From My Window

Happy Mother's Day to all who are mothers, had mothers, or hope to be mothers! Thanks to my wonderful family, I've actually been celebrating Mother's Weekend around here. I was fortunate to receive gifts and cards from my mother, my mother-in-law, and a friend from church--and I'm not even their mother!

My husband started his portion of the celebration by taking our family out to breakfast on Friday morning. Then we all headed off for the garden centers, checking out a new one and then ending up at Dardano's, our old favorite. Loaded up with a van full of gorgeous plants, we headed home for lunch. While the kids napped, Than and I prepared the pots. Than also dug up our vegetable garden by hand to stir in the manure and compost--what a man! We finished that portion of Mother's Day with Nathan helping us fill the pots, and of course water them well!!

Saturday was busy with a breakfast meeting here in the morning and a family from church for our dinner guests. This morning Than taught Nathan how to say "Happy Mother's Day" and he randomly inserted it into conversations with me throughout the day--so much fun! Katya attempted it too, but the best she could manage was an adorable coo and a big grin. We skipped the overcrowded restaurant scene and grabbed lunch at Arby's, my favorite fast food place. We rejected the overcrowded park scene in favor of a picnic in our own park-like backyard, and then Than treated me to a Mother's Weekend treasure hunt around the yard. Nathan helped me uncover new gifts for my kitchen, garden, and dining room. Everything was well chosen, a good combination of practical and fun. My husband is so thoughtful, and silly too as each gift was wrapped in a grocery bag (for the chef), tied with a rubber glove (for the mom who cleans up all sorts of messes) and hidden in a special spot (where this mom finds and gives good things). Grams and Granddad joined us for dinner and a delightful evening on the patio, thanks to a cozy fire in our outdoor fire pit. We were glad to have them.

I ended the evening watching the tail end of my favorite show, Extreme Home Makeover, and then Than put our sweet and silly son to bed. Hopefully Katya will head there soon and STAY there for the night--we'll see.

All in all, I felt very loved and grateful to be a mom in such a wonderful family. Hope you celebrated your mother as well!