Mother's Day 2012

I have wanted to be a mom since I was 3.  At age 3 I was my little sister's mini mom.  I changed her diapers, fed her, and did all I could (that my mom would allow) for her.  This trend continued with my other two younger siblings.  I was a little mother to all three of them.  I remember loving it when my mom was pregnant and I got to cook them dinner (age 7) baby sit them by myself (age 10) and I loved it when they would have bad dreams and come snuggle with me in my bed.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out I was expecting Emily, I was over the moon.  I remember when I was pregnant with Camden and how worried I was that my heart was too full for another baby.  I loved my little Emily with every fiber of my being and worried how she and I would handle the transition.  But the second Camden and I met it was love at first sight, and I couldn't imagine not having that little guy in my life.  My heart grew, and he snuggled his way in filling it to capacity again.  My kids are my world, and being a mother is even better than I thought it could possibly be.  There are endless reasons why I love being a mom, but this being my 5th Mother's Day, here are my top 5.

1.  Watching my kids play together, they are totally and completely best friends. I love hearing them giggle in the other room.  Every morning I wake up to the sound of Emily waking Camden up, because she can't wait another second to play with him.  I hear "Good morning Camden!!" followed by squeals and giggles from Cam.  I lay in bed and listen to them laugh and play, what a perfect way to start the day.

2.  It sounds cruel, but I love it when my kids are sick...hear me out.  First of all when they're sick they are extra snuggly, and I love the satisfying feeling of taking care of them, and putting my mother's instinct to good work.  When I know that I can take away their pain and discomfort I feel like I'm doing my job as a mom.  I also feel so close to the Lord at these moments.  My silent prayers are always answered with promptings of what to do, and my testimony grows every time my prayer is answered and I can feel the Lord's hand in helping me provide comfort to his little ones.

3.  Cooking with my kids.  I love to cook, and being able to share this with my kids is so fun.  Our favorite thing to make together is Pizza.  We all love pizza night, the kids especially, since we get to eat it on a blanket in the basement while we watch a movie.

4.  Singing to my kids. Each of my kids have "their" song.  Emily's is "Starlight" by Jim Brickman and Camden's is "Baby Mine" from Dumbo.  Our other favorites are:  "House at Pooh Corner", "I love to see the Temple", "Heavenly Father Loves Me", "Families Can Be Together Forever", and "If we hold on together" from The Land Before Time.

5.  Teaching my kids.  My kids are my little lumps of clay and I know that I have the responsibility of molding them into the people they will become.  Sometimes I wonder if I am getting through to them, but then I have a moment when I can see the things I am teaching them have stuck, and I feel so proud to see what great kids they are turning out to be.

I have a fabulous husband, and parenting partner who loves and supports me always.  He is so good to me, and this year for Mother's Day he pampered me with a Spa Day while he watched the kids.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful little family and I just love them so much!!!