Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day Eve started with two photo shoots: my neighbor’s prom and child dedication ceremonies at my church (my bloggy friend Gina dedicated her children).

Mother’s Day Eve ended with a last minute date night with Dan at the Cheesecake Factory.

The big day started with the gift of sleeping in while Dan picked up the kids at Grandma’s. Then I puttered around the house, laid on a blanket in the yard (in the sunshine!), and got to shower without any kids bursting in to interrupt.

Before naptime, Dan and the kids couldn’t wait and decided to give me my gifts. The first one was a card from Jackson. By following Katie’s sample above, he actually wrote “Happy Moth Day.” Tears pricked my eyes as I saw how much he’s learning and growing.

The second gift was from Katie. She took an empty muffin box, snazzed it up with colored metallic tape, covered the top with paper, and cut a slit in it. She hand copied Bible verses onto small pieces of paper, then tucked the papers inside the box. The box is called “My Bible Veresis.” She told me, “I know you like to read your Bible. This box has verses you can read and then look up in your Bible during your quiet time in the morning.” She dreamed this up all by herself, which makes it one of THE BEST gifts I’ve ever received. Truly.

Dan’s gifts came last. First, he found a camping heater that runs on propane. Since he knows I’m always cold, he figured we could use it in the back yard or outdoors or wherever we are (not just for camping). Second, he bought me the Human Planet DVD set. The great thing about this is my friend Mary and I were discussing it and I told her I’d love to see it. I never mentioned it to Dan. Then all of a sudden, he bought it for me out of the blue. Pretty cool! Lastly, Dan gave me a card and a big manila envelope. Inside the envelope? BEST. GIFT. EVER.

After gifts, Jackson took a nap and Katie had quiet time in her room (she was wiped out from Grandma’s), while I edited photos. Katie helped me make a yummy fruit salad.

Then we moved outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Dan prepared one of my favorite appetizers on the grill: Jamaican lamb chops. Yum!

We enjoyed one of my favorite meals: blackened salmon, with fruit salad and pasta salad. And beer!

It was a wonderful, relaxing, soul-filling day with my sweet family.