we would be able to get pregnant, so we spent all our savings on the first round. For anyone in the know, IVF is not an easy process - daily shots, doctors visits, and negative pregnancy tests make it a daunting process to say the least. We were ecstatic to find out that we would be having twins, a boy and a girl, and excited to start our adventure as parents. You can imagine our heartbreak when at 24 weeks Lindsay went into pre-term labor and delivered our two precious babies, each barely over a pound, and not developed enough to survive. 

Our little boy Chase was born first and lived for a few short hours while the doctors and nurses did all they could to keep our little girl from being born, but Libby was born shortly thereafter. Picture now in your minds eye a young mother cradling two tiny infants, one in each arm, exhausted from literally days of bedridden labor. With tear stained eyes she would kiss one and then the other, ensuring that no matter what happened, these two sweet spirits would feel safety, warmth, and love during their short sojourn on this earth. That is the image that is seared in my memory and will forever be my definition of Motherhood.    

Lindsay, I love you to pieces and am so blessed to have a woman I can always look up to as my younger sister. I hope you know what an amazing mother you are and that your children are incredibly lucky to be yours. 

***Is there a mom in your life who deserves to be publicly recognized for the good she is doing, big or small? We publish a salute to one woman each week, so if there's a mom you'd like to give a public shoutout, let us know! It could be your own mother, sister, sister-in-law, wife, friend, neighbor, or even a stranger you witnessed rocking motherhood on the playground or in the aisles of Target. 

Join me in saluting some of the amazing moms out there!****