Happy Mother's Day!

Thankful for these little guys who made me a Mommy!

Happy Mother's Day!

These crazy ones. They made me a mother. What an amazing, challenging, exhausting, rewarding, frustrating, eye-opening, wonderful vocation it is! Case in point: Here we are outside to take a nice picture together before Church "by the purple flowers" at Rebecca's request, which we happen to be standing in front of. Those are the same purple flowers with super yellow pollen that day whic intense allergy Andrew was so fascinated by he just had to feel it between his fingers...then he rubbed his eyes...hence the "I can't keep my eyes open without dropping my jaw" look. Lovely. I was awakened, the third or fourth time, with a tasty breakfast prepared by Chef Darren & staff. Very nice. Andrew made a silver handprint at school for me & a cute card. Rebecca colored me a picture & then made this adorable picture for her Godmother Aunt Andrea.

After Mass, a little relaxing at home, & starting the book "Heaven is for Real", we headed up to Omaha for the afternoon. Darren's nephew Logan turned one & we were able to celebrate with them. Here's Christine & Mom.

Jackson... also soon to be one!

The birthday boy with his mama Katie on their beautiful new deck built by Uncle Brad.

Here are the eight cousins! Logan was good at covering himself with blue frosting. ;) My kids were big fans of the Handy Manny fruit snacks... pretty rare around these parts. It was a fun afternoon & nice to spend with family. Thanks for having us Katie & Brad! We came home & before bed I finished that book; read the whole thing in one day & loved it. If you are looking for a good, quick read that will inspire you & make you appreciate your Catholic understanding of God & Heaven... this one's for you!

Mother's Day

Andrew making toast for the first time EVER... what a thrill. Thanks, Darren, for the tasty breakfast & doing the dishes! Woohoo! My sunflower cake...

you can't go wrong with chocolate & Twinkies.

I feel so unbelievably blest to have three beautiful children on loan from God. They make me so full of joy, sadness, laughter, frustration, empathy, exhaustion, & love. I never knew I could feel so much. I've never appreciated the endless sacrifices of my own Mom more. Motherhood is quite an amazing gift & I'm so glad I can share these blessings with my best friend. I know they are helping us to help each other on our journey to Heaven!

A Mother's Day surprise...

My favorite gift of the day...
feeling the first flutters of our little Sprinkle!

Now that kid is on the ball! I can't wait to see him/her at the ultrasound on Tuesday. Pictures soon to follow!

If I had a million dollars...

This Mother's Day I'm thinking about all of the amazing moms that surround me . . . Mom being the shining star of you all, of course. I am so blest by your loving & generous example.

My greatest wish for you all is perfectly angelic behavior & sincere acts of appreciation from your children today & always. My prayer for you is a love of your vocation as a mother even when my above wish is not fulfilled.

Sometimes, just a break like a silent retreat or a day out with the girls can make going back to the chaos so much easier. Right?

If I had a million dollars, I'd spend a day with you

enjoying a bottle of JAV's Edelweiss wine,

eating an Old Chicago's ultimate hawaiian pizza,

& watching Anne of Avonlea,

before our relaxing afternoon at Center Stage Salon & Spa

followed by tea at Ruby & Cordelia's Fine Tea Room.

We'd finish off our day by enjoying your new gifts:
-book "Bless me, Father, for I have kids" by Susie Lloyd
-CD "Momsense" by Anita Renfroe
-image of Our Blessed Mother hanging laundry with toddler Jesus by her side
-beautiful pre-planted pots full of your favorite flowers to adorn your yard

If I had a million dollars, I would. But, I don't. (If I ever win the lottery...)
So, my gift to you is a prayer that Mary Our Mother will guide & protect you in your motherhood always. Thank you for your love & sacrifice.

Happy Mother's Day!