Special Thanks to My Children on Mothers' Day

Dear Andy and Finnick,

I want to take some time to express my gratitude and appreciation for all you have taught me in such a short time. Some of these little life lessons have been sore spots, but I feel I have really grown as a person because of your dedication to my education. So, just in case you don’t hear it enough, thank you.

Thank you, Andy, for singing This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made six hundred times at the top of your lungs while we were at the grocery store. At the time, I did not “rejoice and be glad in it”. But you were right—we should be thankful for every day we’re given. And so should the customers and employees at Kroger.

Thank you, children, for all the times you have peed on me while we snuggled. And Andy, I want to especially thank you for that time you wiped your dirty hiney on my pajamas. It has really helped me to understand that I need to appreciate the sweet times while they last. All too soon, something stinky can come along and ruin it.  

Thank you, Finnick, for sucking on my pumice stone. I see now, since you didn’t immediately drop dead, that I can chill out a little bit about germs. Because I am pretty sure there is nothing in the entire world that houses more germs than that thing does.

Thank you, Andy, for asking me to help you put together the same puzzle 20 times a day for a whole month. I am impressed with your ability to be so easily entertained and content. I will work on that for myself. 

Thank you, boys, for both simultaneously and independently pitching temper tantrums in public. I will never judge “those parents” again.

Thank you, Finnick, for adamantly refusing to eat 90% of what I put in front of you. Because of you, I have succumbed to the trap of “kid foods”. One day, you will be old enough for me to strong-arm you into eating vegetables. But in the meantime, I’ve stopped judging “those parents” too.  

Thank you, Andy, for claiming Darth Vader as your favorite super hero. Your faith in the goodness of people is most impressive.

Thank you both for always making sure to wipe your noses and mouths on my clothes. It used to embarrass me to discover a yogurt smear on my crotch while at church, but now I’ve come to realize that if you can’t be yourself at church, where can you be?

Thank you, Andy, for memorizing only the first few bars of any given song, then repeating them over and over and over and over. I think I understand now how your daddy must feel when I nag. 

Thanks, guys, for throwing caution and common sense to the wind and challenging gravity on a regular basis. I foresee your dad and I both working three or four extra jobs in the future to cover all the medical expenses, but I’ve also realized how much fun it can be to live life on the edge.

Thank you, Finnick, for wiping your food in your hair at every meal. Sure, it makes you look like you haven’t taken a bath in a month of Sundays. But I like how you don’t mind letting others see that you are enjoying your food. Thanks to you, I will never again feel embarrassed when I walk out of Casa Ole covered in salsa stains.

Basically, I just want you to know that I am thankful for both of YOU, and for all the crazy you have brought into my life! I will most definitely never be the same!

Love, Mom