What's In A Mom?

"The phrase 'working mother' is redundant." - Jane Sellman

Can I get a hallelujah for that statement?!?  It couldn't be more true.  One day recently I had to stop in my tracks and ask, "Did I pray for patience this morning? Because I'm sure being tested today! I take it back, Lord!!!"

But I'm going to give you my thoughts on why there is no one on earth like a mother, so let's start at the beginning.

God doesn't need us.  He wanted us.  He created us for His glory and wants us to love Him. And everyone- whether they choose to follow Him or not- was a divine creation of the Father Himself.  But wait- because He would return to Heaven for a while He had to form a plan as to who would bear and care for His children while on earth.  That's when a mother was born (and a father, too...Trust me; I'll get just as sappy for Father's Day).  But work with me here.  And on a side note, the ability to have children has nothing to do with being a wonderful mother.  There are millions of foster mothers, etc. who are absolutely incredible.

As special as you are to our Heavenly Father,  He knew that it would take someone so strong, so loving, and so selfless to care for you.  And He would use this person despite their daily feelings of inadequacy.  I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that.  This would not be merely a job or duty but a lifestyle.

Everything He created was part of a master plan, and when I think about how carefully he designed the earth, its landscape, the water, etc. to feed and nourish plants and animals...how special and how in depth do you think He went while forming the person to care for those that are His?

He called this creation "Mother."

The role of a mother has come a long way over the years, so let's take a look at what it takes to be one.

The Mom Diaries

1) Abandoning of self

There were days in the beginning when I had to stop and remember when I last washed my hair.  We're usually the first ones up in the morning and the last ones to sit down at the dinner table for a meal we most likely shopped for and cooked.  Good spouses will help out with this, too, but as we are fully aware in today's world, there are many single parents who are rockstars and do it alone.

2) Organization

HA!  Oh, sorry.  I'm not judging you if your closet is an avalanche waiting to escape.  I'm talking about daily organization of the mind.  Do I have to pack a lunch today, or by some miracle is someone in the class having a Birthday with lunch provided?  Do my child's socks match?  There are days when one of my greatest accomplishments is finding a matching shoe.  I'm handing out an A+ to everyone who gets their kids from place to place each day, feeds them, and says "I love you" without any catastrophes happening.  I mean it when I say that every day is a miracle in itself.

3) Giving

...And giving.  I've come to realize in the last 3.5 years that my ratio of giving versus taking has completely changed.  My happy place is when I have a new show on DVR and can eat a meal of my choice in peace.  And to think that I used to do that every day in college!  Sit back and think about how many times we give each day as mothers and how much was given to us.  We give food, warm beds, advice, (Heaven forbid) occasional evil looks, our time, our energy...  We are giving machines.

4) Loving

The first love many of us experience and understand is the bond we have with our parents or caregivers while growing up.  Then we love and build relationships with our childhood friends.  There's the rush of anxiety and feelings at the first middle school dance and when we start dating (and the pint of ice cream- or in my world- case of Cheetos when we experience heartbreak).  For those of us who choose to get married we love our spouse and their extended family in a whole new way.  And then there is this love.

What they say is true.  It's like having your heart walk around outside of your body.  It is a whole new level of love that you never knew existed and furthermore, of which many of us never thought we were capable.

5) Following

Many women have an innate gift of being a mother.  For others, it comes with more difficulty, but they still give their best each day.  Our ability to parent has to have a foundation, and that foundation is the Bible.  I'll be the first to admit that it's a struggle to set aside quite, uninterrupted time with the Lord.  Sure, I talk to Him frequently, but it's studying and growing and learning that will really equip us.  Do you think I'm not already fearing the teenage years?  Right now I rest peacefully in the fact that Emerson's biggest issue is usually a lost toy, scratched DVD, or the occasional bed wetting.  I know that over the years there will be much harder and deeper issues to face, and while we can't control what happens to us WE CAN CONTROL our actions and the decisions we make.  If I truly want to be an influence on her it is NOT "do as I say and not as I do" but stepping up and walking the walk if we truly want to make a lasting impression.

Bottom line: we take on NUMEROUS roles each day.  This comic perfectly sums it up.

It's fun to see Moms of different categories, but we all want the same thing (I hope): a loving and nurturing environment for our children.  But just as snowflakes and fingerprints are completely different from one to the next, so are people, so are children, and therefore so are Moms and parents.  Why do we give each other such a hard time sometimes?  A spanking or stern look doesn't work for everyone.  Only you know your child and how to be effective, and as for me- I learn something new every day.  It's a constant work in progress.

