Most of all I just hope they're happy. It's this hope that reminds me of a poem I used to read a lot when I was younger. It's a poem about growing up and reminiscing on the time of childhood and how that time is so carefree and innocent.
So for my mother's day this year, instead of being pampered or taking the day off, I decided to use my time to make a few more memories for them.
"Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas
Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.
And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace,
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
So far five years of snuggles, hugs, giggles, silly jokes, bedtime stories, robot love, crayon doodles,
trips to the playground, bubbles blown, smiles given, boo boos kissed, ice cream eaten, songs sung,
board games played, books read, and love. Happy birthday to my five year old Jack. Here's to many more.
I, like other mothers I'm sure, have many hopes for my children.
I hope they do well in school. I hope they make a lot of friends. I hope they get into a good college. I hope they find love. I hope, I hope, I hope...
Most of all I just hope they're happy. It's this hope that reminds me of a poem I used to read a lot when I was younger. It's a poem about growing up and reminiscing on the time of childhood and how that time is so carefree and innocent.
And this is what I hope for the most for my children. I hope that when they grow up, they will look back on the time I had with them and think fondly of it. I hope the memories of their childhood will be like a warm cozy sweater that they can wrap themselves in when adulthood sometimes gets cold. 
So for my mother's day this year, instead of being pampered or taking the day off, I decided to use my time to make a few more memories for them.
This is a statue of Jesus that is in the courtyard at our parish. As you can see, he's not alone. After every Mass this statue is covered in children and I love it!
I think one of the great things about Easter is that it's such a happy time, children can't help but smile and laugh and enjoy Mass. 
After all Easter is about new life and what are children but new little lives exploring everything.
This was our crown of thorns. For each good deed during Lent, the kids pulled a thorn out of the crown. Yesterday as Liam pulled out the final thorn, he said, "Now Jesus doesn't hurt anymore!" Maybe that's because Jesus is always surrounded by the little children.