"it's Momma's Day", said the littles....continually to be confused with my birthday. In their defense the 2 do come very close together in my situation.
Mothers Day's are nice--it's nice to celebrated...but lets not get too ahead of ourselves. The work of a momma doesn't end just because it's the 2nd Sunday of the month of May. And just because we plan to have a fun, relaxing, day to remember doesn't mean it will quite work out that way--no matter how great your husband plans it out.
There have been a bunch of wonderful blog posts circling the web this past week--all very encouraging and beautiful. As a momma in the midst of raising 3 littles, reading these have helped me feel refreshed, validated, convicted, challenged, appreciated, and connected. But here's what stuck out to me today:
What messes our life up most — is the expectation of what our life is supposed to look like.
~Ann Voshcamp
ain't that the truth.
Call me crazy but sometimes i get a little excited about the special days... call them Hallmark ploys if you will...but i like them. I work these days up in my head--i see how picture perfect they are going to be--a day we will remember always. Every once in a while it happens that way.
But let's be real here. We are talking about 5 REAL people here. Things really do have to be just about PERFECT (meaning all stars have to align just right) for the 5 of us to be in good, fun moods, not tired hungry and in need of a nap and to all be healthy at the same time. I should seriously lower my expectations...or better yet STOP having them because this is just my season in life. Success to living with 3 littles is looking at the moments not the whole day--appreciating the sweet times and forgiving and forgetting all the rest.
So today. It started out pretty great. I slept in a little, then woke up to chocolate chip pancakes and my sweet family smiling and hugging me good morning. Then my norabird hugged me and i felt how blazing hot her skin was. yep. she was sick. some meds, a cool rag, snuggles and mini chocolate chips picked out of a pancake seemed to brighten her spirits enough we decided to stick with the plan to go to church.
we were late. like REALLY late. but we got there.
kids sat with us, to reduce potential germ spreading to other sweet children. It was nice to have the family with me in service. I loved my sweet baby girl snuggles and holding the hands of my handsome boys.
Until the end of the service when sweet nora had an accident in my lap--and i'm not talking about a little pee. She was in tears about it. That's when i realized she was sicker than we thought--sick enough to loose control of herself (emotionally AND physically). We went home, but not before picking up lunch in a drive-thru. Slushies make everything better yes?
Unless when you get home, your sick daughter throws it back up on the floor.
and then your baby boy chooses this same time of day to be as fussy as possible and not want to eat anything you give him--but scream because he's so hungry and tired.
all the while your other little boy wants to talk, sing, jump, and run around completely oblivious to the mess the rest of the family is in.
I start to panic. Mike has to leave in a couple of hours to go back to school and i'm gonna be left with all of this.
Best we can, we get everything and everyone settled, cleaned up, fevers broken, fed, and put to sleep.
We eat cold fast food at a table that is littered with junk, I look at my husband and say, "i just wanna go to bed".
We do. We've hardly seen each other since he walked in the door Friday night, and the time we were supposed to spend together today was actually spent on separate sides of our bed completely passed out.
After nap N still didn't feel well but her fever had at least stayed down, thankfully D was in a better mood and H was still super hyper, but happy. We had plans to go out with my bestie Hill, have dinner and let the kids play but of course i had to cancel. The rest of the night was low-key and easy as possible...no big moves, no expectations to spoil. We ate fruit, crackers and whatever leftovers we could find, watched Tinkerbell for the hundredth time, and then snuggled before bed.
That wasn't my ideal mother's day. but sitting here looking back, i was being a mother--actively doing what the day is there to celebrate --and i feel blessed. i am lucky enough to be a mom--there were years where i thought it may never happen.
As Mike said there will also be years when my littles aren't so little anymore, where Mother's Day will be easier and we'll laugh at this day. I'm sure that's true. Those days i'll probably miss my sick little norabird cuddling with me all day and wish i could go back. (i probably won't miss the pooping and puking though).
Oh. Mother's Day. You're over now, and i'm kinda glad. But i do appreciate the sweet kisses, funny words from my kiddos, as well as the kind-intentions and selfless service of my husband who went out of his way to drive home for a quick weekend just to make sure i would have had the best mother's day possible. I appreciate the family i have and the opportunity to live life with them everyday. Even when my expectations aren't met.
mother's day morning
...a happy chocolate faced little boy in just undies cause we are still trying to potty train the stinker...a sick little girl half clothed trying to break her fever...missing D cause he needed a nap...beside my awesome flower tower made by my sweet sweet husband.
my MOM pancakes. they were super yummy.
the picture i had to fight to get...
Nora was so sick at this point i had to bribe her with a flower to keep her from crying...D just wanted a nap...and Holden couldn't sit still for the life of him...but i got it.. a pic with all my kiddos. i sure do love being their momma...even in all the crazyness.
