Tribute to Mom

"The guardian angels of life fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us."

Today marks the one year anniversary of my Mom's passing. I have a ton of mixed emotions. I am happy for the time I got to spend with her but angry that God took her away so soon. Angry that she will never be able to meet Collin and watch him grow up. Angry that I cannot call her and talk to her about things going on in my life. Angry she is not here to see his milestones. Sad at the family dynamics that have changed since her passing and stressed at times that I often feel like the glue that holds the family together. Sad she is not here to help Brittany with her wedding and see her special day. Throughout all of these emotions I know that God is good and she is with him looking down upon us. She is in a much better place where there is no pain, no worries, and no sickness. She is the one in the better place with our Father and one day all of us will be reunited. On this anniversary I hope to celebrate her memory and make her proud. For all those reading this with Moms still here, give them a hug and tell them how much you love them. You never know when they may be taken away and you will realize how much they truly mean to you.

Collin's New Bathroom

Patrick and I recently decided that Collin needed a kid friendly bathroom. Since we live in a small ranch house we had to turn our once adult guest bathroom into his new bathroom. After much looking I settled on a monkey themed bathroom. I figured it would be gender neutral (for the future if a sister comes along) and would also be something that could grow with him. I found an adorable shower curtain, towels, and a toothbrush holder and lotion pump at Target. I then had an art teacher at Big Creek make three custom canvas paintings to coordinate. I found the "Monkey See, Monkey Do" sign at Babies R Us online and then had a teacher from Big Creek make the bucket to hold all the supplies for guests. All in all it turned out pretty cute. Collin LOVES it too. If you ask him where the monkeys are, he will take off for the bathroom and point to all of them. I am so glad he appreciates all the hard work and hours of shopping that went into it.

Haircut #7

Yes, you read it correctly. Collin has had 7 haircuts since he was born. He was born with a head full of hair and has not lost any of it. We are now taking him to Halfpint Haircuts and he gets his hair cut by our favorite stylist TJ. The place is so cute. They have seatbelts in the seats and the kids can pick out a DVD to watch at each station. Collin chose to watch ELMO but was more entertained with trying to take his cape off. Here are some pictures we snapped.

I Wonder Why Mommy is So Tired?

Just look at this mess she has to clean up every night!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Collin and Daddy did a great job of spoiling me all weekend. Saturday morning Daddy took Collin so I could go to the gym and then to get a pedicure. This morning they surprised me with a sweet card from Collin and the Dooney and Bourke wristlet I had been wanting. They then let me go out shopping while they stayed home and had "boy time". It was so nice to be able to relax this weekend and spend some time alone and with my favorite boys in the whole world!

This Mother's Day was also very tough as it is the first one I have experienced without my mother. My mother passed away from cancer suddenly last May. Each and everyday I think about her and all the wonderful times we had together. Being a mother myself, I now realize how much she sacrificed for us and appreciate her so much more. I was lucky enough to have 28 great years with her and have a very close relationship with her. I know that she is with the Lord right now in a place better than I can even imagine and that I will be reunited with her one day. It is tough to get through days like this but I know God has a plan and He took her for a reason. I just want her to know how much we all love her and miss her. Collin looks at her picture each day and now knows who to point to on the refrigerator when I say "Nana". So sweet!

I am also blessed to have such a great Mother-in-Law. I do not know how I would have gotten through the struggle of losing my mom and becoming a first time mother without her. She has been amazing in helping me deal with this loss and treating me and my family like one of her own children. I am so blessed in this respect and thank God daily for allowing me to marry into such a great family. She is also GREAT with Collin and he loves her to pieces.

It's Official....Collin Is Walking!!

As of Sunday our little man decided he wanted to be a walker. He no longer prefers to crawl around the house but take off walking. Boy is our life about to change.