SHE's a MOM

(I know this is a picture with Santa, but it is me and all my kids and my son in law)

This is the Mom years by numbers, or at least by my calculations.  I have the pleasure of being the mother to four little darlings.  Well, two of my little darlings are adults.  Funny, sometimes when I look at them I still get glimpses of chubby cheeks and mischievous smiles.  The numbers below are my calculations, based on my life as a Mom.  Some of the items may be inflated.  I mean anything is possible.

• 120 weeks spent expecting little bundles of joy (swollen ankles, cravings galore, and strangers wanting to touch my belly)
• 1 adoption- 1 unexpected bundle of pure joy!
• 20,440 + diaper changes
• 219,000 loads of laundry  (more like 18,000, but it felt/feels like 219,000!)
• 1,500 Sleepless nights (probably why I have wrinkles). 
• 40 pacifiers and we lost everyone of them at least twice! 
• 1 bottle of purple black nail polish emptied on my white carpet.
• (IMPORTANT note:  WINDEX really does help get the nail polish out!)
• 4 haircuts they gave themselves
• 1 haircut given to another child (Madison gave her friend bangs)
• 1 page protector filled with said hair. (Haley was the neat child)
• 29 States we have visited
• 3 trips using a plane ride
• 425,695 miles driven in our mini van
• 112 Bike, scooter, or skating wrecks.
• 8,760 Band-Aids
• 18 Trips to the ER
• 25 Stitches
• 2 Broken bones??
• 752 Soccer practices and games
• 113,880 meals made
• 1 busted windshield (Christian can really kick a soccer ball)
• 4,380 Pictures drawn or painted
• 10,950 pony tails, pig tails or braids.
• 8,020 waffles I have made
• 52 Ticks I have removed (42 at one sitting, because Christian belly crawled through a bed of ticks!)
• 68 Birthday parties with all the trimmings
• 4,160 Books read....some over and over and over!

I wish I had a $1 for every time I........

• Had to kiss a bloody boo boo.
• Had to check for monsters under your bed.
• Had to kill a bug (Madison).
• You brought me a bug or a worm or a flower or a rock!
• You said I don't feel good.  I said, do you need to go to the bathroom?
• For every time I stepped on a Lego.
• For every time I stepped on a Barbie 
• I don't know which hurts worse a Lego or a Barbie stepped on in the middle of the night barefoot.  But I do know I can step in one and be in incredible pain and not scream.  Because I did not want to wake you!  #IAmARealMom  #DontWakeTheBaby
• Every time I heard you say, Mom, watch this!

I wish I had a dollar for all those times so I could take you on another trip or buy you something you want.  Selfishly, I would like all these little things to continue forever!  Because being your Mommy is the best thing that ever happened to me!  I have loved every minute!  Even the bad minutes!  I hope as you all become adults I enjoy those minutes just as much!  I have a feeling I will because you are all awesome! 

Please know that I will miss my messy house, mounds of laundry, games and practices, and even all the stuff you leave lying around.  I miss Courtney.  Madison is about to graduate and do the college thing.  I will miss her!  I will try not to hold Christian and Haley too tight!  But, I so love being your Mommy!!  You have each made the job an easy one.  Except for the rare occasions when you were brats!  But that is ok because there were a few times I was a brat.  Like when I would say I was going to run away! 

Thank each of you for making me a Mommy.  Thank you for being my little Loves!  Thank you for loving me and all my faults.  You are each a treasure!


To all the Mother's out there, Happy Mother's Day!  May your day, week and year be special.  There are good days and bad days....being a Mother is hard work.  May you find joy every day.  (They are all angels when they are asleep!!)

Lisa B