Mom's Day 2011

My friend Melissa just posted an excellent blog entry detailing our shared Mom's Day. You can read it here. In case you don't click on the link, I'll give you a synopsis. We (the Dallas' in our car and the Williams' in their car 12 miles behind us) set out for Amarillo early Sunday Morning. The purpose of the trip was to see Curren Gomez get dedicated (along with 40 other new arrivals). Eric, the girls, the grands, and the nannies all took the stage to dedicate Curren. I know this day was hard for Eric and his family but I was so proud of all of them and blessed to get to spend the day with them. The week leading up to the service was really tough for me. I struggled with really missing both my mom and Brie. While I know my mom is in far better shape in heaven, sometime I play the "what if" game. I wonder what my life would look like now if mom had stayed healthy. What kind of relationship would she have with my children? I could go on and on. I usually don't because I am satisfied with her being whole in heaven. For some reason it hit me hard this year. Most likely because I was also missing Brie and feeling so broken for her children. I know that God has and will continue to place wonderful, godly influences in their lives. But selfishly, sometimes I just want Brie back.
The day in Amarillo was good. I had a rough time during praise and worship, but made it through. We all had lunch together. The kids played in the kiddie pool and watched a movie. I got to hold, feed, change, and love on the Champ. We left in the late afternoon. We stopped in Tulia so the rest of my family could meet my cousins' newly adopted baby boy. We got to eat at Chipotle (my favorite) when we arrived in Lubbock. Once we got home, the kids were excited to give me all their homemade goodies. They worked hard on their cards and poems.

They also got me a new bike which my friend, Laura, helped me pimp out with a baby seat. Pictures of that will have to wait.

I love being a mom to my kids. Although they do things that annoy me like Zach showing up to baseball practice without his shoes. Not just the right shoes, but shoes at all. Or like Abby peeing in my bed as I type this post (she was in my bed because she has strep again and Tim is out of town again). They also do and say funny things like Calyn coming upstairs in the middle of the night saying that Grant's crying is making her ears hurt. Today, Zach pointed to a Chihuahua in the car next to us. While I was impressed that he knew the dog was a Chihuahua, Abby didn't see the dog and said, "Where is the enchilada?" Abby does not think it is funny at all when Grant scratches or bites her. She is however, the first to comfort him and feel bad for him when he gets punished for scratching and biting her. She hugs him and tells him, "It's okay bubba."

There is almost never a dull moment at our house. I would not trade our chaos for anything. Losing my mom and Brie has taught me a lot about not taking things for granted. Brie and I talked just before her death about whether our goal was just to survive or to thrive. We both decided while we go through seasons of just surviving, we did not want stay in those places. We wanted our families to thrive and our relationships with Jesus to thrive. I think I am more than surviving but still have a way to go before I can claim to be thriving.