Mother's Day

Perhaps the greatest Mother's Day gift of all was that both boys slept in two days in a row, Chase sleeping today until we woke him up at 9:00 because we wanted to get the day started, which was especially welcome because he hasn't slept past 6:00 for weeks (I blame teething and the fact that he's learned how to stand up in his crib and wants to do it all day and all night long to practice). It was wonderful to enjoy a cup of coffee while it was still hot!!! The day only got better from there. Casey made me french toast for breakfast. Riley, Chase and the dogs suprised me with two new rose bushes -- Riley telling me that he had a secret, taking me by hand and walking me to the garage where the secret was hiding. He could barely contain his excitement and it made me feel so good and so proud to know that he delights in seeing other people happy.

After breakfast, the six of us took a nice long walk to the playground and hung out there for awhile -- Riley and Casey swinging and playing on the slides, Chase practicing standing up and the dogs doing what they do best -- Wrigley chasing a ball and Winston laying at my feet in the most inconvenient spot for me trying to prevent Chase from falling. After the walk, it was already time for lunch. Casey made the most delightful crab cakes I have ever tasted (even he agreed they were good). After that, nap time for the boys. Casey planted my new rose bushes and did other yard work while I pulled some ivy from a spot that has been driving me crazy for months. This may not seem like a leisurely Mother's Day activity, but I was so excited to spend some peaceful time outside in the fresh air with Winston, ever the loyal companion, at my side the entire time. After about an hour, we got the boys up and headed to... you guessed it... a baseball game! Such a perfect day for a game, and the Deacons actually won. Riley and Casey spent most of the game playing catch, and an enthusiastic dad behind us raved about Riley's excellent throwing form (he had less to say about his catching technique which still leaves a lot to be desired). Chase and I hung out in the stands and had a lot of fun banging on the metal seats. Every time the Deacons made a good play, I'd throw him up in the air and he'd just giggle with delight. This is a particularly heavenly sound because for the first 9 months of his life, I never, not once, heard Chase giggle. He'd smile and squeal and do sort of fake-laugh noises, but he wouldn't giggle. I was beginning to think maybe he wasn't happy. Not so, it just took him awhile to find his giggle, and it also took me awhile to figure out that he has sort of an odd sense of humor (the funniest thing in the world to him being me making sniffling sounds and telling him how much he stinks).

After the baseball game, we came home and all 6 of us hung out outside in the afternoon sun for a few hours playing baseball, crawling around, playing in the sandbox and just enjoying a leisurely Mother's Day. I couldn't have asked for anything more.