Tummy Time vs. Nap Time

I think we finally have this TUMMY TIME thing down. He still doesn't like it for very long but today at least I got a quick smile out off him. We have been trying to practice rolling over and that is coming slowly but surely!! It is hilarious that from tummy time has to be nap time. It is like he uses all his energy in about 5 minutes and then he wants nothing but to nap. I don't mind because at this point I get a lot done. I think we might be doing a lot more tummy time... wink wink! It is my little secret!!!

Reality Check...

The other days I came across a blog that was all about reality checks! It really had me thinking the past couple of days. Then today I heard some news that really put it into perspective. How often do we sugar coat our lives because we don't want people around us to know the truth. We try to make ourselves look all put together. We blog about the "good" things but why don't we blog about the "bad" things or complicated things. I am totally guilty!!! Then when we get on facebook or read peoples blogs we compare their lives to ours and then the guilt and self sabotage begins.
How often do we take pictures and before we post them we make sure that in the picture our house looks clean and put together, we only post the pictures of us that make us look our best. Pictures of the kids in their best outfits, faces washed and hair combed. When reading blogs all you read is the stuff that person wants you to read. Do they talk about how just a day before their life and house was in total chaos? So here I go....
Cole is sick, he has a dirty nose, I haven't even got dressed yet. The kitchen still has dishes from yesterday. Our family room is a disaster not to mention the piles of laundry waiting for me to get off my butt to go put it into the washer. We missed Derek's pack meeting last night, Cameron didn't get home until 7... I wasn't it the mood to cook so he had bean and bacon soup with cheese toast. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I have been wanting to lose weight after having Cole... but I am totally lacking motivation (that is another post in its self) I should be seeing the scale get smaller but every time I stand on it... it seems to be getting bigger! That is nobody's fault but my very own. My bed isn't made, I haven't vacuumed in over a week. I am happily married but we aren't perfect. I frustrated Cameron and he frustrates me. I need to work on all aspects of my life... spiritual, physical, emotional and personal.
So here is the purpose to this blog... lets have our own reality checks... realize that EVERYONE has their struggles. Everyone has ups and downs. Lets try to not make others feel inadequate.
LETS BE REAL!!!

LETS LIVE "REAL" LIFE!!!

LETS HELP OTHERS FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEIR LIFE!!!

3 months old....

Can you believe I am 3 months old!!!

I remember when Dapper Dan was bigger than I was. Mom is a little sad that I keep growing so fast. That I continue to learn new things everyday! There really in nothing to cry about so I don't do much of that. If you ask me it is a total waste of energy. I think I am a "BIG BOY" and I love to sit on the couch next to dad and watch the best sports on TV, hockey and golf(well that is what dad says). I am holding my head up all by myself but when I get tired mom calls me "little bobble head" I have tried to make mom and dad's life a little easier so I am sleeping through the night about 10 hours. I get really cranky around 9 p.m and when mom swaddles me like a little burrito I know it is bedtime and I get so excited. Then around 6:30 a.m I start to realize that I haven't eaten anything and I let mom know right away. My best friend is this thing that they keep putting in my mouth. Mom says it is the death of her but I love it! I really like to spit it out and then let mom know what I have done. She has been teaching me how to put it in myself and I try and try and try. It is harder than it looks but I will get it one day! During the day I have noticed that sleeping on my tummy is MUCH more comfortable than my back. Mom doesn't mind but she makes sure she watches me really close. This also helps with not getting a flat spot on the back of my head. Mom is teaching me that exercise is important but there are times that I want nothing to do with it. Especially when mom puts me on my tummy. She calls it tummy time. If there are any of you out there that has magic tricks on how I can enjoy tummy time more then let my mom know. I know that I need to do it but I let mom know that I am in NO MOOD!!! People get in my face and make silly faces at me and I try to make them feel good so make them back. Mom says that I look so cute when 'SMILE" I think that is what it is called... so since I already know that I am cute so I smile a lot, the cuter I am the better if you ask me! I have found my voice and I talk and talk and talk. I love to tell about my day and I make up stories. I found my fingers and if you ask me they taste so good. I can't seem to keep them out of my mouth, all I need is some ketchup!

