Mother's Day 2014

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Brian and the kids disappeared upstairs for HOURS Saturday working on this little video they presented to me Sunday morning.

It was meaningful for me in two ways.

1. Because Camden was adopted 10 years ago, none of this video was available digitally (and I haven't seen it in forever). Brian figured out how to get it online, and I love that it's at our fingertips now.

2. The things the kids highlighted why they love me are so interesting. Camden chose a rewards chart I made for him (because he was having ALOT of trouble behaving several years ago) and Rory chose the fact that I took her for ice cream after baseball practice last year (when, in reality, I'm sure that ice cream was more for me than her considering Brian and Camden were at camp and we'd been on our own for days). Basically, they chose none of the mothering moments that stand out to me (you know, the times I made the conscious choice to be selfless, spend quality time with them, read Harry Potter until my voice is hoarse, give pedicures to tiny girl feet, etc., etc., etc.) stand out to them. I'm sure there's a lesson here somewhere.

This year's Mother's Day won't really go down in the books as the best ever (it's a good thing I read this article Saturday). Sundays are crazy around here these days. Full of rushing and making sure things are running smoothly at church. The kids were at war with each other and instead of making them help out with lunch and dishes as Brian requested, I just did it myself to keep the peace. I made the bad choice to take a nap, which meant I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to wake up and in a seriously cranky mood. Not my best moments.

But I kept thinking that while gifts or a day off  or specials meals are a great bonus to Mother's Day, it's just being able to celebrate Mother's Day at all that is the gift. And when I signed up to be a mother (literally, you know how many papers you have to sign in order for the government to allow you to adopt a child?), I signed up for the sleepless nights and the frustrating parenting moments and the cranky kids. Not for Mother's Day.

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Comments

Unknown said…
really a beautiful video :)
4:56 PM
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