Happy Mother's day to all the mothers in my life. I love Mother's Day! Not because I get spoiled, but because I have children that make me a mom. That is worth celebrating! I feel like Mother's Day is more like a day to honor my children because I feel so blessed to be their mother. Not a day goes by that I do not thank Heavenly Father for the blessing of motherhood. This Mother's Day weekend was pretty incredible! On Friday, I got to go to "Muffins 4 Moms" at Reese's preschool. The kids had made muffins and a cute gift for their mom. Reese was so excited when we showed up. She sat me down and served me my muffin and my drink. I am so grateful for my sweet Reesie! She has a heart of gold and LOVES to serve. She was so excited to show off her brother and sister to all her friends at school. Nora thought she was going to preschool and so she brought her back pack and told me, "Bye Mom! I will see you after school," when we got to school. Later that night, we had the opportunity to go to an art show called "The Motherhood Project". About a year ago, I was nominated to be a part of "The Motherhood Project". An amazing photographer was photographing 8 different mothers with 8 different perspectives on motherhood. She wanted to know their trials, triumphs, and love of motherhood. Their was a mother that had cancer, a widowed mother, a mother with a special needs child, a single mother, a pregnant mother, a first time mother, and I had the opportunity to share my story of motherhood. It was humbling to know that other people wanted to know our story. The kids and I had our pictures taken and then I was asked questions about motherhood. Here are a few pics from the photo shoot that was a year ago. It makes me sad to think about how quickly my kiddos are growing up. (More pics to come of Friday night at the art show.)
My name is Darcee and I am a wife and the mother of our three beautiful children through the miracle of adoption. I am an infertility survivor, failed adoption survivor, and I am grateful for every single experience that has resulted in our children becoming a part of our family. Every family has a story and I love how uniquely perfect ours is.
My favorite thing about motherhood is how limitless it is. There is no limit to loving my children! There is no limit to what I can teach my children. All of the knowledge I have acquired, all of the skills and talents I have developed, can be channeled into an organization that is limitless. Loving, teaching, and giving myself to my children everyday is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done.
The hardest thing about being a mom for me has been the process of trying to become a mother. After not being able to get pregnant, failed infertility attempts, and failed adoption placements, I started to believe that I might not have the opportunity to become a mother. We had multiple failed placements before each of our adoptions. Two of those failed placements involved having an infant in our home before the birth mother decided to parent. Our adoption journey has been a roller coaster of emotions, but we have come out with the most precious babies that fill our home and hearts with so much love.
The first moment I became a mother was in the NICU in Detroit, Michigan. I had flown across the country to meet my baby girl. I remember holding my 2lb 4oz baby girl for the first time and she looked up at me and smiled. I thought my heart might explode as I felt that this precious baby had been waiting for me and she knew her mom was there. I remember crying and being filled with so much gratitude for our precious baby girl. Every heartache I had ever had in my entire life was worth every effort and sacrifice to become the mother of our sweet Reese.
Becoming a mother has definitely changed my heart. Remembering the many years that I desired to be a mother, but could not get pregnant, my heart immediately was filled with gratitude for the opportunity to be a mother. My capacity to love has grown by ten fold. Children have definitely changed me for the better and I feel like they refine me. Everyday I am given the opportunity to handle situations with my kids in a loving manner. I am not perfect at parenting, but I feel like, day by day, I can love more selflessly, be more grateful, be more patient, and teach by example. This process definitely changes your heart for the better. My heart is so full of gratitude for the opportunity I have been given to be a mother. Each day is a gift with my precious children.
After the art show, we took the kids to Krispy Kreme for being so good at the show. They were so excited and loved watching the donuts be fried and glazed. I love spending time with my family. Even if it is just getting donuts, they are so much fun to be around.
