Today is Mother's Day, and 6 1/2 years ago was when I became a mother. Today I am reminded of all the blessings and responsibilities it take to be a mother. Being a mom is not just about having the children, it really is a responsibility to put all that you can into your children so they will turn out to be wonderful people. In church today they shared a quote that went something like... children are like wet cement and everything makes an impression. It truly makes me think about taking each and every moment to make good impressions on my children's lives.

Now that I said that, I am not a Pollyanna mom. Just minutes ago Ryan accidentally spilled Don's coffee all over the floor, as I jumped up to clean it up Brady found the pop I was drinking and started to dump it all over the floor...I then have to yell for Don to get off of the phone to help and while we were cleaning up, Brady puked all over Kyle. Oh and I forgot to mention this chain of events actually started with Brady puking all over, because the stomach bug Ryan had last week is now working its way down the chain of kids. So you might be thinking how does this remind you of impressions on kids. One of the gifts I got from Kyle was a candle and the name on the candle was "tranquility for relaxation." So in the mist of coffee, cola, and puke Kyle tried to climb on the chair, (that had the coffee spill on it) and I say, calmly of course (not) "Kyle get down...you are kneeling right in the coffee." His response "Mom I was just trying to get your candle so I can help you relax." Boy, does that make you stop and think.

So, I can't promise my kids that I won't get a bit flustered when things converge on craziness, but I can say I do work to make good impressions on my children...so when their cement dries they have a pretty pattern of goodness not a blotchy, broken, and battered cement pad.

So on this Mother's Day I want to thank my sweet, caring, and helpful Kyle (6 1/2). My daring, lovable, and funny Ryan (almost 4) and my cuddly, content, and cute (even when puking) Brady (9months). And I would not have any of them if it weren't for my wonderful, loving and supportive husband Don. I have been blessed by God to have the perfect partner it was amazing that when God made me and made Don he made us for each other and we are a perfect pair.

Finally, Mother's Day would not be complete without celebrating my own mother (though she hates to be called mother...she is informal so mom works for her). We were lucky today that my mom and dad came to town to celebrate with us. I am lucky to have a mom who would do anything for me and my family. We are all so lucky to have her in our life and it is great to see how much my kids love their Dee Dee.

Though my mom and I are very different, looking back now I see many traits I have gotten from her. She has always opened her home to others and as we have another person from our church living with us for a short time, I know that hospitality comes from her. I am always interested in meeting and befriending all different kind of people from different backgrounds and I know I get that from my mom. My mom was never a worrier, she always encouraged us to go and experience new things. She always said no worries, don't call, we will expect a call if there is a problem...have fun!! I sure hope as my boys get older and more independent I will have her same mindset and will be able to let my kids grow and experience life like my mom did for me.