Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there! (And to all of those women who are having a particularly hard time on this day, for whatever reason, my thoughts are with you.)

If you are a mom and celebrate this holiday (and you should! It’s all about you!) I hope that you’re being spoiled rotten. I, for one, can’t wait to see what the girls have planned for me today. I hope it involves some solid naps (for them). I know that I’m getting a card at some point because this is the conversation we had over ice cream yesterday:

Clara: Do you like your card?

Me: What card? (trying to hide a smile while shooting a knowing glance to Tim)

Clara: The surprise card.

Tim: Clara, she hasn’t gotten the card yet, remember?

Clara: Oh, okay.

… and then she went back to eating her ice cream.

Today is filled with a lot of emotions for me (it’s my third Mother’s Day as a mom and time goes by too fast!), but I especially want to focus on how thankful I am for the moms in my life.

Thank you to the moms…

— Who were in my first moms group right after Clara was born. It was so nice to navigate new motherhood with such a wonderful group of ladies who could chat about a wide variety of life topics, but also sleep training, breastfeeding, and still all things motherhood.

— Who made my family meals after both of my babies were born.

— Who have offered me so, so much advice over the years.

— Who were among the first people I met in Seattle at MOPS, and who made this new area of the country immediately feel like home.

— Who babysit my kids.

— Who host playdates and offered me coffee and a listening ear and have even fed my kids when we found ourselves still chatting at lunchtime.

— Who love my kids and make sure that they know it.

– Who take time out of their busy schedules to show up at events and parties with their little ones, even though just showing up is not an easy feat!

— Who have swapped sleep horror stories and have empathized with my situation, whatever it may have been at the time.

— Who hold my babies when they’re cute, but more importantly when they’re fussy.

— Who love their own kids and raise them intentionally so that they can be awesome friends and citizens and human beings.

— Who text me at all hours of the day and night complaining, sympathizing, and sharing stories from their own recent experiences with newborns/babies/toddlers. Technology makes motherhood feel much less isolating!

— Who encourage me, comfort me, and lift me up.

— Who laugh with me.

— Who help my kids put their shoes and jackets on when I’m overwhelmed with both of them, and maybe even help me get to the car when my arms are full.

— Who give me understanding looks when my toddler has a public meltdown.

— Who write vulnerable blogs and articles that I can oh-so-deeply relate to.

— Who show up.

— Who give their time, passion, and talents to run programs and events and organizations that benefit many children in the community.

— Who are my role models and mentors, as well as my friends.

Thank you. A million times over, thank you. 

** If you want to spread some joy among the moms in your life, I love this free printable from Coffee & Crumbs!

I hope you each have a most wonderful day!