I love celebrating moms! I also like to be acknowledged by my boys. Is that prideful? (It's a rhetorical question.) My boys are so sweet to tell me encouraging things and to thank me, but I still like seeing it on paper! I received this from Starks on Friday as he just could NOT wait until Sunday to show it to me. "I spent 5 hours today working on it!" He chose yellow construction paper because that's my favorite color. He "finally found out how to draw (my) hair!" The dress is one I wear. The brown teeth?? Well, that one's a mystery. ;) Starks loves rainbows and all colors, thus the background, but he made sure to use yellow highlighter instead of crayon to make my favorite color stand out most. Wow. I think that's a TON of thought for an 8 year old to put into his mom's card cover! I have come up with numerous reasons why this is awesome, but the thought and time he put into it is at the top of my list.
Then, I got to the inside. The page on the left was a letter to me enumerating reasons why I should be on the cover of People magazine. He stated that I'm busy but also give up time from working to play. I'm a good friend and make myself "mostly available to do anything with anyone, like coming to bake cranberry bread with my class." I'm also "a great nurse. If you get hurt then she comes with whatever you need for your injury. She has everything to fix you right up." I love it! "She plans trips to any state we really want to go. She goes places where she doesn't want to go but I do want to go." My goodness!!! As you can see here, this page was also pretty fantastic! You have me, an award, and a medal from being voted #1 MOM. ;) I almost teared up when I read #3 that I'm good at sports. Sports are very important to him, and I'm not sure I would've felt like an athlete before CrossFit. His card is heavy on the time thing. Starks is my physical touch love language kid, but I'm reading here that he's also huge on quality time!!
I won't get into Chas and Anthony's cards in detail, but they, too, were very thoughtful with their word choices and thanked me for caring for them and loving them. I understand that this "holiday" was started by business, but I love it. I don't care about gifts, but I like having a reason to thank the ladies in my life for loving me as a mom or modeling great ways to be a better mom. I have learned so much from observing other mothers and taking from them ideas, a greater perspective, or even what not to do. All of it is very helpful!
My card from Russ was just what I needed to read. I know he loves me. I know he appreciates my part of caring for our family. I am thankful he sees the reward in my staying home with them. I am blessed to have the opportunity to do so. I don't take it for granted most days! ;) Like today, when I stayed up with Chas last night to help keep him on track and work on his project until 1:45am, and am a bit foggy, I have been smiling throughout this warm, sunny morning. Chas won't ever forget the time his mom stayed up on Mother's Day to help him with his project. He'll know that I support him. He'd better not expect me to do it again, but this case was unique. Hopefully. LOL. He'll also remember how I threatened him in the morning to get dressed for school and that I would not call him in as an excused absence- which I said would result in all of his assignments for today being zeroes. :) I called his Daddy on the phone (which I've NEVER called him at work) to have my back on making him go to school. Chas was nauseated from lack of sleep, grouchy (though not as much as I thought he'd be), and in tears. Being a good mom means helping him to finish a project but also making sure he reaped the consequences. Poopy Doo. It's no fun for me to enforce, but it's got to be done. I actually think he was comforted by the fact that I made him go to school. Chas does like to see that the boundaries are firm.
The boys actually dressed up in collared shirts for dinner!! Russ took several pictures of us on the swing and standing on the deck. As you can see, Starks is a nut. Starks was doing flared nostrils and crazy eyes in most, so I went with one that represented his mood best at the time. ;) My goodness, Anthony just surpassed me in height, and I'm 5' 7.75". Chas is growing, too, and I actually think it'll be awesome to be in a house with towering young men around me some day soon! Until then, I'll enjoy them littler and eat up every minute. Looking at this picture makes me want to cry. Part of it could be lack of sleep and reserves for such emotion, but it's also because it makes my heart swell with love so much that it's a bit overwhelming. Sometimes I can't believe I'm living this life. I mean, I get to look at these handsome faces, as well as Russ', day in and out, and I am given the privilege and responsibility/trust to care for their needs. I make mistakes, but they are forgiving. I lose it, but they are patient. They don't expect me to be perfect, but they do expect me to be there. So, I will continue to learn, hold the line, ask God for what I need to do His work each day, and pay attention. Greatest profession in the world! And, as you can see, I love my job and am certainly one Happy Mother!
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