There are Moms who freak out over the number of ingredients and artificial flavors on a box of cereal.  As someone who grew up eating Pixi Stix by the handful I can tell you that I'd be a hypocrite to be paranoid about such things.  Yes, we need to take care of our bodies, but candy is dandy as long as one has good dental hygiene.

There are Moms who put smiles on when everything is falling apart and feel a sense of accomplishment when they say goodnight to their breathing angels before turning out the light.

Hypothetically speaking, there are Moms who spend hours and months creating the perfect Birthday party or special event for their beloved children.

There are even, unfortunately, not-so-great Moms out there, too.  It has to be said.  But this is where following Jesus comes in.  He doesn't promise that everything will be easy.  We are all human, and I guarantee that even the most perfect earthly person will let you down at some point.  It's going to happen. This is why we need to put our full trust in someone higher who will never fail us.

Here are some very special recent events:

1) Celebrating my Mom's Birthday

My mother is one of the most wonderful people in my life.  She and my Dad broke the mold.  I could write forever about how good, God-fearing, loving, and selfless she is.  There is only one 'Ann', and she is my mother!

2) Rayleigh's 6th Birthday! It makes me sad to think that one day I'll drop Emerson off at a party and pick her up when it's over.  Seeing her joy when she interacts with friends makes my heart mush.

3) Granny Earl's 85th Birthday...she looks great!

4) We had a super special Mother's Day weekend and cookout

At the end of the day Emerson looked me in the eyes and asked me to please, please curl her hair like mine.  Mission accomplished!  It was one of the sweetest gifts I could have gotten. 

We were also super glad to have Ashlyn stay with us that night on her 21st Birthday!

5) MEETING BABY CORA!  Jamie and Chris shared that they had a long adoption process.  I can't tell you how many nights I've gotten on my knees and prayed that God would give them the desires of their heart.  Jamie's sister shared with me that Cora was born on the anniversary of when Nancy (Jamie and Laura's Mom) went to Heaven, and Cora's adoption took place within 24 hours of Jamie and Chris's ninth wedding anniversary.  And the same week as Chris's Birthday.  You can't tell me that this baby wasn't perfectly created with them in mind, and I am absolutely over the moon for them.  When I got a text and picture from Jamie late one evening that they had just brought their baby girl home I burst into tears.  She is perfect and perfect for them.  God is faithful, and we have to trust His timing.  Here is proof of that:

So in summary, here are a few things that earn you Mommy bonus points...

Sure, you can have the puppy dog cake, but only if I can have some, too.

Fill the entire tub until you're a prune? Okay!

Yes, you can help me make the bed, but please unwrap yourself first.

And by all means, help Daddy paint the trim.

Love is brushing all the tangles out of that beautiful hair.

Fine, wear the bunny mask to daycare...

There are NEVER enough kisses for you.

It's hard to imagine it just yet, but Emerson might be a Mom of her own one day.  For now, she's testing things out in my shoes.

One night recently Emerson put on a beautiful princess dress that was a gift for her third Birthday (thanks, Abi)!  She twirled and danced around in pure joy.  Then Ryan the inspector started noticing pink specks all over the house.  The dress was doused in glitter!!!

And when Emerson finally sat down I said, "Look at your sparkle feet!"

Being a Mom is so much like this.  At the end of the day we are exhausted, but when we take a moment to twirl around and enjoy life's little moments we are reminded that THIS- this is what it's all about.  Emerson was so happy about her sparkly feet that when I put her socks on the next morning I didn't even bother to wipe them off first.  All day long she knew that she had a special little secret.

Doesn't this make you want to get up and do something?  What's YOUR sparkle?  Is it your family, a clean house, your favorite show- most importantly- your Savior?

We may miss out on some of the greatest blessings in life if we don't pick up our feet and move.

Color Me BLUE!

Ryan and I can guarantee one thing: there is something so special about a brother.  For each of us, it's the only sibling we've ever had.

Little did we know that on April 19th we would find out that Emerson was going to have a brother of her own, too.

"So what do you want?" ...came the gender question the moment we told people we were having a second baby.

"Make it blue!"
"Make it pink!"

And while so many people gave us their opinion of what they thought the baby was, we had one thing on our minds: HEALTH!  That anatomy scan was a roller coaster as moment by moment another part of the body was checked, and by the grace of God all was in working order.

Ultrasound Day
I asked the ultrasound tech how many of these scans they schedule per day, and she said four.  We were the first couple that morning.  I told her my prayer was that every other couple entering the room that day would have as good a report as we did.  I also told Ryan that our entire prayers that evening needed to be of thanks.

The ultrasound tech already knew that we wanted to know the gender, and since I now know what to look for on ultrasounds (made possible by previous parenting experience and Google) there was no way we could wait.

