Happy Mother's Day ... to me :)

 



Mother's Day was a nice cap to a weekend of family time and birthday celebrations.  Most of today was full of typical mom activities ... crazy diapers, a battle over nap time, deep negotiations with a 2 year old, etc.  The mundane was a treat as I try to appreciate all aspects of motherhood, especially in the moments of weird bodily fluids and nuclear tantrums.  I believe I was specifically put here to care for the little person producing that drama and that gives me a good dose of perspective in those moments.

Regular mom stuff aside, I did receive some sweet treats from my guys today which certainly brought me joy.  I also enjoyed a nap (hallelujah!) and a day with NOTHING scheduled, it was wonderful!  The best part of this day, however, came during our fancy dinner celebration at Chipotle.

I don't know if Cael got swept up in the moment due to the pumping latin techno music or the salt-induced high from tortilla chips but in the middle of an impromptu rendition of Skidamarink, that little kid looked right at me and said "I love you, mommy" and planted a giant kiss on me.

This was very special because he currently only doles out "I love you" when prompted.  My heart melted into a giant puddle and of course, a few tears were shed ... yes, in Chipotle.  It was such a sweet moment that I hope always sticks with me ... at least I have the blog for back-up :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2 short years ago ...

He's a Happy Camper

When I last checked in, Cael was in the midst of training for the upcoming egg hunting season.  All of his work led to successful egg hunts with the cousins ...

... and at school ...

... and during his pantless finale on Easter.

Cael definitely had an egg-cellent Easter searching for eggs, dying them ...

... and enjoying their contents.

The eggs weren't the only exciting part of Easter weekend.  Cael also had his first camping experience which his outdoorsman dad had been looking forward to since the day he was born!  We headed to a state park that was only about 1/2 an hour from out house ... close enough to retreat to the comfort of home if necessary :)

After helping bring gear to the camp site ...

 

... and prepping the campfire,

 



 

Cael settled right into camp activities by exploring the beach,

 

 

playing a little football,

 

 

checking out the campfire,

 

 

and enjoying dinner in his chair.

 

 

We topped off the evening with a tent-showing of Cars which was all that Cael needed to call it a night.

 

We peacefully curled up and called it a night, knowing that we might get some rain that evening.  Zac woke me up around midnight to show me the radar that pictured a solid red line of storms that would pass over our campsite.  We decided to stay put since it was already heavily raining.

 

We spent the next 3 hours marveling at the torrential rain and tent-shaking thunder.  We also passed the time by monitoring the incoming water as our trusty old tent wasn't quite as water resistant as it used to be.

 

Zac and I might not have had a ton of sleep that night but Cael was in full hibernation mode.  That little guy was knocked out from all of the camping fun and missed every single roll of thunder.  He seemed to be right at home in that tent!

 

We woke up to a beautiful morning following that storm and were able to capture one final picture before departing from our campsite (and before saying good-bye to that tent that provided great shelter for so many years).

 

 

The only person who wasn't ready to go home that morning was Cael ... as we made our way to the car he decided to head back to the campsite.

 

 

Zac has already planned out their next 10 years of adventures together :)