my mama...

a lot has happened in the past few days that i am eager to share with you, but it will all have to wait until monday, because today i want to tell you all about someone who is very special to me.


my mama is a wonderful lady. she has worked so much harder than a lot of other people that i know to get where she is today. my mama has made countless sacrifices for her 5 {3 that she birthed, 2 that she gained by marriage} children. i have also seen her basically mother my best friend growing up, & lots of other younger children through her devotion to family & to serving those in need. my relationship with my mama has not always been something to blog about, in fact there were times that it was so rough. like i am talking very tough. but by the grace of God we were able to come out of it & love each other well. my mama is an evidence of Gods grace in my life for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because i have seen her transformed. i have seen her become a new creation. my mama was unsaved when she found out she was pregnant with me at 25. she went through all of pregnancy as a single mama. she spent somewhere around 36 hours of hard labor trying to birth me {thanks mom! its all because of you that i got to experience that too! well, kind of...} she had me completely natural. {which i applaud her for because i thought i would be able to, but quickly changed my mind.} when i was a little babe my mama started dating my {soon to be} father. {another post on this will come next month...} they fell in love & were 100% committed & devoted to each other, but not ready for marriage. when i was 2 years old my mama had my brother, Gordon. Gordo was born very, very sick. she had to spend days with him in the hospital & hours taking care of him & making sure that he didnt stop breathing. all the while she was working more than full time to provide for our little family. 2 years later she became pregnant with my baby brother. while pregnant with Dylan she was in a car accident that caused her to have to wear a neck brace while taking care of 2 toddlers & working a ton. my mama never complained but she just kept pushing forward. she loved us so deeply & we never felt unloved by her. when i was 3 years old my aunt started to take me to church on sundays with her. i went every single week until i was 5 & then i changed churches & started to go with another one of my aunts. i begged my mama & my dad to come with me & one week they did. they never stopped coming. i had the privilege of watching my mama give her heart to Jesus & become captivated by his love. soon after this our lifestyle changed greatly. my mama & dad got married a year after my baby brother was born. they attended church weekly, my mama was baptized & i feel so blessed to witness the heart change, the life style change & just being apart of this wonderful experience in my mama's life. i am so thankful that Jesus picked her to carry me into this world & to raise me. i am thankful that he saved her so that she could raise me to love him, & to learn along with her. after having a baby of my own i see all the hardwork that she did for me. i see that she woke up countless times, wiped countless tears, changed countless diapers, spent thousands of dollars to clothe & feed me, rocked me, snuggled with me, rejoiced with me the way i rejoice with my own daughter. i love that this is an experience that we get to share now. i could write so much more, but i wont.  i'll leave you with some photographs & 10 things i love about my mama {i had to limit it otherwise you would still be reading this weeks later...}


1. my mama always has a song to sing. i mostly act like it is annoying, but i really do love it. {shhh dont tell...}
2. my mama & i look freakishly like eachother. i used to hate it, but now its something i find very sweet. 
3. she is obsessed with candles. its a good fall back gift. ;) 
4. she has always encouraged me to write, even when i didnt think that i was any good at all.
5. the way she unconditionally loves my husband & my daughter.
6. the fact that she always buys me a coffee, or a treat whenever we go out. 
7. she likes all things vintage & would spend the day at garage sales with me :) 
8. she listens to me talk & talk & talk.... 
9. she has been serving in the childrens ministry at church since she became a Christian.
10. she really, truly loves her entire family. 

happy mothers day mom! i love you!!