What a weekend! I really hope y'all had a wonderful time celebrating the special Mamas in your life. Our busy weekend started off on Thursday with a joint birthday party for my littlest nephew, Isaiah, (who turned 1!)...and yours truly! It was the most beautiful night and everyone had a blast playing in the backyard, opening presents, and enjoying every bite of my favorite cake in the world (thank you hubby!)
It was so special to be with family! Living so far from family and friends for the past 5 years was so difficult in times like these. Birthday parties and family get togethers were something I missed more than anything - just to be able to celebrate these milestones with loved ones is a priceless gift.
Friday, we had a play date at the park with my sweet mama friends and their kiddos - how cute are these baby girls all just 3 weeks apart?!
I did a little shopping (and napping!), and then later that night we celebrated my bday again with a group of amazing couples! And believe it or not - we had way too much fun, and forgot to take pics!
Saturday comprised of a morning Pure Barre class, followed by lunch with old friends, and house hunting in the afternoon! Grilling out for dinner - and then a 9pm bedtime for this mama capped off a busy but fun day!
Sunday was such a special day!
We spent the morning dedicating precious Isaiah (nephew) to the Lord! It was a beautiful and memorable moment to have John's dad (and Isaiah's grandpa) do the baptism.
After church, I managed to get a family pic (which are rare these days!) And we are all smiling!
So incredibly thankful and blessed to do life with this bunch. They fill my heart with such joy.
The afternoon was spent with the fam again! The kids had a blast as always, and the dear husbands provided the most wonderful meal for all the mamas! It was an amazing day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And just a quick little note before this post ends...
I want to look back and remember how this Mother's Day felt as a mom of {now} 2 precious children.
I feel honored. I feel humbled. I feel blessed. My heart has never been so full.
I also feel exhausted.
There are moments when I think I could just pack a bag and fly to Fiji, {alone} and never look back. The days when my keys end up in the toilet, there are a hundred blueberries strewn down the staircase, there is peanut butter (or wait... is that poop?) in my hair, and I can't find a shirt to wear that doesn't have a spit up stain on it. I find myself cleaning some form of surface (carpet, counter, table, high chair, noses, faces, hair, clothes), about 75% of the day. There are tears, sometimes mine, shed on the daily, and the time out corner is occupied more than I'd like to admit.
But only by the grace of God, (and coffee....and cake) we make it through those days. A new day starts, and I find myself truly in awe of the love I feel for them. In awe of God's sovereign hand, and faithfulness.
Of His love for me, and for them.
I see their sweet faces, and I feel my heart beating for them. Their smiles light up my life, and their tiny hands melt me into a puddle of mush. Hearing the word "Mama" is something I'll always be grateful for - for it is something I have prayed for since I was a little girl myself. I am so thankful that God has entrusted me to carry, raise, teach, and love these tiny blessings. My whole life changed on the days that they were born. And I'll gladly and proudly don that
spit-up stained shirt and sticky hair, because they're mine. And I'm theirs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
And to my beautiful mother.
You are truly the greatest gift to me. I am forever grateful for your unconditional love, support, understanding, generosity, thoughtfulness, compassion, and wisdom you have given me over my life. I never realized how gracefully and beautifully you lived your life, and raised us kids, until I became an adult and mother myself. You are an inspiration and a role model to me, and I am honored to be your daughter. Thank you for loving me SO well, and ALWAYS being there for me. I am so lucky. My hope is that I am half the mom to Andrew and Ellie as you have been to me.
And to my precious mother-in-law. I cannot express the gratitude I have for the acceptance and love you have given me. Since the day I met you, I knew that you had the most gentle and kind heart. You radiate God's love, and I look up to you so much. You are the epitome of grace and selflessness. Thank you for your support, and especially for taking us into your lives and home during this season. I'll always look back and remember this as such a sweet time of growing and learning. You are such a blessing.
Happy {belated} Mother's Day :)
