For one Cranberry Township mother, last year’s Mother’s Day was spent bringing her newborn home from the hospital. On her second Mother’s Day, May 10, she will celebrate her daughter’s first birthday with a “trip around the sun” party for family and friends.

Shayna Hines and her husband, Carson, have experienced a whirlwind of firsts in the past year — from smiles and first words and loving books to trips and outings — all leading up to Stella Jade’s first birthday. Now on the verge of walking and full of energy, Stella will be the focus of her family’s celebration.

The Hines family have packed the year with shared experiences, including trips to the U.S. Open in Oakmont; Pittsburgh Pirates spring training in Bradenton, Fla.; and Florida beaches. Last weekend, Stella attended the NFL draft in Pittsburgh, alternating between smiling for photos and dozing in her stroller.

“This first year has been such a whirlwind, but it’s been so special,” Shayna Hines said. “We’ve tried to make the most of every moment together as a family.”

For other local moms, farther along in motherhood, Mother’s Day may look different — from weekend getaways and major milestones to time-honored traditions.

For Brandy Donze, Mother’s Day this year looks less like breakfast in bed and more like a weekend getaway with friends.

Donze, the mother of 11-year-old Zoey, is heading to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, for what she jokingly calls a “Hot Moms Road Trip.”

After years of traditional celebrations with her husband, daughter and parents, Donze said she began feeling wanderlust during the winter, prompting her to book an overnight trip with two close friends.

“We’re going to enjoy shopping, sightseeing, good food, a walking ghost tour and a stay in the premium suite at a bed-and-breakfast,” she said. “All three of us moms are very much looking forward to it.”

Although Zoey is a little “put out” that her mother is traveling without her, the other middle and high schoolers in the group don’t mind.

“We’re going to celebrate on May 9 before we leave,” Donze said.

One local mother is marking Mother’s Day by continuing a long-standing tradition of traveling with her son — a shared passion that will take them to Japan.

Kara McDivitt, a retired Navy veteran, spent years balancing military service and family life, including time stationed overseas in Japan when her son, Ray, was 10. A Seneca Valley graduate, Ray developed an early interest in motorsports that the two later turned into a shared experience.

Drawn by his interest in drift racing, the pair traveled to a track north of Tokyo and have returned multiple times, combining his love of racing with their shared enjoyment of travel, food and exploring new places.

Now 34 and living in Michigan, Ray continues to make time to travel with his mother — something both say has become increasingly meaningful. In addition to multiple trips to Japan, they have vacationed in Europe, including visits to the Alps in Switzerland and Venice.

“He once told me that by the time you’re 30, you’ve already spent most of the time you’ll ever have with your parents,” McDivitt said. “So we make the effort to keep doing things together.”

After missing a trip last year while recovering from hip surgery, McDivitt said they plan to continue their travel tradition this Mother’s Day — one that has become central to their relationship.

This Mother’s Day weekend will mark the culmination of a five-year goal for Cranberry Township resident Stephanie Procter.

Procter will earn her Ph.D. in psychology from Carlow University, crossing the stage at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday — a milestone she reached while being pregnant with all three of her children.

She was pregnant with her first son when she began the program and went on to have all three — Easton, 4, Hudson, 2, and Baeron, 7 months — while completing her degree. She wanted to do both and found a way to make motherhood and college work.

“I wasn’t willing to put my family on hold for a degree,” she said.

Procter remembers attending virtual classes while caring for her children and, on one occasion, bringing her baby to class, where a professor carried him while teaching.

“I kept thinking I have to do this, not only for me, but to better their lives and show them what hard work looks like,” she said.

She credits her husband, Zachary, along with friends and family — especially her mother, Diane Carney — for helping her reach the finish line.

“She reminded me that I could do it every step of the way,” Procter said.

Procter plans to spend Mother’s Day with her family, hoping to capture photos to remember what she called “a wild ride.”

“I’m so thankful for the process,” she said.

While some moms are opting for travel and celebrating accomplishments, many families are sticking with familiar, quieter traditions. Tickets to Pirates games, golfing, gardening and restaurant outings were frequently mentioned.

Lisa Kunkel of Cranberry said she and her mother visit Musig’s Plant Nursery in Zelienople every Mother’s Day to buy flowers for their planter boxes.

“It is a tradition that we look forward to,” she said.

Mother’s Day is also a time for some mothers to remember their own moms who are no longer with them or who live far away.

Maria Diehl of Beaver Falls, originally from Brazil, said she will miss her mother, who recently lost her own mother. The two are now a continent apart.

“If we were together, we would be having lunch for sure,” Diehl said. “But she is there and I am here.”

Whether marked by travel, milestones or quiet time together, the day reflects the many ways motherhood is honored, celebrated and remembered.

Still, across those experiences, mothers share a common sentiment, captured by first-time mom Shayna Hines.

“Motherhood is a privilege and a profound responsibility. It is without question the greatest blessing of my life.”