Mother's Day Love

Remember these two sweethearts that I promised I was still taking pictures of?

They picked dandelions, wild strawberries, and berries as we played outside the past couple days. As each item was gathered, the collection was given to me as one of my Mother's Day gifts (totally their own idea!).

While picking the strawberries (on Thursday), I was told it was a surprise and that I wasn't supposed to look at it until they were finished. The word "strawberries" slipped from Tyler's mouth at one point and he said, "Oops! Mommy, did you hear that?!" I responded with, "Nope. What did you say buddy?" "Oh. I'm not going to tell you because it was about your surprise and I didn't want you to hear it," he says. SO cute!

Here is the pile I was presented with...

Today, we were discussing Mother's Day again and Allison says (in the most precious voice you can imagine), "We gave you strawberries for Mother's Day." Melted my heart!

Then this afternoon, I was given a pocket full of berries (the kind that come off a bush in our yard). They would pick the berries for a while, come running to me with little handfuls, and then deposit them into my pocket. This happened over and over until my pocket was rather full. "We're giving you two Mother's Day presents," they told me.

Honestly, I wouldn't be the slighest bit disappointed if these were the ONLY gifts I received this Mother's Day. For me, these moments are the ones that make all the tough moments of being a mom fade into the farthest parts of my mind. I feel so blessed to have these three precious little munchkins to call my own!

And I'll treasure my Mother's Day berries FOREVER!

Love on Mother's Day

Just a week late this time...I'm getting better!

Billy and the kids did a great job making me feel special this Mother's Day. It all started at church where Tyler got to go up and sing with the Primary kids again. I just love this new perk of having a Sunbeam aged child! They sang two songs about mothers, and it was simply precious!

After church, we came home and Billy had a few surprises up his sleeve. After having Tyler and Allison write their names (well, scribbles for Allison) in a special Mother's Day card, he sent them to me holding the cards, flowers, and some yummy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (a recent pregnancy craving). I really enjoyed the looks of joy on their faces as they ran up to me with all the sweet gifts as they yelled, "Happy Mother's Day" and gave me BIG hugs! We took a few minutes to look at the cards (one from Billy too) and take some pictures.

(Vanessa gets credit for this shot.)

After that, my sister and her family arrived. Billy had asked Jon to get over to our house because he had another surprise for the two mothers. After waiting several minutes for Billy and Jon to prepare the surprise, we were presented with the MOST delicious dessert in the world. If you haven't had the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie from Chilie's, you SHOULD! It is delicious! Knowing this is one of my absolute favorite desserts (next to cheesecake), Billy had stopped by there on Saturday night to get them, and saved them in our downstairs refrigerator to keep it a surprise from me. It was very thoughtful and a wonderful surprise! (And just for the record, we were nice enough to share with our sweet kids and wonderful husbands.) I guess holidays are a good enough excuse to eat your dessert before dinner!

Speaking of dinner, Vanessa and I didn't even have to cook that evening! Jon is a great cook, and he offered to make dinner for everyone. It was delicious, especially since I didn't have to make it! Doesn't it always taste better when someone else does all the work?! Thanks so much Jon!

A special thanks goes to Billy for making this such a happy Mother's Day for me! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all my friends who are mothers or will one day be mothers....
Thanks for showing me all the many angels of and approaches to motherhood, and for helping me to realize that there isn't just one right way to teach and raise our chilren. I appreciate being able to learn from each of you!

To my many aunts and cousins who are mothers....
Thanks for being wonderful examples of great mothers throughout my life. There hasn't been a time in my life where I wasn't able to witness someone being a mother. All of your examples have helped me shape my own life and discover the type of mother I wanted to be.

To my Granny and Grandma....
Thanks for being there to love and nurture me through the years. Thanks for all the hugs and words of encouragement, and for spoiling me the way grandmothers do best! Thanks for all the fun times I was able to spend with you. Thanks for teaching me about things from days that are past. I have enjoyed being able to grow up so close to you and all the times we were able to be together! I love you!

To all the wonderful mothers in Billy's family....
Thanks for accepting me into your family 7 years ago! Thanks for treating me like one of your own, and for all the love and support you have offered to me. I am so grateful to have married into such a loving family that truly wants the best for me. A special thanks to Lynette and Grandma Farish for the love and time you invested into raising Billy to be the loving and caring husband and father he is today!

To my beautiful sister, Vanessa....
Thanks for being one of the many constants in my life. No matter what we went through, you were always there. Thanks for being an example and teaching me how to be more giving and less "bossy" throughout life. These are things that have helped me to be a better mother to my own children. I enjoy going through the journey of motherhood with you and being able to share the trials, joys, and many other emotions that go along with it! I love you!

To my own caring, brilliant, and amazing mother....
There simply aren't enough words to express the amount of appreciation and gratitude that I feel for the wonderful job you did raising me. Thanks for all the sacrifice, devotion, and time you invested (and continue to invest) each and every day of my life. Thanks for raising me in the gospel and making the effort to get 3 children to church each and every Sunday on your own. Thanks for demonstrating such an amazing amount of strength and faith when Courtney passed away. Now that I am a mother, I know the pain and anguish that you must have experienced, yet you never let that get in the way of pressing forward to continue to be the best mother you could be for me. Thanks for your kind example and nurturing spirit. You always knew when I needed a hug or someone to talk to. Thanks for teaching me to love and be accepting of everyone and how to serve my fellow man. Thanks for the countless number of hours you have spent helping me to be successful in school and throughout life, and for the invaluable lessons you taught me in the process. Thanks for all the words of encouragement and praise during the tough and stressful times in my life. Thanks for believing in me. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for being my best friend. And most of all, thanks for being my mother! I love you!

And to my little munchkins....
Thanks for choosing me to be your mother! I am so grateful to have this opportnuity from Heavenly Father to love, nurture, and raise you. You mean more to me than anything in life, and I strive each day to be the best mother I can to you. Thanks for being so forgiving of me when I make mistakes. Thanks for brightening each of my days with your beautiful smiles, warm spirits, and loving hugs and kisses! I love you both so much!

I hope all of you have a fun and relaxing weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!!!