My growing boy!

A day of Yard work

A fun day in the yard working with our boy!! :) Couldn't think of a better and more fun way to spend a Saturday!

Somebody wants to mow like Dada! :)

Baby Boy Hershberger shower!!

I had so much fun being able to throw this special shower for my dear friend and her precious baby boy!!!

Party Favors -- Hershey kisses from baby hershy!! :)

Picnic!

Gotta love March 1st when it's 70 degrees! We took advantage of this amazing day and had a picnic for lunch! So fun!

Pear Smoothie

I've been enjoying a smoothie for breakfast the last couple days and it's so yummy I had to tell you about it! It's from Martha Stewert Living magazine, and I made a few changes for my own preference.

Pear smoothie

1 Pear (maybe another 1/2 depending on size)

1/3 C oatmeal

1 cup Vanilla Almond milk

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp maple syrup

dash salt

A few ice cubes

Enjoy!!!

Weaning, rethought...

Well, as some of you might have read my weaning post about 5 months ago, I'd like to follow up with that post. As a mom there's many things I'm learning as I go, and breastfeeding is DEFINITELY one of those things! One of the hardest and coolest parts about being a mom! My goal was to make it to 12 months breastfeeding my little boy, and when 12 months got here, I didn't know what to do! He was still breastfeeding. Now what? I had things I wanted to go do (which required overnight stays away from my little boy who was still nursing at night). I might miss some things during that time because I need to be accessible to my baby, but in the big picture, it's a year or 2, and in my whole life it's not that long.

After slowing down the weaning process (which was quite tramatic for us both to start so cold turkey!), I decided to try to let it happen more naturally. I'm really happy with that decision. I had to force the middle of the night weaning, but everything else was very natural.

Looking back, I'm happy I was able to give Ty those nutrients for a year and a 1/2. And I'm glad I didn't rush the process, if Ty is the only child God blesses us with, I'm able to look back with no regrets at how long I nursed him.

My advice, don't listen to when society, friends and family say you should wean, listen to your baby and God. I might not nurse all my kids this long, but I believe this was what Ty needed and I'm glad I could do that for him. Super special bond and memories for me that will never be taken away!

Home Base

A friend of mind sent me a link to another blog where a mom posted a blog about Rules for mothers of sons. One Rule was "Be Home Base"

You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

Oh how I want to strive to be as constant as the sun for Ty. I've discovered that when he was really little, I was his main dependency, now that he's more independent, my little boy is needing less of me, and it's easy to let that cause insecurity, doubt and threatening feelings. This post was a good reminder for me, to try less to be the person he wants most, but instead to be his constant. The funny thing about having a son as a mom, you know that the older they get, the lower on the totem pole you go, which doesn't feel good, but if I can live a life with confidence, integrity and happiness, he will admire me, enjoy being with me and love me in a deeper way forever and know I am always cheering him on.