The days are long, but the years are short...

Today was the 3rd Mother's Day I've celebrated as a "Mom" and I'm pretty sure that it just gets better every year. Josh was fantastic as always and super attentive. Gray was more generous with hugs and kisses. It's not about the cards, flowers, or gifts but I have to admit it's nice to have a whole day to be appreciated for something you love doing anyway. 

I know I don't have all of the answers. Well, I'm pretty sure I only have a few of them, but I know that I love Gray more than I thought I could love anyone. I tell him I love him at least a couple times every day. I love his imagination, his contagious laugh, his big brown eyes, the little freckles that are starting to show up across his nose, the kisses he sometimes gives me when I tell him I DO NOT want one, and just about everything about his personality. Sometimes he irritates the crap out of me and I need a break, but most of the time I love sharing my days with Gray. 

What Mom doesn't want to go to the grocery store alone sometimes (or the bathroom for that matter)? That said, I'm convinced that this moment is the 'good stuff.' I try not to wish time away, because I know every age has trials. No one time is harder (teething or getting a learner's permit) than the next, but one times isn't better than the next (first words or first prom) either. I miss Gray's little coos and big toothless smiles and I miss watching him learn how to walk. The flip side of that is that now I see him learning how to count and build 'houses' out of everything from legos to PlayDough to pillows. What's next? Who knows? But I'm totally ready to find out! 

I'm so blessed to be Gray's Mommy, but I also have the most amazing Mom in the world. In a word she is amazing. She is one of my best friends. She gives great advice. She is smart, beautiful, caring, compassionate, funny, giving, supportive, and adventurous (to some degree). My sister and I couldn't have been more blessed than to be born into our little family because we truly lucked up in the parent department. 

*That said, my Mom acts like a 14 year old with her cell phone, but that is a whole blog post in and of itself so I won't get into that at the moment. 

Josh asked if I had any idea about what I might want for Mother's Day. I naturally responded with something like "Of course, I've got some ideas!!" I had been eyeing some antique stained glass windows (pulled out of old homes) for basically forever. Antique pieces can be kind of pricey (and sometimes hard to find) and I couldn't justify just going out to get one, but if it is a special occasion... 

We looked around at some antique shops in Ocean Beach and couldn't find anything but I had one more place in mind to try. I accidentally discovered a little salvage place in Little Italy, so we looked there yesterday. Low and behold, there was not one but several pieces hanging in the window! I narrowed it down to a few different ones and finally decided to go with the first one I looked at. I am so excited about hanging it up in the new house, but have decided to prop it up with all of the other wall decorations that I've already taken off the walls. I'm slightly bitter that it's not hanging in a window somewhere casting the most beautiful/colorful shadows, but it doesn't make much sense to hang it up just to patch the holes in a few days. Soon it will be hanging somewhere near the beach, so I guess I can wait a week or two to enjoy it.

Loving my gift!

Go read this article "Am I Mom Enough?" because Kara Baskin gives a great "Mommy Wish List" with all of the things she hopes that her children will be/do as they grow into adults. She hits the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned with what is important. I would have loved if she would have added something about children choosing to attend church later in life, but otherwise it was basically perfect. 

Here are a few of my favorites taken from the article... 

-"I hope I raise a child who says “thank you” to the bus driver when he gets off the bus, “please” to the waiter taking his order at the restaurant, and holds the elevator doors when someone’s rushing to get in."

-"I hope I raise a child who realizes that life is unfair: Some people are born rich or gorgeous. Some people really are handed things that they don’t deserve. Some people luck into jobs or wealth that they don’t earn. Tough."

-"I hope I raise a child who is open-minded and curious about the world without being reckless."

-"I hope I raise a child who knows that he’s loved and special but that he’s not the center of the universe and never, ever will be."


Happy Mother's Day!