summer time and the livin's easy

 AHHHH, to bask in the sun on your cement warmed towel and not worry about stretch marks or razor burn or how many L.B.'s the winter left behind, and instead enjoy the first 90 degree day of the year care free!

 { i'm not talking about me of course, i had on my itsy bitsy polka dot number flaunting my 8 month belly, without a care in the world, but unfortunately gabe doesn't know how to work the camera yet, so there is no proof, bummer! }

I'm pretty sure this is how their conversation played out...

Wes: why do you have a shirt on to go swimming?

Gabe: have you seen this porcelain skin, i don't want to burn.

Wes: you can call it whatever you'd like but i think you just need a tan!

*

In between the tantrums

thanks to the "terrible two's" which have reared their ugly head full force at our house, 

 gabe is having a pretty dang fun filled summer. 

{ and its not even technically summer yet }

swimming with aunt chelsey and baby Ivy, in a pool big enough for mamma to join, and for the little dude to sport his new life jacket. we've got to get him used to it since its gonna be part of his permanent attire at bear lake for the next few years. 

*

"helping" dad work on the yard,

driving grandpa Toms tractor.

*

fishy face

 we took a little field trip to the living planet aquarium, and let me just say that before this little jaunt, i was totally 100% against putting your kid on a leash, but now, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea. This little Tasmanian devil that i call my Son, was OUT. OF. CONTROL.!! he had so much fun running from exhibit to exhibit or "me-mo to me-mo" as he calls anything that moves in the water. 

and no matter how fast i 'waddled' i could not keep up with him. Good thing nana was there to help chase him down when he sprinted to far ahead. the little dude has wheels i tell ya!

 so although i'm not running out to buy a kiddy leash just yet, those who use them will get no more judgements from me. 

i may not be far behind when trying to control 2 little devils!

Gabe letting me know that he has AGAIN, spotted NEMO swimming behind the glass.

although it was really a trout and there was only one actual clown fish in the whole aquarium. 

Which, as a side note, is completely rediculous. you'd think the brains behind the aquarium would know their audience and have dedicated a whole room to the token fish from Finding Nemo

you could barely squeeze between the throngs of children yelling "nemo" or "dori" 

to get a peek at the little movie stars.

 gabe and cousin mia

*

 i just didn't have the heart to break it to Gabe that, yes Wes is tanner then him

and will most likely be better at basketball then him also.  

but that doesn't mean he wont have mad skills.  

so, summer has barely began and the possibilities seem endless.

As long as mamma here can survive the terrible two's 

while adding another little energy ball to the mix in 6 short weeks

i think this summer will be fantastic. 

and when it gets to be too much and i fall apart,

 at least daddy is around to save the day. 

because no matter how much fun i am. 

when dad shows up,

i'm old news!! 

I'm a Mamma!

If i would have became a momma when we decided to start a family, i would be celebrating my 6th mothers day. but as with all things its the Lords timing not ours and today i'm celebrating my second.

i think back to the 3-4 years of trying to start a family and know that where we are right now is exactly where we are supposed to be. 

i have carried a lot of burdens in my life and i know i am FAR from done with my fair share of challenges that lie ahead,

but for some reason the burden of infertility was made light.

after a couple years we started thinking that maybe adoption would be our only choice and i was completely fine with that. I have witnessed so many adoption miracles that i knew without a doubt sometimes our Heavenly Father needs to send our babies down in a different way but they would find their way home.

However, after one miscarriage and 4 years we welcomed our first little boy into the world 

and i became a MAMMA!

a title that i prize more then any other.

this is one of my very favorite pictures, not because of my puffy post labor face, but because gabe was only hours old and i remember feeling like he was so familiar laying in my arms.

i remember hearing his little cry and thinking, i know that cry, right from the beginning.

and although i dont actually remember feeling my heart triple in size

i'm pretty sure it had to to hold the amount of love i have for this little man.

Not only did he make me a mamma, but he made us a Family.

who knew all the traveling, adventures, date nights, sleep and freedom

couldn't even compare to the joy that being a mom would bring.

watching your husband go from being a spouse to being a dad too. 

and knowing that this is your everything for eternity and not wanting it any other way.

and now in just a few short weeks, gabe will get to become more then just a son but a big brother and i will get to become a mamma all over again and we will be a family of 4, and i will get to use the term "kids" plural and i'll become more sleep deprived then i already am. 

i'll get to meet this little rib kicking maniac that i'm already in love with.

i'll get to introduce him to his big brother and best friend.

i'll get to hold him in the middle of the night and smell that new baby smell and cry because i'm not sure how much more happiness i can take. 

and laugh, and worry, and smile, and teach, and learn, and snuggle, and pull my hair out,

 and get down on my knees and ask my heavenly father what the heck i'm doing

and then thank him for the opportunity to mess up

and get up the next morning and try again.

because 

I AM A MAMMA. 

~ Happy Mothers Day ~