Did you all have a nice Mother’s Day? We sure did at our house. With the addition of this new baby girl, it has really changed everything for our family and we took lots of family pics to remember the occasion. The older we get, the more we know that we cannot take any of this for granted. I’ve told you about my mother before, but really I don’t think words even adequately express how much she means to me and my family. She is without a doubt one of the best mothers out there. God might have broken the mold with her, although I think her own mother was such a blessing too from what I’ve heard. I never knew her, as she died when I was very little.
Growing up, I used to think my parents were so mean. We were the girls who didn’t get to do anything fun, the preacher’s kids. Back then, it was a sin to go to movies or dances or anything heathen like that. Smoking, drinking and cussing were definitely frowned upon. Everyone else got to have fun, but not us. We grew up with lots of rules and I used to think that everyone else had way more fun parents than we did. Why couldn’t our parents be cool like that and let us do whatever we wanted? It was wishful thinking back then, but now that I’m older and wiser (I hope!), I’ve certainly changed my tune on that. They did relax things a bit when Lauren came along and got into her teen years.
Now, I know that these Godly parents of ours had rules for our own good. They made us mind and do what they thought was the right thing, using Biblical principles as their guide and not what everyone else was doing . It was pretty boring to me back then, but now I wouldn’t change a thing. Now I know what a fine example of parenting they set for us and we were so blessed to have them as our parents. Mom is a special lady, with so much love, patience, and the most gentle spirit that you would ever meet. She’s an angel in mom’s clothing and I’m so glad that she is MY mom. I know my sister and my niece feel the same way.
I know she felt the love yesterday, just as we all did and it was really a special moment. I’ll be sharing a special family moment at the bottom of the post, so get the tissues ready!
My sister’s backyard has been Mother’s Day central for the past several years. She and Bruce have worked so hard on this backyard and it comes in handy for special occasions like this. My sister set up a big table for all of us. There were lots of folks there on Mother’s Day this year, including friends of my sister’s family and her husband, Bruce’s parents and brother’s family were there too. We always celebrate with them as well.
She had pretty hydrangeas on the table.
It ended up being a beautiful day to eat outside.
I’ve showed you all pics of their backyard before, but here it is again. A tropical jungle with a pond and waterfall.
Rock walls and lots of landscaping.
I captured this special pic of mom and dad and this one really shows off their personalities.
Lauren and her baby, Parker. We all just can’t get enough of this sweet girl. She’s getting big so fast and has changed so much in the last month since we’ve seen her.
Lauren and Renee fixed a delicious lunch of pork chop spaghetti and salad. It was all yummy, as usual!
I love this pic of mom and Parker, with Lauren looking on. Sweet times, these are!
Dad doing his favorite thing, eating dessert.
Strawberry shortcake with pound cake and fresh strawberries.
As always, we girls had to take a pic on Mother’s Day to document the day. This time we have a sweet little bundle to join us and that made it extra special. We even talked ahead about what color we should all wear so the pics look better and I’m happy we did that. We will treasure these photos for years to come. Comes in handy having a blog to document all of this specialness!
We let Dad get in the pictures too. He has put up with all of us girls for a long, long time and has learned that it’s a hopeless cause if we all want him to do something. He may as well go ahead and give in now. The estrogen was running high at our house growing up.
Mom and that sweet baby girl with the most perfect lips ever.
She’s just getting cuter and cuter and of course, we all had to take turns holding her. Mom usually gets first dibs.
But I got my share of Parker time too. She’s a doll baby!
I got my share of smooches this time, kissing those sweet cheeks. She is so fun now, cooing and smiling.
After lunch, we gave mom her Mother’s Day gifts and this one was a big hit as you can imagine. We wondered where she would put it as her walls are filled with mostly pics of Lauren at various stages. We decided that a Lauren pic might have to come down to make room for this one. Lauren doesn’t mind being bumped for this angel.
The last gift that Lauren gave mom was a card with an enclosed note. Lauren came in last week and has been here for a few days. Mom was keeping Parker for awhile as Lauren had some errands to run. She was leaving but came back into the den where mom was holding Parker and this is what Lauren saw and noted on her Facebook page last week. I was there right after it happened too and got all teary-eyed during the moment.
When mom read this note, she began to weep, as did all of us.
Lauren’s words to mom:
When I walked in and saw these two napping and snuggling, I assumed it was their typical cuteness…until I saw Nana’s lips moving and heard her whispering. I got closer and realized she was praying for Parker, just as she has always done for me. It will be many many years before Parker understands how special it is to have a grandmother who cloaks her in prayer every morning on her knees in front of the worn armchair in her bedroom, and I realize that Nana may not be with us when that day comes. For as long as I live though, this little girl will always know how privileged she is to have come from such a meek but mighty warrior of God.
