Monday Memories - Mother's Day 2018

I had probably my best Mother's Day/Weekend yet this year! It started off with flowers from the kids on Saturday after they went shopping with their Dad! Then I got to sleep in until around 8:30 on Sunday and got up to gifts from the kids schools and cards from everyone. I love the little handmade gifts that Busy Bee's and Westview have the kids make. They are some of my favorites to keep!

As we were waiting for Jim to finish getting ready for breakfast we had a little impromptu photo session on the front deck. I've learned that it's best to snap the pic when you think of it, rather than putting it off and waiting for later in the day because inevitably the kids are crankier, the hair is all messed up and usually they are grumpy! I'm so glad they cooperated because I do really love these photos of me and my babies!

These ones of the 3 of them just make me giggle!

Next up was brunch at Magpie's with the Tassell's which is always a fun place to eat and we always have a good time together. 

Here are some pictures from the meal!

Jaxon and his yummy Mickey Mouse pancakes

James finally remembered to order himself his own eggs benny! He ate the whole benny, plus maybe a quarter of the hashbrowns!

And for the first time ever we snapped a picture of just me and Ash and all the kids. I know we've gotten some good photos over the years but I can't think of any with us and all the kids together. Needless to say I LOVE IT and it's going on the wall for sure (if I ever get around to printing new pics for the walls?) 

After brunch we hit up a local park we had never been to and took a little drive around town. Then I got some quiet alone time while Kennedy slept and the boys went out and played some hockey. It's amazing how much I now cherish any time I get alone, even if it is only an hour or two. I so appreciate the quiet like I never knew I would. 

Finally we finished off the day with Sunday dinner at Nana and Papa's house and the kids played in the pool in the backyard too. 

Yeah I'd say she was loving the pool!

hhhmmmm....strawberries and angel food cake for dessert!

Here's the pictures of me opening my presents. They aren't my favorite photos so I didn't want them at the beginning of the post...but also don't want to not include them either :) 

Overall a really wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks so Jimmy and the kids for making me feel special! 

Happy Mother's Day 2016

These two little guys are my whole world. I couldn't possibly love them anymore than I do...even though we've been surrounded by barf since Wednesday morning! Yes, first it was James and then today Jordie started...brutal. Worst Mother's Day Ever...BUT, I did get some beautiful flowers yesterday from James and some cards from my boys this morning (before Jordie started getting sick). It's been a long and trying week around here for us and I REALLY hope that it hasn't hit Jordie as hard as it did James. And I really hope that I don't get it either! 

I really wanted to get a nice photo of me and the boys together at Sunday dinner tonight but once the barfing started there was no way we were going anywhere, so this PJ one from this morning is the best I've got!

My flowers from my handsome big guy

This lady here....she's my best friend in the whole world and I wouldn't be the mother that I am without her. She has always loved me, no matter how much grief I gave her in those teenage years! She is the most amazing Nana and loves our boys with all her heart and both spoils them rotten and keeps them in line when they need it! She is always there for us when we need her and I have always taken great comfort in the fact that she is just a phone call away. When I first went away to university I had friends laugh at me that I called her every day, but I did it anyways, because I knew that I would never have to go a day without someone telling me they loved me.

This special lady here is my step mom Barb! I just love her and so wish we lived closer to her so that we could be a bigger part of her regular life. I love our visits when we do get out there to see her and love that now she has FB so she gets to see lots of pictures and these blog posts about my boys! Since the day Barb and my dad got together when I was 10 she has loved me with all her heart as her daughter and has never once treated me as anything other than that. She has been in my life for 25 years and has loved me every single day of those years, even when I was a hormone crazy teenager that got drunk and spent the day hungover and swearing I was dying in her basement. hahahaha...the Chilliwack days of my youth! :)

And my two mom's in one picture. The love I have for these two is indescribable.

To my oldest and best friend in the world Melanie! You had these little guys just a few months ago and you are an absolutely incredible Mommy to them. I came out to see you and we had the most amazing catch up visit that we've had in years and I look forward to many more years of being friends watching all of our little boys grow up together. I love you girl and look forward to seeing you 

in July!

Next up is my new step-mom Grace! She and my dad Wayne got together last May and this picture was taken of them on the day we met Grace for the first time last summer at Sakinaw Lake. From the first few minutes that we met her we all literally fell in love with her. She is a very special lady and has made my dad so happy and that's all that I could really hope for. She is very kind and sweet and caring and I couldn't be happier for the two of them that they have found love. They got married in early January just before they headed back for their winter in Mexico. 

