mothering sunday 2008

our mothering sunday was so wonderful! it is hard to not like a day in which you celebrate motherhood.

as is customary in the smith clan, there were many handmade gifts to be had. the smith girl's embroidered for my mother and she quilted for us.

i was so surprised to find this sweet package, all for me, overflowing with the most beautiful quilt!! i LOVE it! now that is some good mail!!

i think my favorite part is that my mother chose to honor me by thinking of something that i would truly love and treasure. all the squares are made from vintage feed sacks...oh how i love them! this quilt is truly wonderful to me because of the thought in which she put into each and ever stitch!

now i need to find the perfect place for it! thanks mom!



my favorite square...i love the amish girl's!!








in past years i have really struggled with mother's day. ever since i found out about my infertility problems, it was hard not have mother's day feel like a day to celebrate my inadequacies. and i always felt like all the comments about being a "future mother" weren't for me. then, after a lot of soul searching and prayer, i finally realized that i was a mother. i was the mother of my home, i was a loving aunt to my little people, and i "mothered" all the children in our Primary and those of my friends. i didn't have to physically have children to embrace motherhood. it was really all around me.

which brings me to the mothering tree. i love this tree! david and matilda gave it to me last year as my mother's day gift. i think it is truly the best gift i have ever received!! it is a sweet little japanese maple.

a tree just like this stands in my parents yard {only bigger!}. we would play for hours on that tree, trying to climb to the top, using it as "base" for tag, pretending that it was our tree house. we would bring things from inside to make it more homey. i just love that tree! and luckily it escaped papa's crazy chain-saw rampage! thanks dad!

so, when i was given this mothering tree, it meant more to me than i can say. i knew that, like the tree, i could grow big and strong and beautiful. i could be a safe harbor for my children and be a place that was fun and that felt like home.

and i am happy to say that she is growing and thriving...just like me!!



with a little one all snuggled under her branches, well protected and nourished!



and this year's amazing mothering gift...to capture all the memories of our family. i am so excited!! it is such a step up from our current crazy camera, so hopefully i will do amazing things with it...once i figure it out!!



mothering sunday was also a big day for miss m!! it was her first sunday going to nursery at church. nursery is for two hours of our 3 hour sunday. they play, sing, eat snack, and learn of Jesus. she was so cute and was such a good girl and didn't even cry once!! i think she just loves to be with all the kids! hooray!



see, what a wonderful mothering sunday! i'm so happy to be a mother!