I’m a lucky gal. Aside from the fact that my husband is a saint, I have two predominantly sweet little girls. With a little help from Dad, they made me feel special for Mother’s Day!

It all started on Friday when we picked up Zoe from school and she had made a “flower card” and a “trail mix” bowl at school for me. That bowl had a mini-Snickers in it, and when I teased Zoe that it was JUST FOR ME, she thought for a second and said “Let’s share it” (ever the negotiator).

Though she has NO IDEA what a blog is (or that I write one for/about her), she was very excited for me to “share” pictures of her card online, so here goes:

To follow that up, my husband started Mother’s Day early, telling Zoe that ALL WEEKEND was Mother’s Day, and whatever I wanted, I should get (did I mention he’s a saint?). I did NOT take (much) advantage of that, but what I did get:

• Lots of hugs and kisses and “You’re the Best Mommy Ever”
• Date night to see Captain America on Saturday
• A Mother’s Day POSTER with drawing of whole family and a glitter rainbow
• A lovely silver necklace, wrapped in handmade wrapping paper, decorated by Ella
• A Kindle Paperwhite (yes, I have an iPad but you really cannot read in the sun on it…)
• Brunch at a local restaurant I like
• An afternoon of shopping where Bart literally stood in a long line to buy this scarf I “needed” and let me wander the mall while he waited (THAT is LOVE)
• Quality FaceTime with my sister, my mom and Bart’s parents

What an amazing weekend. I swear I don’t deserve any of these wonderful people I live with, but let me tell you, I’m thankful for them! I am spoiled. Thank you, Bart Johnson.

As I texted with the other incredible mothers in my life and surfed Facebook and saw how powerful this day is for so many people (good, bad, happy, sad), I felt such a human connection (see? Facebook IS good for something). I am fortunate to know LOTS of really great people, and even just catching a glimpse of what this part of life means to them makes me realize that I very often take my situation for granted.

So thank YOU! If you are reading this right now (and not a spambot), I hope you had some time today to reflect on your family and friendships and how much having one another makes all the tough spots worthwhile.

Happy Mother’s Day!