The Creative One

My brother Andrew's birthday video for my mother. These are all houses my parents lived in, and I'm assuming the pictures are superimposed over the actual location where they were taken...


He also worked on the 2012 Remix of Ava's remake of Dynamite.

Happy Mama's Day

My mother. In her 70+ years she's been a model, an actress, a baton twirling star, a missionary, a pastor's wife, a jewelry salesperson, a dental assistant, a line dance instructor, a motivational speaker, a foster parent, a beauty pageant winner, a Welcome Wagon lady, a seamstress, a funeral director, a choreographer, an interior decorator, a bible study leader and a fashion icon, and a myriad of other things I can't even recall. Renaissance woman is an understatement. A jack of all trades AND a master of them.

I've seen her make a roomful of people laugh and I've seen her make grown men cower. I've seen her inspire women to take charge and speak up for themselves and I've seen her soothe inconsolable newborn babies to sleep. I've seen her open her home to hundreds of foster children and needy adults, and I've seen her always make time for herself. I've seen her love her family while standing up and disagreeing with them completely. I've seen her make a mistake, and I've seen her realize and correct it.

She hasn't always been liked by the world, but she's always been respected. There's no one like her, and that's a damn shame.

That's my mother.

Old Dogs Can Get New Pics

The old folks got some new pics. You'd never know they're old as dirt, would ya??

Not A Namesake, But A Facesake

So Zach looks just like Eric, Ava looks just like me, but who does Colson look like? Sure, he's got some Eric traits and some Suzanne traits, but who does he look the most like? Here's your answer: MY MOTHER! I mean, the likeness is astounding...he's got deeper set eyes and downturned eyebrows, like Eric, but otherwise he's my mother reincarnated.

Ava's Fashions

Red turtleneck and tights with a black and white plaid skort. What could be Christmasier? Somehow it morphed into a white shirt later in that day; I'm assuming I was being a spaz about not getting the white shirt dirty.

Ava's Fashions

Brown and pink, a combination that can't be beat. Especially cute in a family photo.

It's All Downhill From Here

I forgot to share my brother Andrew's video message to my parents, who celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary last week.

Happy Birthday To My Mr. Big

6 years ago today I drove to the Lehigh Valley Hospital to get a monster pulled out of me. The biggest of my big babies at birth, Zachary continues to be larger than life. (The following photos are not for the faint of heart!)

What having over 10 pounds of baby in you looks like. This photo would make a good birth control ad.

And here comes Mr. Big now....

10 pounds 4 ounces. At one week before his due date. My uterus offers free non-stop room service but lacks a fitness center, apparently.

Zach couldn't even wait an hour after the umbilical cord was cut before he demanded food. 2 ounces gone, and I hadn't even held him yet. My mother heard him screaming from down the hallway and thought I was in for some trouble...then we just realized he was annoyed that the room service had ended (his mama's son).

Who knew that kid would grow up to become my best buddy...

Where's Your Sugar?

Zach asked me the other day, in regards to his friend:

"Mom, why doesn't Sarah's gramma give her sugar?"

I had to explain to him that Sarah's gramma isn't from the south, and doesn't know about sugar. "Sugar" is a Southern expression that can mean many things, most having to do with giving kisses or being kissed. In my mother's version, sugar is a location. It's the back of a child's neck. So when my mother asks the kids to "give me some sugar", they know to turn around and bend their heads down so she can kiss the back of their neck.

I can't wait until Zachary is on his first date and the girl asks him to pass the sugar....

Jan Lewis, Deathologist Ph.D.

My mother is now a college graduate.

You know she works at a cemetery, yes? She sells grave plots and caskets and markers, directs funerals, and comforts the bereaved at Limerick Garden of Memories. She's been in the "industry" (insert Amy hand motion) on and off for over 10 years.

She recently had to take some online refresher courses. In true Suzanne style she flew through 6 weeks of courses in something like 4 hours. She recently received her letter stating that she passed.

Dear Janice Lewis,

Dignity University would like to inform you that the following
Certification has been awarded by the Dignity University Board of
Directors:

Associate - Family Service Counselor

Congratulations from all of the staff here at Dignity U! Your certificate
of completion will be awarded to you by your manager in the coming weeks.
Again, congratulations on your efforts in being part of a best-in-class
workforce!

Sincerely,

Dignity University

Dignity University. I can't even stand it. "Where'd you graduate from?" "Dignity U!"

I wonder if they've got a Gravediggers Club. The cheerleaders wear all black and have to cheer in whispers. Grades are handed out carved into headstones. I could go on and on....

And really, doesn't my mother look extremely dignified posing with the mausoleum crypt she's purchased for herself and my father? She's the perfect combo of Vanna White and the Crypt Keeper.

Cute And Weird R Us

Happy birthday to my mother, who passed along to me both her fashion sense and her love of crazy jobs and hobbies. Bet you've never seen a better looking Funeral Director slash Senior Center Line Dance Teacher or a cuter Same-Sex Dance DJ slash Cyber Charter School Activity Coordinator.

This Is Andrew Speaking

(Remember how my brother Andrew used to hijack my dollhouse? Well, he's done it again, only this time he's taken over my blog!! Enjoy your respite from me...)

... while I didn't know at the time, this was my last Mother's Day present to my mom as a single man - a hastily drawn card, complete with audio soundtrack - describing the crazy antics of my mother's lifestyle. I only touched the tip of the iceberg, but I hit a few of the oddest stories ... from her years selling Adorn clothing/jewelry (a home party and direct sales company), making matching clothes for her children, her zen-like ability to win public games, her affinity for padded bathing suits whilst raising her brood, and her charisma when it came to ministering to women. My wife just recently uncovered this card during our latest move and I was able to hunt down the audio portion.

