I had one of the best mother's day ever this year. Michael threw our door open and turned on the lights, just like he does every morning, at exactly 7:20 A.M. He's more reliable than our alarm clock. Dan hopped right up and took him downstairs, turned off the light, and then I fell back asleep. An hour later, all three came in with breakfast of french toast, scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, and grapefruit juice. I ate my breakfast, then went back to bed. AHHH.....SO nice. It would have been great if that's all I got.

But, I finally woke up, took a long shower, and then got ready to go to the rhododendron garden here in Portland. We've gone the last three years around mother's day...but this year it was exceptionally beautiful. I told Dan I wanted lots of pictures...with ME in them. :) Here are some of the better ones. The first three crack me up...just because of Michael's smile. Do NOT ask Michael to smile, or this is what you'll get.



Chelsea and Michael really liked the ducks. We told them we were going to feed them, but when we arrived to the garden, there was a big sign that said "Please no bread!" Sometimes they will sell bags of seeds for the ducks, but they were all out. So, Chelsea and Michael kept throwing rocks and leaves into the ponds, but couldn't understand why the ducks weren't eating their "food."




Chelsea wanted to get into the photography action, so we let her take a few pictures. She did a great job...I think she's got the knack for this picture stuff.


Lately, Michael has been asking to hold my hand! I LOVE it. It's not often that he'll let me hold his hand, so I'm taking advantage of every moment that he'll let me.


The flowers were gorgeous and the sun peaked through the cloud a few times to make the garden extra beautiful. Here are some pictures of our favorite rhodi's.






I love being a mom, even though it gets hard sometimes. I'm so grateful for my family. They are the most important things in my life.

I'm also so lucky for both of MY mothers. Each of them has influenced my life so much and I love them so much. I miss my mom so much but am so grateful for phones and the internet to help close the distance between Portland and Texas. I'm also so grateful for Dan's mom, who always makes me feel at home and part of the family. I couldn't ask for greater parents. Happy Mother's day!