Well, he did it.

My baby boy went and turned ONE on me. 

I still don't know how it happened. 

I'm convinced that he will never grow up, 

but I'm pretty sure that life has different plans:)

We celebrated with a butternut and buttermilk pie, 

lots o' boy toys,

and ridiculous amounts of kisses and cuddles. 

Life doesn't get much sweeter than that. 

Happy Birthday, my sweet baby boy!

DAY 14

Yesterday got away from me. By the time I thought about sitting down to blog, it was already past my bedtime. I LOVE sleep more than blogging, so let's just move on to this lovey dovey day. Shall we?

I found all of these random shots from my old picture folder. They make me smile. They are all from different moments in my life: a sister's wedding, living in Boston, and student teaching. Love truly is all around us.

But on this actual day of LOVE, I wanted to express my heartfelt LOVE for belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Letter-day Saints. I am grateful once again to my parents who raised me in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that they loved me anyway and prayed for me to find my way back when I wandered for years.

I am grateful that I did spend years struggling, away from the church. Those nights of crying myself to sleep and dark days caused me to seek out for myself the truths I had been taught as a child. I can now say that I have a testimony of this Gospel and truly believe that it is the church of Christ restored to the earth.

All of the things that I LOVE and hold dearest are blessing that come from the Gospel. My temple marriage to my husband and sealing for time and all eternity to him and my children, my sealing to my parents and siblings through my parent's temple marriage, our home that we try to make our own heaven on earth, my knowledge of the divine role of a mother, even the feeling of safety and preparation for the storms of life--ALL of these blessings come from the Gospel.

Yes. On this fourteenth day, this day of LOVE, I LOVE that I can say I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

DAY 12

Pregnancy. Motherhood. Homemaking. All of it. 

I remember running in to one of my college professors not too long after Lucy was born. After telling him about where I was in life, a slight look of disappointment appeared to cross his face. It was a look that asked, "why would you complete your entire degree and begin your teaching career just to stop and have babies?" If only I could answer that question with adequate words. 

I truly feel joy in this season of my life, this chance to be a wife and mother. From the miraculous feeling of a life growing inside of you, to the mundane task of creating a grocery list, I am fulfilled in what I do. True, many of the tasks of motherhood are mindless: folding laundry, vacuuming, washing dishes. However, this does not mean that a mother's mind is dormant. Our mundane tasks are our moments to ponder, to reflect, to pray, to grow. When I do have "free time," I find myself seeking out information, thirsting for knowledge, focusing on the significant. I am growing. I am helping our little ones to grow. As a family, we are constantly moving forward. There is nothing stagnant or stale about motherhood. 

On this twelfth day, I LOVE being a mother.

DAY 11

We are still recovering from Nemo. Luckily, we only lost power for 24 hours. Many of our friends are STILL without power and may not be back on the grid for another day or two. Prayers and help keep going their way. 

I don't have it in me to catch up on any days lost, so we'll just hop back on at day 11. Cool? Cool. 

My In-Laws. All of them.

I can't very well talk about loving my whole side of the family and neglect to mention all the wonderful family members I inherited when I married Marty.

The first date Marty took me on was down to his brother's farm in Dartmouth, MA. We helped move fences and animals, unloaded the refrigerated truck just back from the slaughter house, and I may have even drove the tractor. Romantic, I know:) But I loved it. As I have come to know Marty's parents and siblings, I find so many of the characteristics that I love about my own family. They are incredibly hard-working, passionate, talented, and generous. I am honored to be their sister and daughter through marriage. Over the last (almost) 5 years, the family has expanded with the birth of 8 more babies. 8 more incredible little ones to love and get to know.

On this eleventh day, I LOVE my in-laws.

DAY 8

"All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin."

As we sit and wait for Nemo to hit our part of the country, we are relaxed. We have food to eat and ways to stay warm in case the power goes out. The laundry is done. Plans for the weekend are all cancelled. Now we sit and wait. How grateful I am that we can predict when storms are coming so that I can plan to keep my babies safe. 

On this eighth day, I LOVE being able to feel calm and safe, even in perilous times. 

DAY 7

My siblings. They complete the Heaps family experience.

This crazy set of brothers and sisters has also helped to shape me through their examples. I feel very blessed to have had seasons of my life where I could grow close to each of my siblings individually. They are generous, talented, passionate, adventurous, and FUN! They have let me move in when I had no where else to live. They have taken amazing and ridiculous trips with me across the U.S. and across Europe. They have listened to my complaints, silly stories, quirky opinions, and such for years--and still love me. They are some of my best friends.

It has been wonderful to watch each other grow, start families, pursue education, and serve missions. Now that we are spread out across the country, I feel incredibly blessed when we are able to get together. One of my favorite things is watching them interact with my husband and children; the love just keeps on growing:)

On this seventh day, I LOVE my siblings. 

