A Stack of Pancakes and Presents: A Mother’s Day Story from Courtyard Lane

Evan Pancakes wanted to give his mom the best Mother’s Day gift ever, and when he saw the contest, he knew he needed to enter.

Evan was a creative child, as determined to accomplish things as his mom. When he put his mind to something, he stuck with it. His mom worked until six every evening, and his dad spent long hours at the family’s restaurant as well as continuing to work at as a celebrity chef. Evan used his afternoons home alone to work on his essay.

“Even if I don’t win,” he told Bubalus, his pet, “Mom will still be able to see how much I love her. She works hard, you know. Being a manager at Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe isn’t easy. And neither is being the president of the homeowner’s association.” Evan sprinkled glitter on the paper. “I think this is the best card I’ve ever made,” he said proudly. Bubalus chirped his approval.

Evan was at Llama Scouts when the Willow Creek Gazette arrived. His mom was so proud she told all the neighbors, “My Evan’s entry won second place!”
Mrs. Peterson’s sons won third place for the high schoolers. Evan liked their neighbors. Brantley showed him how to shoot hoops and his twin Neal helped Evan draw better. He knew his mom didn’t care for them much and was surprised to find out she had actually gone over to visit.

“Well, it was partly to tell them about my amazing son,” his mom smiled.

That night when she tucked Evan in bed, his mom whispered, “Even if you didn’t win second place, I would still be proud of you. I love you very much, Evan, and the day you were born was the happiest of my life.”

The next morning, Evan helped his dad make special mother’s day pancakes for breakfast while his mom admired the cards he’d made for her.

“Light and fluffy the way they should be, Dad,” Evan said. His mom agreed.

“The only thing better than pancakes are presents,” his dad joked.

“Oh, my llama!” Evan’s mom exclaimed as she opened the box. “This is beautiful! Bob, a new bracelet!” She squealed as she opened the other gifts. “Oooh, a Chloe Simtess bag! Bob, you shouldn’t have . . . Evan, did you make this at school?” Evan nodded. “It’s beautiful!” Eliza placed the tissue paper flower in the tongue depressor pot in the entry.

“See,” his dad laughed. “Your mom loves pancakes, but she loves presents more. Happy Mother’s Day, Eliza. There’s one more thing for you, but you can’t unwrap this gift.”

Evan ran over to his mom. “Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I love you!”

“You, Evan,” his mom hugged him, “are the best present ever.”

“This has been the best Mother’s Day. I can’t wait to tell everyone about it!”