Mother's Day Bliss.

As a Mother's Day gift for my Mom, I gathered all of her grandchildren on Friday afternoon for a photo. She likes to have a picture with her and all of the kids once a year, but with their ages ranging from four to seven, getting a good picture of everyone isn't always an easy task.

Each year's picture reflects the stage and the personality of each child. Last year Robby was crying, Jacob (my four year old nephew) was pinching Jared (his three year old brother). After all, little kids don't always appreciate working with a photographer. I'll never forget the time my then two year old niece lifted up the back of her dress, bent over and said to the photographer "hey lady, picture this."

My sister's children came to the photography studio with new haircuts and sporting coordinating outfits. They were freshly showered, spotless and looked adorable. I, on the other hand, was glad that I wiped (most) of the bubble soap off of Robby's face and hands, and changed his shirt into one that wasn't quite as dirty. This year, he is definitely the ragamuffin of the bunch!

Finally all of the kids were able to understand the expectations that we had for them. There was no screaming, no hitting and (thankfully) no tears. After all these years, we were able to get a good photo for my mom!

Sunday ended up being a wonderfully relaxing, laid back day. With all of the traveling and running around that I've been doing during the past few weeks, it was refreshing to just sit and do nothing. I have to admit that it felt unnatural not to be in constant motion!

The now traditional "World's Best Mother" banner was hung from my porch on Sunday morning. Scott brought me coffee in bed while Robby smothered me with kisses and hugs. I was told that I wasn't allowed to cook or clean all day.

I only broke the rule one time. Robby and I made a small cake for our neighbor whose daughter is stationed in Afghanistan. We wanted to do something to raise her spirits since she wasn't going to be able to see her child on this special holiday. As soon as the cake was slipped into the oven I was ushered out of the kitchen, and Scott cleaned up the cake mess.

The boys spent the afternoon making me dinner and playing outside. Robby came out of the kitchen and told me not to worry, that he was teaching Daddy and had everything under control. Meanwhile, I tried not to feel guilty about not helping. It didn't take me long to get over my guilt!

I hope that everybody had a wonderful Mother's Day. I felt both loved and appreciated by my family, and it was nice not doing anything for the day. Unfortunately, today is Monday so I need to get busy on the laundry and cleaning. Only 364 more days until my next day off!