Mother's Day

Mother's Day is one of my favorite days of the year, because I don't give myself a guilt trip over being spoiled.  Coming from someone who apologizes over everything and never wants to be a burden on someone else, this is the one time when I feel like I've earned whatever I receive.  I LOVE Mother's Day.  Plus, being a mom is what I've wanted to be my whole life and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to raise four kids.  

I only had two requests for Mother's Day.  The first was that Ben hold Thad for the last two hours of church.  The second was the menu for my breakfast.  Ben made exactly what I wanted and then added a watermelon smoothie to go with it.  I will officially be living off of them at the pool all summer long. 

 Things that Lily made for me at school.  The purple one on the very right is from Lily's best friend asking if we can have more play dates, oh and by the way Happy Mother's Day.  Ha!

Our roses next to our porch are in full bloom right now and look gorgeous.  Crossing my fingers that the deer don't chomp all of them off the bushes this year!

I love the stage my kids are in right now and I just wanted to list a few things about them that make me grateful to be their mom.

• When we tell the kids to stop talking and go to bed and we can still hear all four of them in their rooms giggling and talking.  Or when we can hear Lily and Skyler reading stories to Ella and Thad in their cribs when it's lights out.  Rule-breaking has never been so adorable.
• When Lily accidentally gets hurt and Ella runs up to give her a hug.
• When they run laps downstairs and Ella tries desperately to keep up on her tiny legs.
• When Lily will stop anything she's doing to help anyone in the family.
• When Thad is just Thad -- perfect.
• How Ella and I crawl up the stairs together and she puts her face down sideways on one of the stairs and I do the same so we can smile at each other and give each other nose kisses.
• How Skyler wants to serve a mission "on a farm and in the forest" and when he's in college he's "going to live with Nanni and Papa."  
• How tenderhearted Skyler is toward animals.  He loves all animals dearly.  Even the vulture that disemboweled the squirrel in front of our porch was received with, "aaawwww's."  I can't say I'm that loving.  
• When I can hear Ben singing hymns to Thad downstairs as he falls asleep in Ben's arms.

Nothing will ever trump motherhood for me.  (Well, maybe being a grandma, but I have some time before that happens).  I am so thankful for these four priceless gifts I've been given.