friday favorites: parenting quotes

I love being a momma.  I believe that it is such an incredible privilege and is the most meaningful job I will ever have this side of heaven.  Since being a momma is how I spend the majority of my days (and nights), quotes on parenting are always standing out to me.  I love the power that words have and how they can speak directly to us.  Today, I thought I would do a round-up of some of my favorites - the ones that inspire me on this wild ride I'm on called motherhood!

"God designed motherhood to be a deeply meaningful role.  We mothers have the opportunity to influence eternity by building a spiritual legacy in the lives of our children."

- Sally Clarkson - 

"There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one."

- Jill Churchill -

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

- Robert Brault -

"Children are not a distraction from more important work.  They are the most important work."

- C.S. Lewis -

"Our goal in parenting is not ultmately for our kids to get a great education or to be great athletes or to find a great husband or get a great career.  Our goal is for them to love a great God."

- David Platt -

"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation."

- C. Everett Koop -

"Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed."

- Linda Wooten -

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."

- Pablo Picasso -

"There is nothing more important than parents passing on a generational legacy of faith and values to their children."

- Dr. James Dobson - 

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

- Frederick Douglass -

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."

- Charles R. Swindoll -

"We have a higher calling than to just live out this life.  We are not raising our children to just get through the day or the week, but rather with thoughts and prayers about who they will be in twenty years, how the Lord will use them, and ultimately where they will be for eternity."

- Betsy Corning -

"Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise."

- Andy Stanley -

"You will never have this day with your children again.  Tomorrow, they will be a little older than they were today.  This day is a gift, breathe and notice, smell and touch them; study their face and little feet and pay attention.  Relish the charms of the present.  Enjoy today Momma, it will be over before you know it!"

- Jen Hatmaker -

her two front teeth

Bobby and I were in the kitchen talking one day when Makayla ran in and said her tooth was hurting.  When I looked at it and realized that it was loose, I seriously had to walk out of the room so that she wouldn't see me burst into tears.  Bobby did his best to comfort me, but he was trying so hard not to laugh at me that he wasn't much help!

I don't know what it is about this particular milestone that gets to me, but I was the exact same way with Caleb.  It's such a reminder to me of how big they are getting, and my mama heart just can't quite keep up with them! 

first grade wrap-up

I know I'm a little behind on this, but I just have to take a minute and talk about our sweet boy.  He totally rocked his first grade year and we could not be more proud of him!  All of the choices and decisions that go along with school have not always been easy on this mama's heart.  We haven't always been quite sure what to expect from our boy - he has changed so much and has kept us all on our toes!  We've often found ourselves hoping for the best while still preparing for all sorts of different scenarios.  But he has continually surprised and amazed us with how far he has come and what he is able to do!

He is now officially a second grader, and we have less than a month of summer left until he goes back to school.  I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous about this next school year.  A new classroom, a new teacher, all of the changes and expectations - it all definitely makes me anxious for him.  But he has shown us again and again that he can and will rise up to the challenge, that he is capable of more than we could have ever hoped for, and that he is confident in himself and his abilities.

I'm so thankful that God entrusted this sweet boy to us.  I see the work that God is doing in him, and it is a daily reminder of what a good and gracious God we have.

losing teeth and learning patience

Caleb's tooth finally fell out the other night after being loose for nearly a month.  He had been chomping at the bits for it to come out already!  We got to have a lot of sweet talks together about having patience, and how God's timing is always perfect.  I tried to help him understand that even though sometimes we think we are ready for something, God has wonderful plans for us and everything will happen when it is supposed to.  So when the tooth did fall out, it was so nice to hear him say, in the midst of his excitement, "God just made my tooth ready and now it's out!"

And then the next night, another tooth came out.  It was his first top one that had just barely been loose.  It didn't fall out on its own like the last tooth - this one had a lot of help from a certain five-year-old.  His mouth was bleeding and tender this time, and he had a look on his face that showed he knew he shouldn't have done it.

Patience is such a hard thing to teach.  I suppose it's hard to teach anything that you struggle to learn yourself every day.  Of everything that I pray for and ask God to help me with on a daily basis, having patience is probably at the top of that list.  As wonderful and amazing as this mothering job of mine is, it most definitely requires more patience than anything else I've ever done.  I try to apologize to my kids when I lose it, and I try to let them hear me pray for help.  I try to let them know that we all need patience - it just looks a little different when you're a grown-up than it does when you're a kid.  But going to God for help is always the same.

Loving this sweet boy's smile full of holes.....

cookies and memories

Today the kids and I got in the kitchen and made some memories.  And cookies.  And we had a lot of fun.  

Our cookies came from a box, the kitchen was a complete mess, there are no Photoshopped-Pinterest-worthy photographs, and Martha Stewart would have been appalled at our finished product.  And the truth is that not so very long ago, that would have bothered me.  If you know me well, then you know that I can be somewhat of a perfectionist about things.....sometimes to a fault.  I can build things up in my mind and make all sorts of plans and give myself absurd expectations - and of course nothing ever goes "perfectly" and my vision comes crashing down around my silly little head.  Because the thing about life is that things rarely go according to plan.  Even the most wonderful and amazing moments usually have a hiccough in there somewhere.

After a few crafting-fails and cooking-session-bombs, I finally figured out that I was the problem.  I was wanting my kids to color in the lines, or pour the milk without spilling, or perfectly crack the egg when their precious little hands are still learning how to do those things.  And what they need is a mama who will help them learn with all the patience and love and grace that they deserve.  So I'm reminding myself every day to stop with the ridiculousness and to let life happen.  

Our messy, sloppy, beautiful, wonderful memories are worth it.

God continues to teach me lessons with patience and love and grace.

