.: Mother's Day 2010

As a little girl you look up to your mom so much and admire everything about her and even at age 30 I still do that with my own mom...in fact with an even greater admiration because you appreciate more once you become a mom. Somehow when you're a baby you dont realize how many diapers she changed and loads of laundry she ran and dishes she cleaned all the while making sure you had every need met! You take for granted how she always had enough hands to help with school projects and be at all of your sporting events (which involved getting a pregame snack and carpooling you there and decorating matching hair bows for your team with puff paint!) and then came back again when you forgot something meanwhile doing the same for your sibling and somehow found time to look beautiful amidst it all (you never thought about how she had time to get showered, dressed and ready herself)! You didnt notice that she did your hair everyday and cleaned the house while you were gone and then let you have friends over to mess up the house and always had a stocked pantry with fun food snacks and even took you late night to go rollerpaper a house! You never think about the hours of sleep she lost on your behalf because she worried that shes not doing everything perfectly and she wants the very very best for you! How when youre older she picked out all of your highschool dance dresses and before you know it she was packing up your college dorm room each year and getting ready to decorate the next one! Fast forward and youre having kids of your own and leaning on her advice and support as you learn what it is to be a mom! These are just a few of the things my mom did for me!

Being a mom has a funny way of making you so appreciate your own mom and all of her hard work and love throughout the years. It makes you realize how thankful you are for all that she did for us-the daily little things and the big life things and mostly for her motherly love which is so different from any other kind of love you receive in this world. Its a sacrificial love, so full of support, and so full of pride and mostly it knows no bounds. It is an unconditional love and it is constant. Im so thankful for my own mom and for that kind of love she always gave us and still gives us. It teaches me so much about the love Christ has for us. It also teaches me so much about being a mom myself.

Kennedy is quite the mommy's girl..not sure if its a phase but its been a phase for quite some time. Dont get me wrong she has Daddy wrapped around her little finger. He comes in from work and its "where is me Daddy?" followed by a long game of hide and seek and rehide and seek! She's just real into being with me and "mommy hold you" and "mommy rock me" etc. and then it hits me that even at age two, she's got that admiration thing going. It makes me feel so special and it also makes me realize what a huge responsibility it is! Im so thankful for my mom and grandmothers and mostly Jesus Christ who have all taught me how to be a mom and how to love my kids.

Being a mom also has a way of making you so thankful for your husband who you goes through the journey of parenthood alongside you. I could not do it without my sweet husband and who is my best friend and teammate. He loves me so well and in turn it helps me love our kids so well. We are having a blast being parents together even though we sometimes joke that we're not really old enough to have two kids and we still feel like kids half of the time ourselves! We laugh together and enjoy these sweet little moments of being parents together! One of our favorite things to do is to push Kennedy on our swingset and just all talk together as a family. Well she does most of the talking..little chatter box but we love it! He is such a servant and such an encourager. Hes also really good at making me feel appreciated even in the little things. I can come to him with anything and I always respect his listening ear and advice. Thank you honey for all that you do that helps me be the best mom I can be!

Mother's Day was so special this year celebrating being a mom of two! Im also thankful for the opportunity and gift it is to love children of my own. I never want to take that for granted. I feel so blessed by my sweetie pies, including Nel! They are just the love of my life!

Please look at brother's face..priceless!

Rolly pollies are our new best friend. She still doesn't like most bugs and especially the ghecko that somehow made it into our garage. "I dont like Lizzy the Lizard he's too scary!!"

Nelson was so cute this mother's day and had the kids give me two little blue tiffany's boxes with an engraved initial charm from each of them!

Sugar brought the new favorite book Polly's Pink Pajamas! Its perfect because Kennedy loves to wear her pj's all day everyday if she could and its full of little kids and their names. Since her favorite question is "whats her name/his name?" it is just the right book!

I see this sight ALLL the time now! Little toes up and book in lap reading! She is obsessed with reading!

We had BBQ and bundt cakes and everyone's famous dips! ;) It was so special having everyone over to our house for the day!

It was so much fun having all of the "dates" here with the family! Jane Ann was even sweet enough to spend the day with our whole crazy family on her birthday!