Best Mother’s Day Ever

Our 9-year-old led us on a 14-mile bike ride to the Freedom Tower on Mother’s Day.

 

 

 

 

7 miles down Manhattan Island & 7 back along the Henry Hudson River South Waterfront Bike Path in sunny 75 degree weather.

As we rode along New York City’s beautiful path, we enjoyed an air display, basketball games, families picnicing at the many parks on the water, the famous ballerina statue, the Intrepid, Concorde & space shuttle, views of the George Washington Bridge & distant Tappan Zee, and best of all…discovering a mama bird feeding her newborns on Mother’s Day in a blossoming tree!! Breathtaking!! (precious video below)

After stopping for ice cream, we enjoyed a lovely dinner and then Phillip gave me one of the most wonderful, thoughtful gifts ever!! Ever!!

To put into perspective how special this Mother’s Day gift was to me, may I just say that one year, he surprised me with a beautiful Mercedes convertible in the driveway; another year, matching silver Mercedes’ with huge green bows. Yes, those were exciting.

But the gift he gave me this evening made my eyes tear & my heart swell! I’ll explain at the end of this story.

  

               

Stopping for ice cream after the 14th mile:

Mama Bird & her babies:

Okay, so this was Phillip’s gift. A few days earlier, we saw this sign at Nordstrom’s. WOW is exciting for us because it’s our daughter’s initials. Flipped upside down, it spells MOM.Phillip carved this WOW~MOM sign for me from a block of wood. A handmade gift is the best gift of all to me and the meaning behind it was heartwarming & made with love and thought.                            What an amazing husband, I love you, Darling. Thank you!!Those magenta-orange-pastel-sherbet colors are some of my favorite hues & it will be painted those colors soon.   One of the best Mother’s Days ever (2014)!!Today’s 2015 Mother’s Day was just as delightful!After breakfast & celebrations, we snapped pics under a very significant tree, then Phillip & the kids surprised me with an afternoon of painting together at Pinot Palette in New York, followed by dinner with my Mom.        For more on my Mom, just click: MomFor more on my Mother-in-Law, click: GraceThank you for sharing. And thank you to my family, I love you all!!                       The Bright Spot – Celebrating Moms Everywhere – Happy Mother’s Day!!!! 

Kite Flying & Laughter

Indeed, the cards, poems, drawings, gifts, flowers, those are all very appreciated, loved & cherished on Mother’s Day.

 

 

 

But the best part of the day was not the wonderful breakfast with smoked salmon or our afternoon in New York City, it was watching my children’s silliness & laughter wrapped in hugs & snuggles topped by kite flying with my kids in the early evening.

Running, playing, enjoying a gorgeous Spring day with the family. 

   

   The Bright SpotTM  – Be present with your kids, they are your future memories, they are what makes Mother’s Day possible, they are the gift. Happy Mother’s Day, Moms~!!  🙂

Hide the Candy!

Easter is my favorite holiday.

I love that our daughter was born the day after Easter.

I sometimes call her my Little BunnyChickie.

 

I love that Spring just started. Everything awakens from Winter’s long freeze & is born anew. The air smells fresh & green baby leaves are

slowly unfurling. I love pussy willows and forsythia, big blossoms and tiny crocuses.

I love the Easter story of Jesus’ Resurrection & I love the trumpets at church that glorious, Holy morning when we all celebrate together in song & praise. I love & appreciate the religious traditions of other folks as I am a member of a very large, close-knit, multicultural, multi-religious, multi-international, multi-lingual family.

I love coloring eggs & decorating them with the kids. I love the little 50-year-old, wooden, hand-painted European Easter decorations from my grandparents. I love to mix those decorations with our little one’s pretty, handmade decorations from preschool. Old & new crafts together.

I love the Easter Bunny, the delicate, ceramic decorations, fragile Easter eggs, egg-citing hunts & yummy candies.

I particularly love pastel M&Ms!! I like all chocolate, but those tiny, pale- colored little chocolate dots of joy always seem to find my lips, hummm… I admit, I will steal bites here & there from my children’s baskets in passing. I’ll pass a lot – cover those baskets!!

I love the Easter egg hunts at farms, in fields, at church & at friends.

   Parties, celebrations, the Easter Bunny arriving on the fire truck!

I love Biblical epics on TV at this time of year and was particularly pleased with Mark Burnett’s The Bible miniseries ~ simply outstanding!!

The Bright SpotTM  – I love Spring & all the cheeriness of the season!