These children continue to teach me lessons as well. Being their mama is a blessing that I am daily humbled by.

there are four

i didn't grow up dreaming of being a teacher or a doctor. i didn't grow up with big plans to travel the world or go on some wild adventures. those things are all wonderful, they just weren't my dreams.

i grew up dreaming of being a mommy. i grew up dreaming about a husband and kids. about a family.

when husband and i decided we were ready to add a baby to the mix, i was beyond excited.

and then we waited. and waited. and nothing happened. and i was scared.

not just scared that my reality might turn out differently than my dreams. scared of letting go, giving up the "control" that i wanted to have, and letting God work.

He taught me so much during that time. things i didn't know i needed to learn.

He made our marriage stronger during that time.

now i can look back and i'm so grateful for that time. so grateful that God has a plan for us that is so much better that any plans we try to make.

because the story continues, and God did bless me with my sweet little ones. at the exact moment He chose.

God knew each of our babies and He knew when they would enter this world.

when i look at our mantle, i don't see four stockings waiting for Santa to come fill them up.

when i look at our mantle, i see our family. and i'm so grateful.

good night, sweet boy

on any given day, Caleb might:

- leave numerous bite-marks on my legs.
- kick me when i try to put him in his highchair.
- throw the food that i just made him onto the floor.
- have 101 tantrums. for no reason.
- pull my hair.

on any given day, i might:

- not demonstrate enough patience.
- raise my voice.
- burn his grilled cheese sandwich.
- not have enough energy to throw him and swing him the way daddy does.

but at the end of the day, when it is just the two of us alone in his room, i hold him in my arms and say his night-night prayer. he presses his nose up to mine as i whisper the words, and when i open my eyes, he smiles his wonderful, sweet smile at me. he places each of his hands on each of my cheeks, and pulls my face towards his, and proceeds to plant his open-mouthed kisses on me. after each one, he giggles that sweet little laugh of his.

and in all of this, i can feel him saying, "we're gonna be just fine, mommy. cause i love you, and you love me. so just forget about all of the yuck from today, and tomorrow, we'll do it all again, maybe even a little bit better."

and he fills up my mommy heart with his kisses. and he holds my love in his little hands.

good night, sweet boy.

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i'm linking up for Emily's Tuesdays Unwrapped

this sweet boy, this mother's heart

let me start out by saying that i have been contemplating on how to approach this post for a while now. i am not a naturally forthcoming person, especially when it comes to personal struggles in my life. when i started this blog, yes, it was for me to have some fun, maybe "meet" some other moms out there in the blogosphere, but the main point was to let our family and friends who wanted to keep up to date with us to have an easy way to do that. also, Bobby and i thought it would be great for us to be able to look back and see things we were doing, how things changed, how Caleb's grown, and so on. we wanted to record parts of our journey, and right now, this is a big part of it.

i also want to be careful how much i put out there. i love my family so much, and i want to cherish this journey we're on together. i don't ever want to tell too much of our story. after all, this is the internet.

i always want to be honest, and not ever feel like i'm simply painting a pretty picture of the foreground just to cover up all the stuff behind it. yet i also fear i may not do well with my words, and undermine or not show sensitivity to what others are going through. we all have stuff in our lives. right now, my stuff is kinda sending me for a loop, but i fully know that there are so many who have stuff in their lives that mine doesn't come anywhere near in comparison.

so, with all that said, here goes.....



anxious...questioning...nervous...overwhelmed...inadequate...guilty...angry...scared.

these are some words that might describe what's going on inside my heart these days.


our sweet Caleb has been dealing with some developmental and communication delays, as well as some sensory issues. at 15 months, his pediatrician was concerned with the fact that he had no words, and also that he was showing very limited understanding of what we were saying. by 18 months, when there wasn't really any change, bobby and i agreed that this was something we needed to address. we have had many different evaluations done since then with a lot of different doctors and specialists. we have started early intervention therapy, speech therapy, and are trying to get started on occupational therapy as well. right now there is no reason, or diagnosis, or any real answers as to what lies ahead.

Caleb is now 22 months old. he has shown some progress with the therapy already, but still has a long ways to go. he still has no words, except maybe "go" and "dada". he is definitely aware that he is limited in how he can communicate with us, and some days he can get very frustrated and upset. some days, he is happy as can be and running around the house laughing. he has such a sweet, sweet spirit.


this is what i know in my head:

God has a plan for Caleb.

God has a plan for Bobby and me.

God made Caleb in His image. He gave him to us to be his parents. He will give us everything we need to be the parents He calls us to be.

God is good.

God is mighty.

God can move mountains.

Everything that happens in our lives, the good, the bad, and all the stuff in between, happens for a reason. Everything is for His bigger picture.

We won't always understand that this side of heaven.


in my head, i know all of that, but if i am completely honest, i have to admit that my heart's not there yet. i have complete faith and confidence that God will lead me there, but today, in this moment, with this situation, it's just not there yet.



calm...quiet...trusting...still...peaceful.

these are the words that i want to be able to use to describe my heart. that is where i want to be. that is where i yearn to be.

"Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.

Tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers.

If you do this, you will experience His peace, which is

far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

His peace will make your thoughts and hearts quiet and at rest

as you trust in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

snow again, snow again

we awoke this morning to more snow!

that's three weeks in a row that it has snowed here. i don't ever remember getting this many snows so close together before. granted, it's not a lot of snow this time around - just enough to make for some pretty scenery.....

while it is nice to look at, if it doesn't clear up by tomorrow, my mommy-bible-study will be canceled for the third week in a row. i've really been missing this time, and after the kind-of-rough morning that little man and i had, i'm thinking that this mommy could really benefit from it! which translates to husband and little man benefiting as well!