Mother's Day 2009

Mother's day, a day set aside for moms. As I think back to my mom and the legacy she left for me, the one thing that comes to mind is adventure. My mom could turn anything into an adventure, into something fun. Even if my brother and I were embarrassed out of our skin, Mom was still having fun. I hope I can pass that spirit onto my kids. On the other hand, I'm thankful for my mother-in-law. She is an amazing, kind woman who has accepted me as part of the family. I'm forever grateful for that.

But, now I'm the mom. I have kids to celebrate with and a wonderful hubby that makes me feel very special and spoiled. Hubby bought me a Cricut, something I have been eying for about a year now. I have been fooling around with it and I'm sure that the girls are anxious to get their hands on it. Ariel is obsessed with crafting and this is going to be right up her alley. Hubby preached at church this morning, he has a talent for bring for the Word. I'm so proud of him! We went out for lunch with the in-laws and it was nice to celebrate with them.

Celebrating mothers is kind of, don't get me wrong, but embarassing. We do work hard in our homes, but to me it seems like it is behind the scenes. I'm not much of a spotlight person, I'd rather hang out in the kitchen and do things that are not up front. I do what I do because I love it, most days, I'm not in search of recgonition. It seems strange to have some one bring to light the things I do on a day to day basis, usually with out much thought. It seems to be mechanical and unnoticed. But I guess that's the way it should be.

I'm thankful for my family, for my husband and my kids. God has blessed me beyond what I deserve.

The Movies and Growing Up

So, hubby is away this weekend doing some field training with his army reserve unit. It's hard to imagine all the pressure that he faces commanding an entire battalion and having all the responsibility that the position requires. I'd trade a girls at home weekend any day for that stress! When hubby is gone, the girls miss him very much, so I try to break routine and do something fun to fill the place that he leaves. Tonight we went to the cheap theater and saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. It was so fun! We got soda and popcorn, a huge treat for us, I'm usually the cheapskate that promises popcorn when we get home. The only problem was poor Belle could hardly keep her glasses on and kept pushing them back on her face until at one point she decided it was easier not to use them at all, she said she couldn't see with them. So I offered to switch with her, thinking that the psychology of "momma kept them on her face and saw with them fine" would rule over typical preschool hardheadedness. So I put on her glasses only to discover that she really could not see out of them because of the haze of grease from the popcorn that covered them! The movie was super, Reese Witherspoon was wonderful even as a cartoon character. I really think that she and I could be great friends....if only I could meet her! lol Legally Blond is one of those movies that I have to watch when I see it in the guide on the TV. Anyway....before we hit the theater, we made a quick stop at Borders. I love Borders. Hubby and I used to go there on a date night, grab a coffee, and just hang out looking at books. Now that our life includes our kiddos, it's not something that we do often, but it was fun to go. The section of books that I was looking for was right by the kids section, so it worked great for all of us. They could look at what they wanted to and I could have some peace! They both found a book that they wanted and Ariel was reading hers to me on the way home. It's Junie B. Jones, adorable, but the grammar is awful! It's written from a kindergartner's perspective and it is the way they speak, but I hope it doesn't rub off on her! One of the teachers at Ariel's school has been reading these books to them and Ariel loves them. I'm glad to finally be able to see what she has been raving about. Anyway...Ariel was reading the book to me. Reading it! A chapter book! She amazes me. Yesterday Hubby and I were sitting on the couch and she was telling us about what she was doing at school and I looked at him and said, Wow, when did she learn all this? And Belle is sitting right next to me and says, "Our little girl has grown up so fast!". I lost it. It was so funny to hear that little one say the thing that Hubby and I say often about them! All four of us laughed so hard. The thing about it, is that it is so true. Where did the time go? Where did our little babies disappear to? I love the age that my kids are at now. They are a lot easier to take places, not having to haul a diaper bag and multiple changes of clothes around, but the emotional issues that we deal with are much more in depth. A kiss doesn't heal all wounds, and I know that we are just scratching the surface of what we will deal with in the future. I wonder about raising my girls and wonder if I'm making good decisions. I want them to trust me when they get older, trust me with their crushes and hurts and not force me out. Right now daddy and mommy are the best things, we are still fun to be around. I don't want that to end, I want them to want to be with us. I'm not saying that I want to be their friend, I want to always be the mother, but I want them to confide and to have the kind of relationship where we really know each other. Hum....too much to hope for? I hope not.

So on to less deep issues. Driving down the interstate tonight, there was a truck that was loaded down with round hay bales. It was funny to see a regular pick up truck loaded up and to see a big, obviously homemade trailer, following carrying so many bales, it looked like it could collapse at any moment. Of course hay is swirling in the wind all around, and my thoughts were....only here, in the boonies, would you see something like that! I wish I would have had a camera...