May 8, 2011: Mothers' Day

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We had such a wonderful Mothers' Day, which started with a mini sleep and delicious breakfast courtesy of Jon and Benjamin. Ben had made a card for me the day before (which he had told me about when I got home from getting my hair done....2 1/2 year olds don't understand the concept of a surprise I guess), complete with photos and reasons why he loved me and Jon had cooked up some incredible waffles served with home made blueberry sauce, strawberries, oranges and this awesome coconut syrup my parents had brought back from Hawaii. I had to laugh because, Ben has been a bit on the difficult side lately, and Jon told me that, when he asked Ben why he loved his mommy he just said, 'I don't love my mommy.' Jon then continued to pry some reasons out of Ben that were fairly authentic and eventually there was success. Below is a picture of my fabulous Mothers' Day spread:



After breakfast, we got ourselves organized ( a task which takes about 3 times as long as it used to since we've added our fourth member) and headed out to Peace Portal Alliance for their Sunday morning service. Our long-time friends, Brita and Sandy, were dedicating their beautiful little girl, Maria, and we wanted to be there to celebrate with them. We feel so blessed with our tight-knit group of friends from our university years and have been especially blessed to share the journey of parenthood with so many of them. We have all moved to various parts of the lower mainland or farther and yet we continue to get together, share the ups and downs of life and just generally enjoy being together. I know that these friendships are an amazing gift from God an, when possible, we love to be there for each other in special moments like these. The dedication was as beautiful as little Maria and it was so great to see Sandy and Brita's family. They are well loved!

After the dedication, we headed out to Jon's brothers place in North Vancouver for a Mothers' Day celebration. Jon's mom's bday falls on/near Mothers' Day every year and this year it was the same day. Last year, Jon's family also invited my mom, dad and nana to join us and we all had a great time. This year, my parents and nana joined us again and, even though we didn't have the great weather we had last year, we all had a great visit and enjoyed celebrating together. We got the kids organized first and here are some shots of Ben at the 'kids' table. Crazy to think that he's old enough to start sitting at a separate table (with supervision for now ;) ).



Jacob somehow managed to squeeze some snuggle time in with the McCarthy's and Baergs in between his 3 meals in the 4 hours we were there. Nursing him is definitely a full-time job!



I absolutely LOVE this sequence of photos of Jacob below. My favorite is the bottom, middle picture. He has such an infectious smile and I can't wait to find out what sort of voice and personality goes with that smile. I think it's going to be pretty awesome :)



While  Jacob was enjoying some snuggles, Benjamin was 'flying' around the house with his Milo, the monkey. We bought Milo for Benjamin before he was born, as a gift from Jon & I, and, despite all of the other stuffed animals that he has cycled through as worthy of having in his bed at bedtime, Milo has always been the one he is snuggling when we go to check on him and always the one stuffed animal that he HAS to have at daycare. Milo has been chewed on, puked on and thrown around but has remained Ben's absolute favorite stuffed animal.



I love this photo below, with Aunty Joy smiling in the background. Aunty Joy is an amazing lady and it's so fun to watch her playing with her 'great neices and great nephews!'



It was so great to have my mom, dad and Nana there as well and, with Jenn's in-laws visiting from Manitoba as well, it was a full house!



A few more shots of the party-goers. We were treated to some pretty awesome food while we were there...pulled pork sandwhiches, baked beans, coleslaw and Karla's home made buns. So delicious!



As Jon was looking through these photos with me, he pointed out that he and Greg sit exactly the same way ;) Funny, the similarities between brothers. On the topic of siblings, Mothers' Day is just another one of those special days that is so much harder without my brother. I see the sadness in my parents when these days approach and there's nothing I can do to help ease their pain. With Josh gone for almost 8 years now and Jon's brother, Kevin, gone for almost 10 years, I find myself really appreciating that Jon still has siblings and that they get to be my siblings by marriage. Last year we went on a camping trip with Jenn and Dave and Greg and Karla and it was a great time, both for the cousins, and the adults. We're looking forward to making that an annual thing and, though it's definitely not the same as having my own brother here, I am thankful to have acquired some honorary siblings through Jon.



