My First Mother's Day.

It's 9 o' clock in the morning on Mother's Day Sunday. I just woke up I've already changed a blow out diaper (which got all over my bed) and fed my daughter. 2 years ago I thought I never wanted kids. I thought having kids meant being a slave for the rest of eternity. I seriously couldn't figure out why on Earth people would want that. Spending 24hrs a day being what I thought was tortured.

Even though my mother told me otherwise, I thought being a mom just meant constantly feeding, changing diapers, cleaning up after all your kid's messes and trying to get them to stop fighting or to take naps. When we were surprisingly blessed with Ellyse I was taught much more than that. If you don't have children and want to know how it really is, at least for me, then I will tell you right now. It is the hardest job you will have ever have. It is, however, the MOST rewarding. There is no such thing as a "day off". But I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Being a mother has taught me to be a better person. The way I used to think and behave is not even CLOSE to how I think and behave now. I no longer say or do anything that would make my daughter feel anything but proud of me. I have given up a lot of things that are superficial and that honestly, do not matter at all in the scheme of things. Like shopping 3 times a week, a fancy car, and meaningless free time. I'm stronger in more ways imaginable. I gave birth to a 9lb baby naturally. I didn't do it for anyone other than myself. I can literally say and believe that I can do anything that seems difficult or impossible. I have a deeper appreciation for Christ and what he went through to save us all. I have a deeper appreciation for our Heavenly Father and all His little miracles that I was oblivious to before. I thank Him multiple times a day for allowing me to be a mother. I have learned and felt a love and joy that many mothers know but none of us can describe. I feel a new sense of worth and purpose. I now have something worth living for and fighting for. I am learning more than I can teach. I've grown and continue to grow on a daily basis. I used to be a taker, but all I want to do now is give as much as I possibly can, anything and everything that I have. I find extreme joy in watching my daughter grow and learn. Her first smile, her first laugh, the first time she reached for me, the first time she ate rice cereal, the first time she sat up, the first time she crawled, her first tooth; it all has a more prominent memory in my brain than any other pleasant thing that has ever happened in my life. It's a meaningful joy, not the kind that lasts for a moment.

In this life we all are working for something. We all have our reasons to live. But I have found in my own life that there is nothing that I would rather work for or live for than for my daughter. I do a lot for her, but I owe her for changing my life, for giving it meaning. I love being a Mother.

To my own Mother: You were right. And I love you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Ellyse Rose

It's been a whole month since Elly came into this world. Labor and delivery was such a beautiful experience. 26 long hours of labor and I did it naturally. She was born August 26th at 2:54am and weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce. I learned that it doesn't matter how many people you ask for advice about giving birth, NOTHING can prepare you for your own unique birthing experience. I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband and mother who were there with me every minute of it, helping me breathe, rubbing my back, feeding me ice, coaching me and keeping a positive attitude. Since then, there has been a lot of sleepless nights and it seems like all I do is feed her, change her diapers and try to get her to stop fussing. But we love her so much, more than we could have ever imagined. She has already began smiling, usually right when she wakes up in the morning. She's a little water baby, she loves her baths. She seems to sleep the best when there is a lot of noise so we usually have to have the fan or TV or some sort of music on. She is getting bigger and chunkier and it amazes me that everyday she gets cuter. I could sit and look at her for hours. I love my little family and can't wait for the days to come. Heavenly Father has been good to us. Life is wonderful.

Baby Shower

I'm excited to finally blog about my baby shower! My friend Jodie did such a great job. Everything was beautiful. The theme was tea party. It was decorated with tea cups, lace and lots of little birds and bird houses. I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

She hung pink pom poms and white lanterns in the tree! So cute!

Jodie made edible bird nests for party favors and stuck them in everyone's tea cup.

My mom came up with the adorable idea to have "Sweetie pies" "Baby cakes" and "Honey buns". So Jodie made chocolate cream pies, cupcakes and cinnamon buns. All were very delicious!

Here's the dessert table. So pretty!!

It was really fun and relaxed and I'm grateful for all that came. This was my dream baby shower!

Happy 22!