Well I am 3 months old, it has been a lifetime for me but just a blink of an eye for my mom, but then on the other hand my mom can't imagine life without me! WHO COULD, I am precious!! I am surrounded by girls. GIRLS GIRLS and more GIRLS. I have cousins that are girls, friends that are girls... so if there are any boys out there... come find me! I am sure I will be loving life when I turn 16 but right now, I could do without the pink. I want to play with trucks and motorbikes. So come and rescue me if you can!

Someone was in a good mood today! I thought that I would pull out my camera and share the joy that he has been to me to all of you! What a fun morning we were having!!!

Happy Happy Birthday....

We have ourselves a BIRTHDAY GIRL....

I can't believe that this girl is 14 years old. It is amazing how much she has changed in just a year. If you look at the side of my blog you will see the picture of Courtney. That was taken exactly one year ago today! WOW.
I just wanted to let Courtney know how much I love her! She is such a rock in our family. The love and compassion that she has is incredible. She loves anybody and is a friend to everyone! Before her dad and I know it, she will be driving, dating and leaving us! Just the other day Cameron was watching her run from the car to a friends house and he looks over at me and says..." Do I need to start looking at shotguns?" I thought it was cute!

WE LOVE YOU COURTNEY

Happy Birthday

Motherhood...by Kali

words cannot express how much i love being a mother to my little baby miles.
it is hard, yes.
and very trial and error at this point.
i still feel very new at this.
i still call my mom almost everyday to ask her advice.
and sometimes i am beat by 7 pm.
and when i finally put him down for the night,
i breathe a sigh of relief
because i'm just so tired.
BUT i would never trade it for anything.
his smile makes it all worth it.
and not only is it worth it,
it's just so much fun!
i have a little best friend to keep me company all day.
someone to tickle, and laugh with, and make noises at while i blow dry my hair.

i have never loved anything more than i love him.
i never knew it was possible to love anything like i love him

Motherhood... by Chris

Do you believe in love at first sight?? I do! And it happened to me four times!! With the birth of each of my four children!!! I felt them grow in me while I was pregnant, and I loved them and nurtured them for 9 months, but the minute that the doctor laid each of my babies, every single one of them, on my belly and then into my arms, I fell instantly and madly in love with each one!! I fell hard and I have continued to fall in love with them!! But lately I find myself crying all the time!! Mostly tears of joy, some of sadness! I feel time is slipping away from me and it's taking my kids with it! And I don't like it! But I love being a mom!! I tend to be a helicopter mom and "hover" over my children!! Making sure things are done just right or they don't get hurt!! A couple of years ago Justin, my oldest, was about 14, said something to me that hit me like a brick...he loved to fish and he and a few friends wanted to go fishing by themselves on the river! Well I started grilling him on everything from not getting to close to the bank to what he would do if he or one of his friends fell in, who would call 911, and on and on!! When he said..."Mom, you have taught me all I need to know to be safe! Will you just let me go and have faith and trust me?" He was right!! I had taught him all he needed to know and I needed to let go, have faith, and trust him! But I guess that is where my biggest struggle is coming from right now...when they were little they needed me for everything but as they grow they don't need mommy as much! My dear sweet hubby reassures me they will always need me and I guess that's what you want them to do....leave home and become success adults, but even as I write this it's going to be hard for me, I will cry, but my tears will be happy and sad at the same time!! Can sadness and happiness exist at the same time? Probably not, but I think for a mom they do! Because with every step each of my children take whether it's my baby girl WANTING to ride the bus home from kindergarten, makes me so happy because she has struggled at times with anxiety about new things, to when my 15 year old got his license....such happy, simple things that we all celebrated and journaled, but as I would climb into bed at night after these special days, my heart would feel sad that they have reached those happy moments so fast!!! At the beginning of each new year I know some people pick a word to try and live by and focus on for the upcoming year! This year I picked the word "PRESENT"! My reason for picking this word is that by being "PRESENT" in every moment, right as each one takes place, no how matter small, and really remembering and journaling each event, so I can look back and smile and continue to have those special times with me forever!!! Now sometimes this is a very hard thing for me to do with sporting events, dance, school activities, taking care of the house, I feel like I just go, go, go, and get caught up in getting the house clean and the million others things I have to do...but like President Monson says, "Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future…If you are still in the process of raising children be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them, profoundly." The laundry and dishes will always be there, but my babies won't! I have just a few short years with them to teach them, nurture them, and prepare them! The won't remember how clean our toilets were but they will remember summer picnics, late night talks, walks, bike rides, and lots of hugs and kisses that I give them every chance I get!! Even my teenage boys who are 5'9" and 6'3" and my two little dollies! I am honored to be a mother, to be their mother, and I will continue to be happy and sad at the same time and try to live and be "PRESENT" in every waking moment!!

