Hagar Park

We love taking Brogan to the park! Buddy and I thought it would be fun to take him there together and spend a family day at the park. This year he was a little bit bigger and much better and maneuvering around by him self as you can see...

Tired baby... too much fun!! Snuggling up getting ready for bed!

:: Birthday and Mother's day weekend ::

So I got a night out, and this weekend started our crazy month and a half of events! It was my birthday and Mothers day in the same weekend! A couple of my friends were able to come that I met at Northern that now live downstate so that was really fun. We went out to eat, and then to the dueling piano bar downtown.

(Above: Highkick birthday line at Mojo's Below: Yesterdog afterwards! I love hotdogs!)

Then on mothers day it was so cute, my mom had Brogan bring me over a card and a gift bag while I was getting dressed for church and it had a picture of a baby on it in the bath tub and said something like now its your time for a bath! and have bath soaps and bubble bath stuff inside the bag. It was so sweet! Although i didn't really get any pictures of us, I did take a quick one on the way to church. My 2nd mothers day!

Then later that night we went up to Nana's (my mom's) work to go visit her for a special mother's day surprise... we had so much fun!! Nana made a office chair train for me and pushed me around! :)


This is for the mothers...

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up puke laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay honey, Mommy's here'. Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted. This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football , hockey or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens. This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again. 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away. This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that t takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...

And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

MAY DAYS

Onto May... the weather is warming up!!! Brogan loves nothing other than being outside ALL day long! I was possibly going to join a church league softball team, but that didn't end up working out, but Brogan loved the ball and bat I had when my sister and I were practicing so I bought him one of his own! Buddy and my youngest Brother Travis were having a blast teaching him the good sport of baseball out in the yard one evening!