Blessed

For this Mother's Day, I again want to dedicate a post to my incredible mom.  I actually was just going to repost the one I did last year, Happy Mother's Day, because it pretty much sums it up.  But I realized that some things have changed.  (Like my mom takes care of Parker 5 days a week now rather than 1.)

Blessed :   divinely or supremely favored; fortunate; enjoying the bliss of heaven

I use the word blessed often.  And I don't take it lightly.  I don't say that I am blessed to have a cup of coffee this morning.  I am lucky, or happy, to have a cup of coffee this morning.  But not blessed.

I am, however, very blessed to have many other things in my life.  My sweet boys, my amazing husband, wonderful family, our health, good friends, and my mom.  

My Mom.

I have always called her my angel here on earth.  (yes, even when I was young and you are not supposed to get along with your mom)  And that is exactly what she is.  

She has this uncanny ability to make everything better just by a touch of her hand.  When I come home at the end of the day and am wiped out, trying to get the boys their dinner, 2 or more of them might be crying/screaming, and I am about to fall over - she will just put her hands on my shoulders and I melt.  All of a sudden the stress of the day disappears and I am like a 5 year-old little girl who just crawled up in her mom's lap so that she can make everything better.  

She has this fun way with the boys - always thinking of them and what might be exciting to them.  When she comes over (every weekday morning), she usually has something fun to show the boys.  It can be as cool (literally) as a bowl of snow or as simple as a cantaloupe (which Ryder thinks is a ball).  Either way, they love it when Grandma has something "special" for them.  They will all gather around and "ooh" and "aah" over it and even sometimes cry over it - like when we had to tell Ryder that he can't bounce the cantaloupe.  She will play baseball with the boys or blow bubbles with them.  Brady really wanted to plant strawberries this year, so she bought all the supplies and helped him plant his own pot.  She will read to them and even wrestle with them!  (I have to remind them that they can't wrestle with her like they do with Daddy.)

She is the most selfless person that I know.  She would give up anything (and does) for her family.  She has given up her retirement (time and money) for my kids.  She went from watching them one day a week the first 2 years of their lives to watching Parker full time this past year.  That is a BIG commitment.  That means that every single weekday, instead of rolling out of bed whenever she wants to and enjoying a cup of coffee while leisurely reading the paper as most retired people do, she gets up at the crack of dawn (5:00) and heads out at 6:30 to our house.  She has to be at our place by 7 AM since we both have to be at school by 7:30.  And this is not your typical, "go to the park, hang out and do arts and crafts" type of babysitting gig.  She has to hit the ground running.  Parker has appointments every day of the week and they usually start first thing in the morning.  She dresses him, feeds him, changes him, teaches him, laughs with him, chauffeurs him to appointments, entertains him, stretches him, and so much more.   I don't typically get home until 4:30 with the other 2 boys (who I take to daycare).  And then she always stays and spends some time with Brady and Ryder and helps me get their dinner going.  Most of the time she doesn't leave until 5:30 or 6:00.  Now that is a full day, especially for someone who should be enjoying their "golden years" in retirement!

She also has this wonderful ability to keep me on top of things.  As I am walking out the door, she will usually ask me if I have everything.  She will go through  a list with me, which usually ends with me running back in to grab some diapers for Ryder's daycare.  She will text me during the day to remind me to order Parker's medicine or formula.  She will call me and remind me that we need a few doctor appointments made.  She will send me an email summary of special appointments that I wasn't able to attend or with feedback from Parker's school.  

My mom can still take care of me like I was little.  Sometimes I will come home from work and I can smell an amazing dinner cooking as soon as I open the door.  She will blow it off like it wasn't a big deal by saying "oh, I just had a new recipe that I wanted to try out."  She is always doing laundry!  It seems like no matter how many times I tell her not to worry about it, I come home and there are freshly folded piles of towels and the kids' clothes on the dining room table.  She is my rock and my cheerleader just like she was when I was little.  When I am overwhelmed and to the point of tears because I feel like I am not doing a good job at life, she scoops me up and gets me going again feeling confident and strong. 

The past 3 1/2 years have been the most wonderful and difficult times of my life.  I tell my mom that there is no way I would have been able to make it  through everything (and continue to do so) without her.  She always laughs, and says in an exasperated way, "Yes, you would.  You would be just fine without me!"  But I know differently.  

I know that God gave me the best mom ever and that she is my angel here on earth.  Did he give me this loving  mom because he knew that I was going to be an extra sensitive as a little girl?  Did he give me this strong mom because I was going to be a little wild in high school?  Did he give me this wise mom because he saw that I would have a tough time making career decisions and life decisions as a young adult?  Maybe.  Maybe those were some of the reasons.

But I believe even more so that God gave me this incredible mom because he knew she would get me ready to be a mom to Brady, Parker and Ryder.  He knew that she would be the best care giver to a sweet little boy with special needs.  That she would fill his life with joy and laughter.  He knew that she would make my two "typical-developing" boys feel just as special as Parker.   He also knew that she would be there for me, for us, and that there would be no better person to be called Grandma than my mom.

For this, I am blessed.  Blessed.

Mother's Day 2013

I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day.