Happym Other's Day!

By Friday, Mother's Day was practically over in our house, thanks to the insistence of the two youngest family members who wanted to get right to the present opening. Chase gave me a hand-painted flower pot and a card that proclaimed, "Happym Other's Day!" That's exactly the kind of keepsake I like to squirrel away in the burgeoning baby boxes I store under my bed. In Chase's case, however, his baby box is less than burgeoning. Not only does Chase lack the enthusiasm for artsy craftsy projects that his two older siblings had at his age, but he insists on keeping everything he does make. And not only does he keep these projects, but he plays with them and transforms them until they fall apart and he throws them away. Any item I want to preserve I have to sneak away when he's put it aside temporarily. Unfortunately, in this particular instance, I wasn't sneaky enough. Before I could hide my Other's Day card, Chase decided he wanted to enhance his artwork. And while he was working, his meticulous older sister looking over his shoulder offered to correct his improperly spaced letters.

Maren gave me her gift today, a handmade frame with a picture of her that her teacher took on the playground. Miss Matulka captured a much better smile on Maren than the school photographer did earlier in the year. Also courtesy of Miss Matulka, an additional Mother's Day present arrived via email letting us know that recent benchmarking showed Maren has improved more than two grade levels in reading in the past year. I guess I can stop feeling guilty, for now, that we've let the nightly reading practice slip more nights than not the last few weeks.

Although I didn't get what I wanted for Mother's Day - a clean house - I can't really complain. I suppose I'll get that in the future, when the kids finally move out, just like Mom is now getting the peace and quiet she longed for all those years. You're welcome, Mom! And if you need a reminder of how grateful you are, just come visit us for a few days and you'll remember why you're so happy to go back home. Happym Other's Day!