Out of Dreams and Into Our Hearts: Mother's Day

Boy or Boy I will probably say this every Mother's Day but you sure do not appreciate your mother as you should until you become one yourself! My little "Belle" is all of my heart but she sure is A LOT of work!!!! I greatly enjoyed my Mother's Day immensely and did not want the day to end and return to the monotony that is our normal schedule this week!

So what did we do these past few days? Well on Friday I took Carsyn to swim at the big pool at the local gym that we joined. She loved it! Mainly she kept getting in and out and jumping into my arms in the pool. It is amazing the trust an infant has to know that you won't drop them! Especially when she surprisingly jumped in my arms while I was treading water in the deep end! We made it back to shallow water safely though! Got me a good ab workout in! Anyway we made a new little buddy and can not wait to go back AGAIN and AGAIN this summer!

On Friday night we went to the Relay for Life fundraiser at the hospital to benefit American Cancer Society. The entire community comes out to raise money in various ways whether it be selling food, raffles, contests, etc. We stayed for a bit and ate some good and greasy food. My husband also walked away with a fish fryer he bid on at auction to give away to one of his buddies as a gift. Then Carsyn started getting overtired so we headed home. Unfortunately she fell asleep as soon as we hit the interstate (it was only a few minutes to 8) and then I had to get her back to sleep after her bath which woke her up. I HATE when that happens! So on Saturday we didn't have much planned that morning. After nap time my mom arrived and I went to do a prom photo shoot. We got a surprise invitation to go meet Grandparent Smiths for dinner who were in town for Cousin Hannah's piano recital. We didn't know we would get to visit with them for Mother's Day! Afterwards we were going to hear the Mississippi Symphony Pops in concert at the park but Carsyn once again was wearing down by 7:30 (our naps are back to NOT GOOD) so I got her to bed and we ended up not venturing out.

Next came Sunday morning. After breakfast, Carsyn and I gave Nonny her present which wasn't what I had initially planned which was a Mother/Daughter portrait by a fellow photographer in Hburg so we have to do a make up for that in a few weeks. Then I received a gift from my mom. I tell her that I am not her Mother and she is not supposed to give me gifts but she does anyway :) Well my gift was this

This is a drawing of this picture that I took of Carsyn and my grandmother's hand when Carsyn was about 3 weeks old. Mother's Day will always hold an extra special memory in my heart as this was the last visit I had with my Grandmother where she was aware of my presence before she passed away.

The next is a picture of the gift I gave Mamommy last Mother's Day. It is the Willow Tree Angel of Courage which stayed on her nightstand until she passed away 2 months later. It now rests on my sofa table next to the above picture. Today at church we sang

Victory in Jesus which made me think of her as it seems this was a hymn I remember her singing.

O victory in Jesus,My Savior, forever.He sought me and bought meWith His redeeming blood;He loved me ere I knew HimAnd all my love is due Him,He plunged me to victory,Beneath the cleansing flood.

Also my Magnolia trees began blooming this week which was perfect timing as they were her favorite. She always said "How can you not believe in God with beauty in nature like this." It made me feel as if she was present with us today.

So after church the Smith family and my mom and us had bbq ribs and sides and dessert. We ate and ate and laughed and laughed as Carsyn played in her inflatable pool and made bubbles. Lots of fun and relaxing. SOOOO much better than eating at a crowded restaurant with a sleepy toddler which was our initial plan. Oh btw Carsyn and Daddy got me a gift too- Circle E candle and new HOBO wallet! :) Pictures from our weekend are at the bottom.

SO for your mother's day gift I will leave you with this email that I shared a while back, but for those who missed it...here it is again:

Being a MOM... We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of 'starting a family.' 'We're taking a survey,' she says half-joking. 'Do you think I should have a baby?' 'It will change your life,' I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. 'I know,' she says, 'no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations.' But that is not what I mean t at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother w ill leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, 'What if that had been MY child?' That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of 'Mom!' will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitat ion. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a chil d. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromanti c. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. 'You'll never regret it,' I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. Please share this with a Mom that you know or all of your girlfriends, or daughters, who may someday be Moms.May you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart