mother's day

dreydan loves me being pregnant. he loves laying next to me & being silly while talking to his sister. he always says mom is she awake? and puts his hands on me to see for himself. and like clockwork, she will respond to his voice with kicks and shoves. he's addicted to her little movements and it's so incredibly cute.
i love being a mommy to this sweet little man. and i can't believe i get to love another little someone just as much. i was worried my heart wasn't going to be big enough for someone else. sometimes i'm still worried.. like how can i love another baby as much as i love dreydan? but each day that passes, i know it's totally possible. i already can't imagine not having her. 
the only thing i want this mother's day is a healthy, growing baby girl. i look forward to her bladder punches every night & random dance parties throughout the day because i'm pretty sure that's her way of saying i'm still good up in hurr! 
happy mother's day to all mommies! especially mine, the bestest of them all.

mother's day inspo - keeping it awesome

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i feel like every year i struggle with what to get/do for my mom on mother's day. you want her to feel special, loved, appreciated, needed. . . all in one. but i've realized i don't need to do it in a let's cry together because this is so sentimental way. she knows i love her more than anything.. i think. i hope she does. hi mom!

so this year (mom cover your ears!), why not keep it simple with some perfect, humorous (because i'm hilarious) gifts she can keep forever. or hang up in her office. or smile at when she's making tea and pulls down her new favorite mug. and seriously, a succulent goes with everything. who doesn't love a succulent? just give someone a succulent for no reason and they will remember & love you forever. swear it.

keep it awesome for mother's day this year.

you're welcome. 

Mother's Day Brunch

This was my first year as a mom going to a preschool Mother's Day Brunch.

Seriously, talk about sweeping me off my feet by little man!

First thing walking in I was handed a picture book of this year's activities they had done.

And a necklace that Drey made .

It's my favorite thing in the world right now. No joke, I'm in love with it.

Second we had to find our paper on the wall that describes us, in our child's eye.. so cute.

Then there was a small program & they sang us songs, swooon!

After that we did a mini craft, planted a flower & then ate some brunchy.

I honestly loved it so much. Dreydan was so sweet & I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a little.

 She likes to give me noodles haha... and the picture of me is spot on.

 my necklace! it's mine. be jealous.

first page in his all about me book. love every piece of him!

~

It's all about the little things in life that we need to cherish.

being a mama.

i have to tell you guys, when tyler & i first found out i was pregnant, i was totally unprepared & a little upset. we were newly married, in the middle of finals, tyler being recruited for football, swapping schools... it was a little bit of a mess. adding a baby? ahhh!

tyler was so sweet & strong about our news. we were sitting on the bathroom floor staring at the pregnancy stick with those obvious double pink lines staring right at me. he stood up & said, well. we're going to have a baby. it is what it is, em. he smiled, helped me up and gave me the best hug ever.

fast forward 9 months {+1 week, he was late!} and i'm holding my sleeping baby boy in arms. i was a mom. it felt so perfect & natural. why did i ever doubt myself? why did i think i wasn't capable of loving a child so much? and i kept thinking how does anything compare to this? this new life i brought into the world. it's simple. nothing compares to that. you can sure try, but good luck!

fast forward a couple years & here we are now. i'd be lying if i said motherhood was easy. it's the hardest thing i've done in my life thus far. it's messy, it's stinky, it takes every piece of you. with that being said, it's the hardest thing i've ever done with the sweetest rewards i could ever imagine. my 3 {almost 4!} year old son is the center of our world. and our undying love for him makes me want to cry.  before i was worried about not being capable of loving him enough. now, i wonder how any human is able to love someone so much. 

he's the first thing i think about every morning and the last thought before i drift off to sleep at night. teaching your child. raising your child. watching your child grow. it's surreal to me sometimes. i made him! my heartbeat was what kept him alive while inside me those 9 short months. now, his heartbeat is what keeps me alive. and that smile! swoooon.

i tell drey i love him about 100+ times a day. but what is love to a 3yr old? i've asked him what he thinks love means or is and these are things he's said:

"it's like...when I get a new dinosaur"

"it's what you do to me, mom! you love me!"

"love? to the moon & back?"

"when i watch jurassic park! i LOVE jurassic park!"

"love is when i love my candy. i love candy. do you love candy?"

and my personal favorite, i asked him if he knew what love was...

"i think it's when you & dad say you love me & i say 'love you too' and then we are happy"

pretty much, he nailed it.

happy mother's day to all you special mama's. especially mine, the most special of all.

~~~~~~

and she loved a little boy very, very much. even more than she loved herself.

-the giving tree, shel silverstein

photography via

kirstin roper photography