The Day of the Mother

How was your Mother's Day? I hope yours was messy, exhausting and full of love. Motherhood in a nutshell, amiright?

Mine started with a welcoming party at 8 AM.  I pulled into the driveway after a night shift and was met with these delicious faces:

Henry is holding a picture he made for me in school that week, Ingrid is wearing Henry's (too big) jammies, and Jer has tired eyes because he was solo Dad all night holding a starving baby who is not a fan of bottles. They are loud and disheveled, but oh so happy to see me.  I am grateful to come home to faces that missed me while I was gone.

Next we sit down to the table while I nurse the baby and the kids scarf down Dad's delicious homemade pancakes that have become a Saturday favorite. We decide that I will down some coffee and go to church with the crew, because it's Mother's Day after all.  I open a couple of really thoughtful gifts from Jer and the kids and read a card that makes me smile.  Then we hang out for a bit before tackling the battle that is appropriate church clothing and pile in the van for church.

At church I say Happy Mother's Day to my friends who have become like family to me here in KC.  We all have that same look of tired eyes, hair thrown together and clothes that might not be the trendiest, but they will do.  We don't often shop for ourselves or have much time to get ready in the morning, after all. Among these friends is a single mom, one who is pregnant after a long wait, and another going through a difficult season. We are all on our own journey in motherhood.  It's been filled with smiles, tears, and stretching beyond what we thought we were capable of.

Next we head home where I get dropped off for my much needed nap, and Jer presses on to make a grocery/Target run with all 3.  I stuff a cold chicken breast in my face before I crash because I forgot to eat breakfast and am too tired for a proper lunch. When I wake up, Jer says they ran through a downpour but everyone was on their best behavior, so it was a victory for dad.  

Dinner looks to be yet another delicious meal by Jer with lots of veggies (my request!) and some meat too (everyone else!) with blondies for dessert.  Jer also surprises me with something I've wanted forever (Craigslist special!) so that we can have some amazing summer evenings, or so Pinterest has convinced me.  I realize I have a really amazing husband wanted to make me feel special on this day.  I am so grateful for that.

The day ends with baths, bedtime stories and a quiet movie in for Jerry and I.  A good day, indeed.

**This post is nothing special, but I just wanted to document it for myself in the future when Mother's Day looks a lot different.  I imagine I will forget the details of these days with little kids, so lots of these little parts might mean nothing to you, but they mean a lot to me:).