Happy Mother's Day to me:

What I love about being a mother:

1. Being woken up in the middle of the night by my son Charlie so he can tell me he loves me.

2. The stillness in the house around 8:30 when both kids are asleep and I got through another day.

3. Watching Charlie fall off his bike hard the first time he tried to ride it, and when suggesting to him we could try another day he replied, "No I do it again all by my-yelf.

4. Watching Kate learn new words and signs daily, watching her do her silly walk, drunk walk, and happy dance moves.

5. Listening Charlie "read" books to me after over 3 years of reading to him (I started while preggers)

6. Watching my partner Adam and the kids run around and play soccer together in the backyard from the kitchen window

7. Having Charlie walk ME around the garden and show and tell me everything HE is growing: paragus, charrrrd, pototoes, beans, mommys flowers that you can't eat....

8. The way both kids stand at the window when I come home and then race to the gate when I walk through the door with the biggest smiles on their face.

9. When Charlie gives me pictures he draws with grandma and explains what they are, so proud.

10. Reflecting on what is hard and not working, and hearing Adam remind me that it is just a phase, all normal.

11. The way adam and I balance each other, agree on all of our parenting tactics: cosleeping, no yelling, no time-outs, playful parenting, guiding our children to sleep.

12. That every day is a new day and like with teaching attitude is everything.

13. The way Charlie asks me if I remember something, for example: mommy, do you remember hiking in Tahoe in the summer time?

14. The way Charlie rediscovered on his own how much he loves to play baseball and the way he has been SMACKING the ball hard out of the air.

15. Kate growing and changing everyday, running around calling out Charlie's name: CHAA WEEE, and the way her daddy is her favorite person in the world.

16. Playing hide and go seek with Charlie, really this game makes me giddy, it is silly how much fun I can have finding the best spot and then jumping out and startling Charlie.

17. Struggling between finding the balance between my own needs and health, the needs of the house, and my family...yes I love this part too.

18. Laying in bed at night and rather than thinking about what my son did wrong that day, thinking about what I could have done better.

19.  Taking my understanding and confidence of my place in this world and using it to help Charlie when his little world doesn't make sense

20. Learning to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, to pick my battles, and to cherish every moment that goes well.

There are days that are long. There are days that see tears. There are days when going back to work and letting someone else watch my children sounds great. But most of the time there are funny moments, endless laughter, looks of amazement shared between adam and myself at what we just witnessed, and nights of story-telling where Charlie and I tell stories together. There are mornings where Kate wakes up, gets off her bed and races to mine for cuddles. Times where Charlie races to Kate who fell down and says, "your ok, your tough, get up!" Times where he says poor baby if she is crying, and are you ok, mommy when I seem tired or defeated. 

I love my little family more than anything. I am one lucky mom!