Thoughts on Motherhood...

As Mother's Day approaches I've been doing some reflecting on mother's...my mother, my mother in law, being a mother and what that means to me, and lots of other mother's around me who are inspiring in so many different ways!

My mother is such a strong, independent woman. She always makes the best of any situation and is just a happy, positive person no matter what happens in her life. The more I get into raising my 2 kids, I keep wondering more and more how she did this!?! She had all 5 of us by the time she was my age...actually a year younger than I am now! WOW! She was always doing great mommy things like baking homemade bread and cookies, canning peaches or making fresh raspberry jam. She also managed to hold down some type of job all throughout raising kids to contribute to the family. She has taught me so many wonderful lessons and most importantly, raised me in the gospel and showed me how to find true happiness and joy. I love my mother so much and am so grateful that she gets to come play with me and my kids often now that she works for the airlines! I love that mothers get to become friends with their daughters after they grow up because my mother truly is one of my best friends. Rarely does a day go by that we don't talk on the phone or see each other and when it does, it feels like something is missing from my day! I love you mom!

My mother in law is also such a strong and inspiring woman! She also had 5 young kids by her late 20's and even though I didn't know her then, I know she was an incredible mother because she somehow put up with her cute son that she raised into such a great man so I could marry him :) She has been through SO much in this life and has come out so much stronger and with such great faith in our Heavenly Father. She has welcomed me into her family and has always made me feel so loved and supported. She is a wonderful example to me and is such a fun grandma to my kids! I love you Pat!

I feel so blessed to be a mother. To be entrusted with these two sweet little souls. I love them each so much, more than I ever knew was possible to love another person!

I remember being pregnant with Levi and wondering how I was going to be able to love him as much as I loved Camryn because she was my baby girl. She was my first and I thought I would be biased because of that :) Little did I know our capacity to love is just increased and our hearts grow to love more.

There is something so special to me about being awake with my sweet boy in the early morning hours (as much as I'd LOVE to be sleeping!) to nurse him. The house is peaceful and quiet and it's just us for a few minutes. As much as I do look forward to sleeping all night long, I know I'll miss that time we get together, so I'm trying to just enjoy it while it lasts!

Being a mother to a toddler is SO fun and SO hard!!! I've never had my patience tested so many times in one day every single day of every week.....

This sweet girl of mine keeps me on my toes! I feel like it's a totally different experience than being a mother to a newborn baby who just completely relies on you for everything. She can go from perfectly happy to bawling her eyes out in 3 seconds, and does so multiple times a day. Everything is a battle (getting dressed, brushing teeth, doing hair, what to eat, getting in the carseat, getting out of the carseat, walking across the street holding hands, the little grocery carts, etc.) and it's exhausting! But on the flip side, she can smile and give me a big hug and just melt my heart, making all those tantrums and crazy emotions totally worth it. She is so much fun to be around and makes all of us laugh so much! She is learning so much so fast, I just hope I can soak it all up and enjoy every day because every day is such an adventure!

I pray every single day that I'll have the patience I need to be a good mother to her and not lose it! But how could I not just love this cute girl no matter what she does?!

I know being a mother at this stage in my life is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm grateful that I'm able to full time. I know there will be seasons in my life for other things, but right now I'm grateful I get to put all of my focus and energy into my kids/husband and being the mother/wife that they need and deserve. Some days it's hard and I just want a day off, but I know it's good for us to do hard things and really push ourselves to our limits. That's when we grow and become more Christlike so I'm grateful for those opportunities....usually a few days later :)

I hope this Mother's Day we all remember how special our mother's are, and how special we are as mothers! Motherhood is a divine calling of God, and I know he's counting on us and has confidence in us to raise and nurture these special souls. I love being a mother and I love my kids with all my heart!