HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letters to moms were submitted by teacher Pat McLaughlin’s third-grade class at Mariners Elementary School. Further down are letters from residents of Newport-Mesa.

My mum is the best mum because she takes care of me and she gives me great food. Also, my mum is kind and loving. My mum is an amazing cook. My mum loves to play with me. I love my mum. She is the best mum in the galaxy and beyond.

Jack Sandy

My mom is charming. Her name is Candace Cox. I love her more than the universe. I love her so much, I can’t say. She is my hero. She takes me everywhere. My mom is gorgeous. She is so smart. That’s why my mom is the best!

Carly Cox

My mom is the most wonderful mom ever! She has a great talent in art. My mom has taught me lots of things in my life, and still is. My mom is most wonderful because she gave birth to me. She nurses me in my sicknesses and helps me when I need it. She is the best mom ever!

Elise Denghausen

My mom is the best mom in the world. I love her because she loves me. She does this by providing food, tucking me in, helping me, understanding my problems, and playing with me. I love her by kissing her. My mom is the best of them all! Jake Smith

I love my mom. She rocks! I love her because she takes me to Target and buys me Star Wars stuff. She also helps the Earth. I love my mom.

Jonny Clifton

My mom is wonderful. She is wonderful because she comes to my basketball and baseball games. She even makes me the best dinners. I like her when we go shopping at Fashion Island or when we get Angel tickets. Whenever I’m hot we go to a pool. I really like my mom.

Connor Kincaid

My mom is outstanding. She is a great mom. She helps me with my homework. She is nice and thoughtful to me and my family. My mom is a great leader to me. She supports me when I play in sport games or just do a hobby. That’s my cool mom.

McKenzie Porteous

Do you know why my mom is the best mom in the world? My mom’s the best because she helps the Earth. She also lets me do anything I want except for things like playing on the roof and jumping off a cliff.

I think my mom’s the best because she helps me with everything. She’s also the best because she brings me to Target, K-Mart, and my favorite, Six Flags. She helps me when I’m hurt and when I’m angry. I love my mom sooo much. She’s the best mom in the world!

Bree Bennett

My mom is remarkable!

My mom is so great because she lets me stay up late at night watching movies with my friends. She lets us play until someone gets hurt. She doesn’t complain when we spill our milk or water. When she wants us to do something she doesn’t shout.

She says it in a nice, but solemn way. We can play tackle football until our shirts are as brown as mud. Then she lets us play even more. She cares about our safety and makes us wear a helmet when we are skateboarding. My mom lets us play baseball with tennis balls until we hit a home run (which is over the fence into the neighbor’s yard).

If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldn’t be writing this paragraph. I love my mom because she is so great!

Jack Elliott

My mom is so wonderful. My mom is wonderful because when I get sick or hurt, she makes me well and healthy. When I get scared, my mom makes me feel safe and sound. My mom is the best mom in the world because she holds my hand when I get shots at the doctor’s. My mom is Natalie Putnam. I’m proud of her.

Malia Putnam

My mom is wonderful in many ways. Some of them are that she makes sure that I’m healthy and she helps me when I need it. She keeps me safe and is kind to me. My mom makes sure I get good grades in school. My mom helps the earth by planting flowers and recycling our trash. My mom is the best in the world.

Brett Bell

My mom is magnificent because she helps me when I’m hurt. She makes my lunches, buys the groceries, and drives me to school. She also makes me happy, helps me when I’m sick, and helps me do my homework. That is why my mom is magnificent.

Ethan Zimmerman

I think my mom is outstanding! I think that because her name, Katie, is wonderful. Also, she takes care of me. She helps me if I’m hurt. She also buys me clothes and toys. She pays money so I can be educated and go to college. She also loves me to where the universe ends and back. She throws birthday parties for me and most of all she gave birth to me. She is the best mom in the world.

Patrick Lynch

My mom is great because she helps me with my homework. My mom is great for me to have around. My mom helps me get out of fights with my brothers. She’s the first to talk at the dinner table. My mom is beautiful everyday when she fixes herself up. My mom can be as nice as my dog. I love my mom.

Claire Tafoya

My mom’s name is Carol. She is a very fantastic mom. I love her a lot. She does a lot of nice things for me. She takes care of me in a good way. She is a loving mom. I love her because she got me a Wii, Bakugan, U.B.Funkeys, and Littlest Pet Shop. Do you have a nice mom?

