happy day

On Friday morning, preschool/daycare was celebrating all the moms in advance of Mother's Day.  In the front entrance way, there was a tray of bagels and a bowl of strawberries in honor of all of our mothering.  Bug and Squish swooped in as if they hadn't eaten in days.  So, we filled a plate with their plunders and went down the hall to Bug's classroom. 

(The symbolism of my children devouring the Mother's Day Treats was not lost on me.)


When we got to Bug's classroom, he ran in and then returned one minute later with a present - a tissue paper flower in a little planter decorated with red ladybugs exactly the size of his finger-tips (because they are his finger prints).  He said, "Look, Mommy!  This is for you!"  My heart filled up and then burst.

Then, over in the toddler room, as I was easing Squish into his day, his teacher gave me another gift.  Squish had crinkled some tissue paper, which the teachers used to make a flower on construction paper with his picture in the corner.  My heart burst again.

I drove from preschool/daycare to work that day thinking to myself, "I freaking love Mother's Day!  Why has it taken me so long to realize how awesome it is?"

Today was Mother's Day, and I woke up at 5:25 am to a Bug who said, "I need to go look at the window!"

He went to the window where he observed and declared that, "it is morning!  The sun is up!"

Squish, from the next room, responded with, "Uh-oh!"

And so, the jig was up, and we started Mother's Day proper.

We had a pancake breakfast; we went outside where we found a spotted salamander; Bug pedaled a mini-tractor with Squish in tow (literally); we found a night crawler and other worms; and I dodged black flies, which apparently don't bother anyone else in the family.  Our day was filled with family, creatures, and plenty of shenanigans.

Near the end of the day, at some point between getting Squish ready for a bath and getting him into the bath, he roamed freely through the apartment.  As he stood staring at some blocks in his room, he pooped.  On the floor.

My husband rushed to Squish as I was still staring in disbelief at the poop and the naked Squish and the poop.  And I thought, "Wow.  [My husband] just got over there really fast.  What's he so afraid of?"

Then Squish stepped in the poop.

And I thought, "Wow.  [My husband] is so smart.  He must have seen that coming."

Happy day to everyone out there who loves unconditionally - may the (tissue paper) flowers never wilt, the blackflies leave you alone, and the floors be easy to disinfect.