Celebrating Mom

Today we had the perfect weather for Mother's Day.  Josh let me sleep in a bit while he and Claire played with the dollhouse in her room (starting at 6:10AM today- she slept it and it was a Mother's Day miracle!) and then went to Caribou to get me a coffee.  We worked our tushes off this morning cleaning, cooking, and preparing for a barbeque lunch at our house to celebrate my Mama's birthday, which is tomorrow.  The best part of the lunch came at the beginning, when Chris and Becky gave this planter to my Mom.  I am SO thrilled that they are having a baby and can't wait to become an Aunt again!  I already love Baby Thydean to pieces! My brother and my sister-in-law are a fantastic Uncle and Aunt to my children, and I can see how much pure joy they have when interacting with them, laughing with them, and showering them with gifts.  I can only imagine how happy they will be when doing the same with their own child. 

After the group left around 2:00PM, the kids took a late nap, and then they woke up in terribly grumpy moods (Mother's Day can't be perfect...). And by "they", I mean "Claire", but I wouldn't want to single her out or anything.   Josh weeded my garden so I can plant the vegetables this week, we took a family bike ride with the Bur.ley, had frozen pizza for dinner, and took a long walk around the neighborhood.  It was a glorious evening. 

At dinner, Claire asked if she could say a prayer.  She said, ""Dear! God! Thank you for Mommy's special day. Thank you for Mommy staying home with me and I love Mommy and thank you for Mommy protecting me from the puppy. A-MEN!" 

I remember when Mother's Day wasn't so wonderful for me...  Mother's Day in May 2008 to be exact.  It was four months and three failed cycles with infertility treatments after my miscarriage.  I wondered when I would ever be given the gift of motherhood.  It is not lost on me that today can be a very painful day for women who are aching to my Mommy's.  For the women who are waiting for a spouse so they can share their life and finally be a mother.  For the women who are waiting to be chosen by a birth mother.  For the women who have seen stark white after white after white after white pregnancy tests.  No, it's not a happy day for all women.  For some, it's a remembrance of what they long for.  And those women will be especially loved on during my prayers tonight.

Happy Mother's day to my incredible mother (a feeble attempt at describing what she means to me is here) and Happy Mother's Day to my best Mom-in-Law, who raised my husband to be the amazing man and father that he is today and who is helping shape my children into awesome young people.