Mother's Day

Today was my first Mother's Day as a mother.  And a mother of 8 at that!

I know some of you may be thinking I don't have the right to call myself a mom.

But I disagree.

If you look up the word 'mother' in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure I cover everything except actually giving birth! :)

And think about all the reasons we love our mothers, look up to them, trust them, and appreciate them.  I know for myself, if my mom and I didn't share DNA, I would still feel the same way about her as I do now.  My kids don't know what genetics are but they do know one thing:  They are loved and cherished by a mother who would do anything for them (3 of them actually!).

From the other side, I don't see how I could love my kids any more even if they were my own flesh and blood.

The highlight of my Mother's day was actually yesterday.  Nikki and I were invited to Lily's school for a Mother's Day party.  We were presented with crowns, ate snacks, played games with the other moms, and the kids performed their dance they had been working on all week.

As I sat there watching Lily dance I was so proud that out of all those kids, she was mine.  I wanted to stand up and announce to everyone that the beautiful girl grinning from ear to ear, dancing her heart out in the front row is my daughter.  In that moment, I was overwhelmed with how blessed I am.

But the thing I loved most about yesterday is in that room, surrounded by all the other kids and their moms, Lily wasn't an orphan.  She wasn't the only one there without a mom to celebrate.  She wasn't alone.  She was surrounded by people who love her.

Watching Lily light up as we walked in and the way she showed us off to everyone else in the room was by far the best Mother's Day gift I could ever receive.

Now, as I sit here in bed surrounded by the sounds of all my babies sleeping (except Jasmine who is still awake cracking herself up!), I can't help but smile and thank the Lord for completely ruining my plans and making me a mom this year.