Happy Mother's Day 2012

I will admit that I was concerned about how I would feel this mother's day given that it fell on the weekend before my expected due date.  I feared that I would focus on what I've recently lost instead of focusing on the fact that I'm lucky enough to still have my own mother here and I'm blessed to have two healthy, beautiful children.  I decided that I was going to do my best to focus on the later of the two.  I believe I was successful in doing so.

My family spent this past weekend up in the Poconos where we recently purchased a parcel of land on which we keep a travel trailer and plan to spend as much time as possible.  I was relieved to find out that my parents, who also own land in the same community (I will admit, they were there first, I followed them there) were also planning on being there this weekend so I could spend mother's day with my children and my mom.  I really am spoiled!

The game plan was to have brunch together at our place.  Mom pre-made a casserole type dish and said she would also bring over fruit and pastries.   Sounded like a wonderful way to spend the morning.

I woke up that Sunday morning to the sound of relatively little (LARGE) feet running through the trailer towards our bedroom.  Then the weight of Nick pouncing on top of me happily screaming, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!"  Not more than a minute later Evan joined the still-in-bed party.  I was so happy there was no room for remorse.

Mom and Pop came over as planned and we had a fantabulous breakfast.  The boys gave me wonderful cards - Evan drew his first ever (to my knowledge) stick figures and they were of me and him.  Shawn got me a lovely 'welcome' sign, Evan got me a birdhouse and Nick got me a wind chime - all to decorate the property with.  I love them all! 

Later in the day Nick and I went for a golf cart ride around the community.  It is my habit to always wrap my arm around whichever child is sitting next to me when we're doing this.  Nick kept telling me that he didn't need to me hold him.  He apparently believes he is now old enough to no longer need his mommy to hold him back from falling.  I reluctantly removed my arm.  We drove around for a bit and flew down 'Weee Hill' several times.  Nick excitedly asked if we could go to the 'fire park' and I agreed to take him.  As we pulled up to the park he tells me that we're going to play alien invasion and he's going to be R2D7.  Now, I'm all for playing with my kids - I enjoy board games and can go all out for cookie decorating when the mood strikes.  However, when it comes to the imagination play, I admit, I am seriously lacking.  But, it was mother's day and he was really excited, so I sucked it up and agreed to captain the ship.  I'm proud to say that we took proper evasive action to avoid total annihilation.  Nick was a brilliant tactical defense expert and I was able to pull him back into the ship when he was sucked out by the lack of gravity in the ship after we took an explosive hit from the aliens.

After we landed the ship we drove the golf cart over to my parents lot to say hi.  The road had quite a few pot holes and Nick didn't like how bumpy it was.  After we left to head back to our lots, Nick reached up and grabbed my hand, pulled my arm around his shoulders and made me hug him into that niche under my arm where, no matter how big they get, my kids fit perfectly.  I asked him why the change of heart about me holding onto him.  The conversation goes like this:

Nick - "it makes everything all better."

Me - "I make everything all better?  That means I'm doing my job."

Nick - "you and Daddy both, you make things all better."

Me - "Nick, I love your daddy very, very much.  He really is a great man.  We're lucky to have him."

Nick - "I love you very, very much.  And I love Daddy very, very much.  And I love Evan very, very much.  And I love Mom-Mom very, very much.  And I love Pop-Pop very, very much.  I love my whole family very, very much."

Me - "yeah, we're pretty lucky.  We have a great family."

This is when I looked into that crook in my arm and saw my little baby smiling a giant smile up at me looking perfectly content with his life.  Nick is getting way too big way too quickly and I don't get to see that little baby that often anymore.  In that moment I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, doing exactly what I was supposed to do. 

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has ever had the pleasure of mothering children.