What a great day this was! I'm blessed beyond belief and after the struggles w/ infertility, to have 2 beautiful daughters... it takes my breath away sometimes.My wise mentor mom at MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers www.mops.org) told us a few years ago and then again this year that we shouldn't set ourselves up as "queen for the day" on Mother's Day b/c we will inevitably be disappointed. I've always kept that advice in mind, but I needed it more than ever this year because Andy and I were scheduled to teach the preschoolers at church last week and this week (after last week we weren't sure if we could survive another week). Was I a little disappointed that I wouldn't be upstairs for the mother's recognition and service?Yes, but Carol's wise words came back to me, "do something that only a mother can do on Mother's Day and you'll not be sorry." That was it.... I changed my attitude and was actually joyful to serve my church's children and especially my own daughter today. What a difference it made. We had 14 kids, made handprint dish towels for the mamas, and survived!
We came home and had naptime (Emma, Genevieve, & me). I think Andy must have paid them off or promised them cookies b/c they both slept for over 2 hours and only woke up right when he was done with cooking. He prepared a delicious dinner from scratch: chicken, sausage, and spanish rice. It was GOOD and spicy. After dinner the girls and Andy presented me with my gifts. I pretty much cried through it all after reading the cards and Emma's Top 10 things she loves about Mama list. Andy had taken her to Dollar General and let her choose some things she wanted to give me: waterfall scented shampoo and conditioner, a flip flop candle holder with 3 candles, and the best of all.... a leftover, pink, bunny snow globe that she paid a penny for. The snow globe was the ONLY thing she really wanted to find for me because she'd seen many of them in a dollar store a week or so ago and wanted to buy it for Mother's Day then (but she was with me). There were no snow globes to be found, but she searched high and low and wasn't going to give up. Finally, she found it... the only one in the entire store (somehow I think that God put that one there just for her because He knew her heart was set on it). She also gave me some pink petunias that she and Daddy are going to plant in a basket out front (and hopefully water, too, b/c I have a brown thumb).
Andy got me some beautiful, hot pink (my favorite color) roses and two frames with a photo of me and each of the girls in them. And a card that was so special (sometimes as a stay at home mom you wonder if anyone appreciates what you do... it's nice to hear that they do.
We tooks some Mother's Day photos and now my sweet husband is putting the girls to bed (which he does most every night w/ only a little help from me) while I am blogging. I talked to my mom and grandma today and Andy's mom was here last night and this morning (we took her out for dinner, so I got two good meals in two days). My grandma made my day today by telling me what a good mom I am... she was just here for a week so she saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of my mothering. I appreciate her words so much (especially because she has very clear ideas about things).
I think I'm getting off of the computer to go make my great-grandma's buttermilk pound cake. I bought the ingredients this week and wanted to make it before now, but that's life. Last Mother's Day my mom was here and I'd just had Genevieve, so she made the pound cake with Emma. In a perfect world I'd have made one WITH Emma today, but the day was too full of other good stuff.
