Mother's Day Reflections

Being a mother is a profound and transformative experience that has shaped my life in countless ways. For nearly three decades, I have been blessed with the privilege and responsibility of raising the five kiddos that have come to our family.  This role has taken me on an incredible journey of love, growth, and self-discovery. Through the joys and challenges, I have learned invaluable lessons that have shaped my perspective and enriched my life.

 From the moment each of my children was placed in my arms, an unbreakable bond was formed and my life has never been the same.   During the last 30ish years since becoming a mother, I've been pregnant 5 times, breastfed for over 6 years, taken my kids to countless medical specialists {neurologists, ophthalmologists, orthodontists, hematologists, oncologists, cardiologists, pulmonologist, epileptologist, neuropsychologist, orthopedists, etc}, cried through their surgeries (4 that I can remember), taken care of 4 broken bones (that's probably not that bad for having 5 kids), wiped away many tears, cooked thousands of meals, homeschooled for 11 years, sent 3 kids on missions, driven them to countless activities, planned one wedding,  welcomed a new grandbaby, and had my heart filled to overflowing again and again and again.   

Motherhood is by far the hardest thing I've ever done, yet I would do it all again in a heartbeat  and feel so grateful to have these 5 kids {who are now all adults} be a part of my story.  

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AND on a very different, but related note, here's a glimpse at my Mother's Day this year!  

I talked to my sweet Elder!  I've been missing him extra much lately and I loved the chance to have a bonus call with him without feeling guilty for not making it a group call with the whole family, as we always do on his p-day calls. 

Glen made the most epic dinner ever.  Smoked steak (I don't even usually like steak, but this steak was out-of-this-world good!), plus steamed broccoli, roasted potatoes, and some sourdough bread (I had made the day before).   Then Ellie made GF cinnamon rolls for dessert. 

It was all delicious and very nice not to have to cook myself!  

We also enjoyed Emma, Heather, and my Nana who came for the occasion.  My mom is out of town, otherwise it would have been fun to have her there as well!  

I thought it was cute that my 3 kiddos who were there all matched each other (2 accidentally, 1 on purpose)...

It was fun to have my grandmother there as well...

Also, I know I'm excessively weird, but I am really happy to be back to making weekly programs for church again (even if I did have to beg).   For whatever reason, I find making them to be a creative outlet for me and I loved this Mother's Day picture from a neighbor so much, I decided to print them in color for Mother's Day!   No one else probably cared a bit, but I smiled every time I caught a glimpse of one. 

It's a little crazy to me that my stage of life with kids at home  is coming to an end, but it's been a good 28 years and definitely worth celebrating.  

💗💗💗💗💗