He'll Always be My Champion!

     This weekend Nate played in his football league's Super Bowl. The culmination of a long, hard season full of practices, games, sprints, hitting drills, running plays, wins and losses. A trip to the Super Bowl is the coveted prize and is always much anticipated by the players and the parents. The boys get to play at the local university, which makes it even more special. Unfortunately, Nate's team lost 6-0 in a hard fought game. Nate, however, had the game of his life! He had two sacks, several tackles and caught two passes, both for first downs! It brings such joy to our hearts to see our son succeed in what he has worked so hard for. As proud as I was to watch his performance last night, I am even more proud of his perseverance throughout the entire season. Football is a long season. It begins in early August and doesn't end until the middle of November. These kids practice and play in the scorching heat and in the bitter cold several days a week. They work hard! I am so pleased with how Nate handled a heavy practice schedule while balancing all of his other responsibilities. He always finished his homework and maintained excellent grades. I am also super proud of Nate's behavior on and off the field. He was always respectful to his coaches and fellow teammates. He was encouraging and the first to give "high fives" after tough drills even when he was tired himself. He played hard every game, worked hard at practice and would watch film of himself to see where he could improve. After a tough loss in the Super Bowl, he still had a smile on his face, thanked his coaches for their dedication and hard work, and even went over to the coaches of the other team and congratulated them on their win. I am very impressed with my son and my husband who helped instill into Nate this valuable work ethic and respect. Win or lose, I couldn't be more proud of how Nate handled himself this season and how he has grown as a player, but more importantly, as a person.

So Thankful to Be "Here"    

     I was thinking again this morning about just how thankful I am to be a stay-at-home mom. Being home, raising our children is one of the greatest blessings in my life. We may not have the newest cars, take exotic vacations, or have the latest technological gadgets, but the memories I've been able to make with my kids are priceless! I wouldn't trade one single second of my time at home with them. Not for all the money in the world. I have been so blessed to see their first steps, their first smiles and hear their first words. I've snuggled with them for afternoon naps and held them in my lap while we watched the snow fall outside our window. I've seen them laugh 'til they could barely breath and hugged them while they cried and I thought my heart would break. I've taken them to the park, the movies, the swimming pool, and the library. We've taken countless leisurely walks through the neighborhood picking up leaves, rocks and flowers. Looking at the shapes in the clouds and watching earthworms crawl across the sidewalk. We've colored in coloring books, drawn with sidewalk chalk, and cuddled in the rocking chair while we read book after book after book. I've dried their tears, kissed their scrapes, and put on lots of band-aids. I'm so thankful to be the one that greets them at the door when they get off the bus and surprise them with warm chocolate chip cookies and milk. To have lunch with them at school and go on their field trips. It means the world to me that I have been present for all of these precious moments in their lives. The good, the bad, the peaceful, the chaotic, the happy, the sad, the easy, and the difficult.....I have been so incredibly blessed to be here for it all. And for that, I am forever grateful.

One Hundred Years From Now....

It will not matter how much money you made,
What kind of car you drove,
What sort of house you lived in.
One hundred years from now,
The world will be a better place,
Because you made a difference,
In the life of a child.

-Forest E. Witcraft

Trip to the Aquarium

     One of the many wonderful things about being a parent is getting to do all of those fun things that you did as a kid over again. Things like baseball games, Disney movies, trick-or-treating and going to the zoo. Seeing all of those things again, but this time through your child's eyes, is such an amazing experience. Saturday we took a trip to the Newport Aquarium and it was one of those special days where you get to relive your childhood, but in an even more wonderful way. Nate enjoyed the aquarium and had a lot of fun, but Dawson LOVED it! He ran from one exhibit to another yelling, "Mom, come look at this!" or "Dad, did you see that?" I'll never forget the wonder in his eyes and the huge smiles that lit up his face. He wanted to look at everything and touch as many creatures as he could. He kept asking me to take pictures of the fish and animals so he could remember them when he got home. His absolute favorite was petting the sharks. I think he would still be standing at the petting pool if we had let him. I don't know if there is any better feeling, as a parent, than seeing pure joy on your child's face. It makes all the work that goes into planning a family trip totally worth it. We had a wonderful time together and I know we made some precious memories. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

    