I can't believe it has almost been a month since I've blogged last. I have so much to catch you up on! Tammy (my mother in law) and I painted the baby room! I would like to post pictures but I don't want to do that until I get everything situated how I like it. She also taught me how to make this adorable baby blanket.

It was so much fun, and I'm getting more confident with my sewing skills.

I've also been taking walks with my mom on the Kuna greenbelt. She's nice to stay at my slow pace as I waddle along. I had to take a few pictures. It's absolut

ely beautiful, especially in the morning.

Last weekend was my birthday! Sunday the 7th to be exact. The day before was my baby shower! It was loads of fun and exactly what I had hoped for. My friends Jodie and Mary did a wonderful job and my mom and mother in law were a huge help also. I would post pictures but I didn't get any on my camera. So as soon as I get some pictures from Jodie and Tammy I will be sure to post them so you can see how lovely it turned out!

I saw this desk/vanity at Shabby House and asked Brig if I could have it for my birthday. It is now sitting in my living room looking fabulous under our tv. Don't mind all the messy cords, I'm not quite sure what to do about them.

Well that's all for now. I will work on finishing the baby's room and getting some pictures of the baby shower so I can post about it all soon.

How to throw a proper pity party...

No doubt about it, I've had a nasty case of the Pregnancy Blues the past week or so. Therefore, the other night I gave myself permission to spoil myself a little bit. I went to Albertsons to get something yummy and found a delicious piece of 5 layer decadent chocolate cake at the bakery. YUM! Then I spotted a sale on some flowers! Nothing cheers me up than than flowers, so I grabbed a few and headed toward the checkout. As I was standing in line I admit, I felt a little bit guilty. A piece of cake and a bouquet of flowers weren't exactly worked into our budget for this month. So as I was trying to come up with reasons to justify my splurge the man behind me in line said "You shouldn't be buying those flowers". I was shocked and confused but he continued on to say "Someone should be buying flowers for YOU." Slightly embarrassed, I let him know that they were, in fact for me. And then he looked shocked and thought for a second and said, "Well, good for you! It's nice of you to treat yourself and you look like you deserve it!" I thought it was so nice! And after that I thought, YEAH! I'm growing a whole 'nother person, the least I deserve is flowers and a piece of cake. So I didn't let myself feel guilty any longer and as I left he yelled out, "Enjoy those flowers!" I believe me, I AM! :)

So now the flowers are sitting in a vase on my dining room table looking gorgeous and putting a smile on my face everytime I see them. As for the piece of cake, the poor thing didn't have time for a picture before I devoured it. I kick myself, cuz this was a beautiful piece of cake! Enough to make anyone's mouth water. The rest of that night I sat and watched movies and read magazines that my dear friend Whitney had brought me. Isn't this a wonderful sight?

So three things that are crucial in throwing a proper pity party are: Chocolate, Flowers & Magazines. And if it weren't for the fact that it's summertime and I'm pregnant, a warm bubble bath would have just send it over the top.

Lavender Festival

Last Saturday I went to a Lavender Festival in Kuna with my mom, sister, her two kiddo's and my grandmother. It was so much fun! There was a lot to take in. Lavender fields, vendors, food and gardens. It was gorgeous.

I think our favorite part was the catering by Sophie's Choice Designs. They looked adorable in their matching shirts and aprons and the goodies were amazing. Lavender cupcakes, Lavender lemonade (which was probably the best lemonade I've ever had!) Lavender jams, sugar, brownies (also amazing) and tons more. They did such a good job and were so nice to let me take pictures! You can check out their website. They do catering for all sorts of events.

There were a lot of other vendors selling neat hats, scarves, paintings and restored furniture.

Pictured above is my cute niece, beautiful mother and sister and a very pregnant me! It was a good day.

Doily Coasters

I found these really cute handmade doilies on Etsy and had to have them. They were only a few dollars! I decided to use them as coasters for my living room coffee table and it definitely added a classy, vintage touch. And as you can see, they look great with the beautiful glasses I found at at a store in Eagle called Ooh La La. They are just so much fun, I had to share.