Mother's Day 2012

Last year I had just had Tommy and was battling the baby weight blues.  I remember crying in the car on the way to Mother's day brunch because the only thing that fit me was a maternity dress.   Still battling it out, but no tears this weekend!  I had an awesome weekend. 

Saturday Tom and I spent literally all day mulching the front yard.  Four truckloads of mulch are now sitting in various beds.  We are quite impressed with ourselves.   Tommy took a two hour nap in the morning and a three hour nap in the afternoon.  Our amazing 14-year-old-sitter-in-training took over with Tommy between naps, and P man helped us out using his sturdy little wheelbarrow and shovel.  When the neighbor girls came over to see if he wanted to play, Patrick pointed to the pile of mulch and told them he couldn't play because he had so much work to do.  The weather was beautiful.  I had no energy left at the end of the day to cook, so we ordered pizza.  Gardening + Pizza = Refreshed momma.  Seriously. I have aspirations to join our garden club one day when the boys are of school age.  One day, my roses will be breathtaking. 

We are having P's 3rd birthday party at our house Saturday and have been working to get the yard ready.  Praying for sunny, dry weather.  All my flowers are cooperating gloriously for the event.

Each year, we are winning a little more of the battle with our house.  Tom solved the problem of the perpetual avalanche of mud and mulch that always slides onto our stairs by building up a little wall out of rocks along the side.  Small gesture, but one more thing off our to-do list.

And this monster of a project is done!  Until you have personally pulled a whole bed of overgrown ivy down to each last root, you have not lived.  Really.  Ever since we moved in, bees would make a huge nest in the ivy and we'd have to dish out lots of cash to have the exterminator get rid of them.  If bees had faces, I would love to see them when they roll in this summer and see all my mulch. 

But enough of that-down to the nitty gritty.  We basked in brunch this year.  All of us.  Tommy ate about a third of his body weight and we had to pry the chocolate mousse from Patrick's little hands. 

The perfect shot with all my boys will have to wait until next year. Again.

My mom LOVES Clark bars, so when I spotted the case of them at Sam's Club, I had the perfect gift.

Kids, I'll let you stay up until midnight jumping on the bed with scissors if you would just LOOK AT THE CAMERA. 

(...at the same time.)

After brunch, the kids napped before we headed over to Tom's parent's for a joint Mother's Day operation.  Tom, his sister, brother, and dad all helped cook dinner for Baba and me.  It was great until Tommy melted down at bedtime and we headed home. 

Patrick must have told me "Happy Mother's Day" 20 times.  And it was.