Five on Friday: 5.8.15 {Mother's Day edition!}

Since Mother's Day is this Sunday, this Five on Friday will be centered around that theme!  

one // Winston's arrival is not quite as I would have planned it but God is good and the outcome was a precious little boy that I already loved with all of me.  I remember being in recovery, covered with heating blankets because I was freezing, when Benjamin walked in holding Winston.  I remember saying, "Hello Winston, I'm your Mommy!" and he turned his head to look at me.  I was so overwhelmed in that moment.  He knew me!  He knew my voice and that I was his.  Our family came in with congratulations and the moments after were a whirl.  And then they left and it was quiet again.  Quiet with just him and I staring at each other.  Me thinking: "Here we go kid.  This is it!  What a wild ride we started on and I can't wait to see where it goes!"  It's funny the things you distinctly remember when your whole world has shifted.  I remember being so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that God blessed me to be Mom to this precious creation!

two \\ My first Mother's Day.  Look at that round little head!!  It was a low-key, lovely day where I was able to spend the day loving on and being loved by my two favorite men-folk!

three \\ The lady in the middle, that's my Momma.  I have always considered my Mom to be my closest friend.  We never lived close to extended family so our little unit is quite close.  She and my Dad rooted my brother and I in biblical truths and put feet and hands to unconditional love.  I aspire to do for Winston what she has done for me.  In becoming a mother, I have leaned on her experience and loved having her as a sounding board to check our ideas on raising Winston.  I am eternally grateful for her patience and love, for the legacy she has created and that I am able to be a part of!

four \\ As Winston grows and develops, I love each stage!  It's probably one of the pieces of advice I give most to new moms.  Enjoy every step along the way; the good and the bad.  Take some time each day to just stare and soak in their every little detail.  Now that Winston is full blown talking, the conversations we have are awesome!  He is so comical and cheeky but at the same time sweet and sensitive.  His imagination is enormous and I love being a part of that!  Together we have mastered all sorts of animal and truck sounds, we construct the tallest towers and create colorful paintings together.  I adore this stage and look forward to what is around the corner!  

It is an amazing amount of influence that we have in our children's lives.  If I stop to think about it for too long, I get overwhelmed at the responsibility.  Teaching Winston how to be a decent human is not something that happens by accident.  It's all very intentional and purposeful.  And each stage brings new adventures to celebrate and challenges to face.  I am thankful to have Benjamin as a partner in raising Winston and that we both rely on God and His word for guidance and direction!

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20

five \\ In the past few weeks, throughout the day as Winston and I are playing, reading or running errands, he will say "Hey Mommy.  I love you!" and either give me a hug or a kiss.  How this Mommy's heart just swoons each time he does it!!  These words from his sweet mouth, unprompted by me saying it to him first, are treasures.  I am thankful for his sweet, sensitive, loving spirit.  I realize that this a reflection of the environment that Benjamin and I have created as parents.  Parenting is not something we are able to do on our own.  I daily hit my knees praying for Winston's day, his future, guidance, wisdom, energy, patience and an outpouring of love.  My God is the one who sustains me through each high and each low.  He fills in where I lack and that is my comfort.  My prayer is that Winston sees God in the way that we love him!  

I am incredibly thankful and overwhelmed to be a Mom.  It is an honor.  It is a privilege.  It is a title I wear proudly.  

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Linking up today with 5 on Friday:April | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife | Friday Favorites: Momfessionals