happy mother's day to me

I hope every mother out there had a great Mother's Day yesterday. I know I did! It was so much fun, so positive and just the best all around day!

Yes, it was hard and I did miss my Mom terribly, but it was a different kind of hard for me this year. I think because I tricked myself into expecting a melt down I therefor was being all grief-defiant on myself or something and got all passive aggressive and I did not in fact have a melt down. Just to prove I could keep it together? Or maybe I felt like I was supposed to so I didn't? I don't know! But if all of a sudden I start BAWLING during any mother son dances this season, you'll know why!! My own tricky self caught up to me... :)

So this is how it all went down....

I woke up to the most amazing breakfast- homemade waffles, eggs, fruit and freshly brewed Dunkin' Donuts coffee, my most favorite!

At her preschool Miss Georgie made me my very own coupons of things she would like to do for me like sweeping the floor or cleaning her room... I am SO gonna cash in on those

I enjoyed my cup o' joe in a gift of Mother's Days past, my favorite coffee cup that Dave, I mean Jack & Georgie :) gave me a few years back from this little shop in West Hartford Center

After our awesome breakfast we rode our bikes to the park to play on the playground. Yes, that is what *I* wanted to do... ;)

They have gotten so good on the monkey bars


Elizabeth Park is my favorite park in the world... it is so full of memories for me and my other favorite thing, flowers! I am a fool for flowers, smelling them, touching them, shooting them... and Georgie here picked some 'by accident' as she claims...! These lilac bushes line the back area where my Mom's memorial bench is

So I gave my Mom the flowers that Georgie picked for me

Jack had a grand old time climbing 'Sophia's favorite tree' also known as 'Carla's favorite secret shooting spot in Elizabeth Park!!' ;)

Georgie aggressively smelling the tulips which, incidentally don't really smell. Which may explain her aggressive inhale

My Aunt gave me a beautiful lilac bush for my new garden, so I planted it yesterday after much deliberation as to where to put it...I think it looks lovely by the fence as you walk around the back of my yard!

For some reason I have been OBSESSED with planting Hollyhocks, Delphiniums and Cosmos in my new garden- maybe because now I finally have a full sun garden where the plant options seem endless to me- all of my favorite flowers are full sun and I have been feeling deprived, so, we went to this killer nursery in West Hartford, Gledhill, and got them ALL!!

My lovely Hollyhocks! These bad boys will grow to almost 6 feet!

It's funny because I am also a sucker for iris (my Mom was too) and had JUST seen this variagated variety the other night for the first time and loved them! Then I saw them at the nursery and they had only one plant but I grabbed it!

I also love cosmos, they are so feathery and beautiful and elegant, I love them! So I planted a bunch along the side of my house and the front corner which just basks in the sun. I can't wait to see the growth!

My sister in law Beth made the most killer carrot cake for Mother's Day- it was SO good.

Dave's brother Dan and Beth, snuggling

Our niece Rebecca all bundled up by the fire, it got chilly all of a sudden after dinner

And Dave... trying to convince Beth (a bigger sports fan in the traditional sense than then entire Ten Eyck family) that he knows a thing or two about football, which he totally does NOT! Which is why he is laughing because he is being absurd! :)


To end the day I got to take my cousin Steph out to see IRONMAN, WHICH ROCKED MY WORLD!!!!!!!! Oh my GOD I loved this movie!!

Go see it! But beware... you may start to develop feelings for Robert Downey Jr. even though his mustache facial hair thing is kinda weird!