A tribute to Moms

The day before Mother's Day, one Kimball mom will be handing her graduating son his diploma. As a member of the local board of education Carrie Tabor will present her oldest child, Nicholas, with his diploma this weekend as he graduates valedictorian of his class.

"I can't take credit for who Nicholas is, he just has done amazing things," she said.

Carrie, a mom of five spanning from high school graduate to newborn, said she feels blessed to have the opportunity, though she knows it will be a very emotional moment shared with an entire community.

"I had Nicholas when I was fairly young and because of him I ended up graduating a year early; I stayed home with him during that time," she said. " Then I got my Associates Degree and then finished out my Bachelor's online."

By the time she completed her second degree she welcomed her second son, Xavier, now 12, as well.

Their family moved to Kimball when Nicholas was in second grade.

"My mom's family is from Kimball," Carrie said. "What brought me back to Kimball was the house I live in. It was my grandma's house."

After moving to Kimball, Carrie met the man she would marry, Danny Tabor, and soon their daughter Emmaline, 8, was born.

"Then, pretty quick, we had Nalix (7)," Carrie said. "We decided we were going to put things on pause for awhile."

They eventually decided to have another baby and recently added their daughter, Theron, to the family.

"It is strange having a senior in high school and having a newborn in the family," she said. "What's great about my kids and husband is that having a newborn is a huge change to your family, but at the same time it feels like she has always been a part of us."

With his big brother graduating, Xavier is training to fill in.

"My kids are incredibly close," Carrie said. "Attempting to prepare for him to be gone is a huge moment for us."

The difficulties for each of the family members throughout this transition vary, but Carrie feels blessed for quick communication tools such as Face Time and Nicholas is already considering ways to connect to his newest sister.

"Nicholas is an amazing young man, just incredible. I am fortunate to have a son who is willing and able to step in and help out," she said. "Graduation is going to be a bigger change than bringing a baby in. I think it is just as hard for Nicholas to think about being away as it is for us to think about him being away. He is very concerned about Theron not knowing who he is, so he is trying to think of ways that he can connect with her while he is away."

With all of her children, Carrie recognizes strength, unique abilities and a genuine affection for one another.

"I am very lucky that I have the kids I have, they are very loving to each other and I am excited that Theron is going to get to grow up with such amazing siblings," Carrie said. "But for a period of her life she will probably be like an only child."

Though Nicholas is moving to Pennsylvania for college, and though Carrie knows the change will be difficult, she takes comfort in knowing how attached they are to one another.

"I imagine at some point they will end up back near one another," she said, "because that is just how close they are. They rely on one another, they trust one another."

Carrie embraces her children wholly, and it is important to her to allow them to be who they are.

"I didn't teach them to do most of the things they do or be the people that they are," Carrie said. "You just sit back and watch these amazing little beings just be who they are. I don't want my kids to be copies of me, I want them to be who they are."

Though it isn't always easy, Carrie said that as her children develop and grow into the people that they are, her role is to encourage and support them in their individuality. And though she takes little credit for the successes Nicholas has achieved, she hopes to have had enough influence to carry him comfortably into his future.

"I hope I have prepared him well enough to know that he can step out into that world and be strong and confident in who he is and he will know how to adapt to a place that is not Kimball," she said.