DAY 6

My parents.

Hard-working, faithful, provident, and charitable are just a few of the characteristics my parents hold. I have always looked up to them, even if I have not always been the best at heeding their counsel:) Now, as a parent, I am even more grateful for how they raised me and what they expected and demanded of me.

Perhaps the most defining moment of our relationship came when I was in my major car accident nearly 9 years ago. I will never forget how tenderly my father cradled my bloody head in his hands, doing anything he could to alleviate my discomfort as we waited to hear the results of the x-rays. I will never forget how my mother dedicated weeks and even months to my recovery, taking care of my every need like I was a newborn once again. Their love for me has always been apparent in all that they do. I am so grateful to be their daughter and to learn from their examples.

On this sixth day, I LOVE my parents.

DAY 5

I still do not feel deserving of such a wonderful piece of land and home that we have been given. A few years ago, after months of putting offers in on homes and having them rejected, my father-in-law offered me and Marty an incredible opportunity. He allowed us to buy his "farm," his extra lot of land, and start the process of building a home. This piece of land already had a barn, a little pasture, an established garden, and some fruit trees. It truly has felt like we were handed a little piece of Heaven. As we have completed the house and now are working on projects around the yard, we feel intimately connected to this space. Some mornings I look out the window as the sun is rising, and I am overcome with gratitude and humility. Somehow, this is ours.

On this fifth day, I LOVE my home.

DAY 4

My third born. My baby boy. My Ezzy McShmezzy. My Ezra Lewis. 

This little boy is nothing but pure sunshine! He also happens to be a mama's boy, which I can't help but adore. He loves to move and explore, but he has always been amazingly content to be worn in our Ergo carrier whenever necessary (which happens to be quite often when this mama is in the kitchen or running errands with all three kiddos). He is charming, easy to please, goofy, and loyal. He happily allows his sisters to smother him with kisses, hugs, and sometimes not-so-gentle hands. The wheels are always turning in that sweet little head of his, and he is very intentional about his play.

Our baby boy has certainly folded right into our family with no trouble. We needed another man around to even things out:) When too much girl drama begins to take place, Ezra finds a way to bring us back to equilibrium. He is our peacemaker, our mini gentleman, our pride and joy boy.

On this fourth day, I LOVE my son, Ezra.

DAY 3

My second born. My baby girl. My Goosey. My Lucy Ambrosia.

This adorable little lady came into this world much more relaxed than her sister. She was ready to nurse and nap for 6 hour stretches. She was happy as long as she had someone to snuggle her. She continues to be an easy going girl, full of smiles, giggles, and funny antics. She is our natural comedian, our lover of food, our aspiring pianist. She has a wonderful ear for music and always has since she was tiny. She could carry a tune long before she could say many words.

Lucy and Dorothy balance each other out in many ways (which is a good thing since they are only a year apart!). She fits so perfectly into the second child space in our family. She is genuine, humble, kind, and funny. She already seems very much aware of how to not sweat the small stuff in life. I learn from her example daily.

On this third day, I LOVE my daughter, Lucy. 

DAY 2

My first born. My Big girl. My Polka Dot. My Dorothy Mae.

This sweet, sassy, spunky girl keeps us on our toes. She was my only baby that did not want to rest when she came out of the womb. Her eyes were wide open in the hospital, and they have been ever since! Dorothy is inquisitive, thoughtful, energetic, and a creature of habit. She loves to be home and going through the motions of a routine. She loves traditions and has remarkable recollection of things we have done over the years of her life.

I am so grateful that Dorothy was sent down as our first child. She has taught us SO much about patience and love and she really is a leader to her other siblings. This girl makes me smile and even laugh out loud every day. She is social, snuggly, dramatic (I wonder where she gets this from?:), and close to the spirit.

On this second day of LOVE month, I LOVE my daughter, Dorothy.

LOVE.

It is what this month is all about! So I thought I would use the month to share the many things that I love:)

DAY 1

My True Love. My other half. My greatest blessing. My Martin. When we went on our first date 6 years ago, I remember having the strangest thought:  I could marry this man. I had no idea why I would even think that! I barely knew this man. I was only a few months single after a messy 6 year relationship. I was on track to pursue my Masters Degree. I was not looking to settle down! And yet, there it was--the distinct impression that I had met the man I would marry.

Now that we are nearly 5 years into our marriage and 3 children deep into our growing family, I can see the plan unfolding that Heavenly Father already had in mind for me. This is truly the man with whom I was meant to spend eternity. He is supportive, patient, loving, and righteous (just to name a few of his MANY incredible qualities).

There you have it. Day 1. I LOVE my huband!