Mother's Day 2013

As Mother's Day is approaching, I have been thinking a lot about the 3 little blessings that call me Mom. Being a Mom is something I always knew I wanted. I have been blessed to have a wonderful example of what a Godly Mom looks like and want to be that to my kids as well. Since Preston, Emily, and Callie are the reason I get to celebrate, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things about them. I'll start with Preston. Preston is Jeff's mini me. Always has been and I hope he always will be. To have another man in this world like Jeff Shands would be a blessing. Especially to his future wife. :) Anyway, what I love most about Preston is his desire to learn. He loves school, reading, and doing math problems. He recently told his friends that he wished he could go to school all year long. He MOST DEFINITELY doesn't get that from me! He's very competitive in his school work. Hopefully that will carry him a long way in life. I also love watching him with his sisters. Yes, BOTH of them. We went to our city carnival a couple weeks ago and he and Emily did the big swing thing. He helped her in every way he could since Jeff and I weren't riding. With Callie, he's a natural. Oh my goodness. He's so gentle and calm with her and she loves loves him. She doesn't typically like riding in the car in the late afternoon/evening, but most of the time it doesn't bother him. He just talks to her and holds her tiny hand. I think he likes having a baby sister. :) On to Emily... Sweet sweet Emily. She has such a loving and affectionate personality. She is friends with everyone and loves on everyone. That's not always the best thing, but we are working on that with her. She just has so much love to give. My favorite recent memory is how she would kiss and hug my belly every morning and tell the baby bye. I hope that memory never fades because it's such a sweet one. She's growing up too quickly and has done remarkably well in Kindergarten. She is reading everything and her teacher, Mrs. Lori, said that she is ready for first grade! We are very proud of her. She's had a lot of changes over the last year and she's handled everything beautifully. My sweet Callie. I've said it a hundred times, but I'll say it again. God definitely knew what He was doing when He gave her to us. She is an absolute angel, but my favorite things about her are the way her paci falls out when she smiles. I also love her breath!! There's just nothing like a breastfed baby's breath. I wish I could bottle it up. She's such a happy baby and I'm so thankful. I strive to thank God every day I have with my family because I know each day is a blessing that I don't deserve. Of course, none of this would be possible without my wonderful Jeff. There aren't enough words to say how thankful I am for him. He's my rock and my hero. There aren't many men out there like him. I am blessed....