Motherhood...by McKenna

I have over 50 kiddios
10 aged 0-6 9 aged 2-3 20+ aged 2-6 & 30 aged 3-12
I am an aunt a pre-school teacher a daycare provider & a primary song leader.

I am not a Mother, but I know that you don't have to give birth to a child, in order to be one.

Children bring me such an incredible amount of joy and satisfaction. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that I have the capacity in my heart to love each and every one of them for who they are and desire the best for their lives and future.

I love their personalities, the way they talk, the things they say, their chubby fingers, the way they say my name, they way they come to me when they get hurt. I love their strengths, I love their weaknesses. I love it when they cry when their feelings are hurt and how easy it is to make them feel better with a snuggle. I love it when they whine for whatever reason and absolutely do not not get away with it with me. I love to tease them and tickle their chicken-legs and sides hearing them giggle relentlessly until I let go, moments later coming back to me wanting me to tickle them more. I love it when they are shy or flirty, I love it when they smile and their eyes light up. I love their squishy diaper butts, and their excitement when they go pee pee in the "paaahty," even if they just do it because the others are doing it. I love it when they are kind to each other and how forgiving they are of each other.

Children's determination, curiosity and faith is unbelievable. They are so willing to try anything independently and to never give up until they've accomplished it, well all until it comes to opening their own snacks it's pretty immediate that they ask for help. Funny how that is.

There are no words that can express the love I have for children. I love knowing that I can be that one person they remember from their childhood. I am so grateful for their effect on me as a can't-wait-to-be-mother, the things I have learned from them, and the chance they have given me to love in a capacity I never thought possible.

(McKenna, was also posted in Cameron cousin's blog...she is the sister to a very dear friend of mine. It is crazy that it is such a small world!!)