Now for your viewing pleasure ... a glimpse into the wonderful world of Janice Lavernia Godwin Lewis. You've never seen a real step-ball-change until you've seen Ms. Godwin's ...

To All The Moms I've Loved Before

Today the "Lewis Mothers 2011" yearbook comes out. I wonder who the class celebrities will be??!! I'm so excited!! Let's look....

MOST LOVED MOTHER

My own mother earns this title because, well, she's MY mother. Any woman who says, in regards to Angelina Jolie, "If God had wanted me to adopt African babies, He wouldn't have put that big ocean between me and them" is going to be the mother I love best. Even the most olive complected mothers pale in comparison.

MOST PATIENT MOTHER

Ah, the woman who used to understandably HATE Mother's Day, my sister-in-law Kathy. 20 years of marriage without a child and you'd probably avoid the day altogether too. And while I'm sure Kathy will no longer hate this holiday, I would guess she feels that every day since little Robert came into her life has been Mother's Day. After 20 years of waiting, the look she has in this photo is the look you see on her face all the time.

BEST NAVIGATING MOTHER

Talk about a life changing year. My sister Amy had to face every mother's fear when her daughter Ashley, who has some learning challenges, got pregnant. Amy navigated those rough waters with a grace and dignity that some might not expect from my sister. But I never expected anything less. Her love for her daughter, as well as for her childless brother, gave her the strength to choreograph the most beautiful of endings. And while most will never know the great toll it took on her, a few of us do, and we bow down in awe.

MOST HEALING MOTHER

My sister-in-law Sue has the unwanted distinction of being the mother with the sickest kids of the past year. But if anyone can handle that title, she can. No one can attend to and mend a sick child like Sue. From ear infections to lifelong diseases, she can manage them all with ease. She definitely missed her calling as a nurse. If my kids ever get very ill, I'm sending them to her house!

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED MOTHER

Though this mother's baby looks oddly like an unsalted peanut at the moment, my niece Brooke will no doubt be putting the rest of us mothers to shame come December. She will be changing diapers and making bottles and folding onesies and powdering bottoms and tickling toes, all with both hands tied behind her back. I know I'm looking forward to meeting this perfect mothers' baby, who will surely have the fattest cheeks in all of Christendom!

MOST ATTENTIVE MOTHER

This toughest of nuts was forever cracked when her baby Landon was born. From the minute my niece Brianne laid eyes on that baby, she fell head over heels and turned into a big bowl of mush! That boy will never go a minute without knowing his mama thinks he's the smartest, most handsome, funniest, kindest, most talented, best dressed, fastest, most creative, best hairstyle, cleanest eater, best sleeper, ....you get the point. Landon's got his mama's full attention, and we all love seeing her soft and gushy side!

MOST PREPARED MOTHER

She may not now be or ever have been a Lewis, but my best friend Melissa has earned her place in this family's yearbook. While some mothers make decisions for their kids on a whim, Melissa analyzes to a gnat's eyebrow each and every decision regarding her children. Whether it be as simple as what outfit they should wear to a party or what the best course of treatment is for their learning disability, she will spend hours upon hours researching each and every possibility to find the perfect one. Her children can sleep deeper at night in the knowledge that what their mother has done for them has been exactly what they needed.

MOST EASY GOING MOTHER

Nothing ruffles this mother's feathers. My oldest niece Bonnie has 5 children under 13, and you never see her lose her cool. And why would she? She was born to be a mother. She's seen her kids safely through rough times with her relaxed, positive manner. There's not a week that goes by that either Melissa or I don't say to each other, "I really wish I could be more like Bonnie right now...why can't I just relax about this??!" No grey hairs in this mother's future, that's for sure!

MOST GRATEFUL MOTHER

I am so lucky to be part of a family full of strong maternal influences. The Lewis family as a whole would fall by the wayside if not for the perseverance and tough-mindedness of all of these women.

MOTHER OF THE YEAR

While the rest of us spent the last year ranting and raving like plucked chickens about our petty issues, my niece Ashley was quietly proving herself to be the most real mother of us all. She had the intelligence to realize that she wasn't ready for the challenges of motherhood and the courage to allow her child to be raised by people who were ready for those challenges. We should all hope that in the face of tough decisions, we would be as practical and as brave as Ashley has been. (Not to mention she gave her Aunt Kathy the chance to stop hating Mother's Day!)

*Wow, those moms are all so cool...I hope they sign my yearbook!

(p.s., keep your eyes on Being Suzanne Mosley around 8am, there may be a surprise in store!)

Back Away From The NTJ

Bethany and Mom, my fellow female NTJ'ers. We're no joke, so take heed.

What's That On Your Head?

Cole's Thanksgiving party trick. He wanted to get everyone with the helmet on, but only got about halfway around the table before something distracted him.

What Might Have Been

Here's a fun little post: I came across the pictures from the day Brooke first tried on wedding dresses. Of course, when you throw Me, Mom, Brooke, Bethany, Bonnie and Brianne together in a David's Bridal, you get nothing less than pure comedy (I recall Bonnie making me wet my pants at lunch that day, making fun of the soup). But we did get some work done that day, as you'll see in the following photos:

This one killed me dead. An amazing combination of vintage and red carpet. But probably more me than Brookeedee.

I mean really, with a figure like that, it's a miracle Brooke escaped the pregnancy bug before the big day...just sayin'...

I loved her in this one. A Grecian goddess, Athena with Snow White curls...

This one started a string of quinceanera dresses that had Bethany and I singing and dancing the Mexican Hat dance through the rows of rainbow colored bridesmaids dresses

The va-va-voom Marilyn Monroe dress

Ava was not a fan of monkeying around in David's Bridal

Of course, Brooke ended up with the perfect dress, and looked like heavenly perfection on her big day.