Letter to a New Mom on Mother's Day

Dear New Mom,
You must be tired. You may not have slept a lot in the past few months and you may not remember what it is like to have two arms all to yourself. And although your wardrobe is now complete with spit-up stains and jewelery that will keep your little one entertained, you have never been more beautiful. You may not ever be able to count on taking a shower or getting your hair and make-up just right, but trust me, you are glowing.
Your whole life has led you to this moment. Isn't that crazy? It is finally here. And your education, your jobs, your friends and family, your exciting adventures have all prepared you for the time when you would bring a child into this world and make him your world. Yes, this may include giving up what you used to know of your body, your social life, your career, and even some of your identity, but the sacrifices are nothing compared to the gift of motherhood.
Because motherhood is a gift. Many never realize what a blessing and privilege it is, but as one who has waited for a mother's day to call her own, it is nothing short of a miracle. To think of the sacred and holy responsibility to raise up one of God's children and to realize how just how much trust He has placed in you... what an amazing, amazing gift.
At times you may feel like you have no idea what you are doing. You may think that there should have been something to prepare you for this in college or at church or somewhere and you may wonder why no one ever told you how inadequate you would really be as a mom. But you are ready. You have always been ready. Afterall, you were raised by a mother too. You watched her sing silly songs and make crazy faces all your life. You listened to her tell you everything was going to be ok and tell you how proud she was of you. You watched her love her husband and take care of her family. You saw her sacrifice many things to make sure that you knew that you were loved and that you had a good example to follow. You heard her share her love for the Savior and the prophets. You saw her love and serve her family, friends and neighbors. And even though at times you insisted you were nothing like her, you are now grateful that in so many ways you are just like your mom.
You may regret those teenage years when you thought she just didn't understand. Now you know that she does. She really does. And the love, oh the love that she must feel for you! As you look at your precious little one, can you imagine that someone else might love you just as much as you love him? Can you believe that you were once as he was? And that she was once as you are now? And just like you, she had doubts and worries and questions, but look - you turned out alright, didn't you?
And that is the beauty of it. Though you may be teaching and training him up, really it is you who is the student. It is you who will learn of love and joy, of sacrifice and faith, of patience and perseverance. And then one day, he will have a child of his own... and oh how much he will love.

happy mother's day to mom's old and new.

mom, i love you so much and hope you know of the renewed appreciation that i have for all that you have done for me now that i have walked a few days in your shoes. you've always asked for happy and well-behaved children for mother's day. i am so happy and always working on the well-behaved part. :)


shelly, i can never thank you enough for the father you raised as your son. he is everything you could have ever hoped for. happy mother's day


clint, thank you for making my day (and every other day) so wonderful. you make it so easy to be a mom and i am so happy that our son has you for a father. i love our little family more than anything in the world.


owen, today i feel like the luckiest mom in the world. i am so grateful to have you in my life and i can't believe how good it is to be a mother. thank you for bringing a new purpose to my life and for bringing me more happiness than i ever thought was possible. from the moment i saw you i knew you would change me forever. the day you came into this world was the best day of my life, yet some how each day gets better. i love you and am so proud to be your mom.




a few good quotes about mother's:
"motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own.." -Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

"the noblest calling in the world is motherhood. true motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of professions. She who can paint a masterpiece, or who can write a book that will influence millions, deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will exert an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give and the choicest blessings of God." -David O. Mckay

"there is no such thing as the perfect mother... we just do the best we can with the help of the Lord, and who knows these children who are struggling to be free may someday rise up and call us blessed." - Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"when God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. he dousen't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. instead he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. and then god puts the idea into the mother's heart and she puts it into the baby's mind. and then God waits." - E. T. Sullivan

what made me cry in church today...

A Child's Angel
by Erma Bombeck

Once upon a time, there was a child ready to be born.

He asked God:

"They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going
to live there being so small and helpless?"

God: "Among the many angels, I chose one especially for you. She will
be waiting for you and will take care of you."

Child: "But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing
and smile, and that's enough for me to be happy. Will I be happy
there?"

God: "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every
day.
You will feel your angel's love and be happy."

