Mothers Day 2014

How can it possibly be 14 yrs since my first Mother's Day?! We had a beautiful Sunday together - I woke up to this:

Sweet Claire made me breakfast in bed!! Fresh blueberry muffins, sweet strawberries and creamy fruit dip :) she's becoming such a good little cook. I'm so very thankful for my 5 darling kids!! I follow a lot of moms on Instagram and usually I like to post the good and the bad of living with a big family - I know a few other moms who simply choose to highlight only the good. I've chosen to show life as it happens, messy and unpredictable - funny and not so funny. It's not always fun reading other people's highlight reels, since it's much too easy to immediately compare all of their shining moments to your own less than stellar everyday ;) It takes much needed perspective to realize that you can't compete - you don't need to compete! God has given us moms the specific, humbling task of molding and shaping these tiny little ones in our care, into God-honoring, compassionate adults full of integrity and love. Who will, in turn, repeat the process hopefully, with their own little ones. This is the hardest most important job on the planet. Hands down. 

I'm in the trenches for sure, with my own 5 children ... homeschooling one, two little toddlers, and my two teenagers!! (Claire will hit 13 in aug!!) my brain feels on overload most days, patience is literally scraped out of a nearly empty container like peanut butter, and I desperately try to show compassion and understanding for the often very difficult emotional meltdowns of not only toddlers but my teens who are struggling to navigate through their own crazy emotional upset as they mature at THEIR OWN PACE!! :/ 

Then I see faces like this...

And this ...

and things instantly start looking up :) never a dull moment!!! Thanks Cameron, Claire, Caloway, Mac and Levi for making me your mommy!! I would have always chosen you anyway :)