Happy Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day. Around here, I affectionately refer to it as 'Employee Appreciation Day' -- since I don't have a job or an annual review, Mother's Day fills the role as the day I get appreciated for all that I do. I take FULL advantage of the holiday. I don't care if it was created by Hallmark or not . . . I just love that I get a day of appreciation for being a mom.

Mother's Day 2009 started with Jim bringing me some coffee in bed . . . a very nice gesture, which I thanked him for as I rolled over and promptly went back to sleep. Sleeping in was the real present. I drank the coffee a while later when I woke up.

A little before 9am, Meg, Jim, and Kate brought me breakfast in bed. Meg had been so very excited about this -- I think she has been looking forward to it since the last time we had breakfast in bed, which was last Mother's Day.

"Happy Birthday!" Meg said with excitement, as she kissed my cheek to wake me up.

I laughed -- close enough, Meg. I'll take a 'Happy Birthday' wish on Mother's Day. I know what she meant.

Unfortunately, even the glory and thrill of Mother's Day could not stop Meg from being . . . well, Meg. She's only 2.9 years old (I'm constantly reminding myself). The terrible twos are still hanging on around here . . . and they seem to have really flared up lately. So -- when her caterpillar shaped pancake fell to pieces as she picked it up to eat it -- prompting Meg to immediately fall to pieces herself -- I wasn't that surprised. She began to throw quite a fit about the disintegrating pancake (a fit that included some flying syrup), which ended the breakfast in bed treat before it really even began. I ate my breakfast in bed, she went to her room.

And Kate? She came into the room with the breakfast tray but was not really 'into' the whole breakfast idea. She had already eaten her breakfast at that point, and she was ready for a morning nap. Or at least that's what we we thought . . . Jim went ahead and put her down for a nap a little earlier than her usual time, and she proceeded to cry and protest for about 45 minutes.

Oh well. So much for my breakfast in bed. Maybe we'll try again next year. :)

I did get to run out and do a little shopping . . . Jim gave me a Victoria's Secret gift card to spend. The gift was really from Kate. After nursing her for nearly a year, I was in serious need of some new (non-nursing!) bras. I got some lovely ones . . . now just about a month or so more of nursing, and then I can wear them every day.

Getting to shop alone was another awesome present. See? I'm not high maintenance . . . some extra sleep and some time to myself are the things I have treasured most this Mother's Day.

Of course, Mother's Day also makes me stop, think about, and appreciate the two lovely ladies that allow me to celebrate this holiday in the first place. Really, those are the things I treasure most on Mother's Day.

Those girls . . . I love them to bits. As they get bigger, I know they will learn to love Mother's Day, too. Right now, they are only babies, so I can't really expect them to act any differently than they normally do just because its the second Sunday in May.

I won't expect to much . . . I'll just hug them and love on them today. They don't have to express their appreciation for me just yet. I'll hug and love on Jim, too . . . I know he appreciates the day. I know he appreciates the job I do as the mother to our girls. I really do feel appreciated this Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone . . . I hope you feel appreciated at your house, too. In our own ways, we are ALL fantastic mothers. Don't ever tell yourself anything different!