The BEST Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing mamas! Today was an incredible day for us. My boys let me sleep in and they woke me with breakfast in bed, super thoughtful gifts and handmade cards and a TON of love and hugs. Sammy told me about 100 times today, "Mommy, you're so LOVELY and PRETTY and I love you SOOOO much!" I feel like the luckiest mother on the entire planet. I love my boys!

Sammy had been telling Dan for weeks that he wanted to get me "jewels" for Mother's Day (smart kid). Dan compromised and picked out a really pretty gift-shop ring while he was in DC last week, so that was my "jewel" from Sam (I love it...I will never take it off). He also requested flowers for me. Another wise choice. I think Sammy is going to be a lot like his Daddy and VERY thoughtful in the gift-giving department. Elijah wanted to get me a vase and a cup, which were perfect picks, as well! Dan got me a gift card to a spa...uhh, totally perfect after the past few weeks. I'll hopefully get to use it this week!

I did a lot of thinking about moms today. My mom, my stepmom, my mother-in-law, myself, my sisters and sisters-in-law, my friends, the moms I see at the mall and the park. Moms are amazing! Moms are selfless. Moms have the toughest jobs, but the most rewarding, too. Moms are loved and cherished beyond anything words could ever say. Moms are the most important people. I pray every day that I can be the best possible mother to these two amazing boys God gave to me. Sometimes I lose my cool (uh, daily) and I don't always serve them vegetables. I just pray that they both always know how much I love them. My two prayers that I pray many many times every day (and often in the middle of the night) are: 1. that they walk with Jesus all the days of their lives and 2. that they always know that they are truly loved and accepted by Dan and me.

Thank you for being a part of our lives, no matter how big or small. Praying for blessings for all of you this week!

Mama business = serious business

Did you hear that? I just sighed a HUGE sigh of relief. I'm done working in Cannon Falls for the week, so the scrambling is done for now. Dan gets home tomorrow night and I can't wait to squeeze him! It has been a totally crazy week for the little boys and me. This single mom business is no joke! I have a new, great respect for single moms. They are my heroes!!!

My limited patience and the boys' total craziness have been feeding off one another all week. Things that are usually a piece of cake have suddenly become chaotic. I don't know if it's chance or Dan's absence or both. Putting the boys to bed the past few nights has been filled with stress, which has never been an issue for us. This morning on the way to daycare, Sammy realized he had forgotten his sunglasses. It was raining, so I assured him he wouldn't miss them. The entire ride to daycare involved screaming (like, ear-clutching SCREAMING), punching the door, punching the air toward me and yelling potty words that I've never heard come from his mouth. Three of the past six school days for Elijah have been "bad" and the other three were "ok." Elijah has reverted to waking up at 3:00-4:00am, which I don't get. He's also been having a hard time falling asleep at night, which isn't like him at all. I'm praying all of this is just a result of a major change in family dynamic/routine and that it'll go back to normal...tomorrow.

Tonight there was supposed to be a carnival at Elijah's school and we were all really looking forward to it. There were going to be games, a raffle, yummy food, friends, etc. As Elijah and I sat in the car outside daycare while picking Sammy up (torrential rains had swept in, so I was trying to wait it out), I received a recorded call from the school. The carnival was canceled due to inclement weather. Oh man, I knew Elijah was going to have a really tough time with that news. I gently shared it with him and tears immediately squirted out of his eyes. I mean, literally, they flew from his eyes horizontally there was so much pressure and sadness. It broke my heart. I hate seeing my boys genuinely sad! When I got back into the car with Sammy, both of us TOTALLY saturated from the rain, I told the boys we could replace carnival fun with another kind of fun. We'd move pizza-movie night up a night! The boys loved that idea and I actually saw a smile on Elijah's tear-stained face. "Thanks, Mom! That made me feel happy again." It sounds like they'll try again with the carnival next week!

We are so excited to see Dan and to hear about his adventures! The boys and I have missed him so much and we're looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend together. Next week = a follow-up appointment with E's awesome neuropsychologist, more work in Cannon Falls, Dan's and my 8-year anniversary, possible skydiving for Dan and hopefully more rest, normalcy and happiness for all of us!

Thanks for peeking in! Happy early Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mamas!