Mother's Day

Yesterday was a wonderful Mother's Day!  The weather forecasters had predicted rain, so Kenny and I bought two trees on Saturday and planted them in our front yard.  We bought a pink flowering dogwood, and a redpointe maple.

 The maple has dense branching and is considered resistant to storm damage which makes it a perfect choice for our windy hill.  It also turns reddish orange to red in the fall, which will look pretty against the house.  I love it, and we plan to take a picture in front of it every Mother's Day.  

Kenny got up early, yesterday, and bought Square Donuts for breakfast....a family favorite!  He also worked really hard on ripping out old shrubs and transplanting the surviving dogwood shrub to the side yard.

He had a heck of a time moving our mailbox from the neighboring lot to ours, and quickly discovered why it was probably placed there.  Someone had poured cement along the front of the yard, so it was challenging, but he was able to get it done.  Now, I can just walk down the driveway to get the mail.  I appreciate all of the hard work that Kenny has put into the yard since moving here.  He is covered in poison ivy, but keeps plugging away with no complaints.  Our yard still has a long way to go, but it already looks better than it did when we first got here.

Later on, in the afternoon, my parents came over so that I could see my mom on Mother's Day.  We didn't do anything fancy, just had milkshakes and took a few pictures.  I love having my parents so close and appreciate the fact that I get to see them far more than my sisters do.  They have looked out for us throughout the years and given us great advice and guidance along the way.   Kenny and I hope to help our kids as much as they have helped us.

One more thing that I picked out when we were getting the trees is this gorgeous pot of flowers for the porch.  It adds a splash of color and brightens things up a bit.

Kenny and I ended the night by watching "The Vow".  I know that it wasn't top on his list, but love the fact that he watched it with me.  

All day, I was reminded of what Mother's Day means to me.  For me, it really isn't about getting showered with gifts or having fancy dinners, it is being thankful for the four gifts that I have been blessed with....Megan, Carter, Ethan, and Jacob.  I have many friends who have struggled with infertility and also have friends who have suffered the loss of a child.  It brings tears to my eyes to think that I have been blessed enough to have four fantastic children to love and nurture.  To be their "Mother"...their safe place....the one that they can turn to no matter what....the one they can rely on....who will love them unconditionally....the one who laughs with them....learns with them....and hurts when they do.  Mother's Day to me isn't about getting the day off of mothering duties, but celebrating the fact that you even have mothering duties.  As crazy as parenting can get, I know that there are many women who would give anything to experience, for just one day, what I have been given every day.  

I love my family more than anything and am so very thankful to be a mother.