And that, my friends, sums it all up. Happy Mother’s Day! This one was extra special.
Fay Sanchez says
Tears are flowing pretty hard now! What a blessed family to have such a mighty prayer warrior in your Mom. I am sure your Dad too. I pray I can be such a MawMaw. I have a 4 month old grandson and a granddaughter due on July 1st. May The Lord continue to bless your sweet family.
laura@top this top that says
beautiful…just beautiful.
Kelly - Talk of the House says
Oh yes…tears here too. SO much sweetness in this post…sniff sniff. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us.
Kelly
p.s. The photos of you and Parker are precious precious precious!!! Y’all both are gorgeous!
Nancy Sharp says
Now I know why I was drawn to you and your blog. My Dad was (is) a minister too and I grew up with all those no-no’s too. But having those prayer warriors behind me has sure helped my life. For many years until dementia came they prayed for each child, grandchild and great grandchild by name every morning. They are in a room together in a nursing home and next month will be their 73rd wedding anniversary.
Patricia Mason says
OhMyGoodness ! My tears are flowing here too, at 7:30 in the morning ! What a priceless, heart warming, amazing photo of your dear Mother with her great grandaughter….I have never seen a picture so touching – God Bless you all….
Lisa~A Cottage To Me says
Bless her heart! What a precious picture. Your Mom’s as precious as Parker!
Tammy says
Yea… I am sitting here at my desk, tears pouring down my face. This is so very special. Thank you so much for sharing.
I accidently stumbled across your blog about 6 – 8 months ago. I cannot tell you how much joy it has brought to me. I keep sending the link to all my family and friends. I have a daughter and 2 nieces, who all got married in the past 10 months. My nieces no longer have mothers, so I am the substitute. I think your blog is very educationally, I know it is for me and I think it will be for them too. We all four love DIY Projects and to decorate.
Sara aka Sally says
Oh Rhoda.
I ‘lost’ my daddy on Valentine’s Day 1981 and my mama in October 2002.
I miss their physical beings very much as they were: amusing, brave, courageous, deadly in all types of games, honest and great teachers. They gave me my love of animals, gardening, design & restoration and the written word.
Oh, how incredibly blessed you are to have both of your much beloved and very loving parents alive and to have your family close to you, emotionally and physically.
You are a very fortunate woman but you know that.
With very best wishes and many thanks for letting us in on your family’s joy.
Sara aka Sally.
Maureen says
Beautiful, just Beautiful.
Richella Parham says
Oh, Rhoda. There are no words. Except–thank you for sharing this.
Sandra white says
What a beautiful day for all of you. Love your family, your values, and how refreshing to know,that there are families like yours still in this world. I, like you, was raised with a very strict upbringing, attending church every Sunday. Those values were instilled in me for a lifetime. I didn’t realize at that time how they would mold my life down the road. So glad to,have been raised the way I was. What an inspiration to all of us. Your family is certainly that. What a beautiful family!
Janette@ The 2 Seasons says
Now I’m crying.
Arlene Grimm@Nanaland says
Well Rhoda you made me cry first thing this morning….that sweet note that Lauren wrote to her grandmother is just precious. Like you I grew up with Mean Parents and as an adult I can appreciate that they had my best interests at heart. So glad that they implanted a godly heritage in me!! Loved all the pictures. Your mom and dad are just wonderful people…I can tell from their faces!! They radiate love and joy. Thanks for sharing them with us!!
Kim says
What a blessing! Parker is so precious and your family is so grounded in your faith. I admire that so much. Lauren’s letter to her grandmother made me cry. Thank you for sharing it with us. I enjoy following along in your life on the blog and wish you God’s greatest blessings!a
shar y says
Oh my, this is so wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Such joy! Parker is so adorable and I can’t believe how Lauren favors you, her aunt.
Mimi -247 Mulberry Lane says
Amen.
noreen says
Thank you for sharing your precious family time, this brought a lump to my throat. I too have had the privilege of parents who prayed for their children. Your parents are beautiful jewels in His crown.
Robbie says
Very sweet words. What a true blessing your mother is to your family!
Mary Ann says
Yes, Miss Kitty raised precious children and your mother is prove of that! I always have tears when I see your parents because of their sweetness, but also because they remind me of days gone by. I also grew up with ‘mean parents’ and thank God that I did! There were alot of them at Pleasant Grove, and there were alot of us that turned out o.k. Thank you Rhoda for making me cry, I needed that.
At Rivercrest Cottage says
this is so precious. I cried over her note as I’m sure everyone else did even though we don’t know her. How lucky you are to have such special people in your life.