top ten reasons I love being a mom..

1. Smooches.

Lets start off this list with this because, dude. You all know the daily amount of smooches we get from our babes is pretty much the main thing that keeps us going on this roller coaster! Who does't melt when their child plants on them?! 

2. Newborn snuggles.
Going right along with number 1, snuggles...from your newborn. Oh the delicious smell of a fresh new baby, bathed and lathered in baby magic lotion. Holding your child close to your chest and feeling their warm skin. (my uterus is screaming right now) It's. Magic.

3. Birthdays.
Oh dear me. How I love a birthday!! I love birthdays for my children, I love birthdays for you, I love birthdays for me, I  love birthdays for everyone!! I LOVE celebrate each one of my children lives! We re-tell each girls birthday story on their birthday so they can remember how important that day is. I love the individual celebration if each girl. The wonderful things they bring to our family and to the Earth. Oh and please don't forget how delicious birthday cake is! Yeah. Birthday cake should have its own number on this list ;)

4. An excuse to leave any terrible situation.
Oh me oh my. There have been PLENTY of times when I find myself in situation I wish I could run from. Plenty. And the, "I gotta go, she needs to lay down," or "Ew. She smells stinky. I better go change her," or the "I need to get my little one from school right quick," excuse has helped ...a lot.

5. Holidays.

These can be UBER expensive having children BUT the price we pay is ALWAYS worth the adorable dresseded up scarecrow or cowboy or bunny rabbit on Halloween. And the wish lists go on and on but on Christmas morning those glittery eyes that are surprised with all the Christmas wishes and dreams  make us do it again...year after year. And the yummy valentine candies we buy for them...and grab an extra for us...worth it. And teaching our babes why we celebrate The 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King Jr. day make Holidays one of THE greatest things about being a parent.

6. Acceptance.
If you have never felt accepted before, taken for exactly who you are, you are in for a huge surprise when you hold a new baby. They don't care about ANYTHING except love. Aaaaand a few gallons of milk. And some sleep, too. They don't care about what you did, what you say, how you think or what you wear. They're just hoping for a little love and prooobably praying that you won't drop them...which takes me to number 7...

Trust. These humans trust us adults with everything they have. They trust what we say. They trust what we feed them. They trust us while we drive, they trust us with their clothing. They trust that we are not feeding them poison and sending them to school in a swimsuit in the middle of winter. They get in a car, buckle up and look out the windows dreaming of the places they'll go, what a cow says and what their next meal will be. They just TRUST us. And that trust brings a GREAT feeling for us.  A reward that can't be bought...only earned.

8. Purpose.
Somedays I want to sleep in until 9 am. Lie. I'm lying. EVERY day I want to sleep in until 9 am.  I just LOVE my bed, okay?! ;)
And on the rough days when I have gone through a death, a loss, or the very most stressful day, I just want to curl in a ball and sulk. But, I have little ones that need me. So, I get out of my slump. I get dressed (kinda), put on a bra, brush my teeth and move through. These babies give purpose to push through the rough times. They bring smiles and sunshine. They bring other things to the table, too, like fighting and sassing etc but this is a POSITIVE post today...so wrapping those little arms around their mamas/daddys  neck on an off day really does make things better.

9.Future grand babies
EVERY grandparent I have talked to says being a grandparent is ALMOST better than being a parent! For many reasons but a few are because hello! you get to have those newborn snuggles you have missed so much over the years!! You get the love and adoration and trust ALL over agin!! BUT without the stress of making sure they are perfectly dressed and fed and off to school and church and friends houses everyday! You don't have to wake up through the night to change them and feed them!! You don't have to buy the necessary feminine hygiene products for them and you DONT have to deal both the sass and frustrations of PUBERTY!! Wooohooo! I plan to be an attentive hands on grandparent, an extension of a parent to my grand children, so long as my daughters want that. So, I will be helping encourage the standards and beliefs my children teach their children. BUT, I won't have the major stress and worry that their own parents will have. If I raise my children well and if they choose, they will hopefully take lessons learned in their home growing up and my husband and I can't trust THEM to raise their children well. MAN! I'm excited for grand babies!


And number 10.

10. Love.
The perfect, honest, pure, unconditional love a child brings to your life, is the number one reason I will NEVER regret being a parent and ALWAYS be grateful for. There is NO love like the love given to you from your own special child that you watch grow everyday. That you teach. That you pour your heart and soul into. That you sacrifice for. That you worry about and think about throughout each day. Sharing your life and making memories and watching little humans grow gives such a sense of pride and happiness. The dance recitals, trips to the beach, vacations in the mountains and days spent at Disneyland are all part of this wonderful journey as a parent. We do these things because of love. The love we GIVE and the love received. Love is the reason, folks. Love will always be the reason and love will always be the answer.