I’m thrilled! Thrilled, I say, that it’s FRIDAY!
FRIDAY!!!! Woohoooooo!!! I. Am. Cheering!!! There’s no special reason. Other than the fact that I’m simply ready for the weekend and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.
This next week we have two birthdays at our house and Mother’s Day. My boy will be 14 next Tuesday. Four days later, it’s the man-of-the-house’s birthday! Both of them were Mother’s Day babies. I love that they share this important holiday with their mom’s. I will never forget just how exceptional my first Mother’s Day was. Eric was the perfect Mother’s Day gift. I didn’t need fragrant flowers, or jewelry, or breakfast in bed. I had a baby instead!! Nothing tops that!
I can’t believe fourteen years have passed. They have flown by. It’s been amazing to watch him grow. Eric is an incredible young man. I love him with all my heart. I love my girls fiercely and share a very strong bond with them. But I only have one boy. If there’s one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that a mother-son relationship is extraordinary.
When our family lived in Boston, before I had the girls, I would take Eric out to lunch at Panera. I can vividly remember one of our many trips there. It was a cold New England day. We got our food and chose a seat right in front of the cozy fireplace. As we sat and ate our soup, an older woman and her 20-something son walked over and selected a table close to ours. I watched them enjoy lunch together and talk about life. It touched my heart to see these two interact so sweetly with one another. I remember saying to Eric, my little three year old at the time, “I hope you will always want to go to lunch with me when you are older”. Ten years later, he still does and we do every week, just him and me.
Often times when we dine at restaurants close to home, we’ll see many of Eric’s friends. I always tell him that he can go sit with them or even skip our weekly lunches to go out with his friends instead. His response is the same every time… “No way mom!” In fact, he always makes sure we have our weekly lunch dates — “We are going to lunch after school, right?” I will never ever say no. I cherish this time far too much.
I feel beyond blessed to be Eric’s mom. This is not the only thing he does that melts my mama heart. There are countless others. One day he is going to make a lucky lady very, very happy. However, that isn’t for many years to come. He has a lot to accomplish before that day arrives. His future is bright.
This weekend Eric will celebrate his birthday with his closest friends. Maybe they’ll go paintballing or indoor skydiving. We shall see. It’ll be spontaneous, fun, and truly memorable.
Which means, after I write this, I am heading out to take care of business. To organize, plan, shop and add the final details to these birthdays coming up. Plus, I also need to make certain that both my mom and mother-in-law know how much they are loved and appreciated. These wonderful women have inspired me throughout my life. I am the mom I am today because of their phenomenal examples.
I must be on my way. I have gifts to buy and cakes to order. There are also some other stellar surprises I have up my sleeve, which I need to finalize, and am extremely excited for myself!
Wait. Just one more thing before I go! Sunday is Cinco de Mayo! I love Mexican food.
I can guarantee you all I’ll be digging into some chips and salsa. Guacamole. And a taco or two.
Have a wonderful weekend!
