On March 4, every year, I will remember how thankful I am to have had the best mom. If she was still here, I would have called her, wished her a happy birthday, have sent her a beautiful bouquet because she loved flowers, and have had a nice chat about what she and my dad have done today to celebrate her. I miss her so much.

Lately I have been going through our family photos so that I can make a memory book for each year. Of course, I come across so many that make me smile, especially ones of my mom and dad being amazing grandparents, and sometimes my mom just being silly (like holding up a book about Cranbrook). Here are a few from 2011 when we were in Canada visiting, and from 2012 when my parents came to Ukraine after Kai was born.