Motherhood....by Jamie

Being a mother is one of those things that almost every little girl dreams about being one day….how many kids you’ll have, if they’ll be boys or girls, what you’ll name them, etc. As a child though, you never imagine NOT being able to be a mother or have troubles getting pregnant. This has been the biggest trial in my life, thus far, and could quite possibly follow me throughout the rest of my life. Here is a glimpse into my journey of being a mother……..
After my husband and I were married for about 9 months we decided to start “trying” to get pregnant…..you can imagine the excitement of both of us. We figured it might take a few months for us to get pregnant, but as the months grew to a year, we feared there might be something wrong. Each month became a constant and painful reminder of what I didn’t have, and wanted so badly. Every pregnant girl I saw, I ached and longed.
After a lot of testing, and medications for me, doctors discovered the problem lay with my husband. The Dr.’s said we have about a 4% chance of conceiving on our own….slim to none. At this point we had been trying for about 4 years. SO, we tried Artificial Insemination three times, but had no luck. We thought and prayed about what our next step was. We both felt that we should try everything WE could do first (medically), and then we would try adoption. We decided to try Invetro. We could only afford to try one time, so we hoped the little guys would stick! After I was implanted with the fertilized eggs (3 in all….they were the only good ones of like 16!), I just couldn’t bring myself to take a pregnancy test…..I was too scared of the outcome. So I patiently (or impatiently!) waited for my blood test a few weeks later. The results were amazing…I was pregnant!!!! We were on cloud nine!
Our first appointment came in which we would be able to see how many of 3 embryos took, and see our baby’s heartbeat. As the Dr. was looking I waited anxiously for him to show us the little heartbeat(s), but as time grew I knew something was wrong. Then finally he said, “Here is the sac and the pregnancy tissue, but there is no baby”, rather coldly, and matter of fact. My chest tightened, and I felt like someone kicked all the air out of me. Then my heart literally ached, as I completely fell apart on the table. After getting another ultrasound they discovered I had a “Molar Pregnancy”, which is when there is no baby, but there is placenta, and your body acts like its pregnant... all the symptoms and everything. I was about 7 weeks along. I was scheduled for a D & C a few days later, but ended up passing it myself a day or so later.
This was my rock bottom.
Anger and sorrow was all I could see for a couple months after. I felt like someone had played the biggest, most cruel joke on me ever….and I fell for it. A few months after everything, we prayed and decided that we should start the long journey of doing our paperwork for adoption. I was a little nervous about going this route though just because I felt like I still needed to mourn, but we pushed through, and it became easier.
We finished all our paperwork, and were now waiting to get our letter from the state saying we are certified to Adopt in Arizona. One Saturday night in August (about 6 months after miscarriage), I get a call from my employer….strange I thought, him calling on a Saturday night. He told me that a woman called him, and said she had heard that a girl that works for him is looking to adopt (ME!!!). My heart dropped…is this it?! She said she has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant and placing for adoption, but hasn’t found a couple she liked yet. She gave him her email address and asked him if he would have us send some info!!! The biggest part of the news was that she was being induced in 4 weeks!!!!! Crazy! We were ecstatic and panicky all at the same time! To make an even longer story short, the birth mother discovered we lived in the same town, and that made her nervous. So she chose another couple….What?! I broke down…..I had such a good feeling about her, how could this be? BUT I had a good cry, and pushed it away.
A few weeks later, the adoption agency called us, and said the girl, Jessica, broke it off with the other couple, and had been thinking about us a lot. So that night we met….keep in mind, she is getting induced in 4 days now!!!! It went fabulous! We met with her and her boyfriend for dinner a day later, but still they hadn’t told us they’d chosen us…we were getting anxious. FINALLY two nights before she was induced, they wrote us the best email we’ve ever gotten….they had chosen us to be the parents of their baby girl!!! You can only imagine the flood of joy and excitement we had….we called all our family and broke the big news, and it was amazing! Now for the amazing part, at least to me…When I had gotten pregnant through Invetro, I was given my “due date”, of September 3rd. Well, this was the exact day the birth parents chose us to be parents of their baby! The Lord works in mysterious ways!
Two days later we brought home our new baby girl, Braelyn Hazel, and I became a mother for the first time! She was 100% supposed to be in our family, and I was meant to be her mom. P.S. we got our certification letter a day after we got our sweet little girl…just in the nick of time! Six months after we took her home, it was made official by the state. Then we were able to be sealed in the Mesa, AZ temple on July 25th for all time and eternity….absolutely priceless.
It will be 2 years in September since I have become a mom, and it is better than I could have ever imagined. Just adopting my little girl made all the pain and suffering I went through (my “labor”...he he) totally worth it. It is still SO hard and heartbreaking to have not been able to get pregnant still, but I know much better now that there is a plan for me if I’ll just endure and have faith. I feel like since it took me so long to become a mother I have a greater appreciation for it, and might not have gotten that appreciation any other way. Motherhood has its ups and downs, but I am forever grateful to be a mom.

Jamie

WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN!!! PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR PROFILE AND SEND IT ON TO ANYONE INTERESTED!!!
THANKS! THE LINK IS:
https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/23789638/ourMessage.jsf

Courtney's 14th Birthday Party

GIRLS MOVIE AND GAME NIGHT

Courtney and a friend of hers wanted to throw a double birthday party.

