I gave Dr. Day a break from her video post series this month because I felt like I wanted to write about my Mother's Day weekend this year and how it was different than what it's been like from the last twenty years.  With my daughter's arrival in February 2005 and then her brother's arrival soon after in May 2006, and living half a country away from my own parents, my Mother's Days the last two decades have been about me being the one getting celebrated.

Most of you know that in August I sent my son, Josh, off to China for his first semester of college.  We as a family have been able to have group video chats on pretty much a weekly basis, but obviously it's not quite the same as actually having the whole family at home together.  Given that China obviously doesn't celebrate Christmas, I didn't think there was a chance that their semester breaks would be at the same time, but we realized in October that the end of my daughter Emily's winter break from Baylor actually would overlap for just under a week with the beginning of Josh's!  I would finally for the first time in over five months get to physically see both of them under my roof at the same time!  Though obviously thrilled and excited by that idea, I kinda forgot that I could take time off from work to also be home with them.

Earlier this week, Veronica asked me when we were going to start decorating the office for Christmas. For a long as I remember, I’ve always chosen to begin Christmas decorating at the office the same time we traditionally did so at home, which is after the Thanksgiving holidays are over.  I have a vague impression that in the last several years, the property managers of the building have started putting up Christmas lights shortly after Halloween, but prior to this year it’s never crossed my mind to consider also doing the same in the actual space that belongs to Cevey Pediatrics.

The normalcy of these last several days of being back at home on my sofa in my living room have made the events of the past week seem even more of a dream…

The first month of summer vacation has flown by, and it's becoming more of a reality now that in just over a month I'll be dropping my son off at college on a whole different continent!

The topic of what I wanted to write about this month for my newsletter didn't hit me until today (the Saturday before Mother's Day tomorrow), but since it won't be posted until Monday, please excuse my slightly tardy Happy Mother's Day wishes. I hope all y'all who have little ones, or big ones that used to be little ones, will be able to look back on this Mother's Day with happiness and fond nostalgia.