Mother's Day 2016

Each year before Mother's Day weekend, Chris always asks me how I want to spend the day. Mother's Day was a very difficult holiday for me for many years, so now Chris focuses on making sure Mother's Day is a happy time for me. 

What I love to do on Mother's Day is spend time with my mom. She is such a great example of a loving mother, and I just cherish the time with her. Last year, the twins were still very young, so we didn't travel on Mother's Day, and I sure missed spending the day with my mom. So this year, we headed to Missouri to spend the weekend with my parents like we traditionally do!

We got to Mom and Dad's house on Friday evening, just in time for dinner. The kids were SO excited for a road trip and a weekend out of town, so of course they were keyed up to the max. On Saturday, we decided to keep things low key and go to our favorite stand-by - Bass Pro Shops. The kids LOVE this outing, it's the perfect length, and it's free. Win-win-win!

Brenson and Brianna in front of the giant new(ish) statue at the entrance of Bass Pro

When Brianna and Brenson were younger, they were both terrified of the stuffed animals all around the store. I wasn't sure how the twins would react to everything, but they loved it all! Brooke really enjoyed the fish, while Brecklyn couldn't get enough of the stuffed creatures. 

Chris, Brecklyn, Brooke, Bren, and Brianna

Brecklyn, Brooke,  and G-Jo

This bear used to make Brianna cry every time we got near it. She was better this time, but she still didn't love standing too close, haha.

The babies, however, were not upset by the animals at all. 

Brooke, Brecklyn

We grabbed a quick lunch out, then headed back to Grampy and G-Jo's house for the rest of the day. The kids took naps while Mom and I ran a few errands and visited. Then, we had a nice home cooked dinner before baths and bedtime. It truly was a relaxing, low-key day! 

On Sunday morning, we got everyone ready a bit early so that we'd have time to do a few gifts before church. We gave Mom her gifts first, and the first thing she opened was this cute hat from my sister. Mom and Dad are going on a mission trip to the Marshall Islands this summer, so this hat will be perfect for their trip!

My kiddos couldn't wait for G-Jo to open the card and gift from us.

As you can see, they were very interested in what G-Jo was doing!

We gave Mom a new Rustic Cuff bracelet. She liked it :-).

Then, it was my turn to open a few gifts. Brianna wanted to give me her gift first :-).

She had made a little craft at school and was excited for me to open it. 

So cute!!!

Bren was also excited to give me a gift. I love that my children have a heart for giving.

Brenson gave me a pair of sunglasses that he picked out himself . . . and I love them!

Brecklyn and Brooke had kind of lost interest in all this by this point, but I grabbed them up for a picture anyhow. Love my girlies!

For the past four years - instead of giving cards - Chris and I have the children write/draw/decorate in a book for us for Mother's and Father's day. This is one of my very favorite traditions that we started with the children. I LOVE my book and cherish every page, and each year I am beyond excited to see what they have done in the book. The book is probably my favorite part of Mother's Day. Of course, the children are equally excited to share the book with me. They are always very proud of their artwork/decorating. 

After opening gifts, we took the opportunity to go outside and take a few pictures before heading to church. These are generally some of my favorite pictures of the year (although not really this year . . . I don't really like my hair like this), so I always make sure we have time for them. 

Me and my beautiful blessings who call me Mom

The girls - Brooke, me, G-Jo, Brecklyn, and Brianna

Me, G-Jo-, and Brenson

Me and my Mom <3 p="">

Me and The Hubs

I can't even adequately put into words how thankful I am for my husband and children. They are my favorite people. 

I love watching my parents be grandparents to my children. The privilege of witnessing that relationship is not lost on me. 

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to experience the crazy, beautiful journey of motherhood. I think Mother's Day will always awaken some difficult emotions in me, but those feelings help me see the beauty of my story more clearly. For that, I am so grateful.