So we got this theatre and game place to have their party.

1st they all settled down and watched... NEW MOON.

It was hilarious to listen to 25 girls swoon over Jacob and Edward. I thought only grown women did that!

Then we got pizza for them. You would have thought they were a bunch of teenage boys the way they ate.

After the movie and pizza they played a Wii game "Just Dance". The girls had a blast dancing to the songs and trying to time their dance moves. I don't know who had more fun... the girls or the parents watching the girls have the time of their life.

While they were all dancing Cameron got the opportunity to do the vacuuming and in all the pictures that I have of the girls doing their dances you can see Cameron in the background. If I didn't know better I would have thought he thought he was a ghostbuster!

I can't believe that Courtney is 14... time sure does fly! She is growing up into a gorgeous girl. I am proud to call her my daughter!

I LOVE YOU COURTNEY!!!

Motherhood...by Melissa

I came across his little poem just after I had Aiden, and I cried and cried! I have it hanging in my bathroom...just to remind me just how lukcy I am!

Aiden is my life now, and I have only come to realize more just how much a mother loves her children. Sometimes I find myself getting frusterated with things....and he will be testing my absolute limits, and I remember just how much I loved him; even before he was born. Now that he is older....and starting to sass....I have those frusterating times more and more....but I woulnd't trade it for ANYTHING!

Before I was a Mom
Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom .

Motherhood....by Amy

A Second Time...

I've been wanting to post about giving birth to our second baby!

I'm amazed that I just typed the words "giving birth". Why you ask? Well, after delivering Drew via c-section I never really felt like I had "given birth". Yes, I carried the child for 9 months (well maybe 8), I suffered all the pains and joys of pregnancy woes, but I never got to "push" the baby out! So therefore, I've felt like I never really gave birth to him...some of you may agree and some of you may think I'm crazy! You can let me know your opinion on the matter if you want....:)
(Picture of Drew)

Well, this time around I was determined to watch the entire c-section...well, let me back up. My plan was to actually birth this child v-bac. But this sweet little thing decided to turn breech and was not going to budge on the subject. Also, with my previous c-section and the fact that I'm diabetic put my pregnancy full term at 37 weeks, so they couldn't induce me. Medically I would have to go into labor on my own...at 37/38 weeks....yeah right!! So hence the 2nd c-section was scheduled! Ok, so now back to me being determined to watch the procedure....I always wondered why they draped the blue cloth at my neck and everything happening from there down seemed quite the mystery, so I asked Dr. L if I could watch, you know, not hang the sheet?!! He said I COULD watch but was a little hesitant. My nurse who was listening suggested, if it was alright with Dr. L that they could bring in a mirror!! Dr. L agreed and said that was ok!! I was so excited...I was going to watch my baby be born!! I was going to really feel as if I had given birth....and I DID!!! It was quite amazing watching the two docs work their magic and me not feel a thing (except for the pressure of the tugging and pulling)! The minute they finally pulled her out (I'll explain later) not only did I feel the instant relief that my abdomen was no longer pregnant, I felt this instant gratification in the fact that I HAD GIVEN BIRTH (for a 2nd time)!!! It was quite the amazing moment! It was quite surreal actually!
(Picture of Reagan)
I'm the type of person who really quite enjoys watching medical shows...the real ones...so that explains why I would want to watch my c-section a little, right? Silas was able to get a few really great shots of the surgery...the birth of our baby girl. If you don't like this type of thing then skip down or stop right now! Oh, one thing I want to document is...it's a good thing they numb you the way they do with a c-section!!! AND it's no wonder you are so stinkin' sore afterwards! Also, I seriously thought Silas was going to PASS OUT this time. He kept standing up to watch and then he'd sit back down...now this was all happening at my HEAD so you can only imagine what I was thinking..."DO NOT THROW UP ON ME!!!" I kept asking him if HE WAS OKAY!!! LOL! I thought that was pretty funny!! When it came time to pull the baby out the Drs. had a really hard time. She kept slipping. While I was watching (& loving every second of it, hehe) I swear that at one point, Dr. L had his arm inside my belly all the way up to his elbow!!! What the crud?!! And then both Drs. put one hand in to try to grab her while pushing my belly skin up out of the way...eeewwwww you say??....you should have been the one watching!! :) FINALLY, they used this thick metal hook thing to grab her and they got one foot out first and then they were able to grab the rest of her!! Little stinker! But needless to say, I was amazed at the entire process!! I'm so grateful that she was delivered safely and that we both suffered no major trauma from this pretty major surgery!! Enjoy the pics!!

