mother's day 2012

My first official Mother's Day as a mom was jam-packed full of memorable things! So jam packed that it has taken me a few days to sort through all of the pictures and write this lengthy post. I'm warning you. But here is why it was so memorable...



::Brandon made me cinnamon oatmeal pancakes with fresh blackberries and left a happy mother's day note on my plate.

::had a surprise visit (all the way from NYC!) from Em, Kyle, and Hudson right before we headed off to church. I'll have to blog about how they surprised us once I get some of their footage and pictures.

:: taught YW and cried through nearly the entire thing-- poor girls who have a crybaby of a leader. It was touching to reflect on how my mother continues to influence my life. The best part was having Brandon bring in my visual aid for the last part of the lesson...my sweet Blake. I love being his mom.

::talked to my brother Mike on a mission in Brazil.

::visited Brandon's mom. I'm grateful Blake has such a very thoughtful grandmother like her. I love how excited she gets to spend time with her grandkids. And it was super fun to see Blake and Brandon's dad make each other laugh.

::visited my mom's grave with my dad and brother's family. Even though it was mother's day, it is really just as much of a celebration for my dad because we couldn't have done it without him playing dad AND mom.

::talked to my missionary sister Sarah in Arizona. (and getting really excited to see her in a few months!)

::had a little photo shoot of the cousins. I'll only post a few here since I'm sure we'll get more before Hudson takes off.

::I loved this sweet card that "Blake" made for me. I loved the details especially the grass and the flower which is Blake's hand.  Blake wrote his first card for Brandon's birthday  here.  I am glad mother's day was deserving of a note from him, too. The back of the card said, "2 MOM: i love you so a lot! i love when you make me smile. UR the bestest mom ever! i love you 4 everything U Do. i made this card 4 U all by myself (dad helped a little). U R awesome! love, Blake

In addition to this card, Blake gave me a tent with a note that said, "Can we paleez go camping? Here's a tent." And Brandon gave me a coupon for an ice bucket with a note that said, "Can we please throw another party with lots of people? Pick an ice bucket." I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves to party around here.

I'm a lucky mom to have had such a sweet day. Thanks for making it special Brandon and Blake!