My New Favorite Holiday

When I used to think of Mother's Day, I thought of three things. 1) Homemade cards and gifts 2) Breakfast in bed 3) No housework for Mom (and no fighting for us kids). That is the holy trinity of Mother's Day. Sounded nice, but I didn't think it would rank as one of the best days of the year. I had underestimated the power of mommyhood.

My first Mother's Day started as I had hoped--I slept in. Once you've had consistenly interrupted sleep for over six months, only then can you understand what a joy it is to sleep soundly without listening for a monitor. Kudos to my husband from the start. Having flowers already on the table the night before when we arrived home from our trip to Massachusetts was also a nice touch :) So my day started off great and just got better.

We went to breakfast because JDubbs makes me breakfast all the time, so this was something different, and because who wants crumbs in bed? Not me, since I am scared of bed bugs enough as it is. Then a nice drive to see JDubbs's half marathon route, then home for some family time and baby snuggling. See how good the day was going?

Then we headed over to Nana and Papa's so we could take Jax for a walk in BOB, which we had left there on Friday. Jax fell asleep on the ride over so Nana kept her eye on him while JDubbs, Baxter, and I went on our walk. The weather was a little overcast, but that made for nice walking. JDubbs and I got to spend some time together, too, which was an unexpected surprise. I was starting to realize that Mother's Day was more than I had originally assumed.

We had a great dinner with Nana, Papa, and Auntie Jenny and although Jax refused to go to sleep, it was okay with us to spend a little more time with him on Mother's Day. Maybe he just wasn't done celebrating yet. He snuggled on Nana's shoulder at the dinner table (a nice Mother's Day treat for her) and we lingered over a glass or two of wine. A yummy ending to a great day.

So what was my Mother's Day gift, you're wondering? Well, even though I knew what I was getting, it didn't make it any less special. Daddy took Jax to the local pottery place and had his footprints put on a tile where it was glazed and then bought a frame. Now I will forever have a memento from when Jax was so small and from my first Mother's Day.
 
So you see why Mother's Day is now officially my favorite holiday. It was different from what I expected, but different in a totally-exceeded-expectations kind of way. Every year I will get JDubbs all to myself with no competition from the yard or training for the marathon. I was able to spend time with my baby, puppy, and in-laws, which was perfect. And it's a great time to reminisce about Jax, how big he's gotten, and of course, the day he was born. I loved everything about it, and I think it is without a doubt my new favorite day of the year.

And if you're wondering where my mom, the beautiful Jeanne Marie, was in all of this, I saw her for the three days before Mother's Day. She knew I wanted to wake up in my own bed so she didn't mind me going home Saturday night. But I got to spend time and celebrate with her, which was the icing on the cake for me. Having my mom around on special days like this makes me realize how lucky we are to be so close to our families, and how lucky we are to have both of our families around to help raise Jax into the great little guy he's turning out to be :)

I love you, Mom! :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life!