Vanessa Baxter (Last Man Standing)

Vanessa Baxter is the wife of Mike Baxter and mother of Kristin Baxter, Mandy Baxter-Anderson, and Eve Baxter. She is portrayed by Nancy Travis and first appeared in the series' pilot episode.

The matriarch of the Baxter family, Vanessa is a dedicated wife to Mike, caring mother/grandmother to her children and grandchildren respectively, and a wisecracking geologist. After taking a break from her career to raise her three children, Vanessa returned to work and received a promotion shortly after, leaving less time for her family, less patience for their problems, and no patience for Mike's "solutions".

In seasons 3 to 4, she decided to leave geology and start going for a teaching degree. She was excited about her daughter marrying and is still as loving as ever.