from the corner of my couch: Lots of "Happys"

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Lots of "Happys"

I kind of dropped the ball last week with my lack of computer and then lack of camera so I managed to forget to post some big "happys".
On May 5th my little brother, Ben (aka "the giant"), turned 21! I can still remember when he was born and how excited I was to have a little brother. I pretty much thought of him as my own, live baby doll! I've really enjoyed watching him grow up from a little boy into a man...it's amazing how fast the time has gone! I've really loved watching him with Emmie. He's a wonderful uncle and Emmie thinks her Giant is pretty special! Happy Belated Birthday Ben!

Also on May 5th my parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary! They have always been such wonderful examples of what a Christian marriage looks like and I'm so thankful for their love and commitment to each other. Happy Anniversary!

And finally...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Paul and I both have wonderful mother's that we're so thankful for. They have been so supportive of us and have helped us out so much by keeping Emmie while I work. It gives me such peace of mind to know that Emmie and Franklin are being well taken care of while I'm away from them. Emmie and Franklin and Ellie couldn't have asked for better Grandmothers!
Emmie is also so lucky to have 2 great-grandmothers who love her sooooo much! Emmie is my grandmother's first great grandchild and Paul's grandmother's 17th great grandchild! Emmie thinks both of her great-grandmothers are pretty special!
This year I'm especially thankful for my mom as we near the end of her treatments for cancer. I have been constantly amazed by her strength and faith as she has dealt with all the physical and emotional trials that go along with the cancer. I am so thankful that she has done well with her treatments and is now cancer free!

Today was my 2nd Mother's Day and I feel so blessed to be the mom of a sweet little girl and an adorable puppy!

Dec. 17th, 2010...meeting Emmie for the first time!

Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day 2011

I can definitely say that being a mom has been a wonderful experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. It definitely has its ups and downs and some days it can be very challenging but at the end of the day when Emmie snuggles with me while I rock her to sleep it makes all the hard, frustrating times just melt away. I love being a mom to Emmie and Franklin and I can't wait to meet Ellie! Today, Emmie and Franklin gave me a sweet card at breakfast and then we headed to church. After church we went to Liberty to eat lunch but service was super slow and after it took us over 20 minutes to get water and Emmie was melting down fast, we decided to forget the lunch idea. We came home, took naps (Paul got Emmie up after her nap and I got an extra 30 minutes of sleep...definitely a great Mother's Day gift!), and took Emmie and Franklin to the Children's Garden. It was so nice just to have time where all 4 of us were together...between my work schedule and Paul's we hardly ever have family time. Emmie was in kind of a funny mood today...she wasn't being bad or whiney but she was kind of clingy and just a little out of sorts...sometimes the nursery overwhelms her so maybe she was just recovering from the overstimulation. Anyway, with the mood she was in we decided it would be much easier and much less stressful to just pick up dinner on the way home instead of sitting down at a restaurant. After some yummy Red Robin, we filled up the baby bathtub outside and watched Emmie play. Tonight at bedtime, Emmie was so tired that she just wanted to snuggle with me as she drifted off to sleep and right now Franklin is snuggled up with me on the couch...what a perfect end to Mother's Day!

Franklin, Emmie, and me...and Ellie!

We tried really hard to get a picture of me with all the babies today...this was the best we got...it's hard to get Emmie and Franklin to settle down for long!