Proud to be my mother's daughter...

I never understood the devotion, the dedication, the sacrifice, and the unconditional love of a mother until I became a mother. Last night as I watched my son laughing and looking at my mom with such adoring and trusting eyes, tears came to my eyes. To watch my son love my mother, his Pattycake, so effortlessly...my heart swelled and so much appreciation and love was felt in my heart for my mother. My mom devoted and still devotes all she has to being the mom of four children. We, her kids, are all at such different places in our lives. I am saddened that my brothers will never completely understand what my mom has given of herself to be our mother. She is the most loving, caring, and loyal person that I have in my life. I have taken her for granted over the years, knowing she will just always be there. Never again will I take her and her love for granted. My mom is a tremendous help to me. A shoulder to cry on, an amazing grandmother to my child, and one of the best friends of my life. You've heard the cliche'...people are in your life for a reason, season...my mom is the one person who will be devoted and in my life from beginning to end. I love her more than any words could say or read. I am so proud to be her daughter, and so blessed that the Lord made my mom, my mom. I truly thank you Pattycake and love you with my whole heart.

When life throws you lemons...

okay, you know those moments when God smacks you in the face and you are like, "crap, i asked for that didn't i God." well, i had one of those last night. after my volleyball team completely abandoned me for the final outdoor sand volleyball season, i decided i still wanted to play. i still need to get rid of my baby fat, and i need some liz time too. so, donnie (mom's boyfriend) and i were placed on a random team, whom we met for the first time last night. as we're pulling up to the courts in donnie's mega giant chevy truck with his flowmaster vroom, vroom, i say to donnie, "you know, i don't care who we play with really except for the guy with the green hat...pretty sure he doesn't like me." i ask the volleyball coordinator who we are playing with and she says that we are on her court with...you guessed it "the guy with the green hat." my heart drops, i tell the coordinator...omg...he doesn't like me. she said that he just doesn't know me, once he does, we'll be good. i turn to donnie and tell him i have been slapped in the face by God...it feels great. so, we played with serious green hat guy and won our games. he didn't talk much, but was warming up a tiny bit at the end. at some point i ask him about his tan, are you a fisherman? golfer? you are just so tan..."no, i build houses..." great...come to find out, bernie thinks he might have sold him some lumber...small world, yes, for a reason. who knows what will unfold in the next few weeks, maybe nothing. the thing is...as soon as you say no to something or that's the one thing i'm not going to do...or life throws you lemons...God created lemonade for a reason.

Happy Birthday Samuel Alex Mason!

The next best thing to being a mother is being an Aunt to one of my brother's children. Baby Sam is here and words cannot describe the flutters in my heart when I think of him, hold him, and look at him. He's precious...truly amazing. I'm awed by my sis-in-law's composure and strength during her labor and delivery. She's awesome. I'm so proud of how my brother just jumps in there and takes care of his son, his total pride and joy. I love Sam.

Yukon in the morning...

After traveling to Washington D.C. within the last weeks, I realize how much I appreciate the casual, slow-paced attitude of Yukon, Oklahoma. I went to pay the water bill this morning, and I never had to wait on another vehicle to make a turn. NO TRAFFIC!!! IT'S GREAT!!! On October 12th the Target in Yukon will be opening. It is a mile from my house, and this stay-at-home mom will be frequenting that establishment regularly. I should have stock in that store. Just something pathetic to look forward to in my "mom" life. The moments with my son are so interesting and special, but my imagination could never have completely captured what this "being a mom thing" is really about.

Figuring this thing out...

Golly, you could spend an entire day trying to get all the pics correct and the fonts just right for this thing...this is a work in progress...more to come.

Mama Bear

This picture explains it all. Being a mom is about having greasy hair, pure exhaustion, but perfection occurs the minute your baby closes his eyes for a sweet sleep. These are the favorite moments of my day...right before my Hank goes to sleep.