oh happy day

As it turns out, the grass is often greener on the other side. Now that I've been on the other side of Mother's Day- the participating, tear-free side- I can conclusively report that it is just as great as I'd always hoped it would be. I think I'm still a little hesitant (jaded? bitter?) to get too SUPER enthused about the holiday...old habits die hard, I guess...but each passing day with my girl finds my heart healing just a little bit more, and I spent Mother's Day mainly just feeling incredibly thankful for the gift of her life, while praying and holding fast to hope for my friends who are still waiting in the trenches.

Anyway, enough musing- on with the pictures!

My parents came up for the weekend. We spent the majority of our time working in the yard (bless them, bless them), enjoying the sun, and introducing them to the wild world of Whole30 eating. Ha. They were actually pretty impressed by how good we ate!

We got a TON of stuff done in the yard (like two truck loads of mulch spread- I FINALLY HAVE REAL MULCH LIKE A GROWN UP!!!!!), but after quite a few hours in the hot sun, Little Bit needed a change of scenery. My dad decided to go out for Best Poppie of the Year and drove up to the corner market to purchase Millie her very first swimming pool! And needless to say...it was a big hit.

Hello, Mom's thumb!

 The water was freezing, but this girl couldn't have cared less. After she got over her initial confusion about what was going on, she fully embraced this outdoor bath party.

And I sat around for an hour squealing over how unbelievably adorable she is in her bathing suit and sun hat. Like, cuteness through the stratosphere.

And I also spent a lot of time playing paparazzi. Because cuteness like that demands to be documented...

...and immediately shared with the world. Don't worry, Matt was watching her while I mooned over her pictures.

At any rate, her first kiddie pool adventure was a smashing success and I anticipate many more afternoons and evenings by the pool with this one. Also, she has six more bathing suits, so...those things aren't just gonna wear themselves. Gotta get busy!

The sun wore her out and she woke up on Mother's Day in the happiest mood- ready to play in bed with her mama and indulge me with some selfies!

We made time for some photos before we went to church, because you only celebrate your first Mother's Day once. 

You wouldn't be remiss to oooh and ahhh over that lovely mulch under the camellia...

 I made my mom take some pictures with us because I've wanted a 'three generations' picture for a really long time, and this seemed like a good day to do it.

After a lovely morning at church and an abundance of lovely Mother's Day wishes, texts, and hugs, we headed to eat some Mexican on the porch. This is how Matt and Millie felt about it:

THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE PICTURE IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

 It works out well that Matt and I can't eat the rice and beans that come alongside our meals, because those just so happen to be some of Millie's favorite foods. This time, she invented a new way to eat rice. BLW for the win, yo. She's inventing new ways to get food in her mouth!

And in case you were wondering what she looks like after a delicious feast of rice, beans, and a banana...well, now you know.

And now you also know why we eat on the porch. And buy stock in Oxyclean. And tip well. 

It was a relaxing, productive, perfect weekend. My yard looks amazing now. My house is kind of a wreck. I cleaned rice out of Millie's ear in the bath tonight. I finished my most recent book and it was amaaazing and now maybe I'll be on a Tudor England kick instead of a WWII kick, who knows. My mom and I got pedicures and then I got ant bites on my toes to really class things up. I need to get ready for bed and work tomorrow, but I'm just soaking in the happy bliss of a weekend well spent.

I hope your weekend was also full of happiness and sunshine. For those of you who find Mother's Day to be a day of pain and loss, know that my heart and prayers are with you. I remember that pain well, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I hope that your redemption comes quickly.