10. a surprise bouquet of flowers on tuesday. they were beautiful flowers. and the next bouquet of flowers i receive...i hope makayah doesn't try to eat them, or pull them out and stick them in her hair, or throw the petals over the ground she walks on (forcing me to vacuum on a non-vacuuming day)...is this too much to ask?
9. a new phone on wednesday. i was just fine with my old ghetto phone. sam wasn't. i think he was embarrassed every time i pulled my ghetto phone out. and he hated how the low battery signal would go off every five minutes. but i do love how i can set multiple alarms for practically everything i need to remember. i am now much less forgetful and scatterbrained. thank you, new phone. and thank you, sam.
8. thank you to my fellow soccer moms and their sage advice. treasure and cherish the time when my kids are small, and still want to cuddle, and their biggest drama is only the fact that i snuck an early peak at the mother's day gift they made for me at school, that they aren't too old and too cool to still be hugged and kissed in public (or seen with me, for that matter), and the only talking back is the occasional, "aaaawwww, mom!" despite the difficult times these mommy days can sometimes bring...these precious days are actually going to be the "easiest" as things go along, and will go by way too fast. enjoy every second of it.
7. about that early peak...i'm sorry isaiah. i know you wanted your sweet card to be a surprise, i had no idea what was in your backpack - i was just trying to be a good mama and keep on top of school homework, announcements, etc. i still loved the card even if it wasn't given to me on mother's day, in the special way you wanted it presented. let's push the restart button, okay?
6. on saturday after isaiah's soccer game, i received a package of fancy shmancy chocolate covered strawberries and fancy shmancy mini cheesecakes from sacramento, california...because obviously the cheese and strawberries in wisconsin just wouldn't cut it for sam. lol. i didn't get to take a picture of it's delicious fanciness because they only lasted about 10 minutes after they arrived. thank you sam, and thank you to my little vultures who just couldn't resist eating the toppings off each treat before i could get to them...you saved me a load of extra calorie burning.
5. thank you to my fearless husband who isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands "dirty," both figuratively and literally. figuratively, when he took all three kids saturday afternoon, so i could get my hair cut - in peace and quiet. literally, when sam threw the kids in the shower and washed them up after makayah decided to walk around town barefoot - but even more disturbing was when she ran into the men's bathroom at the movie theater (barefoot) and came out with toilet paper stuck to her foot. gross. me. out.
4. about the movie theater - we went to see thor. awesome. absolutely awesome. it would've been even more awesome had sam and i been able to see the movie in it's entirety. but with potty breaks and a teething baby, we missed a few parts. meh, oh well.
3. after the late mother's day movie, sam took it upon himself to completely take care of bedtime (which is just exhausting). showers, teeth brushing, pj's, and prayers...all while i lied in bed resting my weary eyes. thank you daddy sam.
2. the beautifully clean house i awoke to really topped things off. i had about an hour to myself in the quiet and very clean house (which sam had stayed up until 4am for). it was heavenly.
1. and my most favorite part of mother's day is the annual mother's day songs sung by the primary children. i love hearing my children sing. as crazy and challenging as they are, and as much as they make me want to pull my hair out and scream... i love their sweet voices, their bright eyes, their flashing smiles and contagious laughter, and their sweet and tender hugs and kisses. these tender moments seem to make all the whining, sibling rivalry, boogers smeared on my pant legs, and mess upon mess all worth it.
i am grateful for the sacred privilege of being a mother. they have taught me so much of patience, humility, love, and forgiveness. and of course, i wouldn't be half the mother i am now if it weren't for my own mother. i always think of her when i lose my patience. she rarely yelled or got mad, and she was always so very affectionate. i hope i can be more like her someday. i called her and we reminisced about the great times we had. every mother's day, i would get my brothers up and we would make my mom breakfast in bed. we almost always would serve blueberry muffins. i remember how she'd cuddle me and run her hands through my hair to help me fall asleep. so many wonderful memories. she is an amazing mother and i am thankful for her in my life.
and i can't forget my amazing mother-in-law. she raised a good son, a great father. i love when we get together and laugh and cry and tell stories late into the night. i am one lucky gal. :)
happy mother's day.