Child: "How am I going to be able to understand when people talk to
me if I don't know the language that men talk?"

God: "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you
will ever hear.
With much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

Child: "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God: "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

Child: "I've heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?"

God: "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking her own life."

Child: "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God: "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth
could already be heard.
The child, in a hurry, asked softly:

"Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God: "Your angel's name is of no importance.
You will call your angel ... Mother."

and this is why i married him... and will follow him to rexburg...

me:
hi babe.
i'm having a rough morning.
will you tell me everything is going to be ok?

him:

Everything is going to be better than ok. Everything is going to be great. I can't think of anything I would rather do than go on the adventure of a lifetime with you!

This is truly going to be awesome - for THE BOTH OF US. The great people we know and love here in San Diego aren't going anywhere. You'll be able to visit and time away will pass quickly. Just like the "paradise" we found in Fountain Valley and we thought no place could be better, and then we found Carmel Valley. We are good at finding the silver lining in any place we live. We (especially you) are also good as making friends. And one last thing. Although it will be hard to leave. This is all temporary. We can come back to San Diego!

I love you Love!

I can't wait to share you and Owey with the rest of the world (well, Idaho, Provo, and where ever we go to Law School).

Life is greater with the hard stuff mixed in.

I'm sorry you are having a rough morning. Try going for a long walk. or go swimming even if its overcast.

Love you babe.

me:
thank you.
just what i needed to hear.
i love you.

him:

Besides it's Cinco De Mayo... A Mexican holiday Mexican's don't even celebrate.

(yell this) Ai, Ai, Ai, Ai, Aiiiiiiiiii

(and do this) Pretend to swing a stick at a piñata.



don't you just love him?

what to blog about?

i realize i haven't blogged in over a week, and i just can't decide what to blog about.
do i blog about how my little boy is ALL BOY and loves his trucks, has a puffy lip (yes, from face-planting) and never stops?






(see the puffy bottom lip?)

or that he pulls himself up anywhere and everywhere, loves books, and wishes he could walk already?



or that some cloudy days and having only one car has gotten him (and me) a little stir crazy?



or that he has recently taken up streaking (thanks to the help of dad) and now expects as part of the bedtime routine to cruise his nakey little body (except for the towel-cape of course) through the house before he is forced into jammies for the night?



or about how fun it is to see these two little brothers from another mother in all their opposite-ness (yes, it's a word)?



harrison and owey

or about how much we are going to miss diego? (the new apartment won't let us have a dog)



or about how freaking cute this kid is?

or how scary i look after running? or how scared i am that my half-marathon is 3 weeks away. (i had a dream last night that it was REALLY easy... that's always good right?)



obviously, i have a lot to write about, but don't have much energy for it.
last night we had a little cinco de mayo get together with some friends from church and it felt like we were throwing our own farewell party.
and i'm a little melancholy today.
do you mind if i spill some sad feelings?
i feel guilty for feeling sad about leaving since i know this is such a great thing for clint and for the future of our family.
i feel weak for not feeling up to the challenge of starting over again and finding a new life.
i feel inadequate to be the wife of a student and to be as supportive as i know i need to be (of course i support the whole thing, but that's not to say i will be able to control my urge to freak out if i feel like a single mom at times.)
i feel beyond sad to leave behind such great friends and my awesome family not knowing if i have it in me to find new friends and that although wyoming (and family) is close, 4 hours may not be close enough.
and i wish the sun would come out today to help me cheer up a little.

reach for the stars

or the parrot.
whatver.

dear son,

i know you just want to be a big boy, but can't you stay little just a while longer?
i know that crawling is just sooo slow and that you would rather learn to walk, but really? isn't it more fun to sit in one place sometimes instead of roaming the whole house finding the dog toys to chew on, or worse, the dog food?
i know that you are sooo sick of rice cereal already and would much rather have whatever i have in my mouth, but you are still a baby, you know.
i know, i know, 7 months is sooo grown up, but don't you think you could let me cuddle you and hold you while you sleep for just a little bit?

