I should be trying to sleep right now. But Donna has posted this week’s Family Foto Fun Friday Challenge and I just had to play. I’m a little past babyhood in this photo, but I hope that you all will excuse me.

The Cupcakes love their binkies. When they wake up in the middle of the night, and they do this three or four times each night, the words we are most likely to hear are: “a binkie. A BINKIE!!!!!” In a previous post I pointed out that the Cupcakes had clearly picked up a habit or two from their Papa. Well, now it’s my turn to come clean —

DH has given me yet more homework. He tagged me with the Seven Random Facts meme. Now I have to come up with seven random or little-known facts about myself. Sneaky man. I think he’s still waiting for me to confess to that that brief, torrid affair with Leif Garrett…

Seven Things

1. When I was a child I hated mushrooms. Despised them. This was the source of much dinner table conflict between me and my mother. She would be amused to know that now I really, really like mushrooms.

2. I started my college career as a French major.

3. The first time I kissed a boy I was about seven years old. My best friend, Bobby, and I decided that we wanted to know what this kissing thing was all about. Neither of us was very impressed. My opinion of kissing, much like my opinion of mushrooms, has improved greatly over the intervening years.

4. I had my tonsils out when I was twelve. I was disappointed to find out that having my tonsils removed did not mean that I got to eat all the ice cream I wanted.

5. I learned to drive on a 1957 Willy’s Jeep. Anything is easy to drive after driving one of those.

6. I didn’t learn to blow my nose until I was about 10.

7. I am a good cook.

The Cupcakes’ language skills are expanding. This morning, as they were following their Papa out of the room, Heike turned around and said ‘I love you, Mama!’. And later this morning Sarah ran up to me and said ‘Kuss!’ (Kiss!) and kissed me on the cheek.

Such clever girls!

I’ll need to remember how sweet this was when they learn to say ‘You’re not the boss of me!’.

This year Mother’s Day feels much different than it did a year ago. Last year was my very first Mother’s Day as a mom. It was a big deal. There were presents. DH made a special breakfast. I got to sleep in. (Sleep, glorious sleep!!!) We started a tradition of taking photos of the Cupcakes and of me with the Cupcakes at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. We made a special shopping trip.

This year things were quieter. No presents. No hoopla. We had a friend over for breakfast, then we all went to the Rhododendron Garden to take photos. This afternoon the Cupcakes had their swimming lesson. It was a normal Sunday. And I think that it was wonderful.

A year ago I still often looked at the girls and thought ‘Wow. There are two of you.’ And wondered exactly how I was going to deal with that. Then I wondered when I would get to sleep longer than an hour at a time. Now I look at them and think ‘Wow!! There are two of you.’ And it’s the most marvelous thing in the world.

Right now, every day is Mother’s Day for me. I can fix the girls’ boo-boos and sing them their favorite songs. I can make them laugh. When I pick them up at school them come running up to me as fast as they can, yelling ‘Mommy!!!! Mommy!!!! Mommy!!!’ and leap into my arms. (Of course, immediately after that they go running to their cubbies yelling ‘Binky!!!! Binky!!! BINKY!!! sigh…) They love to snuggle on my lap and want to be held for as long as possible.

Sometimes I miss the little, tiny babies they used to be, but frankly, I don’t miss them very often. I’m utterly enchanted with the engaging, goofy, kind, brilliant two-year-olds they are now. And I’m pretty sure that I’m going to miss these little people a whole heck of a lot when the girls get older.

Ah, well. “Fiddle dee dee, I’ll worry about that tomorrow” as Scarlett O’Hara said. For now I’m going to enjoy the heck out of them.

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!