The Gift of Laundry

     So, it's Monday. Time for my family to get back to work, school, homework, chores, practices and all those other things that pull us in a million different directions. I have to admit, I really wasn't in the mood for all of it this morning. I have tons of laundry to do, floors need to be vacuumed, carpets need to be cleaned, beds need to be made, bathrooms to clean.......you get the idea. Every mother understands this feeling I'm sure. We all do these household chores every week, just to do them all over again the next week. It's a never-ending cycle, right? Well, even though it sometimes feels that way, we will not always have as much laundry to do and our house will not always be as messy. Our kids will grow up and start lives of their own and we will have a quiet, neat, clean house before we know it. When I think of it that way, it puts everything in a whole new perspective. I begin to count my blessings and realize how thankful I am to have little feet running across my floors tracking in who knows what. Thankful for the opportunity to make meals for the people I love. It makes matching all those socks a little less like a chore and a lot more like a privilege. I have been blessed with a family! A family that I adore! I have been given the wonderful opportunity to be here everyday and do my best to make a peaceful, nurturing, loving home for them to live and grow in. Yes, it is a big responsibility and yes, it does take an incredible amount of work, but it is a GIFT! I want to always remember that. God has given me some pretty spectacular people to share my life with and the least I can do is honor Him in the way that I take care of them. There is no better "job" on the planet!

Nate and Dawson

     What can I say about Nate? This kid is super special! He has taught me so much about being a mother and continues to teach me everyday. He is so smart it's sometimes scary. He can find fun in anything and everything. Even when sometimes he probably shouldn't. He is energetic, loving, kind, caring, honest, creative, loves to laugh, and is fiercely protective of the ones he loves. He has the sweetest, softest heart and absolutely adores his family. He loves to learn, but not necessarily in a sit down, work all day in a workbook kind of way. He is a natural born leader. With Nate, what you see is what you get. He doesn't hide anything. If you like him, he thinks that's great and will be the best friend you could ever have. If you don't like him, he's OK with that too. He just is who he is. He is the most honest person I know, sometimes to the embarrassment of his parents. He is still learning to establish a "filter" between brain and mouth. He is getting much better, but still working on it. :-)  The bottom line is.....this kid makes me smile. He fills my heart with so much love! I just can't imagine one second of my life without him. Sometimes he may wear me out, but the joy he brings me is more than I could have ever thought possible. Nate is meant for great things. Of this, I have no doubt.



Nate age 1



     Now, for my Dawson. What an amazing child he is! He was the easiest baby I could have ever asked for. He was so laid back and hardly ever cried. He has always been very mature for his age, and would give people an "Are you kidding me?" look when they would try to talk "baby talk" to him. He is super intelligent and the absolute funniest kid ever! He loves to make us happy and proud. He gets embarrassed easily and is shy until he gets to know you. He also loves to learn and doesn't mind sitting down and working in a workbook. He makes friends very easily and is a complete joy to be around. He loves animals and wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. He is gentle, polite, charming, soft spoken, witty, and has the most contagious laugh you will ever hear. He can sometimes be a little stubborn and occasionally needs to be "reminded" that honesty is the best policy. :-) He brings so much to our family. Everyone that has ever been around him can't help but fall in love with him. He makes our lives happier, funnier, and more joyful. Simply put....he just makes our lives so much better!



Dawson age 1



     God has blessed me with two completely different, yet equally marvelous boys! Words cannot express the extraordinary love I feel for them every second of every day. My life is so much more wonderful just because they're in it. I am truly thankful for the opportunity God has given me to love them, teach them and enjoy watching them grow into the men He has created them to be. I am so honored that he chose me to be their mother.

 Why A Blog?

      They are growing up right before my eyes. Everyday, when I look at my boys, I see them growing and changing. Not only their physical appearance, but everything about them changes a little everyday. They aren't babies anymore! I am in complete awe of just how quickly childhood disappears. I am so incredibly thankful to have beautiful, healthy children that are growing exactly as they should be. It is bittersweet, though. Each day there are more and more things they can do for themselves that they used to need ME for. They no longer need me to bathe them, dress them, tie their shoes, brush their teeth, help them up and down the stairs, or put them in the car. All these things and so much more, they can do all by themselves. I have been a mother for almost 11 years now and I have found that being a mother is a constantly changing role. In some ways it gets easier and in others it's much harder, but it is always changing. As a mother, you go from doing everything for your child, to slowly letting go and watching them develop into the people that God wants them to be. As hard as those sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings are, I believe the "letting go" is much, much harder. Everyone always tells you to enjoy every second with your children because they grow up so quickly. Until you experience this for yourself, however, you just have no idea. This is why I wanted to start a blog. I want to record their milestones, the funny things they say, and even just the daily happenings of life with my precious Nate and Dawson. Something for us all to look back on and cherish. It is so easy to forget these moments in the busyness of life, but these moments are exactly what make life so special! Ready or not, here we go........!