To the mom's -

to all the mother's —

i applaud what you do every single day. the sleepless nights, the tired eyes, the last minute "let me throw this together", the bed time stories, the school lunches, the late nights with your sick child, the cuddles on Saturday mornings, the excitement of your growing family, the countless "its okay sweetie mommy is here", the endless games of hide and seek and peek a boo, the messes you clean up, the boo boo's you kiss,

and the countless days wondering if you are doing enough.

i am so grateful to know so many beautiful , kind and loving mothers. they are my friends and my family. i see your efforts and the love you give daily; and to those precious children you have just know that you are their entire worlds, their super heroes, their magicians. you make it look so effortless to them and you continue to love, and give them your all unconditionally.

today is your day,

take a moment to appreciate yourself, all that you do,

and all that you have become for not only your kids but for yourself.

you harness a certain type of strength that only a mothers love could create.

To my mother —

i have watched you give your all to everyone around you. work tirelessly to make sure that we were all taken care of, and for some parts of my childhood you managed to do it alone at times when daddy was deployed, or working late, or out in the field. you have always been an example of what it is like to be independent, and take shit from no one. your strength is something i aspire to have and continue to strive for.

thank you for everything, for all the laughs, for letting me annoy the shit out of you, and for always sticking by my side even when you know i'm being hard headed and stubborn.

you are beautiful, incredible and you do not give yourself enough credit for being the super hero you are. i wish i was there to make you a sandwich, jump in the bed with you and watch a movie.

i love you with all of my heart.