A Mother's Day

I have a lot to say today, which is nothing new really. Brevity isn't one of my strong points. First, I will say that I had a great mother's day and record the events. The girls and I watched a cute little Sofia The First about mother's day while I drank my coffee, then we all went to church. This was baptism weekend at the church we've recently been attending, and I was so moved by the way it was done and by the testimonies of those being baptized. This church continues to feel right for us in many, many ways. We headed downtown to The Loop for brunch, where the bonuses included free mimosas and chocolate covered strawberries for moms, and we also ended up with a huge chocolate chip cookie/ice cream dessert because they messed up my order. The girls were well-behaved and we all enjoyed the meal out. Matt hit the yard hard when we got home and the girls and I snuggled downstairs for a new Disney movie (The Pirate Fairy). I snuck in a nap in the middle of the show and then we headed outside to play and start the garden. The girls played and played and played and played in the yard, and after a bit of garden strategizing, Matt and I just sat on the deck, listened to music, and watched them play as we sipped a couple beverages. We grilled steaks and ate dinner outside, then put two very dirty kids in the tub and promptly in bed. Adrienne was so cute throughout the day because after asking Jillian and I what mother's day was, she kept driving home her takeaway summary anytime Jillian got sassy with me today, "Jillian you're supposed to be nice to yo muver on muver's day!"I won't argue with that.

The obligatory mom and kids pic on Mother's Day. At brunch.

The gifts the girls made for me at church this morning. Jillian's is on the left ("because you LOVE red, Mom!") and A's is on the right.

We took down the garden fence and staked out the expansion. And then we decided we were too lazy to get gas for the tiller and called it a day.

Matt worked so hard yesterday. The playset area has 8 yards of new mulch, and 10 new bags of sand

The girls are really starting to look alike to me

Another twinkie view

Post dinner dance party on the deck. Love this mid-air pic of J. You can really see little sister studying her moves.

Muddy kids.

A was so tired she was almost in a trance.

Earlier in the week I read a blog post by my favorite mom blogger that got me thinking. It was about how moms are often disappointed on mother's day. We feel like our expectations for celebration and appreciation aren't usually met, and this leads to entitlement. When we approach mother's day from the angle of entitlement, we are always bound to be disappointed and we miss the gift of motherhood altogether. I am certainly guilty of this; of feeling like this one little day should be perfect or exactly as I would hope it to be in order to feel appreciated by my family. Anyway, one of the things she suggested was that moms spend some time thinking and writing a list for each kid about why we love being his/her mother. This idea really resonated with me, so here goes.

Jillian, I love being your mom because....

-you have taught me more about myself in the last 5 1/2 years than anyone else in the course of my whole life.

-you celebrate everything, with unsuppressed joy and excitement.

-you are determined and resourceful.

-you are always concerned with how other people feel, and you notice when something is off.

-you lead your sister with a gentle and soft approach (most of the time).

-you remember every. single. detail. Always.

-you are just as curious as your dad.

-you love Jesus with your whole heart, and you want everyone else to love Him too.

-you like a routine.

-you express your emotions passionately, never leaving me to wonder how you feel.

Adrienne, I love being your mom because....

-your big blue eyes grabbed my heart the first time I looked into them.

-you like to make everyone laugh, and you do so effortlessly.

-you want hugs. Lots and lots and lots of hugs. 

-you are sensitive, so soft and sensitive.

-you always want me, just me, when you are upset.

-you try to sing along with every single song you hear, whether you know it or not.

-you are so intent on "being big".

-you are stubborn and stand your ground.

-you are passionate about accessorizing.

-you adore your sister and get upset at me whenever she is in trouble.

My heart is full thinking about all the things I love about my girls. This mom gig really does just get better and better over time, and it's amazing to me how much more blessed I feel today than I did when  the girls were first born. Over the last year or so I've come to fully realize what I think it means to be a mom, and feel the enormity of both the responsibility and the blessing. It's overwhelming, really. I am so, so grateful for these beautiful, healthy, spirited, smart, funny, and loving girls. They are my true Mother's Day gifts.