Happy Mother’s Day

We hope all of you moms have a wonderful day. We hope that you get a little pampering, a little relaxation, and a lot of thank yous from your loved ones for the momtastic job you do everyday.

And in honor of this day that honors all mom’s out there, we have a twist on our daily blog. Our husbands gave us the day off and wrote their thoughts on the Charlotte Smarty Pants bloggers as mothers, wives and friends. We hope you enjoy getting to know us from our husbands point of view. Happy Mother’s Day!

Ashley H. by Marcus
To all the Smarty moms out there I just want to gloat for a moment about my Smarty wife, Ashley H. Ashley has the role of taking care of our awesome twins (Fallon and Cannon), running our household 90% of the time since I’m out of town for work M-Thurs, doing agency freelance work, in addition to writing for CSP! How she does this with 2-year-old twins is absolutely beyond me!! Nothing stops her from doing what she enjoys…like going for a morning jog with twins in her jog stroller, joining in numerous playdates with friends, managing our home renovation project or running to the store to pick up birthday cards… she does it all. The twins really enjoy all the simple joys of daily life with her… like frequent picnics in our front yard and daily walks to the lake to feed ducks. This Mother’s Day I want to extend my gratitude for all she happily does that seems to go unnoticed each day and for the particular care she takes in raising our children. Ash, I am honored and proud to have you as mother to our twins. Happy Mother’s Day, I love you! –Marcus

Courtenay W. by Robert
I tried to write about all of the things that make Courtenay our Smarty mom, but then I realized that her name says it all. As my wife and the mother to our three wonderful children, Courtenay gives us reason to celebrate her this Mother’s Day and everyday because of who she is:

Caring
Original
Understanding
Rational (most of the time!!!)
Tough (when appropriate)
Easy going
uNconditional Love
All knowing (usually)
Young at heart

Love, Robert

Dana D. by Reid
Will my boys ever truly appreciate. Will they appreciate the sacrifices, the commitment, the patience, the dedication made by their mother. The sleepless nights consoling an inconsolable baby; the denial of those cute shoes; the 100 pounds (or more!) of weight gain during pregnancy to keep them growing; the countless books read and reread; the easy nature of a laugh; the quest to experience the world; the commitment to their natural being.

As my appreciation grows every day for the gifts given by my parents, I have no doubt my boys will gain that same appreciation, one day. But it’s something that can’t be told or heard enough. So Dana, know that I will always appreciate the incredible mother that you are and the tireless work you do. Happy Mother’s Day! Love, Reid

Jen P. by Randy
I was told, “I need you to write a blog about the one thing you most admire about me as a mother and its due tomorrow.” Jen, had you given me more than a few hours notice I would have written a poem or a love ballad and serenaded you (in my thong) Sunday morning, while serving you breakfast in bed. Instead, I have put together a list of what I admire most about you, Jen…
– your ability to instantly and genuinely befriend complete strangers (women strangers of course)
– your ability to unconditionally help others even at the most inopportune times
– your ability to remain calm when you are running late and the kids say “I want do it myself” every time you attempt to assist them with anything
– your ability to shrug it off when the boys decide to smear their dirty diapers on the floor and bed
– your ability to be everything to everyone all the time regardless of how your day has been
– your ability to truly believe you could be the next American Idol if try-outs would just come to Charlotte
– your ability to NOT hear four screaming/fighting kids ten feet away from you
– your ability to follow your heart, take risks, use critics as motivation and be successful at whatever you do (i.e. Charlotte Smarty Pants)
– your ability to … no, that would probably be considered TMI
– your ability to NOT discriminate – beer, wine or vodka regardless of the day of the week (just kidding)
– your ability to fall asleep at the exact same time every night (5 seconds before the 11 o’clock news weather report)
– your ability to know at the young age of 15 that I was the one you were going to someday marry (that is true god-given talent)
– your ability to graciously allow two three-year-olds to climb all over you, eat off your plate and drink from your cup at every meal
– your ability to gently place and rest your elbow in my eye socket in the middle of the night
– your ability to laugh when our boys climb on top of your SUV, drop trow and see how high and far they can pee
– your ability to be polite and ask nicely when reminding me to do something for the fifth time
– your ability to somehow keep our large family running like a well oiled machine

I could easily go on and on and on but I sense I am starting to loose some loyal CSP readers and my deadline has expired, so I will wrap it up. There is no way I was going to choose one thing to write about such a fun, funny, easy going, smart, beautiful, loving, thoughtful, caring, giving, confident, talented, and sexy woman. Jen, every day you continue to amaze me with all that you do and please know I am forever grateful. Having you as the love of my life and knowing we will be there for each other for as long as we both shall live brings me complete peace and happiness. You will eternally be the most admired person in the world to me.Happy Mother’s Day and enjoy your gift (not the thong serenade, the one week vacation sans children).
I love you, Randy

p.s. CSP wives, you have 43 days to write your Father’s Day blog so the expectations are going to be extremely high.

Tracy S. by Matt
So I was asked to write about Tracy and why myself and our children think she is a great mom and the first thing I realized was that we don’t tell her enough about the things we appreciate. I think about it a lot but find it hard in the hustle and bustle of daily life to express it to her.

To begin she is the ultimate trooper, rarely asking for a day to herself, yet allowing me to have my alone time whenever I ask. I feel like we have created a nice balance between us, allowing the other to take time alone if needed but always being there when the other needs support. I appreciate that we strive to split the daily chores and the childcare 50-50 (at least I think it’s equally split, but it’s probably not) and I am thankful that she is a working mom, financially allowing us to continue doing most of the things that we did prior to paying for 2 children in daycare. I love watching her with our 2 children and how excited she gets to spend time with them. I often find myself sitting back and watching her with them and realizing how lucky we all are to have her.

As for the kids, they are still too young to realize it, but always being there for them in everything they do has helped shape them into 2 amazing little people. From that special time in the morning before we get ready for our day to lying with them at night reading or talking about the day, they cherish their time with you and will remember those times the rest of their lives.

Tracy, thanks for being an amazing wife and mom, we love you so very much, we know it’s not easy at times but your even keeled approach to life makes living in a crazy house a lot of fun. Happy Mothers Day from us all, you have earned it! Love Matt

Jenny D. by Brent
The toughest part in articulating the type of mother Jenny is…. is simply where to start. She never ceases to amaze me. Her love and devotion to our family is boundless. Jenny has made me come to appreciate that to be a working mother is an art form. To balance the stress and demands of a successful career with the priority of raising our children and running our family is an extraordinary task. Our life works because of her. In theory Jenny works four days a week but her drive and sense of responsibility combined with her passion for Charlotte Smarty Pants results in her working countless “off hours” when Zoe and Annie are asleep. My job demands that I travel all the time, so, as often as three nights a week she takes on dinners, diapers, baths, books, arguments, nightmares, breakfasts, carpools, etc…all without her partner in crime. Through all of this she finds the energy and patience to be a loving, thoughtful, supportive wife who, for the most part, puts up with me. I see in my girl’s eyes that Jenny is the light of their life. I’m so proud of the example she sets for them. As a Dad it is incredibly comforting to know that, because of her, my girls will be smart, strong, ambitious women who will succeed at anything they get behind….just like their Mom. I love you, Brent

Happy Mother’s Day from the CSP bloggers and their hubbies:-)