I love Mother’s Day! I love that my kiddos get excited WEEKS before Mother’s Day. They plan what they want to say and what they want to do. They plan breakfast and find me flowers (usually the dandilions from the backyard!) and spend the day fighting over who gets to sit on my lap or rub my back. I LOVE it!

This year was one of my all time favorites. I love that the kiddos are growing up just a titch and that our conversations are getting so much richer and more enjoyable. They were so excited to make the day perfect. And they did.

Early in the morning I heard little voices start to meander down the stairs. That is a general occurance in this house and I generally pay it no heed. However this time the voices included Toad and the main topic of conversation was how they were going to surprise me and make pancakes for breakfast. Panic hit as 1) The oldest is 7 and the 2 year old “called” his spot as pancake turner and 2) We didn’t have the ingredients for pancakes and I certainly didn’t want to see what they would use to make them.

I wandered downstairs with them and we had a great time together making french toast. It is their new breakfast favorite. I was amazed that we got dressed and ate breakfast all before church started.

HOWEVER (dum, dum, dum) at T minus 30 mintues to church time, I realized that Bear had the talk in Primary. I don’t remember what his topic was supposed to be but, after a short chat with Bear, the two of us decided that he would recite a Mother’s Day poem instead. (Sorry Angela!)

Sunday I got to teach Relief Society. Now… I know what you are thinking, the men should teach. Well, they were planning on it but, I begged my Relief Society presidency to let me teach. It was my week to teach and I was excited to give the lesson. After talking with the Bishop, I was given the all clear. This month was about prayer. I have had such amazing experiences over the last several months that I knew that I had to have my chance to express my feelings over this amazing principal. Besides, I actually love to teach and look forward to it every single month. It is a very unique experience for me when I teach. I learn so much and I feel that the lessons that I am given to teach are the ones that I need to hear the most. I will not take this calling for granted.

Anyway, after church I got a great surprise! My sister came by and offered to make me dinner while I took a nap! HOW IS THAT! I have been pulling some very late nights getting everything ready for my KSL moment and have lost more sleep than I care to admit. She made an amazing meal of Spaghetti and Salad. I got some much needed rest! Thanks Danza!

This year, the kiddos went shopping with dad and were so sweet to pick up a couple of fun things for me. They were quite thoughtful.

I will admit that my favorite gift this year was this picture. In school, the kiddos painted pictures for their mother’s. They even decorated their own gift wrap. She brought this home on the last day before she went off track and hid it really well in her closet. She was so thrilled to give it to me. I LOVE IT! I love that she tells me that the mediums are watercolor and Sharpie. I love that she signed her initials. I love that she has offered to teach anyone that comes by how to paint one. This is my new favorite piece of art and it will be finding a very deserving spot very soon.

Bear picked out a book. I have been wanting to read this one. I loved that he wanted to sit on my lap the entire afternoon and just snuggle with me. That is so bear. I couldn’t love that kid anymore if he came dipped in chocolate (when I tell him that he always responds “Don’t dip me in chocolate, that would be yummy, but a little too sticky for me”)
Nena gave me a Willow Tree angel. It looks just like her. She has been demonstrating how she can squat just like that little angel. She even has mastered the cute hands under the chin pose.
My camera is not my best friend right now. I wish that you could see this better. It is a little Toad on a chain. A cute Toad from a cute Toad. As a side note…. I was talking to Toad and asked him if he was still my baby. Here is his response, “I am not a baby. I am a boy. No, I am a kid. No, I am a Toad. No, I a Toadie. That’s right, not a frog, not a boy and not a baby. I am a Toadie. Ribbit Ribbit.”

I got a huge ceramic pot of beautiful yellow flowers. I loved them. I loved them so much that I placed them on the kitchen table so that I could snap a picture of it while I was taking pictures of the other treasured that my children so lovingly gave me when all of a sudden……. I turned around and……
Toadie (not to be confused with the frog, kid, baby or boy) had ripped the flowers off of half of the plant. HE KNOWS BETTER! I screamed “TOAD!!!!” He just looked up at me with a huge chocolate smile and said, “Sorry Mommy. I will glue it!” Well, I am disappointed that my plant now looks like…..

this. However I now have a fantastic memory to go along with the pictures.
Happy Mothers Day to all of you! Whether you have children of your own or not, you certainly have an amazing influence over my children. That is a great blessing and deserves the highest of all honors.