Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend has been wonderful! Friday happened to be Tobin's birthday, so we had a lot to celebrate. Our kids spent the night at my sister-in-law's house, so we had a whole night to ourselves. We went to Kohls and bought Tobin a few new articles of clothing, since much of his current wardrobe is too big now. (I'm so proud of him!). It was really fun to shop with just the two of us, no kids crying or whining or running away. After shopping, we went to dinner at La Veranda, an Italian place just down the street from our house. The food was great, and again it was nice to sit quietly and eat our dinner without struggling to get the kids to eat theirs.

Saturday morning we had a couples massage at a fairly new sports club/spa in Oakley. It was fabulous! They were having a Mother's Day special, including brunch, that we didn't know about. A lovely coincidence for us. We had a very nice time relaxing together, and we both really needed a massage. We picked up the kids shortly after the massages and had a nice afternoon with them. I went to the senior ball for Antioch High last night, so Tobin was home alone with the kids. While I was gone, he was super dad, even making sure they got a bath so it would be an easier Sunday morning.

This morning, Tobin and Peyton brought me breakfast in bed (Maryam was still asleep). Then, the kids joined me in my room for breakfast, so we had a picnic on the floor--I'm not really fond of the idea of three-year-olds possibly spilling syrup in my bed. It was so cute to sit and eat french toast with my sweet boy and girl on the floor of our bedroom. Church was pretty nice, and tonight we had dinner with the Cali family, minus Aunt Mary and Victoria. Dinner was awesome, especially the baby lava cakes I made for dessert. They didn't quite turn out right, but melted chocolate is hard to really mess up. Yum!

I'm so thankful for my husband and kids today. It was not so long ago that Mother's Day was really hard for me because it was a huge reminder of something I couldn't have. Something I feared I would never have. I think because we had to work so hard for our kids, I appreciate them more than I might have otherwise. My heart was breaking today, though, for the friends I have who are still struggling with this same trial. I hope all women know that they have an influence in the lives of the people around them, even if those people are not their biological children. Many women have been incredibly influential in my life, especially my mother and grandmothers. But there are some others who are not related to me who have also had a big impact on who I am. I'm so thankful for all of these women. I'm especially grateful for my own mom. She has taught me so much about being selfless, giving, caring, loving, etc. My mom is my inspiration. I hope I can be like her someday!