Mother's Day

Smothered by mama's kisses!

It was a real joy to celebrate my first Mother's Day! (I was actually pregnant for Mother's Day last year, but it hadn't been officially confirmed yet!) In many ways, being a mother feels very brand new to me, and sometimes Philip and I have to almost pinch ourselves to remember that yes, we are in fact parents to a little boy named Wade. At the same time, being a mom to this boy feels very much like the thing I was created to do; I feel like this is exactly what I should be doing with my life. That being said, there is no doubt that my life is very different than it was last year this time. Last May we had just returned from a fun trip backpacking around Europe for a couple weeks, we had just closed on our home, and Philip was preparing to leave for Mississippi for a month of Officer training with the Air Force. Oh, and I spent my days as a drug rep, selling pharmaceuticals and catering lunches for doctors in my business suits. Nowadays, I still cater lunch, but it's only for one small little guy who needs to be burped during his meal. And I definitely haven't broken out those business suits. My stint in the professional world was a sweet time in my life upon which I will always look fondly; however, I would not trade my full-time mama job for anything in the world. Wade's and my days aren't very glamorous; I get frustrated with him and with myself all too easily, but by God's grace, our days together are sweet and full. It is my prayer that God would give me the strength to care for Wade as He intends and that somehow my mothering might urge my little one to seek the One who cares for him far deeper and better than I ever could. That's a tall order, but God is faithful.



Back to our Mother's Day weekend. Philip, Wade, and I actually made the trip back to Lynchburg for the weekend, so we could surprise my mom. It was particularly special because my brother Taylor traveled in from Charleston, SC too. Taylor hadn't seen Wade since he was two weeks old, so there was much catching up to do. After church (It was Wade's first time in the nursery at my parent's church! It was so bizarre to be one of the parents picking up their child from the nursery...their child who had one of those cute little name tags in tape across their back!) we enjoyed lunch at my grandparents house with Blanks family aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Philip and the G are very tight. They have these signature faces they do. This is the "Wade" face.

This is the "Phil" face.

This is the "Anne" face.


Here, Graham is showing how much he loves my dad (a small amount, according to his fingers!) How funny is he? He really keeps us all laughing, that's for sure.



All three of my grandparents together, what a blessing the older generation is!


Our family, minus Philip and Andrew.

I was thankful to be able to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, a woman whom I deeply love and admire. It should come as no surprise that I appreciate her in a new way, now that I am a mom too. Not only is my mom a strong and steady support to me who I can call anytime day or night about anything at all, but she is also my dear friend. We have really great times together--we are very much alike in many ways and we share lots of laughs when we're together. So much of who I am is because of my mom and the way she loved me growing up and continues to love me as an adult. She has loved me (and my brothers) so selflessly--she is a woman full of patience and eager to serve, and I long for those qualities to describe me. I would be honored if Wade could one day describe me similarily to my mom.