My Beautiful Life

I'm so happy right now. I say this a lot, but I wouldn't change ANYTHING about my life right now (especially now that we've moved, ha!). There have been times where I have struggled being a stay-at-home mom, but not lately. My kids are so awesome.

Cameron is becoming more and more self-sufficient, which means less tantrums. He's turning into a really fun kid. Sometimes when Allie is napping, we go outside and lie on the grass and just talk. He's so fun to talk to. We can have really great conversations now, and I just love it. He has an awesome sense of humor, and we can get each other laughing really hard. I just can't imagine him being in a daycare and me having to miss all of his hilarious comments and HSM moves. Right now he's sitting by me putting stickers all over his face!! He's my little basketball superstar, and I love him SO much!

Allison is at such a fun age where she loves to just watch everything. She's sleeping 12 hours at night now, and is just as cute as can be. She's turning out to be a momma's girl, which I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing! I'm so grateful to able to nurse her and enjoy those moments where we just stare at each other. I love it when she smiles at me while she's eating and milk spills out of her mouth. Time is flying so quickly with her, and I'm just savoring every moment with her. I love my Allie girl.

I ALWAYS want to be there for my kids. I want them to always know that when they are at home, they are safe, loved, and that Mommy & Daddy would do anything for them. I believe that all children deserve that. I haven't felt like I've been the best Mom I can be all the time, so I have really been working on it. I have seen and felt a major change over the past few weeks, and I know that the kids (well, Cam atleast) have felt it too.

I have been reading Dr. Laura's book "In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms". I have to say, it is the BEST book! I can't put it down....I stayed up soo late last night reading it. I HIGHLY recommend it!! She points out that so many people view staying at home with your kids as a "sacrifice". Our families are NOT a sacrifice! I love what she says here:
"You don't have kids to have an approving audience. You have kids for their sakes, not your own. Children have very specific emotional and psycholodical needs, best met by a loving parent, not hired help. I believe a child needs to know that his mother loves him more than she loves a job, career, fame, power, money, prestige or celebrity. No, our children are not there to be our cheerleaders; we are here to be theirs."

I'm starting to view Stay-at-home Motherhood differently. I used to feel like my days had no purpose, and I was so bored of doing the same chores every day. But I've completely changed. I LOVE taking care of my home and making it a safe, clean, happy sanctuary for our family. I am so scared to send my babies into this awful, evil, suggestive world, but I do have control over my own home. Every night I plead with my Heavenly Father to help my children make good, right choices. NOTHING means more to me than for my family to be together forever.

We got our June issue of the Ensign in the mail yesterday. The entire issue is about "Creating Heavenly Homes." I absolutely loved it!! Nate & I are by no means perfect parents, and there are things that we definitely need to be working on in our family, but am just so so grateful for our life right now. OUR LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL! The Lord gave me a gorgeous, worthy, hard-working husband who loves me and our kids so much. He prefers to be with us than be doing anything else. I love him so so much. The Lord has blessed us with 2 beautiful children so far. I'm not sure why He saved the cutest and sweetest kids for Nate & I, but I really think He did! :) I can't wait to meet the rest of our children!!