Nikola Knaeps

My mom is the finest mom in the world. I love her because she is great, awesome, and confident. She is awesome because she makes great food. She is an awesome cook. I love my mom.

Keegan Schonfeldt

My mom is the best mom ever. She likes bears. She helps me with my homework. She loves to eat salad. She loves old songs. She loves movies. She loves to see me have fun. She loves when I’m good. She loves when I learn something new. She loves when I don’t complain. She loves when I do my chores. That’s my mom.

Robbie Moralice

My mom is wonderful! My mom is wonderful because she is nice, awesome, and terrific. She is always shining like a star in the dark, black night. When I am gloomy or sad, she brightens me up. She is always happy and grateful. She has a magnificent attitude. She is lovely and outstanding. She is also loyal to other people around her. She is a wonderful mom!

Taylor Cope

My mom is the best mom in the world! My mom is nice and funny. She makes outstanding meals for my family. My mom and I have fun together. My mom is beautiful in every way. Best of all, she takes good care of me. My mom will always love me and I will always love her.

Callie Spooner

My mom is as awesome as can be. She is very sweet. I love to bike ride with her. I like when she hugs me. She takes care of me and my brother. I try to obey her orders. I love when she tells me she loves me. She is very helpful and is as wise as Eleanor Roosevelt. I love my mom at ton!

Amanda Tapfer

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following were submitted by residents of the Newport-Mesa community.

Mom,

We wanted to let everyone know that you are the best mom in the world.

You teach us right from wrong. You make us all better when we get boo-boos. You make yummy pancakes. You lift us up when we are sad. You remind us that everything will be OK when we are upset. You are the best playmate at the park. You are always up for watching our favorite shows over and over. You taught us to say “please” and “thank you.” You make sure we pray before meals. You take great care of us when we are sick. You always get up with us really early in the morning, even when you don’t want to. You make sure we are packed with snacks and extra clothes whenever we go anywhere. You are the best book reader we know. And, you always let us know how much you love us.

Well, it’s our turn now. We love you mom. We know we are blessed with the best mom in the world. Thank you for being so special.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom!

Love,

Eamonn and Marley

To our mom Tiffany,

What can we say, our mom is the best! She not only takes care of all of us, but she makes sure we have fun, too. She plans birthday parties at the zoo, helps with our tough homework, and even finds time to play with us in the pool.

Most of all we love our mom because she has such a big heart. She is always there to fix a boo-boo or to listen when we want to tell her something very important (we can trust her with our secrets). Our mom is patient, kind and beautiful. We are so glad we have her as our mom.

Happy Mother’s Day with all our love.

Amanda, Benny and Heather

I have the world’s greatest mom. Her name is Joan. She is 76 years old and has worked her entire life and is still working. She can tear down, repair and rebuild absolutely anything and has done so for most of her life in order to maintain her rental property.

She has demolished sidewalks with a jackhammer, torn down entire buildings to the frame, retiled, plumbed, painted, carpeted, repaired holes in the walls, replaced broken windows and cleaned every sort of greasy appliance you can possibly imagine. She went back to college when I was in my early 20s and received her nursing degree working nights in the hospital so she could be at home with my brothers during the day, and when they were in school, she continued to maintain the apartments. Two of my brothers were in serious accidents, and she cared for them night and day. One of them was paralyzed from the chest down, and she cared for him for 25 years at home. He was 6-feet-7 and it was unbelievably hard work.

You would think she would tire, but no, she loves to shop and probably knows the name of every salesperson between here and South County. She loves “bling” and pretty clothes. Last year, the door of her bedroom slammed shut while she was on the balcony and locked her out. She panicked! She was going to miss her nail appointment. Not to be deterred, she crawled up the side, over the ledge and onto the roof of a two-story house to flag down a helpful stranger who was able to get a ladder, just in time to make her appointment.

She is hysterically funny and can bring a party to its knees with laughter. Just recently, over the past two years, she has been able to slow down a bit and start enjoying her life. She has taken up golf and gets up at 5:30 a.m. to play 18 holes several days a week. She attends plays, movies and meets her friends for dinners. Most of all, she adores her grandchildren who run to her with toys that are broken or need to be assembled.

Grandma can fix! I would feel blessed to have half of her talents and zest for life. My mother is truly amazing and although she denies it, very, very beautiful.

