Happy Mother's Day!

Since I was a little girl, as far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a mom. And if you've known me or followed this blog for any length of time, you'll likely recall that there were years and years of waiting and praying for my one dream to finally come true. 

And now, here I stand with a home-made sign with my daughter's hand and my son's (giant) feet. 

I'm sure y'all probably know a lot of people. But I would challenge you to search your friend lists and year books and memories for someone who is more blessed than I. 

During those years of waiting, it would've been easy to say, "it's never going to happen."  It sure felt like it sometimes. But something in my heart knew and told me not to give up. Not to give in. And to just keep praying and waiting. 

In the mean time, we showered our mutt with love and told him what a good "big brother" he would be someday. And he is the best big furry brother we know. 

I don't know why God has chosen to bless me so much. But im grateful for the daughter he brought us through adoption, the son he brought us through true miracle, for the amazing husband who continues to love me and take care of us, and for the blessing of having grown up in a secure, fun, two-parent household with great memories and experiences I could never repay. 

I don't know why I get to be "a lucky one" who gets to stay home and watch these fabulous children grow and learn and laugh and become best friends and partners in crime. But I'm forever grateful for a loving husband who is incredibly patient and hard-working and just the best daddy any kids could ever want. 

I think God is using our family and our path to parenthood to tell great stories and share the lessons about His timing and His promises. 

These two kids were totally worth the wait:

When we held this little girl for this photo, we weren't really 100% certain she would make us a mommy and daddy. 

But the very next day, we brought her home and suddenly we were a family. And I finally got to be a mommy. 

And though it would be several more months before I would hear that little girl call me by my new title, the instant love that I felt for her told me what motherhood was going to be. 

Amazing. 

Funny. 

Exciting!

Rewarding. 

Cuddly. 

Happy. 

Memorable. 

Silly. 

Challenging. 

The best job in the world. 

And the most inspiring and amazing gift I've ever been given. 

I loved the heck outta motherhood!

And then.....this happened!

And this. 

And somehow, God found a way to make my heart grow and make room for another blessing to call me "Mommy"!

And this dude has taught me that the wait for Whitney was just the warm-up for the true tests of patience that lay ahead. 

Waiting to meet him. Waiting to fix feeding issues and sleep issues. Being patient through car seat drama and learning how to be a whole new level of "grown-up"!

God can do anything. He could've given us a baby that very first month we started trying back in April 2005. I could've started 2006 as a mommy. 

But I am so grateful for His plan and for the wait we had to go through. 

He made our marriage stronger and our friendships stronger. 

He gave us time to learn and grow as a team so that now, as we raise two human beings, we try to be good examples, showing our kids what it means to be best friends and teammates for life. 

And that "teamwork makes the dream work!"

I know I've said it and blogged it 1000 times, but I am truly blessed beyond words. These two call me "Mommy", and that is the best feeling in the world. 

It could all fall apart tomorrow. Eric could lose his job. Our house could burn down. We could lose our beloved Bailey or a family member. We could get hit by a bus. It could all go away overnight. So I will continue to thank God for all of our blessings, the big and the small. 

And I will always be grateful to my own Mommy who is the #1 reason I grew up knowing I HAD to be a mommy, too, someday. She is the best and I'm proud to say I've learned from the best! 

So from one Mommy to another, Happy Mother's Day to ALL the Mommies today! I've learned so much from all my mommy friends through the years, and today, I hope you all feel loved and special and appreciated! We have the best job in the world! :)