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On Mother's Day morning I woke up to this:

and this:

Peonies. Don't think there's a more beautiful flower.

...

continuing on...

I was always scared to be a mother, but now that I am I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have my mother and be a mother to my beautiful 9 month old little girl. I know that being a mother is the most important thing I'll do and I'm so grateful for the opportunity. Motherhood doesn't come with an instruction manual and is only taught by example. With the help of my mother, my sister, and Eric's mom I have the best examples in the world. I love being a mother and I love my little Leila.

When I think of Mothers Day I think of my own mother. My mother is a wonderful woman who taught me to be kind to others and taught me the love of service. My mom has always been my best friend and my biggest fan. No matter how old we get I know I can always turn to her and know that she'll be there for me. My mother is the best example of being happy, she taught me that no matter what your personal struggles are that you can always find the positive in any situation. Everything she does is done with a smile on her face, I rarely see my mother sad or unhappy. Her motto is, "life goes on" and "smile, be happy". She is my rock and a constant reminder to let the unimportant things slide off my back and focus on the important. If I can be even half the mother she's been to me, then I'm good.

My mom has a talent for cooking...me, not so much. She can whip out a delicious meal from nothing. When Leila was born she stayed with us for 5 wonderful weeks. When I thought I had no food in the house, she would dig in our pantry and freezer and make a fabulous meal out of the things we already had. Now that's talent. Guests rarely leave our home without a full belly...especially when my friends were over. I love that. We all know I'm not the best in the kitchen, but I'm sure this talent will come with time.

Eric too has a wonderful mother and I love her dearly. She has taken me in like her own daughter and I couldn't ask for more. She has done such a wonderful job raising her son because he is the finest father/husband around. He does more for our little family than I can ever describe and I know he learned that from his mother. Thank you Eileen for being such a wonderful example to us both.

Happy Mother's Day to every woman out there, you all deserve the best and sometimes the things we do as mothers go unnoticed. I'm glad that Studio5 has started a Motherhood Matters program, I love the message this sends to mothers. 

And here's a cute little poem to leave you with...it's been sent to my email multiple times and I love it.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on, pooped on, chewed on, peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.