You are my I Love You.

What a sweet reminder of what motherhood is all about.

                                                              Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via The BMC Report on Pinterest

When I read this it gave me chills. In the midst of the chaos it's easy to forget what being a mom is all about. What I love even more is that you can download this FREE 10×20 print that FrancyPants Academy designed! How great is that?! Hope you all are enjoying some down time with your families! Happy Labor Day, Friends!

A Mental Snapshot

Sometimes...

I look at my three boys and take a mental snapshot.

Praying....

 

I never forget this short time I have with just them.

This is by far the toughest job I have ever had but friends the reward and joy it brings outweighs my hardest most trying days. Embrace this time with your kids. There will come a day when your house will be still and you will only have these sweet memories that you are making right now with them! 

linked to Things I Love Thursday
All pictures taken by Nikki James Photography

What does this spell Mom?

G*R*A*C*E

As we pack up for swim camp this morning I load the boys in the car. The music is on the boys are talking back and forth. I am thinking of a million different things I need to get done today. Until, my sweet Brady says,"Mom, what does this spell G*R*A*C*E*?" I look in the rear view mirror and see him with a silly grin on his face {He knew what is spelled. He just wanted me to say it.} and of course I said, "Grace." He lifts up one hand and said,"Jesus shows you grace" and then slowly brings his hand to his chest and says, "and you show me grace." He went on to give an example of this past weekend where grace was shown to him. {he really understood} Truthfully, I didn't know what to say. At that very moment as I was driving I was so humbled and yet so thankfully that my little six year old is learning something that had taken me 30+ years to learn and I still feel like I have such a long way to go. 

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

  So on this Monday and throughout this week I am clinging to this verse. Because lately I feel like I am been doing 'life' with my own strength and failing miserable. I am so thankful that His GRACE is sufficient. His grace enables us to make it, no matter what. No matter how big or how small the obstacles we face, no matter how many times we fail. God's incredible grace is there to pick us up and to strengthen us. His grace...

It is never inadequate.

It is never depleted.

It has no expiration date.

This week I challenge you along with myself to makes God's grace a true reality in your life. If your like me it's easy to amen it, read it, agree with it but it's another animal to live it. So, I challenge you to do just that... LIVE it! xoxoxo

Taking a Hard Left... Journey of Motherhood

Have you ever had a day when 'motherhood' gives you a swift kick to the heart? If not, trust me you will. Today was the day for me. It's one of those mornings were I clearly see my little boys being not so little. It's exciting and yet at the same time it makes me sad. It's funny how, as a mom, you look forward to your kids doing 'the next big thing' but I am ready for those 'next things' to be put on hold for just a little bit longer. 

As I am writing this to all of you I have a sweet little boy who learned on his own how to hike his chubby little leg up on the couch. As I look back over my shoulder he is sitting with his paci and with a blanket HE put on himself. He is as happy as he can be. The look of independence on his face is priceless. 

For about two weeks now my two older boys have asked EVERY morning if they could go into school together. A lot of the older kids parents pull up and drop their kids off. So, today I said okay. Everything in me wanted to say, "No, I take you into school." But I knew they were ready. They had talked about it all morning. As I was listening to them get ready for school this morning I could hear Brady asking Mason if there was anything he needed him to do in his class, like get out his snack or his folder. It was a moment for me as a mom I don't think I will ever forget. Why? Because at that very second they didn't need me. They had each other. That whats brothers are for, right? 

I have known that this crazy thing called Motherhood is a journey. One that has many peaks and valleys. As my role continues to change I am learning to embrace the continual change. 

Seeing what makes my boys tick, what makes them unique, what makes them beautiful, that is my gift as their mom. And I am thankful that in Christ, He gives me the confidence to recognize it. This 'new' experience will be character building for all of us. It’s scary. It’s going to be difficult for me but it also is so exciting. To see my boys depend on each other and lean on each other fills me with overwhelming peace. 

Life is constantly changing, our jobs, our relationships, our children. Today I am choosing to wrap my arms around it and embrace it. How do you choose to embrace the constant changes in your life?

Diet Coke IV Drip, Starbucks Inhaler... I'll take both.

Hello Darlings! How was your weekend? Hope your weekend was enjoyable and restful. Mine was so NOT restful. Enjoyable at times? 100% yes. Other times? 100% no. This weekend it was an emotional roller coaster. All three boys have been SO sick. {have I mentioned I am OVER winter, sickness, germs...} Coach W's team lost unexpectly in their 1st tournament game. By far, one of the toughest nights our castle has seen in as long as I can remember. Many tears from Coach W and some of my favorite kids.

One of the things I enjoy the most is having the basketball kids over. Since Friday was so not a good night we had some of the basketbal kids over for pizza and just to chat. I mean who wouldn't want to hang out with the coolest family EVER? So, we talked with the kids till 2am. Yep, so whoever says boys wont talk. I beg to differ. We sat on our L-shaped couch and literally talked for... over 6 hours. Blessed. Refreshed. Thankful. 

Which brings me to say... I am exhausted. I need like a permanent IV of caffeine. Do you ever feel that way? What do you do? I probably should of got up early to work out. That always helps me. It gives me an extra boost. However, I didn't. I need some ideas. What are some things you do to get much needed energy after a LONG weekend? Do tell. This momma is desperate.

Have You Ever Asked Yourself This?

Ah, life choices. Take one path, and you're working as a professional dancer or a well known interior designer. Take another, and you're cleaning up crunched up goldfish off the floor, wiping butts and are covered in baby throw up. And while you enjoy mommyhood,  if you are like me you often daydream about what life might be if you hadn't taken that path. 

What would you be doing right now if you weren't a mom? Kinda crazy to even think about isn't it? Maybe thats a good thing. I don't know. What I do know is that in the midst of the tantrums, the tears, the discipline, the crunched up goldfish on the floor, the giggles and the hugs I soon realize there is no alternative. 

There is no "what if"... this is my path. This is the journey for my life mapped out by a God who knows me and loves me far more than I could ever imagine. So, yes, I daydream on occasion of what my fabulous life would have looked like had this not have been my "path" and then I catch a glimpse of a smile from my three little men with killer dimples and realize there is no other place on earth I would rather be.