Mother's Day 2018. What are moments that stand out to me that typify the joys of being a mother? There was the Milkshake concert in the fall of 2004 on the steps of the Baltimore Museum of Art. I was holding blue eyed baby A, with little E and B at my side, and I was crying because I was so happy. The big family with the adorable baby and toddler and darling little girl, the poignant music about appreciating having small kids and the beauty of life, a gorgeous fall day on the east coast: all my dreams were realized and encapsulated in that moment.  There was another time when Gabriel was a toddler and we were driving up to Pennsylvania for a Sunday outing-and we'd stopped at a Starbucks and someone commented on what a beautiful family we had.  I got that same flash of joy last summer in Kauai, sitting outside at a food truck, laughing, enjoying being on vacation in such a beautiful spot. A mom sitting at the next picnic table offered to take a family picture of us, and after I posted it, Debbie commented that I looked like a Queen surrounded by my subjects-and that's how I felt: absolutely glorious and brimming with joy. There are, of course, many more harried moments of racing to get various people to various places, with Target stops and last minute projects and thrown together meals that half of my family doesn't like. But I can see those times are winding down.  Diapers and sleep deprived nights are a distant memory, and like a flash, fixing lunch boxes and monitoring screen time will come to an end too . What will remain, I think, are the more special moments because of their rarity. As my children get older, my role as a mother evolves too, and my appreciation for them grows. I never foresaw how happy it would make me to see my older kids talking together, listening to my younger two play together, while not even being part of their discussions or fun. Just the observation of them as interesting, funny and kind people on their own-and liking each other-that's the best gift I could ever receive.