Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday today to a very special lady...

My mom!
It's funny how things work out.

It had been awhile since we had seen each other, 

but when my husband and I visited her and her boyfriend

this past April in Charleston,

all went so well...{brief post here}

It was nice to close the door of hurt & negativity

and embark on a new beginning.

Call it fate,

God,

a sign,

or what have you...

But on that trip my mother gave me my baby album

and my baby blanket.

It was as if now that we had mended our relationship,

I was now ready to have one with my own daughter.

Joe and I aren't convinced that lil miss baby girl didn't happen in Charleston!

Just a few weeks later, I took that pregnancy test and it was clear as day.

We had our first baby on the way!

My mother loves butterflies, as they're symbolic of her grandmother...

I hope she showers our girl with them and that can be one of their connections.

My mother was a stay at home mom,

attentive and had me reading before I was off to school.

She read me stories day after day,

took me on trips to the library,

sang songs,

made playdough,

and always had time to curl up and relax.

She had me baking and cooking in the kitchen when I was just toddling around.

She signed me up for dance classes,

Spanish lessons at age three,

and spending lots of quality time with my grandparents.

She taught me how to be a big sister,

care for others,

show compassion,

and care about my education.

She insisted I go off to college and live my life for me,

before settling down and starting my own family.

There are so many memories that are truly flooding back

from when I was a little baby girl,

that I want to instill in my daughter.

There are so many things you did right mom,

and i hope you realize that I am mostly the woman I am today

because of the values and lessons you taught me since before I was born.

I love you and look forward to your next visit in January when baby girl has arrived!

I love you.

I want to get a pair of overalls and re-create this picture in the Spring!!

1981

 2012