Best Mother's Day Ever

I had to chuckle a little when I read over my last post before starting this one. 
Yes!  The Lord certainly does direct our steps!

Our precious newest addition, Clare Grace, was born Wednesday, May 4th at 8:43p.m.  She weighed 8lbs 8ounces and is 20.5 inches long.  We are more than thrilled!  She is a perfect, healthy, bundle of joy, and our family cannot get enough of her.

With a due date of May 15th I really wasn't "expecting" her to come last Wednesday.  I had a long list of things to do after my 9:30 a.m. doctor's appointment.  I had Mother's Day cards to get in the mail, a nice big list for the grocery store and plenty of other errands.  I didn't make it home from that doctor's appointment however.  I went from the office to the hospital and was admitted.  I had no suitcase packed at home, my husband had been up all night at work, there was virtually no food in the house and I was staying in the hospital.  Certainly not the way I would have planned it but I wouldn't trade the blessing of having her here for ANYTHING.  (Some day for a fun post I will list the contents of the suitcase my husband packed for me!  It will provide you with a great laugh.)

Through this time I am reminded once again how much God loves me.  I look into my children's faces and I know God loves me.  I look at my life and the ordering of my steps and I know God loves me.  I cannot take in how He loves me or why He loves me.  His love is too much for me to comprehend, but I know He loves me.  My joy comes from knowing Him, not from my circumstances, but oh what blessed circumstances are these.  Each day as I look at my 6 babies and I see all that my husband is doing for our family my heart is melted and I feel that sweet reminder of my Heavenly Father's love.

There are so many little details of this whole experience I do not want to forget, like my husband cooking dinner when I got home from the hospital in his precious, no experience kind of way, the bracelet he bought me for Mother's Day and the way he cried in the delivery room, my children's letters they wrote to me, or the way they all want to hold and kiss and brag on Clare all day long,  and the funny things like the suitcase I mentioned before or the number of McDonalds receipts stuffed in the checkbook. (Remember, I said I left the house empty of food.  They all wanted to be at the hospital, not grocery shopping or cooking, so they hit the drive thru a couple of times a day as they headed downtown to the hospital and on the way back home again.)  I don't want to forget the sweet visits and phone calls from friends and family, the Starbucks Coach John and DeAnna brought me at the hospital, the delicious food our friends have carried in, or the beautiful cradle my dad built for the baby.  I don't want to forget any of it and I don't want this time to slide away too quickly. 


The beautiful cradle Dad made

Sweet friends!

Big Brother!  A girl can never have too many of these!!

I just celebrated the best Mother's Day ever and I hope you did too.  I hope you will love being a mother even more this year than last.  I hope you will hug your children every single day and take time to play with them.  I hope you will fill their lives with special memories and not sweat the small stuff, as they say.  I hope you will remember that you are loved by our Lord and that each day is a gift from Him. How blessed we are to be mothers and let us not forget!