Today, on Mother's Day, we dedicated James and Ethan to God. For those who are not familiar with it, it symoblizes our recognization to God that he gave us such a wonderful gift that we now are dedicating/ returning them to Him. One of the first moms in the bible was Hannah.We publically pronounced that we will do all in our power to bring them to know God and Jesus. As parents we strive for this daily and just pray that we can set the example for our boys to be strong men of faith, to not give into temptation, to stand up for what is right, to be good spouses one day. Also I pray for the right reaction and discipline when we or they fail at these things. We just pray that they will accept God and Jesus in their heart and live life in a positive way. We know that they are not perfect and they will face hard times but I pray that as parents we can guide them and comfort them during those times. But just as there are hard times there are many joyous times that we will celebrate together.
We were so blessed to be able to do this in Alabama. Because Shawn deployed when James was 2 months old and returned when he was 18 months followed by a move to GA and then to AL, we just weren't able to do it earlier. Our entire family joined us in this special day. Grandparents, Aunt, Uncles, and Cousins were all there! It was so nice having both sides there at one time. Although at times I got stressed because I am a planner and not everyone understands that and respects the need for me to plan all and all it was a special day.
This is my first Mother's Day as a mommy of 2. I know that at times I complain about being a SAHM, the late nights of no sleep, etc but I wouldn't trade it for the world. To be given the opportunity to be home and not have a "fill in" mom with my children is the best feeling in the world. Although not everyone has the opportunity to stay home I know that I am blessed to stay home with them. I love watching them grow and learn new things. I love how smart and kind James is (well most of the time). I love how snuggly Ethan is and how his smile makes me smile. I love watching my two boys interacting even with Ethan only being 9 months old. The decision to have a 2nd was a very difficult one for me...everyone who knows me knows this. But I can honestly say I can't imagine life without my 2 boys and to give James a sibling is awesome. I hope that they will share a strong bond as brothers and be the best of friends. I hope that they will select women who will accept me as their mother in law and that I don't overstep boundaries but that I am allowed to be as active in their lives as possible. I understand that the bond between mothers/daughters and mothers/sons is very different. I accept that and am not nieve. 'A son is a son until he finds a wife, a daughter is a daughter all her life'. I can't imagine life without my boys...and yes for the record we are done :)