I love my little angels that I'm so privileged to be a mother to!! They truly are little miracles and I'm so blessed to have them in my life!

--
Amy Woolery
www.amywools.blogspot.com

Motherhood... by Maurita

I have been a mom since the year 2000. I was given a beautiful Angel for a moment of time to care for her and love her the best I knew how. Taylor was diagnosed with a terminal illness 1 year into her short life and the news was devastating, but we had no time to waste in giving her the life she deserved while she was here with us. She was the teacher and I was the student. Her huge spirit was trapped inside a beautiful body that was limited by the disease, but she was truly my hero. My hero, because she taught me how to love, how to step outside of the norm no matter what else and endure, how to give you what life has for you and be optimistic and at peace.
I know Heavenly Father gave me an Angel to prepare me for my boys :).
I am a better mom to them because gave me her spirit of love, understanding, and patience.

I think of her everyday. It hurts sometimes. The hurt just comes from wanting to hold her and smell her again and to feel her giant spirit around me again. But I do, I feel her around. I know she sees me with the boys and is proud of me and is cheering me on.
There is an emptiness to losing a child. It will always be there, because they were there in your physical life with you. I know life here on earth is but a fleeting moment of time and I will see her soon again, but she is still gone and I long to see her and hold her and love on her like I did for 6 years of this life.

When you are a woman and a mother I think we are given a unique gift. A gift that can't ever be described in words, but it has something to do with feeling, hearing, protecting, nurturing, acting with a deeper level of emotion.
I turned into this Warrior woman with Taylor. Nothing could bring us down, not even the disease. The Doctors gave her 2-7 years and she was 2 months shy of her 6th Birthday. We were little warriors together fighting against the earthly ailments that were upon her. Today I fight with my 3 other little warriors, and I fear, even though Taylor endured a physical fight, my boys will face more of a spiritual fight. Which make it my fight with them too. I give them the tools to make it more bearable. It's the little things we teach them like the power of our example and how we treat them.
At times I get down on myself, like we all do. Why do we do that? It's not fair to us. Why do we compare ourselves to other moms or women and say we are not doing enough or feel "less than" because of what the other women do or accomplishes.
I am really trying to see what I can learn from them and apply what works for me in my life. The moms that I meet have so many good qualities and when you focus on yours as well, you learn that nobody has it "all" together. We are all on the same path of life trying to live it as best we can and why not do it together as moms and women.
I married a gorgeous Army man. With the job, comes the deployments. We had a deployment this last year and it was truly the hardest thing I have done.
I was pregnant, had the baby, took care of 2 toddlers, the house, the yard, the bills, and more.... oh and me. It was so lonely. I missed my best friend and husband. There is an emptiness you feel, kind of like losing a loved one, but you can still have communications with them. It's heartbreaking to tell a toddler why daddy isn't going to be in his life for one whole year. I had to be the mom and the dad and at times it was exhausting.
There are plenty of amazing women that endure the Army wife life. I have learned a whole lot from these women and have learned more about me in the process.
We are all in charge of our own destiny, salvation, what have you, and it is up to us to make the most of it or least of it.
I am making the most of what life deals me.
We learn from each other and should lean on our friends more. It's good for the soul to keep relationships alive.
May you all have a wonderful Mother's day. Look at your children and see them for who they are going to be one day and be excited... because with your influence, they will move mountains. Love yourself more everyday for who you really are.

