Yesterday was Mother’s Day, which meant I got to go to bed early and sleep in late. It was lovely. Mike brought Annabel into bed to wake me up with head butts and slobbery kisses. I held her tight, and gave her two kisses.

We had brunch with Mike’s parents in Half Moon Bay, and on the way home I made Mike stop at a scenic overlook so I could take pictures. Since it was Mother’s Day, he couldn’t sigh or roll his eyes like he normally does when I force him to go off-course for photography (it helped that he could listen to the Giants Baseball game on the radio while I hiked through nature).

Dandy

Above Half Moon Bay

Above Half Moon Bay

When we returned to his parents’ house, I had Mike take lots of photos of me with my littlest girl.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Mike’s parents were still in Half Moon Bay, so we decided to change into comfy clothes and snuggle up on the couch. What we didn’t know was there was a police officer walking around his parents’ yard, because we’d set off an alarm in the house when we returned. The bedroom we stay in has doors out onto the backyard…and the shades were open, because who doesn’t enjoy natural light? So just as I pulled my dress over my head and unhooked my bra, I looked up to see that police officer staring in at us through the glass door to our room.

It is amazing I didn’t scream from fear. It’s amazing the Officer didn’t scream at my nakedness.

While Mike proved to the officer we weren’t burglars, I grabbed one of my mother in law’s decorative pillows to cover myself. This pillow, in fact. It was woefully inadequate. I don’t know why I didn’t just pick up my dress off the floor, or a blanket, or anything. Clearly I am not good in a naked emergency.

After I kissed my baby goodnight, I spent the rest of my evening thinking about my older girl. Missing her, imagining her with me. What she would have done today – would she have walked around the scenic overlook with me? Played in the grass with me and her sister? Laughed at crazy naked Mommy? How many kisses and hugs would she have given me? How many times would she have said, “I love you mommy?”

Mother’s Day will always be bittersweet.