Mother's Day Weekend Recap

Happy Mother's Day everyone! This has been such a good weekend for us and I hope it has been for you, too. I have not updated the blog in a few days because I've been so busy! I have a big work project going on right now, so last week Curt worked at home with Jackson while I went in to the office for two days instead of one. I will probably work in office two days this week, too. On Wednesday my sister flew in and her husband followed her down on Friday. They had not been home together since they got married. I think it was a memorable weekend for them. I kept thinking about how happy Colin's mom must have been to have her married son home for the first time. That will be me in the blink of an eye!

On Friday Jackson and I drove out to the Galleria to shop for Mother's Day and meet NancyMon and CourtneyS at the Nordstrom Cafe for lunch. Nancy wanted to disciple me in the ways of the Nord. If you are a big fan of Nordstrom, you will find a kindred spirit in Nancy. They had great food and I'm looking forward to eating there with the girls again when Jackson starts MDO this summer. We arrived at the mall right after it opened and I have to brag on my son because he was p-e-r-f-e-c-t. Of course, his nap was ruined because he fell asleep on the way home, but it was worth it to have such a peaceful shopping experience.

On Saturday I did a repeat of the Galleria, but this time it was with my mom and sister and without my toddler. Mom was in the mood to spoil her girls, so Melissa and I got to do a little shopping. Isn't that sweet of her to do on her own Mother's Day weekend?

Upon arrival, we all got some tea from Teavana. I am pretty hacked off at that place because the one time my mom and sis decide to forgo their Starbucks and fellowship in my love for tea, they didn't have any milk and they served it lukewarm. Teavana, are you listening to me? Based on well over a year of regularly visiting your store, I think you either need to majorly improve your beverage service or cut it out altogether. I'm kind of embarrassed for you. I'd love to see you do better, and that's all I have to say.

The shopping extravaganza produced some some shorts for me, a fun t-shirt, and a cute dress from Zara. It's always fun to wear something new on Mother's Day. I say that like I've had a lot of experience. For lunch we had some sushi and other Asian yumminess at a restaurant called Kona. Then we drove over to Anthropologie because how can we be that close and stroller-less and not? We got some fun things for my grandma and Aunt Johnnie, who we'd celebrate Mother's Day with that night. I got Memaw a cute red apron and Johnnie an "J" paperweight and a monogrammed hankie. I got myself some very, very cheerful placemats for my breakfast table and a half-price pillow for my bed. The cashier couldn't believe it was marked down so low. That's quite an achievement at that store! I felt like a victor.

On Saturday night we had a Mother's Day fiesta at my parents' house with my mom and dad, Melissa and Colin, Memaw and Pappaw, Johnnie and David, and my little trio. We had some very tasty fajitas, homemade guacamole and the best queso I've ever tasted. I brought sopapilla cheesecake with me, which is a First Irving specialty. Many thanks to Janelle for supplying me with the recipe. My sister was very impressed and I tried hard to make her think it had all kinds of gourmet, exotic ingredients instead of just two cans of crescent rolls and plenty of cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Uncle Colin and Aunt Melissa made Jackson's week with a whole new set of cars and trucks. He was over the moon with happiness. He can't stop talking about them. I'm sure he dreamed about them, too.

The party was an absolute blast and it was 100 times better than waiting an hour to be seated at any restaurant in town at noon today. (Remember how we ended up at Wendy's last Father's Day? Never again.)

This morning my boys presented me with two bouquets of flowers, the new Barbara Walters biography, and a beautiful card. My main present was that when we go on our San Antonio vacation, I get to have a massage at the resort spa. I can't wait. Curtis woke up early and made a huge breakfast for me with pancakes, bacon, fruit, croissants, and orange juice. He did SO GOOD! I felt like the most blessed mom on the planet.

Church was excellent. We are loving being in a young marrieds class. We have a great teacher who is not afraid to get up in our bidness and the class really feels like a family. We don't know people very well yet, but they have been extremely warm to us. After class, a bunch of us ran downstairs to get our kids registered for summer Mother's Day Out. Happy Mother's Day to us, indeed! I am confident that Jackson will enjoy that time as much as I will.

After church we headed to my parents' house for leftover fajitas and then went home for naps. It has been the perfect Sunday. We even had low humidity today. Thank You, Lord!

I could never put into words exactly how thankful I am for my own mother. Many people look at her and see a Bible teacher, an author, someone who you might see on TV wearing a cute Jacket and praying in a sweet Southern accent. I love that person very much, but not as much as I love the woman who is my mother. If people stopped reading her books or attending her conferences, if her name became reviled across America, I'm telling you I would still be every bit as proud of my mother as I am today. I'd still want to be just like her. She has heard me say this before, but my sister and I would tell you that as good as she is at teaching and writing, she is even better at being a mom. Mom, you are a phenomenal woman. Thank you for always giving us 100% of yourself. In my journal this morning I thanked God for your wisdom, your love for Him, for what a good wife you are to Dad, for your generosity, your compassion, your ability to filter everything through God's grace and mercy, your intelligence, your patience, and your amazing work ethic. Thank you for loving me and for teaching me how to love my God, my husband, and my child. I'm proud to be your kid.
Love,
Manda