Alexis Cavanaugh

Hard times — that’s what they called the Depression years in the late 1920s and early 1930s. If you ask me, looking back on my mother’s life during that era, it was more like she did “hard time.”

Left with an infant and a toddler before she was 25 and no income, Mother’s only option was to move back home with her widowed mother and unmarried sister.

The economic situation was not a whole lot brighter. At least there was a roomy house without a mortgage, and my aunt had a steady job earning $10 a week as a clerk in the town’s only pharmacy. Mother farmed herself out as a “practical nurse,” working nights, taking care of invalids. She also made a small salary as a reporter for the local newspaper, submitting bits of local gossip of interest to the community. This arrangement worked for a year or two, but things changed drastically when, at 55, my grandma had a massive stroke that left her completely paralyzed on one side and almost speechless. She went from a bustling, energetic, cheerful woman to an invalid requiring total care, and remained that way until her death more than 15 years later.

There was no money for rehab or convalescent care (which wasn’t available anyway), so mother became chief caregiver, with my aunt as her backup. To augment the family coffers, mother worked a morning or evening shift at the drug store, so either she or my aunt would be home at all times. Both these young women were confined within the invisible walls of a prison of responsibility, with an indeterminate sentence and no time off for good behavior. In spite of the constant demands of caring for an invalid and two growing children — and almost no money — if mother got depressed or worried, we never knew it. She was a rock!

Mother managed to make juggling her time, caring for us all, keeping that big old house clean and working part time look easy. If there were concerns about money, we weren’t the only family in town who were less than affluent. I had all I ever needed and grew up feeling secure and loved.

Eventually things brightened up for both mother and my aunt. A doctor moved into town and took a shine to my aunt, and mother met a man who was truly smitten with her. He lived in a small city a few miles away and came by train to see her weekly, always bearing flowers and candy. They married when she was 40, and much to her chagrin, produced a baby boy two years later. I married about the same time, and moved across the state.

I never knew just how hard times were for mother until long after, when I became a mother with responsibilities of my own. Mother always said, “You can do anything you have to,” and lived up to that motto. Looking back, I marvel at the strength of that remarkable woman who did that hard time with love and grace.

Betts Harley

My mom is the best mom in the whole world. She always takes time to play ball, read me books, change a stinker, and is letting me get a “bigger boat” (dad asked me to say that). Whenever I cry, she takes the time to understand why and makes it all better. Dad recently modified my crib into a bed that permits me to get up all by myself. I wake up mom every morning. She seems pretty tired, but always joyful to see me. I especially like it when dad is at work, and I get to join mom in bed for a little very early Elmo!

Mom, I’ll always love you. I’ll always like you. As long as I’m living my mommy you’ll be.

With unconditional love,

Grady Mitchell Starn

M-O-T-H-E-R

“M” is for the million things she gave us,

“O” is for the outstanding things she does for us,

“T” is for all the time she spends tirelessly with us,

“H” is for her heart of purest gold,

“E” is for her beautiful green eyes, with love-light shining,

“R” means right, and right she’ll always be. Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”

A word that means the world to us.

We love you tons, Mom!

Sarah, Stephen, Bruno, Dixie and Dad!

My mom is the best mom in the world.

She loves her husband, four kids and six and a half grandchildren unconditionally.

My mom would drop everything to help a dear friend or family member.

Her heart is so big it amazes me she still finds room for more love to give.

When I grow up I want to be just like her, and when people tell me I am just like my mom, I take it as the biggest compliment.

Happy Mother’s Day, Eileen Morris! The best mom in the whole world!

Hi, our mother (Linda Pitts) is awesome! She is always there for us. She supports us in every way possible. She shops, cleans and washes for us every day and rarely do we take a moment to acknowledge all her efforts on our behalf. We love you mom! Thanks for being you!

Allison and Dana Pitts

Our mom, Joni Borquez, is the best and prettiest mom in the whole wide world! She is always in our classrooms volunteering, helping with math problems and art projects. We love seeing her at Eastbluff Elementary flag deck in the morning and at pick-up in the afternoon — she is always there for us.

Mom is our biggest fan at all of our baseball games — she never misses one! When we are sick, she takes really good care of us. She always makes sure that we have fun play dates with our friends. During the summer she takes us to the beach at Big Corona — we love that! Mom is a really good cook and makes us our favorite dinners like ribs! She makes us yummy butterball cookies and brownies, too. We couldn’t ask for a better mother! Happy Mother’s Day, mama! We love you so much!!

