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 I've pondered the last few days why it is that in the days and hours leading up to mother's day, my patience is tried up to – and past – the breaking point… and then at the pinnacle of bad-mother-ness, there is a day of celebration where everyone tells you, "thanks for being such a great mom!" and I think, have you seen me lately?  

And then I've decided that we just do our best.  We have the good moments, and the bad ones.  And if I'm lucky, when my kids grow up they will look back like I do and remember only the good and think, "I have the best mom ever!"  (I do… I love you, mom!)  

With Nate on call today, he and the kids celebrated yesterday. They were so funny, Emma hoarding away gifts from preschool all week, and all of them being oh-so-secretive about the plans they were making with dad.  They made sure I had a mother's day nap, took care of dinner, and blindfolded me and took me to Coldstone (which I am sure is what heaven will smell like!)  And gave me piles of hand-made presents.  I am such a lucky mom!  

Today was more like a normal day.  I woke up, bleary-eyed, to unclog the toilet; cleaned up toothpaste Carter squeezed out all over the bathroom, broke up a few fights, enforced a few time-outs, and probably said more than once, "is anyone listening to what I asked you to do?"  But I also  had Emma pour me my cereal and Zach clear the table, saw everyone get ready for church when I asked, got to watch Zach and Emma sing and smile at me from the stand while they sang with the Primary in sacrament meeting; finally gave in and snuggled with Carter on my bed to get him to take a nap; ate dinner with practically-family-friends who refused to let me do dinner on my own today, took my exuberant children to visit Nate at the hospital (where some other doctor saw us going down the hall and said, "well, that's a parade!"); snuggled on the couch and read stories and listened to facts about the presidents of the US, compared hand sizes with a lot of sticky, little hands; got a lot of hugs, a lot of kisses, a few more "happy mother's day" notes, and laid in the doorway of the boys room to get Carter to go to sleep tonight.  It was a happy, happy day – put eloquently by Elder Ballard as follows:  

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

It was a blessing today to be able to hang onto those moments… they are many and they make it all more than worth it.  I am SO grateful to be a mom!

Carter upon our arrival home from church, where I discovered that he had torn off, unwrapped, and eaten the chocolate center of my mother's day gift he'd made in nursery.