Children are a BLESSING

I have had this on my mind a lot lately. I wanted to share my feelings on children and what a blessing they truly are.

Raising children is not easy. Being a stay-at-home-mom is not necessarily a "glamorous job." In fact, some days are just down right exhausting. BUT, I can not imagine my life any other way. From the moment I found out I was pregnant with each of my children, I was in LOVE with them. There is no way to adequately describe the love a mother has for her child. I was amazed when my oldest was born how much I unconditionally loved her. I would do anything for her. I never knew it was possible to love another person that much!

After I had Callie, I felt like there was no way I could love another child as much as her. My mom told me what her mother had told her, "God gives you enough love for each child." When I found out we were expecting our second child, I realized that was true. Little Ashtyn has filled a void in our lives that we didn't know existed! I can not even picture our family without both of these little blessings.

I tell my children every day how much I love them. Even when they are being stubborn, annoying, defiant, and cranky. I still love them.

The other day, we had a rough half an hour. As I was cleaning up messes and getting the girls under control, Callie said very matter-of-fact, "This is why you shouldn't have kids." I quickly told her, "Mommy loves you and Ashtyn SO much. And there will never be a time that I don't want you."

I want my children to know that I wanted them. That I have loved them from day one. That there is nothing that they could ever do to change that.

Our culture today doesn't love children. Women abort their babies every day. People abuse or neglect their kids. People see children as a burden, or inconvenience. There are too many children in the world that aren't wanted, cherished or loved.

I want to teach my kids something different. Teach them what the Bible teaches. Children are a blessing.

The Fourth Of July

This post is a little late, but we have been VERY busy. Last week was our church's VBS and we were gone a lot. Not to mention, that I had a horrible cold...

Anyway, we had a great 4th of July at the beginning of the month. We were visiting in Illinois and got to go to the annual cook-out with friends and family. Which of course included lots of great food and homemade ice cream. Poor little Ashtyn wasn't feeling great all day though, she was running a low fever and just wasn't her usual happy self! So, when it was time for my niece and nephews 3rd birthday party, we kept Ashtyn at my parents house and Callie went with my parents to celebrate with the triplets.

That night we took Callie to the fireworks in Robinson, and she really enjoyed it. We brought some ear plugs this year, but I think she would've been fine without them. We sat literally right underneath the fireworks and it was really pretty. All in all, we had a pretty good day:)

Patriotic Girls

One of the things I really LOVE about having two little girls is dressing them up in the same dresses and getting pretty hairbows! My mom bought our girls these dresses for the 4th of July, and I must say they look adoreable. These pictures were taken after church on Sunday.

What We've Been Up To...

So, I have to say that we are LOVING summer!! I have the girls outside as much as possible, to take advantage of the sunshine and warm weather. In addition to our daily walks through our subdivision, and playtime on the swingset, we have added WATER fun.

We got a pass to our city pool which also has a "splash pad." Basically it has all kinds of fountains shooting out water, and the girls love to run through it. Ashtyn has a blast!! Callie is doing really well learning to swim this year. We are hoping to start offical lessons soon, but she has a great start.

We also joined the Country Club here, so we have been utilizing their kiddie pool and regular pool. This summer has been a lot of fun so far!!

Summer Fun!

We are so thankful that we have a new form of entertainment for our kiddos this summer! It only took Trey and my dad 5 hours to complete, which is pretty impressive. Callie has LOVED going down the slide and learning to swing. Ashtyn wasn't too sure about swinging at first, but now she really enjoys it, giggling the whole time! I know we will get MANY hours of fun on this swingset:)

New Wheels

Callie got a new bike this year. She picked it out herself, because it was PRINCESS. And it had a spot for her baby doll in the back and her puppy in the front basket. We even found a PRINCESS helmet.

She has done really well learning to pedal, and it will be no time before she's leaving us in the dust!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year! It is hard to believe that just 5 years ago on Mother's Day I was pregnant with Callie, and now she is almost 4.5 years old! This was the first year that she was really starting to understand about Mother's Day, so it made the whole day extra special.

We went to church Sunday morning, and Callie came bounding up to me after Sunday School with a cute picture of herself and "flowers." They were cut-outs of her hands on top of straws, very creative!

Trey and the girls took me out to eat at our Mexican restaurant, and they were giving free ice cream to all mothers! We had a great time together and shared the dessert:)

The rest of the afternoon we played with the girls, rested, and finished the day out with a walk in the beautiful weather! Callie gave me extra hugs and kisses the whole day, and kept saying "You're the best mom ever." I had a great day with my family, and enjoyed loving on my little girls all day!



My "flowers" from Callie

A Godly Example

As Mother's Day is approaching, it makes me really stop and think. It makes me think about myself as a mother, but even above that I think of my own mother.

Let me tell you, I have not met many women that come close to that wonderful Proverbs 31 woman (myself included). But, my mother is as close as any woman can be! Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and how amazing she is!

When I think about being a mother, I think of the example I have seen in my own mom. Everything I have learned about being a good mother has come from her! These are the things I learned about my mom while growing up: she is a hard worker, she loves my dad with all her heart, she loves and enjoys her children, she is not lazy, she joyfully takes care of her home and family, she is a comforter, she is a listener, and above all she loves the Lord.

My mom has been with me through everything. She is my best friend and has been beside me through school, relationships, marriage, loss, and children. She has never been judgmental or uncaring, she has always been supportive and loving. I love that she takes time to talk to me almost everyday (even if it is just about what we ate that day!). I love how she adores my children. I love that no matter how old I get, there is NOTHING in the world like having your mom with you when you don't feel well!

I am so thankful for the amazing example that my mom has been for me! I hope that I can live up to that with my own children. I hope that when my kids are older they can say these same things about me. As Callie was giving me hugs today, I asked her what she loved most about me and she replied, "Because you do nice things for me." :)