The baby was checked from head to toe, and she started with the head and worked down.  As we neared the spinal area I said, "Are we about to find out the gender?!?" because I knew it was getting close.  By that time the baby flipped over...

"Do you think you know what it is?" she asked.
"I'm pretty sure it's a boy."
"You're right!!!  It's a little boy!"

My heart almost leapt out of my chest.

"A little BOY, Ryan!!!"  I could hardly believe it.  Ryan is one of ten Moody grandsons, and now there are three great granddaughters.  Our son will be the first grandson and great grandson on both sides.

We were in the same room and looking at the exact screen where we had Emerson's gender appointment.  It was so surreal.  Makes you want to have three more.

I'll say this: if God wanted to give us ALL girls we would be equally thrilled, too, but people love telling you what they want you to have.  I was just so excited to see what His plan was for us.  Having said that, my entire life I have wanted one of each. There are a million things I love and ideas I have about parenting both a girl and a boy.

And I can neither confirm nor deny that the first Birthday theme was decided upon before I even got off the examining table.  It's just the way I'm wired.

So I was on cloud nine on the way out of that room as my mind was swirling with thoughts of trucks and baseballs and all things boy.  Not to say that girls can't get down and *DIRTY* too, as evidenced by this trip down memory lane...

Me circa 1986 after making dirt angels in the driveway.

I've known several people recently that have chosen to wait until the birth to find out if their baby is a boy or girl, and kudos to them for such patience.  If you've ever seen me tapping my foot in line at the bank or looking around frantically when the person in front of me at the self checkout is entering a barcode, you'd realize that this option is not for yours truly.

For me, waiting until the birth to find out the baby's gender would be like waiting until inauguration day to know who won the presidential election, or saying to myself on Easter Sunday, "I think I'll google who won the Super Bowl now."  It's just not happening.

The Party Prep
When we told our parents back in February that we were expecting again they were beyond thrilled, and among the questions and conversation my Mom said, "You're not going to have one of those reveal parties again, are you?"

With all due respect, Mama...what planet have you been visiting?

Would I throw a reveal party for Emerson and not for the second baby?  Of course not!  So after a little research I settled on the perfect theme: "Touchdowns or Tutus?"

Here is a graph of recent sales spikes at Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

Step 1: Get your guests involved in the fun.  One of the first things I made on my Cricut machine were helmet and tutu pins that would be placed in a basket as people arrived.  They would each wear their guess.

Then I cut some adorable shapes that I would somehow incorporate.

I knew I wanted to design a massive bulletin board sized banner, and it sort of just came together piece by piece.  The background would be a football field, and I found some precious outfits at the craft store. Throw in a ribbon banner and glittered poster, and it turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

Step 2: The food table!  This is where you can really have some fun.  I chose all 'health' foods for the guests, such as homemade iced sugar cookies (that took about seven hours to make), a Spring candy mix of Reese's and all things chocolate, homemade baby outfit and boy/girl suckers, a massive cake, peanuts, chips, and lemonade.  More on the lemonade in a moment...

I really appreciated these two accompanying me on party errands and sweet Emerson's help making the cookies!

Sanitation notice: yes, I did pull her hair back.

It's way easier to find football than dance decorations, but I tried to make it somewhat even.  After all, I ordered all of the party supplies before we knew it was a boy!

I was thrilled with how the dining room turned out.

I also found some real props, like my Dad's NY Giants helmet, a football trophy of Jay's, and one of my old dance costumes.

As guests came in I made signs with these instructions:

"He or she? Which will it be?  Wear a helmet or tutu to cast your vote!"

And now that so many of my friends have children a bounce house was a must!

How was I going to do the big reveal for so many people in a way that they could all see?  Then an idea hit me: when I was the cheerleading captain in high school the whole squad would come to my house once a week and paint run-through signs.  Bingo!  Now I just had to find some huge pink and blue paper and enough paint.  I got the wooden poles from Home Depot, and the saving grace were the tent stakes, which held them in place while the wind whipped around.

I also had adorable ballerina and referee balloons that you can't really see because it was too windy.

...and the poor ref actually popped and deflated.

Know what I mean, Tom Brady?

We originally set up the tables and chairs in the sun, but my Mom suggested moving them under a large tree in the backyard.  Given the later 90 degree temperature, her suggestion was a lifesaver.   Her advice always is!

I found this precious garland at Party City and of course put together a running slideshow inside and outside so that people would have something to do and look at.



I put a chalkboard by the road to welcome people, and later some neighbors rode by trying to sneak a peek.  They noticed that I had twice as many football balloons attached to the sign as I did ballet.  So...I threw in some extra pink to make it even and not appear suspicious.  Thank you, Carolyn and John Henry!

