As the sun is slowly slipping beyond the horizon on day 8, I pray the next 9 will go just as fast. Johan has been traveling with work since the 8th of May and it has felt like eternity in one sense and passing like a flash of lightening in the other. For once he gets home, May will almost be over and after May, comes June, and after June comes Jake.

At 30 weeks pregnant, keeping up with a 3 year old all on my own is quite a daunting task. I am trying my best to unplug and soak in this alone time with Ava before Jake arrives, but man, I am tired these days. We’ve spent the afternoons strolling the neighbourhood looking for pine cones (shame, there are none), building forts (Johan is much better at it than me), making paper snow flakes (I am very proud I remembered how to make these), and having tea parties (which I am close to mastering), but I am beginning to run out of ideas and I feel guilty when we plop down in front of the TV. So if you have any easy, low maintenance activity suggestions, please send them this way!

I was a bit worried about spending Mother’s Day alone, as I was afraid it was going to be hard on me considering last year, but thankfully it passed by without a tear. My husband hid a special gift for me under my pillow before he left and Ava and I spent the day with my in laws, which is always a pleasure.

The best gift of all was logging into Facebook and seeing two separate posts, from two American girls, who don’t even know each other. One still living in South Africa and the other living back in the states, but both of them thanking my mother for making them feel at home and part of our family while being here, half a world away. That my friends, is my mom. She’s so special in so many ways, I don’t know where to begin. She listens to understand you, not to respond. She’s always helping someone or crafting something. If you’ve seen something cool at Ava’s birthday parties, chances are, she made it. If you’d laid on a comfy quilt at my house, she also made it. She is the hardest worker I know and truly one of my best friends. I really couldn’t be more proud of my mom and can only hope that one day I can be half the mother she is.

Thank you mom, for all that you do for my family and for everyone else. You are such a special person!

December 2010 while I was pregnant with Ava.

Tea Party with Mom and Ava.

Me, Mom and Amanda at Ava’s 2nd Birthday.

Mom and I at my wedding.