Mother's Day

Here's to all the Mother's in the world. I never ever imagined I would be so proud to be able to call myself a mom.  I consider my job as a mom and all it's associated duties to be the greatest gift I've ever been given (just a hair ahead of my commitment to John).  Hazen and Cally give me reason to smile and laugh everyday.  They make me proud and allow me to feel as if I'm finally doing something that is so right.  Not to sounds too sappy, but I cherish every moment of being a mom-- the hugs, the questions, the snuggles, the walks, the imagining.  I even love the exhaustion from lack of sleep, the endless laundry, and having to rack my brain for something a little different to prepare for dinner each night.  This is, by far, the greatest adventure I've ever been on.  It trumps a semester in Africa, climbing big mountains, running marathons, ski trips, and leading trips in exotic places.  I really am happier than I've ever been. 

That said, being a working mom is hard.  I struggle with it on a daily basis.  I love teaching and feel so fortunate to feel both satisfaction and challenge in what I do.  I love that I live so close to where I work, have a husband who stays home with the kids once a week, have summers and vacations off,  have a great deal of flexibility with my time at work, and have the worlds most amazing day care provider.  Even so, I wonder if I'm missing out on a part of my kids life that I'll regret later.  I worry that the kids aren't getting the same benefits that I got by having a stay-at-home mom-- being able to take my kids to art and dance classes, meeting other mom's who have kids the same age and live in the area, etc. 

But, it doesn't do me any good to lament on what I might be missing and instead focus on what I'm gaining everyday because these two gingers showed up in my life. 

To celebrate Mother's Day, John deserves serious accolades-- because 1 & 3 year olds can't pull off a day as perfect as he just did.  It all started with Mom getting to sleep until 8:45am?!?!?  Then a coffee was delivered to my bed (with the paper and a few cards).  Then I came downstairs to eggs benedict, flowers, various gifts, and lots of hugs and love.  We had a great morning of family time and then I got to go for a bike ride with Ryan before getting our families together for a BBQ.  Cal and Isaac have such a ball together and Hazey and Oliver are working on developing the same kind of bond.  So far, there has been some shovel hitting and tears shed, but it should all be good by the time we gather for a joint family camping trip in July.

 

A little video footage of what Hazey is up to these days.  He's still not walking, but he certainly gets around: