Mother's Day and accomplishments

Eighteen years ago today, I celebrated my first Mother's Day. I wasn't officially a mom yet, I was 6 months pregnant with our first child and my DH and I were pretty excited. My sweet husband bought me a lovely rocking chair as my first "mom" gift and it got plenty of use over the years. The baby I used to rock to sleep in that chair will graduate from high school next month...and over the years, we've been blessed with 4 other kids who make Mother's day one of my favorite occasions.

Why is this day special to me? Yes, I love the breakfast in bed that my kids serve me annually with their Dad's help. I love the flowers that Dad snuck in the house and arranged for me last evening. I love the cards and hugs and carefully chosen gifts...but what I love best of all is looking back over the years, seeing how far my kids have come, and knowing I had a part in their journey. Their gifts reflect their love and their accomplishments and that's the very best reward any mom could ask for! Here's what I mean:

My oldest gave me victories. She worked in secret. She swiped my tablet, downloaded pictures of her siblings and herself to her own computer, and formatted them onto one page into a photo collage of milestones. There's a pic of one sib learning to ride a bike, another sib proudly showing off his driving permit, a pic of a sib reading to a class of pre-schoolers, a pic of herself in front of her college's admissions office on acceptance day. Probably my most cherished pic of all is of our boy grinning broadly as he celebrated his 15th birthday at home...the smile on his face says it all. I now have a framed reminder of the hard won accomplishments of my kids...thank you, Miss Senior!

My youngest grew me a flower...and grew so much himself! He gave me a snapdragon in a wee little pot that he decorated himself. He wrote a Mother's Day message on it...and he is justifiably proud of his ability to read and write on his own these days. Thank you, sweet boy, I love the flower you grew and am so proud of what you wrote just for me!

My monkey gave me her heart! I got a lovely floating heart necklace that says "Every day is better with you by my side", also a note from my girl that said, "I'm glad that I'm yours." Me too, baby, every day...even on your sassy teenage days...thanks for letting me be your mom!

My first boy gave me a hug and that's huge....because this boy spent last Mother's Day in a locked pediatric psychiatric unit but this year, he's home where he belongs. He also gave me a pretty reed diffuser and a sweet card, helped make breakfast, and is being so kind today...so much progress from a year ago! Thanks, squirrel, for making my day extra special!

My oldest boy is giving me his time. This past week, he sold some of his favorite videogames to get some extra cash, then told me he wanted to take me out for Mother's Day. He offered to take me to lunch or to a movie, my choice. I picked a movie....then he offered to take me to see "The Great Gatsby". For a 17 year old boy who would rather have a root canal than see "The Great Gatsby", I figured that was a gift in and of itself...but I told him I'd rather go to a film we would both like. This afternoon, he'll be taking me to see "Ironman 3" with his own money. Thanks, my wonderful son...I am truly honored that you want to hang out with Mom!

Best Mother's Day gift of all? My kids....my awesome, wonderful, maddening, funny, frustrating, hormone-soaked, courageous, challenging, awe-inspiring teens who are growing into such interesting young adults. Love you all...thanks for another amazing year as your mom. The adventure continues!