Mothers Day

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but tonight out of the blue the boys left my wife and I in tears. Literally we are crying like babies and it was over the most simple and innocent thing.  But the fact that it happened on Mother’s Day, might have made it a little easier and also harder at the same time.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and the boys and I got my wife flowers, cards and a selfie stick and before any jokes are made about the selfie stick, it is am inside joke between my wife and myself. But after the boys and I grilled dinner last night and for the week, my wife was showing the boys a picture of her mom & for those of you that don’t know, read my post entitled 6 years.  My mother in law was killed in a car accident over 6 years ago and there is not a day that doesn’t go by that we don’t talk about or wish that she were still here.  My wife showed a photo of my wife and her mom together and it was a photo that they had never seen before. The photo was from Mother’s Day over 10 years ago, when my wife graduated from college. As soon as my Baby A quietly asked who it was with their mommy, my wife quietly explained that it was her mommy on Mother’s Day years before they were born. And just then it happened, Baby A asked the hard question, “Can Grandma come to my house and see me?” Silence, followed by tears.

My mother in law has been dead for close to 7 years and even though it has been 7 years, it hasn’t been easy. Holidays are hard. Mothers Day might be the hardest day of them all and tonight, as innocently as possible, they wanted to see their grandmother. My wife and I abruptly ended up in tears & I am still wiping them away now. Tears of sorrow. Tears of joy. Tears of frustration. Tears of heart break.

The boys do not know that their grandmother died 7 years ago, they just know that they have my parents and my wife’s dad and his girlfriend. At some point we will have to explain all of this to them, but last night on Mother’s Day, I think that a simple statement that caused so many tears to flow, brought peace and comfort. But as my wife and I talked about, one day, in a few years, we will have to have a very hard conversation with them and tell them about their grandmother and her dying. And then there will be a lot of people that will tell stories about what a wonderful person that she was and how many lives that she touched. And though, it will be harder on us than it will be on them, as they will not know any better, we will know what they are missing out on. We will know how loved they would have been by their Grandmother. We would have known that we would have had to beg her to not let them spend every weekend with her. So with those knowings, we will have to struggle and wipe away tears and talk about one of the most amazing women that I have ever known.

Over 1,200 people attended the visitation and as far away as 3 states. She touched the lives of many and she made a difference in the lives of a lot. Last night, with tears in our eyes, we said a simple prayer and thanked God for our time with my wife’s mom, but as we wiped away those tears and hug and kiss the boys goodnight, we are hurt and filled with sorrow.

Good night to my little Monkeys. Happy Mother’s Day to my wife, my mom, my sister, friends and family. And Mom’s, I know that you are smiling down on these little kids, I just wish that you could have gotten to experience them first hand.

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I just wanted to take a moment to wish my wife a Happy Mothers Day. She does so much to make sure that the boys are taken care of, feed, organized, etc. The boys and I are very lucky to have such an amazing woman.

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Growing up as a child, I always remembered Mother’s Day being a day that we bought my mom flowers and watched my father cook lunch for us. I don’t remember any of the meals being anything elaborate, but they were good enough to satisfy our appetite and give my mom the day off.

In celebration of these memories, I am planning the same thing for my wife on this Mother’s Day. I will be giving my wife the day off so that she can relax and enjoy quality time with our twin boys. Even though I do a majority of the cooking anyways, it will still be a nice gesture for her and every other mother that shows they are loved and appreciated.

For this Mother’s Day, I am taking part in the FoodNetwork virtual Mother’s Day event with The Communal Table.

Here is the menu for my wife’s Mother’s Day lunch on Sunday, May 13:

Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken

1/2 pound of grilled chicken
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp of fresh rosemary and thyme mixture

Glaze

2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of whole grain mustard

Grilled Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus
2 tsp blood orange olive oil

(asparagus should be marinated in the blood orange olive oil for 12 hours previous to cooking)

Directions:

1. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper. Generously season the chicken with the fresh herbs. Cook on medium heat until the chicken is lightly browned. Apply glaze on chicken after it is cooked.

2. Cook the asparagus on the grill until slightly charred and tender.

3. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe is quick and easy to follow, and it can be used for any type of meal.

See what our friends are bringing to the table and tell us what you would bring to the table on Twitter by using the hashtag: #pullupachair.

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