Mother's Day Gratitude. So Thankful it Hurts...

There are so many things a mother is thankful for each day.

I paid special attention to them today. 

Thankful for hot cups of coffee as the girls chattered away during breakfast.

Thankful for a husband, the other half of this whole motherhood equation, who took them shopping for flowers and a let them pick out a beautiful gift .

Thankful for a tex-mex restaurant that has a kiddie play area right off of the dining room. Some good conversation with My Love while I sipped a margarita, ate a chimichanga, and laughed as my girls mostly played and sometimes munched on chips and salsa.

Thankful for a long afternoon nap with both girls snuggled up beside me on the pull out couch.

Thankful for some quiet moments to read a good book while they watched some favorite movies.

Thankful for yoga to help me unwind and stay strong for them.

Thankful for kisses... still sticky and kinda gross for the apple she was eating.

Thankful for the sun shining in through the windows as we read a stack of bedtime stories on the couch, them snuggled in close.

Thankful for an unsolicited comment as I tucked her into bed, the one who made me what we celebrate today, "You are da bestest and most beautiful Mom I ever had!"

Thankful for a quiet evening to soak in a hot bath. To think. Of what my body was capable of. To remember the way it swelled with my girls' lives. The way it hurt to bring them into this world. The way it sustained them with milk and continues to comfort them.

Thankful for the honor of being a MOTHER.

Happy Mother's Day!

The Perfect Grandma-Gift for Mother's Day (or Any Day)

This simple artwork-craft is what I whipped up for Mom and Toni for Mother's Day.  

I used Megan's idea from the fall Pinterest Party... cutting out sections of your kids' artwork makes it much easier to display and save bits and pieces without have too much clutter around.  And I'm all about decreasing clutter.  Plus it created a compact version of each girl's work for the grandmas to enjoy.  

Since I generally save and date the mini-masterpieces, I had plenty for two 5x7's for each Grandma plus extra for myself for my end of the year collage project for our home.  Super easy and simple.  

And from what I hear, very meaningful to two special Moms in our lives.  

Happy Mother's Day again to Gigi and Gram!  

My Mother's Day Gift to Myself: Gratitude

A big thanks to Kirsten Ashley Photography for these great photos that I will cherish forever!

Happy Mother's Day morning to all my fellow Mommas out there!  Germany is covering me in a kind of cozy-but-dreary storm cloud right now... and I like it.

The clouds and wind and rain are reminding me of how grateful I am for cozy things.  Like chai tea and wool socks and warm boots and the love of my children.  

I'd obviously absolutely love a day to get spoiled rotten and have my little ones lavishly thank me for how awesome I am... but as they don't even know when it's lunchtime without me telling them, I'm pretty sure those kind of Mother's Day memories are still a few years out.  And my dear sweet husband is still at work right now, and will be sleeping much of this day.  

So this Mother's Day I am choosing to give thanks for the Monkeys who made me a Mother.  I don't care that they aren't making me breakfast in bed or that they will interrupt me 20 times today for potty breaks (more later on why you shouldn't buy fancy-new-pretty-smelling soap for 3yo's) or that they will bicker and whine and test my patience within the first twenty minutes of waking up.

Instead I will think about how amazing it is that these two kids are mine.  God gave them to me.  Those pudgy fingers and toes are mine to kiss whenever I want!  The giggles and smiles and silly sayings are most often directed at me! Lily frequently stops me and thanks me or tells me she loves me.  For no real reason!  Sammy holds my face in between her sticky hands that usually smell like food and copies what I tell her... "guess what Mom?  I wuv you so so so much!"

Motherhood is hard.  Ohmygosh it's so hard.  And I'm tired.  So tired.  But I wouldn't trade my badge of "Momma" for anything.  Galatians 6:9 gives me hope, today and every day...

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Don't give up Mommas!  And I hope you have a very happy Mother's Day.  Especially to the Mom who raised me and the Mom who raised My Love.  We love you ladies so very much!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was wonderful. (The roses are from church...all the mommies got one). Even though Jesse's a million miles away, he still managed to make Mother's Day special for me. He'd planned ahead and had some gifts on the way before he left. I wasn't allowed to open them, or read the note he'd left for me, until Mother's Day. It was a killer to have to wait...but I did it :o) And it was worth it. His note was such an encouragement. And he got me two back up camera batteries for my camera, plus America's Test Kitchen's Family Baking Book. America's Test Kitchen is my favorite cookbook...it pretty much taught me how to cook! :o) And so I'm super excited about this baking cookbook. Although after drooling through page after page of amazing recipes, I'll have to work hard to make sure I don't gain 50 pounds! Luckily I have a house full of Rawleighs who have eagerly informed me they will help me eat the yummy goodness.

Jesse didn't call this weekend, which I was hoping for. But it was okay. This week is his first full week and he'll be doing lots of boring/hard things like more physical conditioning, more getting yelled at, and more learning the basics of military life. But he'll also be doing some fun things like getting issued his first weapon. I can't wait to hear how he's doing! I'm sure he's doing great. I miss him so much! :o)