Mother's Day 2018

Because we had a lot of things going on this weekend, and because we wanted to keep Mother's Day low-key this year, we celebrated on Saturday. James had baseball and Miranda had dance so we started the day with that.

Mother's Day with James and Miranda

 

James up to bat!

Oh did I mention it was raining the whole game? 

Selfie with my wonderful mom friends Candace and Erica!

 

Miranda at dance class

After that we went to lunch at C'est Cheese. The kids gave me all the gifts and cards they made at home and at school. I loved everything!

 

Reading how Miranda thinks I'm 4 years old.

 

Necklace James for which made the center

 

Kisses!

Smooches!

Mother's Day in NJ 2017

For Mother's Day we visited my mom and Bob and went to lunch at Mighty Quinn's. The kids always make eating out hectic but it was the first time we all went out on Mother's Day so worth the try- and the food was yummy.

With mom

Mighty Quinn's

Nuclear family

Mother's Day 2016

Mom and I had our first Mother's Day in my new town. We kicked off the weekend by going to brunch on Saturday.

Nana visits!

Our original plan was to go to Toast, but since we got a late start there was already a big line there, and our parking was right across the street from Brewology. I've been there twice before for drinks with Kevin once, and for drinks with Kevin, Erika, and Rob another time, and both times I drooled over the food- it looks and smells great- but I didn't get any. Brunch didn't disappoint. We decided that James might be old enough to behave himself for the meal so we took our chances bringing him. It was probably the best he's ever behaved at restaurant ever. Happy Mother's Day indeed!

James and Nana love each other

Reading the menu

Sangria

My big boy!

On Sunday, mom stayed for a short while in the morning, and in the afternoon we took the kids to the park.

Little hugs are the best!


James is copying some Amazon Kindle game


Then Miranda started dancing


Yay! PLAYGROUND!


Melts my heart.


Post bathtime: Polar Bear Cub and Frog Princess.


Flowers from the family.

Pre-K Muffins with Mom 2016

Have I mentioned how much I love James's pre-K? They hosted a lovely Muffins with Mom event on Friday. It's my first Mother's Day at school event. I was so excited. When we came in there were these picture frame gifts, a Mother's Day card, and mom questionnaire they filled out.

Me and James

"I love you because. .. you gave me extra time on my Kindle."

Better.

Ha!

Then we did a little a craft project where we decorated a cup to be a vase.

Cora (mom Dana), Lexi (mom Christine), Emma (mom Samantha), Ellie (mom Kristen) and James

Lyla (mom Danielle), Rebecca (with grandma), Miss Tasha, Adrianna (mom Megan)

Lexi and Adrianna playing

Ellie, James, Lexi, Rebecca, and Emma (don't eat that apple!)

Rollercoaster/Rocket: Emma, Lexi, James, Rebecca, and Ellie

Plant + Vase craft

Mother's Day 2015

I had a super fun Mother's Day. My mom came over Saturday and babysat while Kevin and I went to meet Lionor, and I could tell she and Miranda had really bonded when I came back. Miranda decided that her favorite book is Dinosaur versus the Library (thanks Michele!) because she likes all the roaring and voices we do when we read it, so she carried it over to my mother approximately 500 times so that she would read it to her. Even though the rest of us offered to read it to her (even James who knows it by heart) Miranda kept insisting my mom read it. Poor Nana. Haha.

Outside Swing the Teapot

Sunday, mom and I went to breakfast at the same place we went last year, Swing the Teapot, and it was still good. It's a tea place too, but mom doesn't like tea so I drank an entire teapot of chocolate-mint tea by myself. That might have been an error in judgment because I didn't sleep that night for like 2 hours, but it was so yummy.

Looking pretty as usual.

Action shot!


With Miranda and James and dandelion

James made me a pretty cool card at school too with his hand print as the flower petals. Miranda can't do much beyond say mama and give me kisses but the kisses are super awesome. Kevin made me the comfort food dinner I wanted and watched Mean Girls with me at night. So pretty much a perfect Mother's Day.

The Clous on Mother's Day

• Last Mother's Day 2014
• Mother's Day at home 2013
• First Mother's Day as a mom in New Jersey 2011

Mother's Day 2014

This Mother's Day was the best yet. This year was my first Mother's Day as the mom of two kids. My mom came over for the weekend, and the two of us went to brunch on Sunday morning at a cute little place on our main street.

 

Selfie at brunch with mom

I spent the rest of the day with Kevin (who spoiled me rotten all day- I didn't change a single diaper), and my two little angels. Sarah, Donald, and William stopped by on their way back to Virginia too, though they merit their own post.

Mom, Miranda, me, and James

With my big boy

Mom with her new fashion protégé

First Mother's Day as a family of four!

• First Mother's Day as a mother with my mom in New Jersey in 2011
• Mother's Day with Audra's family in 2012
• Mother's Day at home in 2013

Mother's Day 2013

I had a lovely Mother's Day. Kevin and James let me sleep in, which is something they let me do once or twice a week, but it's still magical no matter the occasion. I got breakfast and a card. And Kevin surprised me with my own single serve coffee maker to address the issue of my daily coffee emergencies wherein I am too tired to make coffee using our more complicated coffee maker-and-grinder. Seriously. We also had sushi for dinner. Even James tried some squid, mackerel, and ikura! Yes, I am spoiled rotten by my boys. Here are my mandatory Mother's Day pictures with my little man.

Mother's Day 2013 outside our home

Love!

Part of my heart was in Cincinnati this Mother's Day where my friend Chrissy spent her day with her little guy Owen at the Children's Hospital. Love you guys and can't wait to see you.

We spent Mother's Day last year in North Carolina with my friends Audra, Rob, and Carter. I also spent that day at Sarah and Aaron's wedding! And the year before was my first Mother's Day as a mom ever! We spent in New Jersey with my mom.

My little family art project.

Mother's Day in NC 2012

We got to spend Mother's Day with Audra and Rob which was lovely. I got up late thanks to my wonderful husband. James refused to sleep from 2 am- 5 am, and Kevin handled all of it, and then took care of him when he got up as well. I slept until James got up from his first nap of the day!

Celebrating Mother's Day together!

Audra made french toast casserole for breakfast which is as awesome as it sounds. I think this might need to be a new Mother's Day tradition for me from now on. This was the first Mother's Day Audra was able to spend playing with her baby boy, since last year he was still in her pregnant belly. It was nice to spend the day with them and Rob. And Carter decided to take his first step as his Mother's Day gift! He did it while both his mom and dad were watching and then sat down.

Getting some Carter-snuggling time


James is a big fan of playing with Audra

We went for a nice walk around their pretty neighborhood, and we even took their two dogs, Levy and Lilly. James LOVES dogs, and even though he didn't get a chance to play with them, he spent most of the walk giggling because he thought the dogs were funny. Or maybe he was fantasizing about yanking their wiggling tails.

Fur-baby Levy


Fur-baby Lilly

We left in the afternoon because I was going to Sarah and Aaron's wedding in Charlotte and staying at a hotel closer to the wedding that night, but I didn't really want to leave because I had so much fun and felt so pampered. Thank you Padgets! Come to New York! We miss you already!

This Mother's Day photo appropriately captures our relationship