Mother's Day

I had a wonderfully quiet beginning to my 2011 Mother's Day!  I "slept in" (i.e. hit snooze twice--unusual for me when Ted is gone) and rolled out of bed around 5:20.  Had plenty of time to make and enjoy hot tea with my quiet time, plus set everything up for banana-peanut butter pancakes.

Kids were still quiet and in bed after my shower, so I made my first batch of pancakes and enjoyed the undefiled comics section while eating breakfast.  Time seems to speed up when kids wake, though, so before we knew it we were rushing off to church!  It was gray and chilly when we left.  Church was incredible--loved the worship set, the message, the fellowship, the encouragement.  Our "Resolve to Read" class has grown so close in the months since we began in January, and I love the discussions we have each week.  We have a variety of ages--a teenager, several college students, and adults all the way to maybe 80-something, so it's wonderful!

The kids and I headed home for a simple lunch (leftovers!), but we had better things to look forward to in the evening!  Lucan desperately needed/wanted a nap, choosing not to even eat lunch at all.  After I got him settled, the kids gave me some precious, handmade goodies.  Kenna, seeing that Charis had made multiple items, apparently decided that her original single drawing was not, in fact, enough, and so she busied herself making (or possibly finding?) other projects, and she kept bringing them to me at random intervals!  Of course I had to exclaim over each one!

I enjoyed a small bit of leisure time, doing the crossword and reading the paper out on the deck in the sun, which decided to grace us with its rare presence.

I finished prepping a veggie tray to take to Erin's house--my friend who brought us the chili dinner a couple of weeks ago invited us to her house for dinner on Mother's Day!  It was such a blessing to receive the invitation and reminded me of another spur-of-the-moment invitation I received when Kenna was a newborn and Ted was finishing a deployment in Tampa.  Adam and Laura T sat with me in church that Sunday and asked if I had plans.  Upon learning that I was going home, they told me to come to their house instead.  I ended up having a very pampered, relaxing day, and the kids had a wonderful time playing in their amazing back yard.  God surely blesses us with encouraging friends!

Lucan was sound asleep at 3:15 when I went into his room, but he cheerfully stood up to announce "night night!"  We stopped by Kroger to grab some produce--I wanted to take some strawberries along for our dinner as well as pick up some flowers for Erin--and then we headed to the S's house.  It was another relaxing afternoon, with wonderful fellowship.  The chicken dish Erin made for dinner was fantastic, and Charis was so excited that she got to help make the deviled eggs along with Erin's older daughters!  Lucan and Evangeline played at the water table in the back yard and got thoroughly soaked.  The older kids thought it was hilarious that he ate dinner wearing girls' clothes while his own were in the dryer!

We left shortly after dinner to come home...Lucan was rubbing his eyes and obviously needed to get back to bed.  We Skyped with Ted just a short while so Lucan could say hello and good night to Daddy, and then I gave the kids the chance to read or play quietly for awhile as I finished putting things away.  I got them all in bed fairly early (8:30-8:45ish) so I could Skype with Ted myself awhile.  My Mother's Day gift from him was Sarah Palin's new book, America by Heart, which I look forward to reading.  I'm glad for a gift that will last longer than flowers on my counter. :-)  I love flowers, and I do appreciate them, but I constantly feel that I'm having to clear off the counters for kitchen prep, and there's just not really room for a big bouquet.  Add to that the fact that I've become ridiculously practical since becoming a mother...!  So I was delighted when Charis surprised me during her Skype session with Daddy by handing me the book and hearing that it was my gift from Daddy and the kids!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to my own mom today...had to leave a voice message!  Hopefully soon, though!  Ted did talk with his mom in between our Skype sessions.  Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life!