When words aren't enough

Have you ever FELT so much raw emotion that you're dying to express but you can't...so you don't?  Because it's so complex and tangled and overpowering, and piddly little words seem so inadequate...almost embarrassing?

That's how I've felt on Facebook today, on Mother's Day.  Everyone posts thanks and appreciative remarks and I-couldn't-do-it-without-you statements, and I've yet to come across a single one of those that I don't feel myself.  But how in the world do you possibly put into words how you feel about your MOM?  YOUR MOM.  Come on.

My mom - can't live without her.  Just can't.  Not because she takes care of Emma for me or any of those other logistical reasons.  I just can't.  So here I am again, trying to put it into words...and I just can't.

In some odd way that some of you might not understand, I feel the same way about my mom as a mother as I do about Emma, being her mother.  Mother's Day takes on a whole new meaning for all new moms, but instead of me looking in one direction on Mother's Day, I look in two - up to my mom, down at Emma.  And I feel the same emotions: gratitude, praise, longing, joy, appreciation...smile.  Is that an emotion?  I think it is - I just feel....SMILE...when I look at both of them.

Ok, dry it up.  Time for some pictures.  And about these pictures.  Who are you people who get these great Mother's Day pictures?!?!  I'm lucky to remember my camera, and let's say I DO have it.  Do I remember that I have it?  Rarely.

We had a fantastic Mother's Day celebration with Russell's family, and we had quite a fun(ny) time getting the kids to take a picture together.  Mason, bless his heart, is the most good-natured little boy, and he was so patient with us through this incessant picture-taking.  He squints a lot...probably because his retinas have been fried with all these pictures for 5 1/2 years.

Later in the day, Mason asked his mommy for her phone, and we assumed he wanted to play a game on it.  Instead, that sweet precious boy asked Emma if she wanted to watch Sofia the First (her favorite show, and he knows it) on the phone.  The answer to that question will always be yes, so the sweet cousins snuggled up together on the couch.  His decision to hang with Emma was probably influenced by the fact that his baby sister had just beat the crap out of him for no real good reason...just like little sisters are supposed to do.

We had lunch with my parents at High Cotton after church, and had a wonderfully delicious time.  Emma was a little cranky, but between the scrambled "yeggs" and Disney Junior iPhone entertainment, she was fine.  And for real, no cute family pictures.  Random ones where the lighting's bad, or someone's eyes are closed, etc.  Eh.  Next time.