Happy Mothers Day!

Mothers Day cuddles with Felix

Sometimes as a Mum, it's easy to feel unappreciated when you are buried up to your eyeballs in dirty washing, a mountain of dishes and you've just swept the floor for the third time in a day. You didn't sleep well the night before, but you're still up early in the morning because the food shopping needs to be done and kids need to be taken to school. You sometimes go a long time in between 'Thank You's' and no one ever seems to appreciate they have clean underwear in their drawer or that you've spent all day washing windows. Then you have a morning like I have had today, and you suddenly feel like the most important person in the world. 

Never too big to cuddle Mum
(Aaron, Isaiah, Joshua & Joel)

Our four biggest boys (living at home), brought me breakfast in bed. OK, it was 10am and I was ready to start eating my own foot I was so hungry, but the sleepy foursome along with my gorgeous hubby cooked me an amazing breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs and an extra frothy cappuccino. Aaron had made me a card at school and some chocolate goodies which was extra awesome. All four of them piled into bed with me for a snuggle (albeit a squishy one) and told me they loved me. Felix had gone back to bed for his morning sleep by this stage, but he and I had already had a big play earlier in the morning while the 'sleeping beauties' were still snoozing!

I'm a Mum and a Granny this year :)

I have so much to be thankful for. Our 3 oldest kids have become amazing adults and I am so proud of each and every one of them. The next 4 are working hard at school and are getting really good grades. They all have goals for their lives and are striving to be the best they can be. And then there's Felix; our little cherry on the top! If you had told me 5 or 10 years ago that my family would be made complete by a tiny person with Down Syndrome, I would have looked at you like you were mad. How could a child with Down Syndrome make our lives complete? Words escape me... I can't describe how much it means to me that I was chosen to be Felix's Mum. Our family has always been close, but Felix is like the final piece of a beautiful jigsaw puzzle.  I look at it now, with all it's weird and wonderful shapes and it's the most  amazing thing I've ever seen.

My 8 reasons for being thankful I'm a Mum
(Plus 2 lovely girlfriends and 1 gorgeous hubby)

Felix is learning to communicate more and more with each passing day. He still isn't saying words, but he is certainly communicating a lot in other ways. He can sign the word 'finished' and tell us when he wants more to drink. He can sign 'kiss', even though it's not one we sign very often. I'm so pleased that he's obviously remembered it. He will also blow kisses when we say Goodbye to someone. He's walking around the furniture like a professional and has stood a couple more times on his own for a few seconds. He's learning more actions to some of his favourite songs and will 'bow to his partner' in one of the Wiggles songs and cover his face when 'the bear's now asleep'. He still does something new every day!

This Mother's Day I want to say thank you to our kids. You all mean the world to me. I'm so thankful that even though we don't see all of you every day (and you had to grow up and leave home), I think of you all the time and love you more than I could ever say. To my little angel in heaven, Eden Grace, I miss you and will give you extra cuddles in my dreams tonight. x x x x x x x x x