One last amazing mom in my life is the other Barb in our lives...or as we call her...Bumma! This special lady is actually my step sister Andra's mom, who is of course also my step dad's ex-wife. Our family has an interesting past to it and because of this Barb has known me since I was born and has always been a part of my life. Now she's a beloved Bumma to my boys and we all just love her to death. Since the day she met Jim they've had a great bond and she's been there through both of my pregnancies and has welcomed our two boys with open arms and a loving grandma heart. She calls the boys her grandsons and I know just how much she loves them and how much they love her too.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF THESE SPECIAL LADIES, AND ALL THE OTHERS IN MY LIFE! Some of these special ladies include my sister Andra, my sister-in-law Teresa. my auntie's Carol (x2), Karen & Susan, my very special mom friends Melanie, Kelly, Jenn, Ashleigh, Theresa, Sarah, Andrea, Shirley, Stacy, Diana, Margo & Sandy! Love you all so much and I wouldn't be the woman or mother that I am today without all of you!

Mother's Day Memories

From my FB Post today: This day is about honoring great Moms out there so I'm taking my moment to honor ME, because although I by no means think I'm a perfect Mom I do know that I love my boys with all of my heart and do everything I can to show them that every single day. I make my mistakes and don't always do the best, but I know that I am doing a great job with them on most days. I am proud of myself and the Mommy I have become to James and Jordan and I focus on the good days and try to put the bad days behind me. I learned from the best and plan to keep trying to get better every year that passes. To all the other amazing Mommy friends of mine out there...don't forget to honor yourself today too, because you all are wonderful mothers too to your little ones! I love you all!


Today is feeling a little bit bittersweet for me. I love Mother's Day and everything it does to make Mommy's feel loved and appreciated and today I know how loved and appreciated I am, but I feel a bit like one of my limbs is missing with Jimmy away. I felt like this on James's birthday too, but just like that day I am choosing to pick myself and remember why we are doing this, to better our family, and I just keep on going. But man do I miss him. And not just because I know I wouldn't have to do any mommy type stuff today as he would do it, but because with him here everything in the world just seems better, and more fun, and more happy too. James has been really clingy and quieter than normal today and I wonder if he picks up on it too. Anyways, enough about those thoughts! On to the good stuff about Mother's Day!

Before Jimmy left for work the other day he made sure to get me my cards and a great hanging basket plant for our deck (although will have to remember it for the month we are housesitting at N&P's)!

I love James's smiley face on the envelope of my card!

James came home from school last week with some awesome Mother's Day gifts he made for me. 

They totally melted my heart!

If you can't tell yet, I'm a total sucker for all things with pictures of my kids so this magnet clip holding this picture of James just made my whole day. I literally had a smile on my face for hours afterwards!

This was what I woke up to this morning! This smiley guy and his big brother who wished me a Happy Mother's Day once I told him we were going to come downstairs and open up my cards. I don't think he had remembered on his own but it was special nonetheless!

Don't mind my terrible hair, but my kids look as awesome as always!

As has become our tradition we end up having Sunday family dinner as brunch instead on both Mothers Day and Fathers Day. This year it was at my sisters house and they made the most incredible homemade Eggs Benny I've ever tasted! YUMMY!

This kid is totally in love with his Papa. His eyes light up when he sees him come into a room and he always gets the best hugs and snuggles.

Playing peekaboo with his Papa

Here are the handmade cards that James and I made for Nana, Auntie Ra, Bumma and Auntie Mowat, along with the photos everyone got too.

Of course I tried to get some good photos of me and the boys throughout the day, and I think I succeeded, kind of. It's hard to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time, but oh well, these are memories we are making!

Two cute moments today...both boys playing in their Daddy's big rain boots.

And a rare photo of just me

My most cherished memories today were: 

(1) When James was snuggled up on me at Auntie Ra's house and just didn't want to move, but couldn't tell me why. All he kept saying was "I just want to be close to you Mom." He was definitely out of sorts today and I wish for a second I could have just taken in all those good snuggles and been less worried about why he was acting so funny. Those kinds of snuggles are hard to come by these days!

(2) My goodnight hugs and kisses from Jordan. He is finally able to really give good squeezy hugs and has started to give cheek squeezer kisses too where he puts his hands on each side of your face and then just opens his mouth wide to yours and gives kisses. Big baby Jordie hugs are the best, he wraps his arms around you and then will squeeze tight and put his head on your shoulder. Absolutely heart melting and I could't be happier to be the recipient of many of those hugs and kisses these days.

I am truly loved and appreciated today and always and I love my boys with all of my heart. Thank you to James and Jordan for making me a Mommy, my favorite and best job I've ever had! I love you both so much.