It's been a few days.....

Sorry it has been a few days since I have posted anything. I got caught up in Mother's Day, summer like weather, doctor's appointments, and making plans for this last little homestretch! In what follows will be a re-cap of our last few days. If you aren't someone who knows me and really cares about how we spent our weekend then I will warn you that this is a long post, and you may find it rather boring! Even those of you who do know me and care about how we spent our weekend may find it boring! So, be forewarned.....

To get you caught up, I will start with Mother's Day. I had a wonderful weekend. Jonathan went above and beyond the call of duty (once again). The weekend celebration started on Friday at my prenatal massage appointment! I had a doctor's appointment on Friday morning and the hospital's massage clinic is right next door to the office I was visiting. Pretty convenient, huh? My massage was wonderful - very relaxing, very soothing, very needed.

On Saturday, the weather was absolutely amazing here. Every year on Mother's Day, Holland and I have a tradition of having a mommy/daughter photo shoot at the lilac garden close to our house (Manito Park). I was afraid that the weather might not hold up on Sunday so we went a day early this year. I love family traditions, and this one has become one of my favorites. The sun was shining so bright so it actually didn't make for great lighting for photography so these pictures aren't as good as previous years. I am learning though that it is all about the memories and being "present in the moment" which doesn't always have to be captured on camera.

After our photo shoot, I talked Jonathan into taking me to a garden store so I could buy some flowers and herbs to plant. I rode around in the store's little automatic scooter, but I got stuck in between some fountain accessories and some big, huge planters. The scooter is a nice service that many stores are offering now and I enjoy riding around in it, but I have two complaints: 1. it doesn't go fast enough, and 2. when you put it in reverse, you get the "wide load coming through" beep for all of those around you to be warned- it's a bit humiliating. Anyway, I kinda abandoned the scooter there after I got stuck as we were almost done anyway. I loaded up a few more things in the cart, and went to the car to recline and there I waited for Jonathan to stand in line and pay. Then once we were home, I laid in the grass while Holland filled up the pots with soil for me. She had such a fun time using her little garden tools. She was delighted to be such a big helper, and I was delighted to be sharing the day with her doing something we both love.

On Sunday, I ventured out to mass for the first time since January. It was so nice to be able to be with my family at mass on such a special day. The pews are a little rough on the pregnant, bedridden body so I had to take a cushioned donut pillow to sit on! Imagine the sight!

After mass, we went to an annual historical homes tour to see Mediterrean style homes in our neighborhood. There were 5 homes to view but I could only make it to 3. These few hours out and about just about did me in. We came home so I could rest before we went back out for dinner.

Dinner was amazing. We went to Spencer's Steakhouse which is voted one of the top ten steak houses in the country (at least it was at one time). I had a big, fatty, juicy ribeye steak, lyonnaise red potatoes, fresh asparagus, and broiled tomatoes with a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce. Mmmmmmm. I am starting to salivate just thinking about it.

Needless to say, Monday was a day of rest. I was absolutely exhausted. I knew the whole weekend that I was "over doing it", and I was going against doctor's oders, but I just couldn't stop myself. I did make sure to listen to my body, and I took breaks when I needed them. I am still not having any sort of contractions so that was one of the ways that I justified so much activity.

In addition to the massage, home made cards, breakfast in bed, trip to the lilac garden and garden center, historical home tour, dinner at a fancy restaurant, I still received gifts!

As most of you know, I have been watching food network like crazy. I now have a long list of kitchen gadgets that I need to acquire - one gadget being a grill pan. It seems like ALL of the chef's use them so I hinted to Jonathan for one and he actually came through with one! Usually, he doesn't even acknowledge my hints, much less carry though with them! He also bought us 8 crystal, red wine glasses to replace the ones that we received from wedding gifts 8 years ago. It has taken us that many years to break them all and we are down to 2 from 16!

So needless to say, I was spoiled rotten this year for Mother's Day. Actually, I have been spoiled rotten almost this entire year! I could easily look at every day so far as a special "mother's day" as I have been served countless meals in bed, had laundry service, maid service, chauefer service, computer repair service, car detail service, massage service, personal chef service, lawn service, etc, etc, etc. at my disposal.

My husband is amazing. He leaves me completely and utterly speechless.

At the end of the day on Mother's Day, I said, "Thank you for such a wonderful Mother's Day" in which Jonathan replied, "Thank you for being such a wonderful mother!"

(that comment alone would have been enough for Mother's Day!)