HAPPY MOTHERS DAY...

To all of us who have mothers!

First of all, an update on the triplets... THEY'RE HERE! We don't have the details except the magnesium slowed labor enough so they could make room in the NICU. No one had to be airlifted. Hallelujiah! What a mothers day for them.

Jack and I have two of the greatest moms who ever roamed the planet, I think. Both of them selected mates with similar family values and really enjoyed raising a large group of kids together. Kid-wrangling is the family business on both sides of the family.

Many, many people across the country know one or the other of our moms. Funny, not one but both our mothers are thoughtful to the point of being legendary.

I wish I had a photo of both grandmothers with Vannerkins, but I think we didn't pose for that on Easter. (They were both pretty busy attending to everyone and everything else that day.) I do, however, have a shot of the two whipper-snapper senior citizens from our Alaska cruise in 2005. They were so much fun!

Both grandmothers have been champions for Vanessa. I'd bet a nickel each one has said a prayer for her every day for the past five years. That's a lot of high powered prayer. Our moms have been champions for us. Remember they were both able to be with us the day Vanessa was born. They were together in the surgery waiting room when Jack sent Granny Ernestine a picture of the new baby on her cell phone. They both let out quite a whoop at that. So many prayers and hopes and heartaches led up to that moment!

Vanessa has Grandma Patty's name as her middle name and Granny Ernestine's looks. We hope and pray she gets even a smidge of the kind of parenting we were entitled to. We model our style after theirs as best we can.