Mother's Day 2015

It took me awhile to warm up to the idea of Mother's Day. Years of not being able to have a baby, followed by having a child but still feeling pain for those without children kind of dampered the event. But you know what? Mother's Day is not just about me; My husband and my kids want me to feel loved and special. I embrace their wishes with an open heart.

This year I wanted the boys to feel like they were an integral part of the celebration. Chris and I made this poster and put it in the Family Home Evening Room the night before Mother's Day. The boys found it and devoured the candy before Chris and I even woke up! Needless to say, they weren't opposed to the idea of a sweet treat.

I am the luckiest mom in the world. These guys have been watched by a variety of families in the neighborhood (while I took Chris to important clinic visits) and I hear it all the time: how sweet they are, how smart they are, how kind and respectful and obedient they are. They are not picky eaters! They know their scriptures, they say "please" and "thank you," they clear their dishes and pick up their toys and help one another.

Sometimes with all the schedules and homework assignments and "put-on-your-sanitizer" and "don't-take-your-brother's-legos" moments I get a fuzzy too-close-to-your-eyes vision of the kids. I've learned to regularly pause everything around me, take a step back, and look at the big picture: these are really, really, really GOOD kids. In fact, they are phenomenal.

Here are the boys' Mother's Day gifts. Isaac made a sweet, heart-shaped keychain with his 4-year-old thumbprints pressed into the heart. I love his signature at the bottom of the page too!

 Caleb made me a heart-shaped ceramic necklace in my favorite color: blue. He wrote the word "mom" on it and put a lot of detailed lines and dots all over. And bless him for making symmetrical beadwork! His laminated picture says that "Mom is as nice as a bunny" and features me, queen of the hill, in a rockin' outfit. Caleb always puts a lot of color and detail into his drawings--I love that about him.

Matthew made a paper bouquet (which I appreciate since I dearly miss fresh flowers) and a book. There are several pages, so I decided to highlight just a few.

 
"I would like to dedicate this book to my mom because: She helps me in hard times. She cares for me. She cooks my dinner. She helps me with my homework. She loves me." 

Sniff. I guess my efforts haven't gone unnoticed after all.

MOTHER. My mother is the best. Often reads. Thinks incredibly. Helps me with homework. Extra awesome. Right and smart.

Wait a second!!! Why did the "always" get crossed out before "Right and smart"?!! It seems like a crucial modifier to that series of adjectives. I laughed as I asked Matthew what happened. He said his teacher edited that page. She said he couldn't have anything in front of the 'R'. Sigh. The public school system fails again!!! (I hope everyone knows I'm joking. I love Matthew's teacher.)

It's supposed to say "MOM," but he drew the picture the other way around. Personally, I think it's a huge improvement; everyone wants a portrait of themselves with the word "WOW" above it.

 Chris made me dinner. Kind of. He didn't read the directions all the way through and got stuck. In the end, he played with the kids and I fixed the meal. He needed to get off his feet and I love to cook, so it was a win-win. I thought it was sweet that he even thought to do something for me.

Thank you for the many text messages, cards, and even a poppy field apron to make me feel special. I'm glad I embraced Mother's Day. I think everyone felt uplifted, loved, and appreciated.