And we rolled out the red green carpet!

Step 3: Invite in style!  I used my trusty graphic design friends at UPS for yet another fabulous invitation.

So all was set and prepared.

The Big Trick
First up at lunch time that day we told our parents and Kevin the news.  Jay was attending a workshop, so we couldn't Face-Time him and Laura until later that evening.

After a delicious lunch we sat our families down on the couch and set up cameras.

Almost all of our parents had said over and over that they thought it was a boy, and we didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they were right...just yet!  We brainstormed on how to shock them, and one thing - or shall I say PERSON- came to mind.

That person was Steve Harvey, who is most recently famous for announcing the wrong winner at the Miss Universe pageant.  Yep; he was our guy.

I brought out a mysterious black and white box for Emerson to open.

Inside the box was a pink, frilly tutu and headband.  Mine and Ryan's instructions to each other were to simply smile and say nothing when they all yelled, "It's a girl!  I don't believe it!"  We let them go on for about 15 seconds until I said, "Emerson, I think there's something else inside that box."  That's the point at which some jaws dropped, and my Dad's face turned white.  They thought we were going to say it was twins.

Didn't you folks already see the ultrasound back in February with one baby?  What was this; the story of Mary and miraculous conception!?  We quickly debunked that theory.

Inside the envelope were the real ultrasound images, and on top was Steve Harvey's picture.  We showed Emerson his picture for a week leading up to it and had her practice saying his name.

"Look, guys...it's Steve Harvey!!!"

"THEY'RE FOOLING US!  HE MAKES WRONG ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!"

Then we passed around the pictures so that they could see the results for themselves.

"IT'S A BOY!  WE KNEW IT!"

Ay, yi yi.  Five seconds ago we tricked you!  Now you knew it all along.  Uh, huh.

And of course...little man already has his first outfit.

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Break Lemonade
That afternoon we had many friends and extended family members coming over for the reveal party.  One of the last things on my to-do list was to fill the canisters with lemonade.  My Mom was skeptical about this device, but because it appeared festive I insisted on using it.  Colossal mistake.

As soon as I poured the lemonade the bottom of each canister began dripping all over the white table cloth in the dining room, so I transported the monstrosity to the kitchen counter and put bowls under it.  "Let's just leave it here for now, and we'll serve out of pitchers."  But my suggestion wasn't satisfactory to my mother, who insisted that we pour out the liquid at once.

I was attempting to curl my hair with one of those wands (unsuccessfully), and the moment I burned my finger I heard a crash and tsunami taking place in the kitchen.

While my Dad attempted to pick one of the jars it smashed into a million pieces, and the three of us watched in horror as a tidal wave of yellow, sugary juice cascaded all over the counter, onto the floor, and poured down like a rain forest into every single drawer and cabinet within its reach.

Scene recreated for dramatic effect.

It ruined recipes, pictures, important documents, place mats, you name it.  Not to mention the STICKY nightmare!  Water would have been bad on its own, but when you add probably 30 grams of sugar per serving times about 150 servings you have an absolute MESS.  This happened ten minutes before guests began to arrive, so we frantically put everything in the cabinets in trash bags, threw them in the bathtub, and tried to act like all was normal.

"I'M SORRY, FOLKS! THE JAR WAS WET AND HEAVY!" my Dad screeched over and over.

So are seals, which is why it's best that they remain stationery.

Ultimately no elderly ladies or children stepped on glass or slipped, which I'd consider a success.  We wanted to avoid something like this happening at all costs.

And oddly enough, out of all the party supplies I purchased somehow this sign wasn't one of them.  Maybe next time.

Spreading the News
ANYWAY!  I was so happy to greet and hug everyone as they arrived while we feasted on all things sweet and anticipated the reveal.

At 4:30 I herded everyone like cats into the yard for the big moment.  In a precious last minute gesture Emerson decided she wanted to do it with me.

I had everyone turn around for a few seconds, counted to three, and we tore through the blue banner.  It was so special!

The Name
This is a true story.  In college I would doodle names I liked for my future children.  This is probably part of the reason why I didn't receive President's List letters in the mail, although my grades were still good.  I found a sheet of paper in my bedroom months ago with a list of names for a little boy.  Landon was one of those names.  I've always loved it.  It's different, and I don't know anyone with that name personally, although that doesn't really matter.  I just wanted something extra special.  And in the ultrasound his profile looked just like Ryan, so honoring him with the middle name only seemed appropriate.



We can't WAIT to meet Landon Ryan.  Emerson is oh so excited, and I'm preparing my heart for the moment they meet each other.

After all...it just might be sweeter than all the lemonade in the world.