After lunch, Ben migrated downstairs to play with a train set that the kids had out. He was in one of his 'focused' moods and I love the picture on the right with his tongue sticking out - such an Uncle Josh trait that he acquired :)



When we first got to Greg and Karla's, Ben saw a skunk in their neighbours backyard through one of the upstairs windows and, I used that to try and get him to stop for a moment for me to get some pictures...I told him I saw the skunk again (a justifiable fib for the sake of some photos, I think....) so he was looking intently for it out of the downstairs windows!



My seriously handsome boy....even with a black eye!

Being that it was mothers' day, I wanted to get a few shots with my oldest boy so I turned the camera over to my mom who is fast becoming a pro at knowing how to work my camera :)



One of Ben's cousins, Camryn, was at a camp for the weekend and didn't get home until around 4:30pm so, when she got home, the kids headed outside and older cousins were into climbing trees. Ben couldn't climb the trees, obviously, but we did get his older cousins to stop for a second and get some pics with Benjamin.



Recently, Ben has been quite opposed to smiling for me when I want him to be in a photo but, if his cousins ask him to, he's all over it :) I think I can use that to my advantage :)


Just as we were getting ready to leave, I wanted to get a photo of Jon and his mom (Jon's not exactly as into photos as I am but I feel like maybe some day he will appreciate me documenting our adventures with his family. One can hope anyways :) ) I am so thankful for Jon's family and the man that they helped Jon become. He was/is so loved by his family and, because of his wonderful upbringing, I am blessed with an amazing husband and father. Thanks Flora (& Dave!). Jon's family is all so photogenic and I love the photo of him and his mom. He's also been working out a lot lately and we've both been able to get away to the gym 4 times a week thanks to my mom and nana who watch the boys and I may be biased, but I think he's looking mighty fine!



I don't think I have a photo of me and Karla (my sister-in-law and Greg's wife) since my bridal shower at her parents old place in Langley so we snapped a quick pic before we drove off. I am so thankful for my sisters and brothers in law :)



When we got home, it was time to get some pictures with my boys and Jon obliged without too much grumbling :) I love Jacob's expression in the one on the left. He's such a stylish little man!

And, last but not least some photos with two of the women who inspire me the most (no, we didn't discuss what colors we would wear before this photo, we clearly just think alike!).



I am so incredibly thankful for my mom and nana and the example they have set for me. I feel even more blessed to be living with them this past year as I get to learn from them daily and my boys get to experience their love and care almost daily as well.

As I continue on this journey of motherhood, I am always going to miss my brother - I'm going to miss him journeying through life with me, getting married, having kids of his own, bringing a new sister into our family for me to befriend, being an uncle to my  boys, talking with me about life, venting with me, laughing with me, making fun of me, encouraging me to be the best mother, wife, daughter & grandaughter that I can be, all the while loving me just the way that I am. I'm going to miss sharing my life with my brother and, long after my parents are gone, I am going to notice the void that he left in a profound way. In the meantime, while incredibly sad at this loss and, not only what it means to me, but what it means to my parents, I am going to appreciate the family I do have (both immediate, extended and in-laws) and treasure them that much more.

I have seen my own mother 'count it all joy' through terrible circumstances and demonstrate her amazing faith on a daily basis. I can't bring my brother back, I can't bring Jon's brother back and I certainly can't erase the pain that their deaths has caused in the lives of those we both love but I can keep the faith and hope to pass that legacy of faith on to my own children so that, when Jon and I are long gone, regardless of what life brings for Benjamin & Jacob, they can live with the hope and faith that God is in control, God loves us and God has an incredible life of unceasing joy awaiting us in Heaven. This mothers' day, that is what I'm hoping for, praying for and asking God to grow in me.

Praise God for a mother who helped grow this desire within me. I wouldn't be who I am today without her. Happy Mothers' Day.