Come meet lucy while I share with you some thoughts on the joys of being a mom!

This is my sweet niece Lucy and I am smitten with her. She's a very calm and endearing baby and she makes my heart skip a beat! Watching my sister become a mother has been SO inspiring for me and has reminded me of the joys of simply being a mother. For years I have joked that my sister is the popular one, the one that everyone wants at their parties, the fun one. There are few people in the world who enjoy more loyal friendships than Stefie and watching her become a mother I realize why. Stephanie loves BIG! Not just in words but in heart and in action, you see this in the way she loves her husband and now, her daughter. There are no holds barred when my sister expresses her love; no walls, no insecurity to hold her back, she just loves. She has embraced this moment of becoming a mother not allowing herself to complain of losing sleep or to be stressed about small things. I watch her enjoy and bask in each moment of motherhood. I watch little Lucy rest in the calmness of her mother's arms. It makes me think of my own girls who are entering the preteen stage. My girls are excited about funky hairstyles, they have their own specific styles and interests. We spend our afternoons driving to dance, church, band practice, birthday parties, and all sorts of other girly things. My kids are independent and are getting to that age where their friends are super important to them. Watching my sister I realize that even if I don't spend all day holding them and kissing their little feet, cuz lets face it, at this stage that's just gross, they do need me to be a soft place for them to land. They still need me to tell them that their hair looks cute before heading off to school and to be that shoulder they cry on after a hard day. They want me to be pleased with them, proud of them, impressed by them, and I AM! But I also want to make sure I continue to remind myself to slow down. To admire their art projects, to paint our fingernails together with polka dots and zebra stripes. I want to make memories with them, to love them BIG the way I see my sister love Lucy. And I DO love them big and they know I do but I want to bottle it, to treasure it, to savor it. I remember when Natalie was born. In the video right after I gave birth to her I'm kissing her beautiful head and telling her how long I've waited for her, how long I had wanted her. I want to remind her of that story tonight. I want to make my girls feel like their the 2 most special girls on the planet. I can't believe that it feels like such a short time ago my oldest was born and now I'm preparing her for jr. high! I LOVE watching my sister enjoy life! And I'm inspired to enjoy every aspect of my life as well, without complaint. And really, what better time than at Valentine's day to choose to love so BIG!

Happy Valentines Day sweet readers! Give your kids some big snuggles today!