Some Things I Learned (Yet Again) This Mother's Day

1. While waking up to a beautiful plate of french toast served on fancy dishes and presented as you awake dreamily in your king sized bed surrounded by pristine white pillows and down comforters would be nice, being awakened by smoke pouring into your bedroom window is also a pretty exciting way to kick start your day.  Thankfully the smoke was for good reason- the start of my Mother's Day brisket being tended to perfection.  And after a quick shower to remove the smoke from my hair I did get to enjoy Minnie Mouse shaped pancakes with two little girls who had slept until 9 am.  With a morning like that, you know the rest of your day is going to be pretty rad.

2.  "Life didn't come with a manual, it came with a mother."  While the fact that I am now one of those mothers who gets to help guide and influence her children's lives is somewhat terrifying, knowing all I do about the two ladies that we get to call mom makes me believe that the saying is true.  Their love, compassion, encouragement, and even the boundaries they set for us have helped us get to where we are now, and those same things continue to help guide our future.  As those same amazing women have moved into their new and anticipated role of "grandma", they haven't missed a beat.  I know two little girls who just adore everything about their Nanas, and who would happily ditch mom and dad to move to Utah so they could sleep in Cinderella beds and play with My Little Ponies all the live long day.

3.  My Mother's Day present is apparently arriving later this week, but I am more than okay with the gifts I did receive on Sunday. (Update: It was my own set of golf clubs.  Things are getting serious around here!)  Who knew that a perfectly smoked beef brisket would be the way to my heart?  Well, that and the lovely orchid that now adorns my kitchen table.  I mean you only have to water the thing once a week using three ice cubes.  Even I might (key word is might) be able to keep this one alive.  

But let's get back to the brisket.  Ryan spent part of Saturday trimming and seasoning and rubbing away on that little brisket of his, and then woke up bright and early (remember the 7 am smoke out?) to get it on the grill.  I am pretty sure he was having panic attacks during church about his poor brisket that was left smoking unattended on the back porch.  Well all of his hard work and dedication paid off, and that brisket was just splendid.  We had our good friends the Wegeners join us for dinner and everyone gave the brisket two thumbs up.  The rest of the food was pretty spectacular as well, making it completely obvious that the boys should be in charge of far more dinners throughout the coming days.

4.  I would say most mothers want very few things for Mother's Day.  Some of those being a nap, a full night of sleep, to spend a little less time in the kitchen, and maybe to change a few less diapers.  Okay, so maybe a pedicure and/or massage would be nice, too.  

Ryan being the good guy he is, was all set to spend part of his night rocking Eliza back to sleep or getting Stella yet another drink.  Imagine my surprise (or lack there of) when neither child needed one thing all night long.  Oh yeah, and then they slept in almost 2 hours later than usual.  I swear this always happens at our house!  Eliza had been up at least once every night nearly the entire week before, but the one night I am off duty she decides to sleep?  Bribery seems to be the only explanation.  I just had to laugh when at 12:30 am on Monday morning I heard the all too familiar cries of an upset 18 month old coming down the hall.  We spent a good portion of the next two hours trying to get a certain little girl back to sleep in the rocking chair, on the bed in the girl's room, and eventually snuggled between mom and dad in our bedroom.

As for that Sunday nap, I am sure I could have fit it into my schedule, but for some reason I spent it laying on the bed taking pictures and making videos with two little girls at my side.  It was a sacrifice that just had to be made!

5.  Besides learning the ways of motherhood from our very own amazing moms, I am so lucky to get to follow the lead of so many great ladies both near and far.  While the technology of our day can be both a friend and foe when it comes to getting a snapshot view and perspective of how one mom or the other runs her day and her household, most days I choose to use it to my advantage.  I use it as way to connect with women and mothers who inspire me to be better, while not necessarily making me feel like I have to do more or reach some unattainable level of perfection.  While many blogs and Instagram feeds don't do justice to the real life moments found in motherhood, there are many that do and for them I am so grateful.  I also have wonderful friends and family who teach me through their example the ways to be the best mom that I can be.  Friends who I know love my children like their own, and who I can laugh and cry with as we navigate our way through this crazy journey. The last 6 months have been extra sweet as I have watched my amazing sister enter motherhood with such grace and ease.  She truly is a natural with her perfect little Gibson, and I admire the love and devotion I see her give that little boy every second of every day.

6.  And while I am blessed to have the support and example of so many great women, I am even more lucky to have an unwavering source of support, companionship, and love with whom I get to share this parenting experience.  My husband's support is the true source of strength when it comes to my days spent at home with our two little girls.  Knowing that he is coming home each night, even if some days it might be later than I would like, gets me through the extra long, extra hard days.  I know I will have his help washing little fingers and toes in the bathtub, reading Goodnight Moon, and cleaning the sink full of sippy cups leftover from a day of playing hard.  Knowing that we are in this thing together makes all the difference in the world.

7.  I am so lucky.  I know that motherhood is a righteous desire that so many have, and I know Mother's Day can be a hard day for so many people and for many different reasons.  I think of these sweet women on Mother's Day, as I celebrate my own mother and the opportunity I have to be mother.  Their struggles help me better see the blessing it is that I get to spend my days dancing through life with my sweet babies.  These two little girls that I get to take care of and teach are my everything.  It is hard, it is messy, but it is worth it.  The moments of love that they show me and each other  make it worth it.  The quiet moments spent snuggling on the couch or reading books make it worth it.  The sweet prayers of my Stella girl make it worth it.  After a truly wonderful Mother's Day, the tender words of my little girl's prayer were the best gift I could have received. "Thank you for Eliza that she can be safe and not go into the road without us.  Thank you for my legs that they can move.  Thank you for my toes that they can wiggle and wiggle.  Thank you for my fingers that they can make a pretzel."  I know that being their mother is what I was meant to do in this life, and although I am sure I am the one who is supposed to be doing the teaching, they teach me more about myself and what matters in this life every single day.