Nicholas and Ryan

Our mom, Elena Pulford, is an amazing mom. She makes sure to give all her children, two- and four-legged, the best care possible. Since we were young we were taught to treat all creatures great and small with kindness and respect.

Our horse, Faith, our dog, Roxanne, and our cats, Arthur, Star and Sasha are our brothers and sisters. Throughout our lives she has supported our endeavors, helping us make our dreams become reality. She cheers us on at competitions, letting us know how proud she is of us even when we don’t win.

So whether it be soccer games, horse shows, tennis tournaments or graduation, our mom is there.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom!

Jennifer, Kathryn, Christopher and Matthew

I have the world’s greatest mom because she has taught me to be a loving and caring person. My mom keeps me safe. She is a very thoughtful and helpful person and it shows. My mom has many jobs like going grocery shopping, reminding us of things that need to be done and being an occasional chauffeur. I’m sure every family has a wonderful mom, but I feel exceptionally lucky to have mine.

I love you, mom.

Happy Mother’s Day,

Gloria Sanchez is a mother of six, a wife, and an exceptional woman. She has overcome abundant obstacles and is a great role model for her family. In our opinion she is the glue to our busy world, the cheese to our macaroni, the gas in our car, the woman in our hearts. She comes home after a long day of work and makes sure we have a warm dinner every night, she is constantly involved in our education and supports us in everything we do. She has a strong spirit and mentality, goes the extra mile for us every day by persuading us to excel in life and teaching us values that will help us become better individuals.

We love you so much and we thank God for you every day.

Your crew,

Nena, Maty, Cacha, JR, Jaime, Jacob and Dad (Mocha and Coby too!)

Growing up, I lived in the house across the street from my grandma, and my mother is the oldest of 10 kids.

I was always surrounded by women, mothers or not — with four aunts and about a dozen female cousins, so it created a maternal dynamic like no other. Everyone had their own place in the family. My mom, as I discovered in adulthood, was the Queen Bee.

As the outspoken one, there are a lot of things about her that people don’t know. To me, she always was and still is a “fun” and “cool” mom. I remember one summer morning when I was around 9, she decided on a whim to take me to Knott’s Berry Farm that day! While in high school, we watched talk shows together and learned we were both lucky for not having the same issues many of the guests on the show were dealing with.

When I was 21, I explored the karaoke scene with my sister and mom — she loved to sing Mary Wells! She started my love affair with good bakeries, taught me how to make dinner out of anything, and that a perfectly wrapped present is a gift in and of itself!

My mom once told me that it doesn’t matter how many friends you have as long as they are good ones. She is easy to make friends with and will often talk to strangers in the grocery line (which I used to find very embarrassing). She still has the same best friends since before I was born 30 years ago.

She is also one of my friends, and a best one at that. I moved to another state 12 years ago, but that doesn’t mean I love her any less. We talk on the phone several times a week just to check in and see what’s new. She is always there for me, even if I’m just calling to ask her opinion on something. Her opinion is often the only one that matters to me. She is also a new grandmother to my baby girl.

She treats her with special gifts the same way she used to treat me. I know what wonderful memories that has left me with, and now on this Mother’s Day, I reflect on what an awesome mom I have.

I love you, Mom!

Gina Italiano Holgate

We think our mom, Tammy, is the greatest! Not only does she take care of everything around the house every day, she makes sure the three of us get to all of our non-school related functions on time (and there are a lot of them).

On top of that, she heads up our elementary school’s PTA and volunteers with other charity organizations. What makes her extra special is that she feels it’s important to be actively involved with our lives so she takes care of us largely by herself, not with the help of nannies.

And she even does this completely by herself eight to 10 days each month since our dad has to travel a lot. Our dad says he couldn’t trade jobs with mom.

Please make sure to print this so she knows how special she is to us and how much we appreciate her.

Mia, Kai and Ava

Mommy, we love you for all that you do!

It sure can’t be easy with a girl and three boys

But your smile is always there even when we make a mess with our toys

You feed us, hug us and drive us to school

Help with our homework and always keep your cool

Patients and understanding in all that you do

Mom you’re an angel sent from the heaven above

Thank you for all your caring, giving and love

Happy Mothers Day!