Mother's Day 2013

My kids are lucky. They are so lucky that I have an amazing mom who has taught me so much about unconditional love, thoughtfulness and appreciating children. My mom's children are now all over 30, but she still thinks of us as her kids - and she will never stop.

My mom has always been my biggest supporter and coach. I never appreciated her enough when she was just my mom. But now that I'm a mom, I realize how much she sacrificed for her kids, how much she loved us unconditionally, how she would have done anything and everything for us. And I appreciate her so much more. She is the most amazing grandmother to my kids (and all of her grandkids). My kids absolutely adore her.

My Mother's Day weekend started off right with a playdate/happy hour with some of my favorite moms from school. The kids all got along (for the most part) while we sipped rose on the patio. On Saturday, we checked out a new restaurant in the neighborhood and I discovered that I love potato pancakes. Nate and I rode our bikes to a friend's birthday dinner 7 miles away (much to Nate's chagrin), which meant that Benny and Lila got to spend the night with one of their favorite babysitters.

I requested a low-key Mother's Day. With all the house work we've been doing, it felt good to stay at home and work in the yard. We took a break for a picnic in the park and finished off the day with Nate's famous beer can chicken and salad greens from our garden.

My favorite moment of the weekend? Benny couldn't wait to give me the gift he made me at school. As soon as I woke up on Saturday (not Sunday), he handed me a paper bag. He made me a lovely bird house. He spent the better part of 30 minutes telling me exactly why he chose to decorate the house like he did. I love it. It's so fun to be Benny's and Lila's mom.