not today... it's mother's day.

yesterday, we went to the wild animal park. nora charged a peacock... and it flapped right in front of her! it was cute!!

she was very excited about the elephant!

and letting the ducks eat out of her hand.

not quite a fan of the egg...

jamey enjoyed a ride from his dad!

nora checked out the map for us!

em and i enjoyed the view!

we found the spray grounds!

and the lion!

family photo!

sleepy boy!

jamey enjoyed the petting zoo...

pretty sure nora would have stayed there forever!!!

snuggling my boy!

reading with daddy!!

jamey trying to find a new hiding place!!!

it's mother's day. and i have the two best kids a mother could ask for! at sunday school this morning, our awesome teacher talked about mothers. he started out talking about ALL the things mothers do. clean the house, make it look nice, get in the little nooks and crannies. then, about cooking, having it all ready when the husband walks in the door. umm... i have a lot to live up to! i am in the "i don't care if there's a layer of dust, my kids are fed and have clean diapers, and we had fun today. might not even tell you what we ate, and dinner certainly isn't ready until daddy gets home and plays with the kids while mommy finishes it" stage.

i'm not an ocd person. i'm not crazy-clean. (ask anyone who's ever lived with me) i know that a clean house tells my husband i love him, so i try to do it! (even though it's so NOT my love language!!) my goal is to be a little more planned and organized. clean, organized, dinner ready, etc. working towards it. but, that initial type of mom is not me and probably won't be. i might never search every blessed corner. but, we will have ridden in the carriage and danced at the ball. and i will have enjoyed time on the couch with my husband or guest, but there might be dishes in the sink.

so... if you plan to come visit me in hawaii, know there will be dust bunnies and dirt in the corner. your sheets will be clean, and we will have fun!!

but... let's talk about my mom. she has slightly more ocd than me. her house ALWAYS looks incredible. even though us four kids tried our best to make the house a mess. food was ALWAYS cooked and good. and ready when my dad walked in. and, my dad wouldn't kiss anyone else but my mom first! she was pta president. she was in (and led) Bible studies. we had good news clubs at our house. she was (and IS) incredible. and yet, we played. and had fun. and i never felt like she picked cleaning or cooking over us. i felt so loved. and like her favorite!! (sorry dave, byss and stef...) like she would drive me 8 hours for a boy. or let me miss school for a day with her. or tickle scratch my back because i needed some love.

she was up EARLY. and up INCREDIBLY late. but, i never remember hearing her complain or talk about being tired. i have no idea how she does it. she'll be up at 1am doing laundry, and up super early to go to her trainer. she's pretty incredible! we are pretty lucky to have her. thanks mom, for being the best mom ever. i love you. i hope i grow up to be a mom just like you! i hope my kids love me as much as i love you!

speaking of love... nora told me tonight... "mommy, sometimes i love you and sometimes i don't love you". awesome! thanks so much.

however, she was all snuggy at dinner and kept kissing me and telling me "you are the best, mommy" and "i love you so much". and... "i kiss you on the nose. and the eyes".