Mother of the Year Finalist: Jessica Graham

Mom: Jessica Graham, Gardner, Kan.
Nominated by: Pete Graham, husband

My wife and I got married at a very young age. IMG_0484

We were expecting our first child when she was 16 years old. She has never brought up the fact that when we did get married, she did not have that fairy tale wedding with the long white dress, reception or a honeymoon. We were married in a little room across the hall from the main chapel in the church. We were just happy to be together –  two young people starting our lives off on our discovery of parenthood and marriage.

Since then we have had seven more children. The crazy part is that there are three sets of twins, all natural births. My wife is the mother to not only our eight children but to countless other children around the neighborhood. She will not send anyone home without eating because she does not know if they will get to eat. She always thinks of others first. Always has.

My wife is the woman that would give the shirt off of her back to someone that she does not even know. We may not have the money to help someone else or to give our kids everything, but she does make the time out of her busy schedule to make someone smile. After raising eight children and being married to me for almost 18 years, I believe she deserves to be mother of the year. Outside of this contest she will always be the woman of my dreams.

If she was to win this contest, it would help me because with eight children, it is not very often that we get to lay back and relax, have a night where we can go to a movie or dinner. I have always wanted to give her a day of relaxation – I could just never afford to. Even if I could, she is the mother that would tell me to return whatever I bought so we could spend money on our children.

I would like to say thank you for even considering this beautiful woman, the mother of my children, my best friend, my wife.

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