Lunch with these Little Lovelys

I am so lucky to have lunch with these Little Lovelys everyday.

LOVE my sweet, sweet girl SO much!!!

LOVE him SO much!!!

Mother's Day

I absolutely LOVE being a MOMMY.

Wouldn't change it for the world.

Thanks be to God for my little blessings.

Water Painting, Playdoh & Bedtime Snuggles

Charlotte enjoys dressing herself and fixing her hair these days. Today she did a pretty good job. The crazy hair and mismatch socks give her a little signature fashion flare, right?!

 Water Painting... she loves her Winnie the Pooh book as every page is been painted on!

Note to self: Get another Paint with Water book for her Easter Basket.

 While I cleaned this morning, she happily sat and played with her blue playdoh.

 "Making Cookies"

I LOVE bedtime snuggles.

 My sweet kids... oh how I love them.

Every night I look forward to our bedtime snuggles. I feel like I can recap the day in these moments. We pray together, read books, and sing Jesus Loves Me as a family and of course, snuggle.

Another favorite part of my day.

Dear Brady---March 9th, 2010

So ONE year ago I wrote this letter to my Brady and 2 days later I met him. 1 year ago I was pregnant which I completely treasured. This letter is straight from the heart, it repeats itself a few times and it is a bit long. It brought tears to my eyes this morning as I read it over again.

March 9th, 2010

Dear Brady,

It’s very early in the morning and my heart is excited and anxious for you and your impending arrival. I am 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant with you. I can’t sleep as I think of what is to come, not just with your due date just around the corner, but how you will change the course of my life and others. God has certainly blessed your father and me. I can’t imagine how He will bless your life. I know He has plans for you and your future (Jeremiah 29:11-12). My hope is that you will be a strong man of God and solider for His army. I love Brady.

Your name was chosen before you arrive, Brady Christopher. Brady means from the broad isle. Your suggested character quality is strong in spirit. Your life verse is Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Christopher came from your paternal grandfather, Alan Christopher Hawkins. Your father was named after his paternal grandfather and we thought it would be meaningful to carry this on to our newest addition, you.

You are our second born and we add you to a family that welcomes you with such joy and gratefulness. Your sister, Charlotte, has given us more blessings than we could have ever dreamed. I know you will do the same… in a much different way. You being our first boy and an addition to a happy family is just so exciting for me. With every passing moment I wonder how I deserve such a gift as you, Brady. I already love you so much and I haven’t met you. We have had time to bond these last 9 and ½ months, but there will be nothing compared to the first moment I watch you take a breathe and look into your peaceful, sweet face. My whole life might flash before my eyes, so I apologize now if you see tears in my eyes. I will be joyful, I will be content, I will be blessed.

That is only the beginning. I can’t wait to experience life through you. You have an amazing life, with a father that will guide you and the family that surrounds you with a strong foundation. You will be loved, appreciated, and made strong in the spirit of the Lord. I pray for God to reveal Himself to you and that you cling to your faith and your family. My prayers are for your character, your life, and your destiny. I pray the Lord guides you to be a man of integrity, loyalty, righteousness, strength, and courage. I pray you to have compassion for humanity and serve others with a heart of gold. I pray for your future wife and children. I pray that your wife is committed to you, that she loves selflessly and adores you. That she is thankful for what a blessing you are. I pray for your work here on Earth that it may be fulfilling. I pray for day to day decisions and that you have peace about life’s uncertainties. I pray you are blessed with friendships and mentors that want the best for you. I pray the Lord continues to show me how you will bless others.

There is so much love already in my heart for you, Brady. I can’t wait to meet you for the first time and all the times after that. I already miss you, and I haven’t even met you. I feel ready to be your mother to you, son. I feel anxious as I continue to watch my belly grow and move with your strong spirit. I feel excited to dream about a future for you. I feel honored to be chosen to be your mother. I am thankful to my Lord for what He has given to me…you.

Love,
Mother

Fun at the park

Charlotte sang at the top of her lungs the entire time we played.

B Man crawled in the cool shaded sand and let the sand fall through his fingers.

We LOVE the park!

Lord, let me never forget how precious these moments are.

My Little Man

 Crawling up to his mama.

 I can't tell you how much I love this little guy... One of the things I completely adore about B Man is all of his cuddles. He is the MOST cuddly little child I know. When I pick him up at the church nursery on Sundays he always bear hugs me and lays his sweet little head right on my shoulder... it is his way of saying I love you. When Brady is crawling around and stops and meets eyes with me he will crawl over and again lay his sweet little head down in my lap. I love you too Brady Boy. When he bonks his head on anything or falls, I will come right over and tend to him and all he wants is his head on my shoulder. I love you too Brady Boy. After crawling around Brady will lean his little body on yours and he will pull himself up and plant one of these sloppy open mouth B Man kisses. It has become a signature move from him. He will then rub his face in yours and your heart can't do anything else but melt.

This little man is my heart. His love is so revealing of his heart and happiness. He is the best little boy I could have ever been blessed with. I sense that he will be an even better man.

I love you Brady boy.

What I'm learning as a mommy...

2. Here are some tips that are helpful for me to remember in my day to day role as mommy...

• Know your own limits. And learn your baby's too.
• Plan ahead. Stay organized when you can.  Having a system is helpful too for example: pack the diaper bag at night before a busy day.  
• Prioritize your needs and wants on your to do list. Ask yourself these questions: What really is priority? Does it have to be done? What can you let go of?
• Enjoy this PRECIOUS time. Be present. Find joy in where you are now.
• At the same time understand the stage is temporary. Take a deep breathe, it will be over sooner or later. 
• You are imperfect. Understand that being a good mom means you learn from your mistakes... because it happens and no one has it all right.
• Don't forget to take care of yourself. Eat. Sleep. Pray. Spend quality time with the husband. Repeat as neccessary.
• Stay connected to who you were before you had kids. Don't forget yourself while taking care of everyone else.
• Find meaningful friendships with other mommies and be authentic about your short comings. This not only promotes social interaction but support for the good, the bad, and the ugly of being an imperfect mom.
• Be flexible. Nothing ever goes as planned.
• Eat dinner together and at the table. Making dinner a priority has only seemed to unify us as a family. Something special happens at the dinner table, it's probably a moment I look foward to the most in the day.

I will end with this... most of these things may come natural to other people, but not for me.