Maurita Lanoue

Happy Mother's Day...

I just wanted to wish my wonderful mom, step-mom, mother-in-law, grandma, sisters, sister-in-laws, Aunt's, cousins and great friends a very special Mother's Day. It is too bad that we have to have ONE day a year the we remember these woman. That we tell them we love them. We call them on the phone, smile and send a little extra love their way. They are amazing all year round! Thank you for all you have done for me and my family! I love you all more than you will ever know! THANKS!!!

Motherhood.... by Stacey

What Did I Get Myself Into?

You wait nine months, eating everything in sight only to throw it up every morning. You watch your tummy expand and get bigger and bigger, yet you still have to go about your daily chores of sweeping, mopping and cleaning all while carrying this extra weight around. The mood swings are enough to drive away a hornet. You get kicked and pushed in the ribs until you think they're gonna break, and wherever you go all kinds of people touch your tummy, saying things like, "Well she's ready to pop," when they think you're not listening.
Then you have to drag yourself out of a warm bed sometime during the night and rush to the hospital where you get shot in the back, poked, prodded, coached to "breathe", etc. Then this tiny, round, red-faced screaming baby is placed in your arms and you think it's all going to be worth it. But suddenly it's sleepless nights and sleepless days, waking up every couple of hours to feed this bottomless pit. Your eyes are bloodshot, your whole body is exhausted and in pain.
As time goes on, there are tantrums and food throwing, peanut butter smeared on little faces, hands and in hair, grubby little fingers that want to touch everything and pull everything off of shelves, wet and poopy bottoms to wipe, toys to pick up time and time again, trading in gourmet meals for spaghetti-o's and mac and cheese, crumbs to vacuum three times a day. There's the whining, the crying, the screaming, the hair-pulling...I could go on. So, what have I gotten myself into? Motherhood, and I wouldn't change a thing! It really is all worth it! Cherish every moment, they all go by so fast!

Motherhood... by Sue

My mother is one of my best friends. She has shared with me so many wonderful attributes of what makes a wonderful mother. One of those attributes that means the world to me is her unconditional love. Realizing her children aren't perfect, she still loves us anyway (through the good and bad). Another thing that my mother has said over the years that has brought a lot of meaning to me now that I have children is, "A mother is only as happy as her saddest child!" My mother has truly been through a lot raising six children. Her children are her life! She has experienced much happiness, and she has experienced much sadness as well. I think the hardest thing for a mother is to sit back and allow her children to exercise and strengthen their own wings, to the point of where they can fly on their own. Knowing they are going to mess up at times! I love the little saying that says:
Mothers are the Angels
That Lift Us To Our Feet
When Our Wings
Have Trouble
Remembering
How To Fly.
My mother has done just that. She has been able to lift me to my feet many times as I have fallen flat on my face in life, especially as a mother. She has taught me the virtues of great faith and hope and courage. In her later years she has battled with parkinsons disease which hasn't treated her to well, and talk about a great attitude. She fights everyday to make it a good one, even trying to serve others while she is in such excruciating pain at times. She is not only her childrens "ANGEL", she is an "ANGEL" to everyone who knows her.

I love you mom, and so happy to have you as my mother.

Love You, Sue

Motherhood....

I have a mother and I am a mother so I know love.

