Mothers Who Know

“Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all.”  

-Julie B. Beck-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lately I've been working on being a more deliberate mother. Making my children more of my priority & then planning everything else around them. I've been working on caring less about what others may think about the choices I make as a parent & focusing more on what I know my children really need. I've been working on giving my children more of my time & connecting with them on a daily basis. I'm an imperfect parent at best, but I've found as I've gone about this in a prayerful & purposeful way, I see only positive changes in myself & my children. As I look over these pictures that I've taken throughout the last week, I see two faces that deserve the very best of me. I think being a mother is the most important job there is & while most days are filled with many imperfect moments, I can't help but look at the whole of it & see something so worthwhile & beautiful.



Little Bits of Life Lately

 These two are playing together more & more lately & it's so fun to watch. Anytime Ruby starts dancing Noah watches her every move & laughs hysterically. And then Ruby starts laughing hysterically & it's about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

 

Tyler had a birthday last week & we celebrated that night at home with the kids. He was a good sport & wore the birthday hats I bought. Love that boy! 

 

 

 

 

I ran a mud run with the ladies from work & it was really fun. Ruby was so confused by it all & kept yelling, "Mom, you get out of that mud! What are you doing?! You're all icky!" 

 

Oh, that face! 

 

Ruby is obsessed with lip gloss these days & watching her put it on cracks me up.



Easter bunnies!

It never ceases to amaze me how Noah is so content to play by himself if I just give him some toys. This boy is as easy going as they come (just like Tyler). And I want to tell him "thank you!!!" over & over again for going so easy on me. 

 

"Look Mom, I'm a ballerina!" 



Loved

"You will never be this loved again. So on those days when you are feeling stressed out, touched out, and depleted, just remember that you will never be this loved again. One day you will long for their affection. So choose a soft voice, choose gentle hands, choose love."

 

I saw this quote & haven't been able to get it out of my mind ever since I read it. Yesterday I laid a blanket on the grass & we enjoyed the afternoon while Ruby sat on my back & pretended I was a horse & Noah pulled my hair & laughed while I played peek-a-boo with him. And in those moments I thought about how loved I am by those two. This season of life is such a good one & I love the challenges & joys that motherhood brings. I'm often amazed at how hard parenting is & it's unbelievable how much time I spend thinking & worrying about my children & they're still practically babies. But these two give me so much in reutrn without even realizing it. I could listen to Ruby talk forever - conversations with a toddler are as good as it gets I'm pretty sure. And going into Noah's room after he wakes up is one of the best parts of my day. He gives me the biggest smiles & starts kicking & squealing with excitement until I pick him up. All of these things remind me that I will never be loved like this again.

7 Months

 

 

 

 

This little guy is 7 months old today & even though he's sick, he's still been all smiles. I often say that if all babies were like Noah, people would have a lot more of them. This boy of ours is as good as gold & has a way of making you fall even more in love with him again & again. Happy 7 months, sweet Noah!

 



Life Just Got Really Good

Noah is finally big enough to sit in our bike trailer with Ruby, so we have been going on as many family bike rides as we can fit in before the summer heat comes. And these two monkeys seem to love it just as much as we do.

 

 It seems to me that every childhood should be full of memories from adventures outdoors. It does my heart good seeing these two outside breathing in so much fresh air.