Mother's Day 2015

What day is today? 
Today is Mother's Day!
What day is today?
Today is Mother's Day!

Lots of cool points in my book if you know what old TV show that little ditty is from. (Jesse has the twins sing it to Becky on Full House.) And yes, I am aware that it's the week after Mother's Day. I'm a little behind thanks to last week being so hectic, which I'll talk more about in my next post. (I'm sure you're all dying to know.)

I. Love. Mother's Day. 

It's such a fantastic excuse to sit around and do nothing. Isaiah cooks and "cleans" and takes care of all of the kiddos' needs. This Mother's Day, I milked it even more than usual. (Massages from two different kids= win.) 

It kind of got off to a slow start. No breakfast in bed, and Isaiah had already warned me the night before that my present hadn't arrived. I was the first to wake up, so I was lying in bed trying to come up with a witty facebook status first thing in the morning. 

Strike 1: No breakfast in bed.
Strike 2: Present didn't come in the mail. 
3 strikes and you're out, Isaiah Garrett!

Something like that. I was just joking, lest you think I need to go back and take my own advice from my pessimism post. I'd actually rather not eat breakfast in bed, and I'm just pleased he put enough thought into the gift to order it online and not run to Walmart the night before. At any rate, my attention shifted when my little man woke up and wandered into our bedroom. He climbed up and snuggled up next to me, sucking his little bink and twirling my hair. (He likes to do that. <3) 


My girls came in shortly thereafter. They gave a three count and said a giggly "Happy Mother's Day!" together. And of course I got more snuggles. My favorite. They convinced little man to wish me "Happy Mother's Day" as well, but it came out more like, "Happy Mugga Gay!" Even cuter. I got to hear it again when Isaiah was also wished a "Happy Mugga Gay."

That pessimistic almost ten-year-old of mine presented me with a booklet containing the top ten reasons why he loves me. I couldn't help but give a rather boisterous laugh when he informed me of the booklet's back story. "We had to make this. Apparently it was for a grade."

Regardless, he really wrote some sweet things in his book. Number five read, "I love my mom because she is pretty. I like her glasses and short hair. She is also pretty on the inside." He briefly interrupted after I finished reading that one with the clarification, "I couldn't think of anything else to write." Just stop talking, son! :) 

My Boo Boo then took her turn to present her card and gifts to me. She had used her AWANA bucks to get me a pretty cup on store night, and she made a "credit card" with potential purchases including a hug, a massage, and a day of no fighting with her brother. Notice how the cup is blue, my favorite color. She was SO proud of all her gifts, and I gushed over them. She even got her "mom questions" right on the card. Well, not so much the stray kitten one, but I'm especially impressed that she knew to pick New York or Paris as my destination of choice. She is one observant and thoughtful little sweetheart! Isaiah said she had been counting down the days until Mother's Day, which is adorable. 

Just after that, Isaiah discovered that my present had arrived after all, though it was a wee bit damp from spending the night outside. No matter. The kids were just as excited as I was, especially my little man. I'm pretty sure he thought it was for him, as is his usual response to any gift in his vicinity. He helped me tear the box open, but he quickly lost interest when he saw the gift- a lap desk. A week beforehand, I stumbled across a previous google search which read "good gift for a writer," so I knew it was going to be something good. I love practical gifts (no sarcasm intended), and I am currently using said lap desk. 

And of course, what Mother's Day morning is complete without a temper tantrum and a sibling fight? We navigated through the storms fairly quickly, though. I played the "not on Mother's Day" card effectively. 

We were just barely late, which is the equivalent of being on time for us. A bottled coffee and package of trail mix were waiting at the nursery check-in for moms, courtesy of our thoughtful nursery director. Outside the sanctuary, women were given another special treat. Yeah, those Lindt truffles didn't make it halfway through the service. Naturally, the kids made Mother's Day crafts for me during church. I don't always (fine, never) keep church papers, but these ones made the keep pile. I love it when my children are excited about what they made for me.

Isaiah let me choose lunch, and I opted for Chinese takeout. Not the best sesame chicken I've ever had, but we don't eat out often, so I still enjoyed not cooking. Isaiah even ordered enough for me to have my own carton, which is a rare treat indeed, though I still ended up sharing with my little moochers.

The afternoon was filled with a combination of relaxing with my kids on my bed, snuggling, a bit of writing, more snuggling, and playing a couple board games. Awwwww yeah. I lost spectacularly at Would You Rather, but I managed to take one round of Disney Apples to Apples. Even better was the fact that we made it through both games with only one complete meltdown. (From the kids, of course. I save my meltdowns for games of Risk with Isaiah.)

I'm pretty sure everyone's favorite part of game time wasn't actually related to the games. Little man ran into the room with no pants and proceeded to put on a little dance show. I'm not sure why naked butts are so amusing, but they always get my kids giggling. 

We followed up that fun time with the kids' least favorite part of the day. Isaiah made them each choose a room to clean. He always sets a timer for them to make a race out of it. Sometimes it's effective, and sometimes it results in much wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

The final game of the day was hide and seek, which is a family favorite. Unfortunately, little man kept following me around, and he always wants to share hiding spots. I'm too competitive to hide with that loudmouth, so I kept trying to ditch him. I succeeded once, but only with enough time to jump in the closet and hide amongst the clothes. Such an amateur spot. 

Isaiah put the younger three kiddos to bed, after one final "Happy Mugga Gay!" and some hugs. (Of course he puts them to bed almost every night, simply because he is awesome.) After that I talked with my mom on the phone for a little while. Always a good thing. It's not the first time I haven't seen her on Mother's Day, but it stinks nonetheless. At least I get to see her in a few weeks! 

I concluded the evening with my favorite again- snuggles. The boy, as we refer to him affectionately (despite having another boy), has a later bedtime than the other three. We watched Family Feud on the couch together, which always gets us laughing. Steve Harvey is the man. 

All in all, it was a fantastic Mother's Day. Especially in comparison with my first Mother's Day, when poor Isaiah didn't know what a girl wants. What a girl needs. Whatever makes me happy... Oh, sorry. My song lyric Tourette syndrome takes over sometimes. 

Anyway, I'm so grateful for this special day. In addition to the relaxation and fun, for me it's a time of reflection on what it means to be a mom. Mothering is so much more difficult than I thought it would be, and I don't live up to the task like I thought I would. (I was such a better mom before I had kids. "I'm never going to..." Mmmhmmm.) I am not always patient and kind and gentle and consistent and organized. (Just ask my mother-in-law about that last one!) 

There are some areas of our home life that are thriving, some that need more consistency, and some that just need a complete overhaul. I think it's essential to identify these areas and make the necessary changes, even if they come slowly. Every day is a gift, and every day is a clean slate. 

God makes me capable. As long as I keep abiding in Him, I keep growing and learning. These kids are mine for a reason, and I trust the God who knit them together inside of me. The task often seems overwhelming, but He can give me the insane amount of wisdom this job requires. In the mean time, I'm going to do my best to enjoy the ride. (And did I mention the snuggles?)

Age order starts at the top right and moves counter-clockwise. Clearly I didn't think through my placement.