Courage

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.