As I rocked Owen a few minutes ago, I was thinking about how much I love love love being a mom and having family. Not just my own immediate little family- although that IS the greatest blessing I have ever received, right below the grace and mercy of my Savior and salvation- but my WHOLE family- ancestors, grandparents, cousins, parents, brother. How amazing that He loves us enough to give us family and to experience that love here on earth. So here is a quick list of several of the things I love about my family:
1. I love that our names have historical family significance. I have always loved that I can link my name back generations of the ones who lived before me. "Lindsey" was my great-grandmother's (mom's grandmother- mom's side) maiden name. There is a country song out that talks of where this guy lives- "mamas give their babies their grandmother's maiden names". This is me. "Grace" was my other great-grandmother's name (dad's grandmother- mom's side). "Robert"- this is Jared's mom and stepdad's last name AND (double-whammy) a family name on dad's side (his younger brother is Robert *Uncle Bob*). Now, "Miles" was a name Jared and I both agreed on long before Miles was even in the world. But- once we knew we were having a boy, my grandmother (dad's mom) informed us that it was indeed also a family name! My great, great (keep going) grandfather was Miles Crocker. He fought in the Civil War- and there is a rather humorous story about how he got out of continuing to fight in the war, but that's for another time. "Owen" is from my great-grandfather (mom's grandfather- dad's side). "James" is Jared's middle name, Dad's name, Clif's middle name, Jared's grandfather, and on and on and on...
2. I love that we live here close to our parents. Over the past week, we have seen my parents at least half a dozen times and Jared's mom and stepdad at least twice. Miles has spend the night with my parents, spent an entire day with Jared's, and will probably do at least that next week, too! I love that I was disappointed that we won't be able to celebrate Father's Day with them this year. They will both be out of town! I am so glad that we will be able to have a special family time, though, and be able to celebrate JARED!
3. I love that being a mom has made me want to be a better person. I have always been a little prideful in how "good" I have been over the course of life...this has definitely been the biggest struggle and point of sin in my life. But being a mom has definitely brought the light out and shone it deep into my heart and made me truly evaluate why and how I do the things I do. There's nothing like a sweet little two year old causing you to display more patience- one thing I always thought I had plenty of!!
4. I love my relationship with my little brother. Clif and I have always had a great friendship. We are as different as two people can be- I would LIKE to think we would be friends even if we weren't related- but as time has moved forward, I have realized that my brother may have been too cool to be my friend, or vice-versa... But we are siblings and for that I am so grateful. He has met this amazing woman on his journey to the Big Apple, and I can not wait for life to happen for them and for Lauren and I to have a great relationship and friendship the way I have with Clif. I have always had a little tinge of jealousy over my mom's relationship with her two sisters- so I will be so happy when I can say that I have one of my own!
5. I love old pictures of my family. The ones that show grandparents as young couples and my parents as little kids. Especially when I can look at those and see the happiness in those young people's eyes that brought us to this point in time, or my kid's features and similarities to those before us! I have a pile of these that I have great hopes for framing and hanging in our home. And when I see them in family members houses- I just need to grab them up and copy them!! In the "seeing and doing" of life- I'm better at the "seeing"- I'm working on the "doing"!
Well that's all for now- but of course a post wouldn't be worthwhile without a couple of pictures, now would it?!
Jared, Miles, and Owen at my cousin Allison's wedding Memorial Day weekend.
I was drying my hair and this was how I found my boys:
made my heart so happy!
1 comment:
You know I LOVE this entire post :) L-o-v-e.
p.s. double names rock the world.
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