MOY and Honor Mothers with Governor Gary R. Herbert
Shauna with a Utah pin presented by my State Senator.
Shauna and daughter in front of the Capitol Building.
Shirley Tong, Utah Mother of the Year 2010 and Shauna Bird Dunn
Shauna and Jodi Wilding, Utah Young Mother Coordinator
(isn't Jodi great?)
Reading the Utah State Legislature Official Citation Honoring American Mothers Inc.
February 26, 2010
The Utah Mother and Mother of Young Children for 2010 and the Merit Mothers were presented to the Governor and the Utah Legislature. The older children had activities to attend and we weren't sure how much waiting there would be, so we got a babysitter for the little ones. Aerie and Brent were able to attend. It ended up being a fabulous day for the three of us.
Brent suggested that I give Governor Herbert a book (because reading is my thing), and we ended up having enough time (and a parking angel) to get a book from Deseret Book. Unfortunately, there weren’t a ton of picture book choices, but we ended up choosing Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Jane Dyer. I wrote in the front, "Mothers teach amazing things through simple acts. Thank you for honoring all the mothers of Utah." and signed it with my name and "Utah Mother of Young Children 2010."
Governor Herbert was very personable, and commended our work as mothers. When he met Aerie he asked her age and she told him nine. He said, “So, third grade? Fourth grade?” Aerie simply said, “Yes.” (It is such a homeschool answer. And, it is what I often say to her, I can’t remember what grade she would actually be in anymore.) When I interjected that we homeschool, the governor said, “Oh, then you’re probably in eighth grade.” And Aerie said, “Well, I kind of am in eighth grade.” It was a hoot!
After being introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives, we took pictures in front of the Capitol Building. Then we asked Aerie if she’d like to go someplace nice for lunch. “Yeah, let’s go someplace nice . . . like IHOP!” (I guess that means nice as opposed to McDonalds or Golden Corral?) We ended up at the Garden Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Building. A violinist was playing in the foyer, and we stopped to listen. Aerie’s eyes were glowing. The violinist stopped to visit with us and encouraged Aerie to keep practicing. Aerie told her that she really wants to go to Nauvoo and be a music missionary there when she is a teenager. Now, she thinks it would be great to get to play at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, too. (I’m so grateful for inspirational “experiences”!)
The rest of the day was crazy. We raced home after our late (fancy!) lunch, got Sophia off to dance, and I took pictures of several picture books (Aerie and Sallie and Coco held them up for me . . . they were great helpers!), then we went to the Girl Scout Ranch by Grandma’s house and I read bedtime stories with the pictures projected on the wall so that all 120 people at the “indoor campout” could see them. (My friend, Chante H. is the Girl Scout event planner and asked me to do that.) Sophia was excited to get to spend time with G. (she considers G. her best friend even though they don’t get to see each other much.) And Aerie got to be with C.H. and L.B. (friends from Springville). Coco was very excited to play with Aerie’s friends . . . and thankfully, they let her. It was a hectic, but very rewarding day.
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