i'm so glad you still let me rock you.
and kiss you whenever i want.
and laugh at me when i'm silly.
and give me your best smile every once in a while.
and light up when dad comes home.

and even though you are now 7 months old, and sooo grown up, you will always be my baby boy.
love you owey o.
love, mom.

dear friends,

i am so sorry i tricked you into thinking i was pregnant.
it was funny thought right?
i am even more sorry that my last post was not a trick, but in fact we really are moving to rexburg in 34 days. (holy schnikies!)
i am also really sorry that i am a bit of a murmurer when it comes to leaving the sun and the beach and my family and that i probably whine too much when i should instead look on the bright side. sorry you all have to hear about it, and sorry clint. you know i love you and would follow you pretty much anywhere. (but let's not get carried away, now.)
i am not sorry, however that i do have awesome friends.
thanks for laughing at me.
thanks for telling me it will all be ok.
thanks for the assurance that in the end, this is the best thing for us.
thanks for encouraging me to be supportive and keep my chin up.
thanks for reminding me that the time will go by fast and the snow will melt. (will it really?)
i am also not sorry that no matter where we are, this little family will be happy together and will make the best of the next adventure.
because as you all know, we are always up for an adventure.

love you, you're the greatest.
j.

neener, neener

tricked you! tricked you!
i love that you all went there.
don't you remember this post?
come on folks. i'm not that crazy.
i did however think that by making you think i was pregnant you might think we were a little less crazy when i told you that this is what is in our near future:


















yeah. not kidding. don't make me elaborate too much or i might cry.
clint is going back to school folks. and i am leaving the sun and the beach for the walmart in rexburg and the bitter, bitter (did i say bitter? who me?) cold.

and that's not all.
we leave in a little over a month.
i know.

so, in effort to find the silver lining, i am grateful that clint will be able to finish what he started there years ago and am grateful that i have little owey to keep me company in that desolate land. and we (i) did get a new car out of the deal. 4-wheel drive is what it's all about. in all seriousness, i know that this is a good opportunity for us and we are happy to be going to a church school. i just have to try and stay positive about the new life that is ahead of me and concentrate on supporting my man through thick and thin and making the best out of the next few years. that is what it's all about, right?

so the question is do you feel more or less sorry for me now than you did when you thought i was going to have 2 babies ? discuss.

btw, manda and tracie were the only one's who even came close!!

i've been putting this off...

for weeks now.
there is news in the erickson household and i haven't had it in me to write about it. i am still processing it all, and have written and re-written a million posts in my head, but none of them work.
so, it's up to you.
any guesses on what's new around here? (those who already know, no guessing, no cheating!!)
there may be a surprise for any lucky guessers!
here's a hint (cuz i'm generous like that):
we got a new car to accommodate our needs.

photoshoot.

a few(ok, more than a few) favorites from last week:






he's even cute with spit up all down his chin. (wish i would have seen that before snapping a million pictures!)

spring has sprung.

sometimes i forget about the seasons since i live here in the land where the weather is beautiful year around. but how could you possibly forget that spring is here when you have this amazing sight a few miles away:



the carlsbad flower fields. truly a sight to behold. can you believe that even though i have lived in san diego most of my life i had never visited the flower fields until yesterday? i know. sacrilege.
i took so many pictures, but it is just sooo gorgeous! these are all ranuncula by the way. and from the top of the field (picture above) you also get an ocean view. talk about a cherry on top!


amy and i decided we had to take the kids (not that they even knew where we were, but hey, at least it was colorful!) and so we strapped them to us and took the little tractor pulled wagon ride around the fields.



our tractor - john deere of course.


i love the stripes!


doesn't it just make you want to frolic?

and a few of the funniest parts of the outing - i think it was senior citz day at the flower fields. it was great because every single one of them got such a kick out of the babies and just had to pinch their little cheeks. you know they are missing their grandkids. also, every one kept asking us if owey and audra were twins (which is funny because they look nothing alike) and then the others were asking if amy and i were sisters. the best was this little old lady who was seriously like 95 - with a walker, cotton balls in her ears, lipstick drawn on, and who could hardly see - she insisted on helping amy put her baby carrier on. it was sooo funny, i had to get a picture. (her poor back!)



we also got a kick out of this guy. not the best picture because i was trying to be sneaky, but he was randomly set up with his little peruvian flute and a microphone attached to his face and was jamming like he was a rockstar. awesome.



welcome spring!

happy day.

the day has finally come when that magic number appeared before my eyes. yeah for goal weight day! could it have something to do with the near 200 miles i've run in the past few months? maybe just a little. here's to a new wardrobe and more running to celebrate.

