And lounging at the pool...
And hanging out with family at Grampa and Gramma's new house:
And even enjoying a much-needed girls' night out at a local winery...
See? Busy... in the best kind of way! My Memorial Day weekend this year was one of the best ever and really was like a stay-cation. I've always loved every season, but especially now that I have kids, I think I am becoming a summer person. Helllllooooo, summer... I'm so glad you're here!
Over these past few days, I've done a lot of thinking about what part of motherhood I would want to do this last Mama's Month post on. If you're a mom yourself, you know that it's impossible to narrow down what you like best about motherhood! It's the hardest, best, most rewarding, most frustrating, most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life, so where to start? So while today won't be the only favorite thing I have to share about being a mom, it's one tiny part of it.
So far, at every single age, I have said that I would freeze time if I could. I cannot tell you how many times I have said, "This is my favorite age." Yes, it's true... every single phase has it's challenges, but seeing my son or daughter figure something out or learn something new just blows my mind. Jake is just a chatterbox these days, stringing together sentences and saying words that I didn't know he knew every single day. And Lil, still as sweet as can be, is imitating sounds we make, army-crawling at lightning speed, and pulling herself up into a standing position (make it stop!!!). I am constantly wowed by their little accomplishments... so I can only imagine how much pride I will feel as they get older and accomplish bigger things (by most people's standards anyway). It's this constant amazement that I love most about motherhood... the daily surprises, and continuous awe, and inexplicable amount of pride, joy, and love that overflows because of this gift. The Bible promises us that God can do anything and that He is amazing, but motherhood to me is the tangible proof of this promise:
20 Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. (Ephesians 3:20)
Because I'm a mom, not only do I know that I can love more than I ever thought possible, I also know that I can do anything and that no challenge is too big or too small. My oldest child is only a little over two, but already I know that I can change a diaper and field a sales call at the same time. I can switch from tending to Lilly in a gentle, caring way, to sternly disciplining Jake for climbing on the countertop. I can build a train track village like a champ, throw a ball better than I ever could (which isn't saying much), and suddenly have cat-like reflexes when one of them trips on something. I can carry a load of laundry, a child, a laptop, and a coffee cup up and down the stairs... all at the same time. I can sing nursery rhymes I thought had been long forgotten, use voices when reading stories that I never knew I had, and go from a deep sleep to amazing alertness if one of them needs me in the middle of the night. I have superhero hearing now and intuition that astounds me. Yes, my kiddos amaze me daily, but now that I'm a mom, I am in awe about what God can do through me. Parenthood takes a lot of prayer, but when I pray for strength, He gives it to me. When I pray for patience, He usually gives Jake a double dose of temper tantrums that week or Lil a rough week of sleep so that I have no choice but to find extra patience. When I pray for peace, I have more moments cuddling sweet Lil as she falls asleep that week. Through the gift of motherhood, I know more than I ever have, that He delivers. These feats may be small in some people's eyes, but in mine, they are bigger than I could ever imagine. And if becoming a mom makes me capable of doing all of this, there is no end to what I might be able to do.
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philipians 4:13)
There has never been a truer statement, but I didn't know it until I was a mom.
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