Happy Mother’s Day
2012
Me with my mom and eight of my nine kids
Mother’s Day is my favorite day of the year. I even like Mother’s Day more than my own birthday. All I did to earn my birthday was to be born, and hey, my mom did all the work to make that happen. But Mother’s Day is entirely different. You don’t automatically get to have a Mother’s Day, but instead you earn it.
You go through a lot to earn a Mother’s Day. Some go through the morning sickness, the stretch marks, the pains of labor and birth, while others go through piles and piles of paperwork, home studies and eventually court dates to bring their babies home.
No matter how we get them, we all go through the sleepless nights and endless concerns and worries that goes into raising children. We sure put in our time, don’t we? No job out there is more demanding than being a mom, because being a mom never ends. There is no vacations, no retirement. From the day they are born, they are ours to love, to protect, and ours to worry about. Do we ever stop worrying for their safety? I don’t think so. Maybe “worry” is the wrong word. I guess it’s more like a constant concern for, something that on some level you are always thinking about in the back of your mind: is my child safe today? is he out of harm’s way? did she buckle her seatbelt? Things like that. When you become a mother, your heart lives outside of your body, just walking around out there being exposed to who knows what every single day. If you think about it too much it can drive you crazy. So, we somehow push it to the far back of our minds. But it’s there, nonetheless.
I’m 42 years old, yet I’m sure my mom still worries about me from time to time
As mothers, I’m willing to bet that we all doubt ourselves along the way. Am I doing enough? Did I make the right decision? I am being a good role model? Should I have made her keep her shoes on at the fire station?
because wow, look at these feet!
Today Rich had to work, so after church we went to his station to have lunch. I’ve had quite a few Mother’s Days at the fire station!
The kids don’t mind spending Mother’s Day at the fire station…not when there’s a t.v. room like this! I think we need this kind of set up in our house!
We also attended a Mother’s Day mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels ~ it was the biggest church my kids had ever been in, and they were impressed. Here they are standing next to the baptismal font. I love the mural on the wall.
Is Audriana praying in this photo….or just about to sneeze?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Inquiring minds want to know!
The Bishop gave the mass today, which was kind of cool. Of course, I told the kids it was the Pope so that they would be good during the hour-long mass. Was that wrong of me? “You don’t want the Pope to see you misbehaving, do you? Sit still.” They were all like, “Ooooh, the Pope! We better be good!” Hey, whatever works, you know?
It was such a beautiful place. We aren’t used to attending church in such a grand building. Our church building has not been built yet so we are in portable buildings, which is a bit blah, but we love our church community and all the friends we have there, so it’s all good. But I think I will make it a point to bring the kids out to the Cathedral for mass a few times a year. They really enjoyed it and say they want to go back. But maybe that was only because the Pope was there. Hmmmm.
I totally agree with you about the worry/concern we have as moms. I know the Bible says we shouldn’t be “anxious” and “worry” but as a mom, it’s impossible not to have that continual concern for our kids…and I think God gets that! But for our sake, he says to cast our cares on him so we need to try to do that daily (or hourly…or by the minute!)
The WORST I think (and I’ve told my kids this) is the first time your child goes out driving by themselves. For the first few months that my kids were driving on their own, I would make them call whenever they got where they were going. As I could see that they were managing, I loosened the reins, but I do NOT feel guilty about that little extra requirement because I needed it for my peace of mind.
Even today, I insist that my daughter (age 27) call me every night when she gets home. She moved out almost two years ago, but she lives alone. So there’s no one there to know if she made it home or not. I want to KNOW that she’s home safe and sound and all locked in! She understands and doesn’t mind (besides it usually gives us a minute to chat, and since I only see her about once a week that’s nice). Once she’s married, it will be different because there will be someone expecting her to be home.
My kids (and husband) think I am neurotic at times, but I don’t care. I lost a brother to a drunk driver in 1997 (he was 37) and I had a niece killed in a traffic accident in 2007 (she was 19). So I realize how quickly a horrible tragedy can happen and turn your life upside-down and sideways. If I’m a little “over-careful,” so be it.
P.S. Lying about the Pope? Priceless! On the one hand, I’m not a fan of lying to your kids, but I also believe that, as moms, we have a little leeway on that one!
Love the pics! What a gorgeous family!!
Glad you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Wow!!! Your mum looks so YOUNG and SO GORGEOUS!!! I wondered where you got it from