From: Edna

I know what it's like to wake up in the night frightened by a storm, a loud noise, or a bad dream. I know what it feels like to scrape the skin off your knees on the rough surface of the road. I know how it feels to go to the first day of anything new. I know how sometimes you are just too tired to walk to your own bed. I know how good it smells to walk into the house when there are cookies in the oven or spaghetti sauce simmering on top of the stove. I know about broken hearts and feeling left out of a crowd of peers. I know the excitement of a prom and the need for a beautiful dress. I know the pain of ear infections and fevers, stomach aches and or sore throats.
I know how homesickness feels when you go to spend the night with a friend or a cousin and realize as you climb into bed that it isn't your own. And I know how it feels when Mom kisses the scrapes and tears away, listens to the details and emotions, is always there no matter how long it takes or how late into the night you need her. I know how it feels when somehow Mom finds a way to get that important dress for the prom.
I know what it feels like to have morning sickness ... and to hold a sweet new baby with the beautiful smell of birth that lingers with them for such a short while. I know what it feels like to comfort a frightened child, kiss a bruised elbow, see a tear streaked face when they break a toy or tear their favorite dress. I know how it feels to walk the floor with a sick child, kneel in prayer on their behalf, clean up a bed full of vomit. I know how it feels to have little ... and big ... arms thrown around me and hear the words, "I love you Mom." I know how it feels when children are disappointed, heart broken, and feel left out. I know what it feels like when they make poor choices and have to suffer the consequences. I know how it feels when they feel success in what they are trying to achieve, when they learn new things, and when they have good friends. I know how it feels to worry when they are out too late or have friends that can't be trusted. I know how it feels when suddenly they fall in love and without much more than a wave goodbye they are out the door to start a new phase of their life.
I know how much love is in a grandma's heart, how it feels to be adored by little people who don't see any of your faults, to listen to their concerts and recitals, watch their athletic games, spoil them with little treats and unexpected gifts. I know how it feels when they tell you they love the smell of your house and want to be with you even with gap of generations. I know how it feels when they hold your face in two hands and tell you you are beautiful even with the wrinkles. I know how a grandmother loves.
I have a mother, and I am a mother, and I am a grandmother so I know the best kind of love there is.

Motherhood...

Motherhood....

I am taking an idea from Cameron's cousins blog! I want to post different thoughts from different mothers that have touched my life. So throughout the month of May I will be posting these thoughts that I have received from each one of them. I have enjoyed reading Kali's blog and feeling the spirit from all the mothers that have posted on her blog. We all have our stories and we all have our different experiences with being a mother. I know that being a mother also come from the things we have learned from our own mothers. So stay tuned, and enjoy the experiences that these mothers have shared. Let me know if you would like to contribute as well... I would love to hear from all of you!!!

Here is a great quote to start us out....

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Cole had his two month check up on thursday.

Weight= 12.50lbs 67%

Height= 22.75in 38%

Head= 15.5in 31%

I had all sorts of questions and I really appreciated the Dr. taking the time to answer them for me. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is also so alert and aware of the things around him. I was a little nervous for him. He had no idea what he was in for and I finally understood what mother's meant when they said that they hurt for their child. I knew he was going to be in some pain and that pained me. The nurse asked if I wanted to to stand by him or wait out in the hall. I had a friend tell me to wait in the hall so when it was all over you can come in and be the good guy. So I stood out in the hall right by the door and when she was doing her thing I could tell that Cole was not happy with all the pokes. So after she was done I went over to him and picked him up and snuggled him really tight and he wimpered a little and snuggled me right back. He also received and oral vaccine. Now I want you to think of your most
favorite candy... now try and imagine what it was like to eat that for the very first time. Well that is what this vaccine was to Cole. I have never seen him so excited to have something in his mouth and the rate that he was smacking his lips together. It was hilarious. Even the nurse got a kick out of it. I asked her what it tasted like and she said it was just a sugar water base. It is going to be a blast watching him experience the other GOOD things out there. I guess that is one thing I love about being a mother. The joy of watching him experience something for the first time. Watching him enjoy the small things of life. How much he loves his hands and fingers and how he trys to innertwine them together. How he tries to put his whole hand in hi
s mouth. The thing that melts my heart is when I enter the room, he hears my voice and the instant smile on his face.
Cameron's cousin is blogging for the whole month of May about Mothers. I thought that was a brilliant idea. So I might jump on the bandwagon and make a couple of posts dedicated to our mother's, us as mother's and just the amazing women that have touched our lives. So keep checking back and if you feel so entitled to leave comments about your thoughts and feelings about Mother's I would love it!