Mother's Day/ Self Portrait Tuesday (one day early)

A little introduction to Self Portrait Tuesday (STP). My friend Becca does it with her blog friends, and I am inviting myself (and everyone else) to join in. I don't think they know that I (or we) are, but it's pretty cool and it gives you good ideas of things to blog about. People follow the guidelines pretty loosely, which is nice. So I think I/we should. All the cool bloggers are doing it. So for anyone who wants to, I posted the link on my blog.

Ok. I probably should be posting cute pictures of Max for Mother's Day, but I am feeling too lazy to upload them all! We went to Denver for a long weekend and had so much fun! I had a great first Mother's Day. First of all, I did not change a single diaper. Not a one, and Max had some extra stinky ones. My sweet husband changed them all, which was soooo nice. I think Max intentionally made an effort not to poop on his church outfit though, which was very considerate of him, because he always stinks up the nicest ones. After sacrament meeting, I got to see Sarah and Ryan's little Austin be dedicated at their church- South East Christian. It was a really nice service and Austin is absolutely adorable. Danny's cousin Michelle made this amazing recipe for pork chops that was their Grandma Kettle's specialty, and they were amazing. I don't even like pork chops that much normally, but they were delicious. Later that evening, we took Danny's cousin's daughters (Mackenzie, Blakelee, and Karly- the cutest girls ever) outside to these cool rocks and I took pictures of them. It's fun to take pictures of kids who actually smile when you tell them too, unlike Max, who prefers to smile extra big when there is no camera in sight! I'll post the family pictures later. Like I said, feeling too lazy.

I was so surprised when I opened a little purple box with this beautiful gold necklace in it! I really wanted a necklace with an M on it (for Max duh), and I had seen this one in a shop in Laguna Beach months ago. With some help (or maybe a lot of help) from Brittney and my mom, he ordered it for me! I was so happy- I love to be surprised that way, and I am usually pretty hard for Danny to shop for (I always ask for gift cards and am never surprised). So it was so so so sweet of Danny (and Mom and Britt) to get it for me. I know it will be something I will cherish forever! Maybe it will be a cool family heirloom down the line or something. I love that kind of thing.

(me and my mom in Denmark while pregnant with Max)

I am so thankful for my two boys and I am so thankful to be a mom. I am also so so so thankful for my own mom, who is seriously my best friend in the world. I admire her in so many ways- she is so kind to everyone, and she takes such good care of her four crazy kids and one funny grandson. She is so talented, I hope to be able to do half of the things she does so well one day. She throws the best parties ever. She can cook anything! People always ask me- can you cook like your mom does? The answer: uh, no. Not even close! But I try to pick up some of the good stuff along the way. My mom is an awesome runner and she always makes being fit a priority. She loves to play tennis, and when she plays golf, she runs from hole to hole. She has the most energy of anyone I know! She is so outgoing, and I think people are really drawn to her because of it. That and because she is the kind of person who will bend over backward to be there for you. My mom is super fun and crazy, never gets embarrassed, and never cares what other people think, even when she's at her wildest! She sings in loud and dances in the car, talks to strangers about random things, and asks for exactly (very specifically) what she wants and lots of it at restaurants. We sometimes make a game of what funny things we can get her to do in public (sorry mom, but it's funny). I LOVE that about her, even though we always tease her about it. She is a great missionary and is the best example of a strong Mormon woman. She is always so considerate. Sometimes we have to remind her to take care of herself! She always is honest with me and gives me the best advice, always without being rude or pushy about it, and her opinion means more to me than ANYONE elses. I love that she always believes in me, even when she probably shouldn't. She always believes that I can do anything, like if she sees a piece of art, or something creative, she always says "Jess, you could totally do that!" It's so nice to know she thinks so, even if I really can't. =)

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My mom was also such a great mom when I was little! She put up with a lot of attitude (shocker), and always made time just for me, even though there were four of us and Tyler often needed extra attention. I always felt as the oldest that I had an extra special relationship with my mom, but now that I think of it, I bet all of my siblings would say the same thing. She always read me a million stories, which is why I believe I love to read so much today. She is incredibly creative, which is why I love to express myself creatively too. I also get my love of gymnastics from my mom. I think a big part of why I wanted to compete in college was because she did, and I was always so proud to have such a great athlete for a mom.

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I also know how much Max is going to love her more and more as he gets older. I can tell he already as a special love for her. They are little buddies! I am so happy that she was there for Max's birth. The whole situation was pretty scary with Max being so premature, but the only time I got really scared was when there was a chance of her not making it in time. I knew I couldn't have gone through it without her! I could write for days and you would never understand what an amazing mom and woman Becky Rands is, or how much I love and look up to her. Thank you will never be enough. Sometimes I take a step back and look at how rich my life is because of my family. Yesterday was one of those days. It's crazy how fast life comes at you sometimes, but I am glad to know that my family and the gospel will always be the center of my life and always keep me grounded. I'll never understand why I lucked out so well in life. I have it pretty dang good I would say. Mom, I love you!