mother's day 2007

although mother's day was three weeks ago today, i thought i would share some great pictures from that day and look back on my first mother's day with two babies. jesse's father, clayton, aka mwa mwa hart or viejo to luca, visited for the weekend arriving on friday evening. ( i love the picture of three generaions of hart men.)

on saturday, i left for the whole day with my girlfriends kelsey and michelle for a mom's day in champaign. we spent the day at lisa wilcoski's house with seven other ladies for a day of catch-up on our lives, discussion about parenting, mommyhood, and life, and yummy food. it was so refreshing to spend a day on my own and i loved being with other women who could encourage and understand me. i can easily begin to doubt myself as a mom - there is no performance review in this job. when i have an opportunity to talk to others with this same job, i learn to be a bit more gentle with my failures and am reminded to be alot more reliant on God's grace. i was able to share what i have been learning lately in the area of contentment. i attended the hearts at home conference in march and was convicted by something the keynote speaker, lisa welchel, (blair from the facts of life - now a popular christian author/speaker and mom of three) said.

(here is my paraphrase) she was asking God why she wasn't able to find any work after her hiatus to have three children (this story is actually really funny seeing as she explained herself sitting in her minivan outside aaron spelling's office after a botched audition). she wanted to be a christian example in hollywood. she felt God telling her that he could use anyone to be a witness in that community but that she was the only one who could be a wife to her husband and a mother to her children.

wow! that was so powerful to me. sometimes i wish i could be doing more with my life. i completely see motherhood as worthwhile and important but i think i can do a bit more - i can be more involved with ministry, etc. because i know i have a lot to offer and i want to contribute - to make a difference. God really used lisa to communicate to me that all that i have to offer and contribute is worthy of my family.

so this year on mother's day, we attended church, ate a fantastic breakfast at le peep, spent the afternoon togeher as a family, and i recommitted to my role as the wife of jesse and the mama of luca and gia. they are more than deserving of my blood, sweat, and tears. and they make me smile and laugh too.