100% genuine

who can resist that face?

i dare you to have a bad day when you have this looking back at you...

discovery.

if every stage of a baby's life had a name, this would be his right now:
discovery.
owey is loving his new status as a mobile little one and he couldn't be more thrilled to get around and discover all that is going on around him. it is amazing to see him explore all the things that he has been surrounded by for months, but is just now able to get an up close view of them.

from the second he wakes up, he is ready to take on the world. this is how i find him in his crib... anxious to get up and get moving.


luckily he hasn't mastered this yet on his own, but he loves standing up in his crib and peering over the edge.





fascinated by all the colors around him...


and of course, everything has to be explored by his new little teeth as well...


and from underneath...


even discovering himself in the mirror...

so much fun! now let me go baby proof before he starts moving quick!

sorry country haters

just listen to the words.
am loving this song right now, especially as my little baby boy grows up right before my eyes.

love at first bite.

discovered this yummy goodness at vons yesterday and i am in love. if you know me, you know that it's pretty hard to go wrong with anything ice cream (unless it's chocolate of course - i know, i'm crazy) but unfortunately my waistline doesn't really appreciate all the abuse. so, something sweet, ice-creamy, and not going to make me gain 5 lbs instantly?!? a dream!!
not only is this blood orange sorbet sooooo refreshing and satisfying, it also has ZERO grams of fat and 98 calories in 1/2 a cup. hellooo?!??!! now, usually i wouldn't equate a sorbet to ice cream. not the same. but man, this is gooooood.
mmm.. i just can't get enough! it tastes like a real orange! (beware: if you don't like oranges, you probably won't like it.) maybe that is because the only ingredients are blood orange juice, orange juice, and lastly sugar. could it be true?
i also picked up the pistachio flavored gelato version for the hubby (lover of all things pistachio and all things italian). even he, who doesn't get too excited about food (would rather have a magic pill than bother to eat) thought this was surprisingly delicious. i snuck in a few bites and had to agree! you'd better go get some before word gets out! goooood stuff!
as you can tell, i don't have the same problem as the hubby and possibly get way too excited about food. oh well.

rest assured...

dear friends,
just wanted to be clear on something.
i am not pregnant.
owey is only 6 months old remember?
i know i'm old, and i'd better start popping 'em out quick if i want to be done before i am a senior citizen, but give a girl a break.
and last time, rather than just 12 hours of H-E- double hockey sticks, it was 5 months of it.
so, for now, i am enjoying not puking as long as it can possibly last. (and actually, the sick day brought it all back to my memory - pretty good birth control if you ask me.)
thanks for your concern,
the-NOT-prego-jess

puke-iversary

the anniversary date with the mr. was so fun. to dinner, a stop at the beach to watch the sunset, and then to pick up the boy at grammy and papa's house. nothing fancy, but just enough to celebrate 3 great years together.
if only the day could have ended there.
unfortunately i spent the rest of the night and most of the day yesterday reliving that lovely dinner.
clint stayed home from work and had so much fun playing mr. mom that at one point he said "this is the best day of my life!" and then, realizing what condition i was in took it back quickly and just reminded me of how lucky i am to stay home with owey everyday. it's true.
i was also reminded of how ironic it was that the last time i had felt this terrible was all due to that little bean-boy inside my belly. so glad he's out, so glad i don't have 5 more months of this sick-stuff. at least not anytime soon.
glad to say that today is a better day and am happy to have gotten out of bed and even eaten a little something.

the big 2-6

happy birthday bud - sorry i missed out on the festivities! we love you and hope you have the best year yet!
xoxo, erickson 3.