My Mother's Day

My Mother's Day this year was really wonderful, from beginning to end.  Even when I decided I would do the anti-Mother's Day thing and force my husband to join me in cleaning our downstairs from top to bottom at 8:30 at night; isn't Mother's Day all about not cleaning?  Well, since I never clean, I guess I just thought Mother's Day must be about Opposites Day or something.  JDubbs was a good sport about it, though, even if it was ridiculous.

Last Mother's Day I had a three-week-old, so it's all kind of a blur.  This year was all about nice, easy family fun.  I could go on about sleeping in, breakfast, gifts, and dinner, but the highlight of my day was undoubtedly when my little family went over to Woodstock and had lunch at The White Cottage.  Imagine a little shack with only outdoor dining at picnic tables, where napkins dropped by kids blow by like tumble weeds, and birds peck at ice cream dribbles on the cement floor. 

Imagine ordering fried food at a window and having your name called and your food handed to you on a tray.  Fifty years ago that food would definitely have been delivered by a cute girl on roller skates.  Imagine delicious homemade ice cream in waffle cones and enjoying it at the picnic area by the river.  That was my favorite part of Mother's Day.

Enjoying delicious ice cream....

...which took a while...

...and astonishingly Miss Em didn't like it!

Then my family indulged me in a photo shoot because it was Mother's Day and there is no complaining, eye rolling, or grumbling about getting your picture taken allowed!  

I propped my camera up on a picnic table, set the timer, and sprinted to my family for a group shot.  I think the reason that they came out pretty well is because Jax thought watching me run in a skirt and flip flops was just about the funniest thing he'd ever seen and begged me to do it again and again.

I love how Jax would loop his arm through mine.  I just love that little guy.

  

Then JDubbs took some photos of me and the kids, although they are mostly of my back (or maybe my butt?).  I'll assume his motivation was that it wasn't exactly easy to take photos of our front, since we were facing the water, without him actually getting in it.  And although it is starting to warm up here in Vermont, it is definitely not really wading weather yet.

The kids even obliged with some sibling shots as well, although Em was totally over it and ready to head home.  Where she wouldn't nap for the rest of the afternoon!

But guess who had to deal with that?  Not me!  Thank you, Mother's Day!

(insert evil giggle here)

Jax did try his best to cheer his sister up.  It was very sweet.

 

Even if it didn't work.

Thank you to my family for spending the day with me and for doing just what I wanted to do.  Hanging out together.

Spending time as a family happens often, but there's always an agenda.  We're always being pulled in different directions and trying to get various stuff done.  Mother's Day is all about putting all that other "stuff" on the back burner and consciously spending time focusing on family.  And I love that.

Because I love us.