Dear mothers of children all ages, you are so loved and appreciated for all of your hard work.  From kissing boo boos to helping with homework, your love and devotion to your child does not go unnoticed.  New and expectant mothers, you are holding a true gift. The sleepless nights, backaches and swollen ankles are sacrifices you are making to bring your darling child into this world.  As you nurture and rock those precious babes, know that their coos and smiles are their thanks for all that you do.  And especially to those mothers of angels in heaven.  Know that your darling babes are looking down on you from Heaven.  Though this day is painful to you, I ask God to comfort your hearts.  I celebrate you and am sorry for your loss.

To my Stepmother Linda, thank you for all that you do for our family.  I know it must not be easy to inherit 3 new children and 2 Grandchildren, but you make it look easy, by loving us as your own.  Your positive nature and giving heart are truly amazing.  We hope you know how loved and appreciated you are.

To my dear Mother in law Beth, your devotion to your family is the most incredible thing about you.  I admire you so much and we love you and are so thankful for all that you do, including driving 400+ miles round-trip every other weekend to spend time with us.  You are truly a blessing to us.

This weekend I thank my husband and my own daughter for making me a mother.  Hallie Anne, your mother is so thankful for you.  You are my greatest accomplishment.  Though some days as a mother are not easy, you make is so easy to love you.  I thank God every day that he chose me to be your mother.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend fellow mothers.  This weekend I am wishing all the Moms out there a day of love and peace.

Finally, to my dear friend Larissa with Purple Moments Photography, thank you for the lovely Mother’s Day photos.

Our family welcomed a new member this weekend. My Dad married the love of his life. Linda, his new bride, is just about the sweetest woman I have ever met, and is such a blessing to our family. Hallie was the flower girl, and did such a great job throwing flowers down the aisle!  She looked darling and had so much fun!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the very special day.

                                                                            The Happy Couple

                                                      The cutest Little Flower Girl you ever did see

                                                      She totally posed like this on her own

                                                                 Her Beautiful hairdo

                                                                All the Grand kids

                                                                       Our Beautiful Family

                                                             Hallie and her cousin Brayden

                                                                            My Sweet Girl

                                                                         Just a Couple More

                                                     Cant Get Enough of her sweet face

Hallie is going to be a pro Flower Girl by the end of the year! She has already booked another gig for November, and just can’t wait! And if you are in need of any “Flower Girl Tips”- The best advice I can give is to let them practice.  Hallie walked down a pretend aisle at our house for months throwing fake flower petals, and she nailed it!

Spring in Texas means plenty of rain! Hallie really enjoys getting out her umbrella and jumping in puddles on a rainy day.  My favorite thing to do however, is curl up with a cup of coffee with an awesome rainy day playlist.  So, here are some of our favorite rainy day tunes.

Hallie’s favorite by far is Prince’s Purple Rain.  Though I am not the biggest Prince Fan (I know!) I love hearing her sing this song!  Of course I had to add some Glee love to the list! Absolutely love this mashup!

What do you like doing on rainy days?

Hello Happily Ever Mock readers!

I’m Steph, and today I’m delighted and honored to guest post for Kelly! She asked me six questions to let you know a little bit about who I am and why we’re connected as “Mom Instagram friends.”

I first connected with Kelly back in November 2017 when I was just about to launch my own Mom blog. She was literally one of my first followers! And, very quickly, she became a friend. Kelly is truly one of the most supportive and genuine Instagram mom’s I’ve ever met. So, I’m thrilled to be on here with all of you!

1) Why did you start your motherhood blog?

When I first started the MAMA Jots, my goal was to meet other moms while pursuing my interest in photography. Soon after launching, I realized that I wanted to create a safe corner of the Internet for genuine, loving, modern, and creative moms to connect and grow. I’m so new to the Mom blog world,  though I’ve done a lot of research and connected with a great group of women, which I’m really grateful today that I took the leap! I truly love getting to know everyone, and I look forward to seeing where things go. I plan to keep our supportive community going for a long time.

2) What’s your favorite mommy hack?

Buying red clothes in December for Christmas and then reusing them again in February

for Valentine’s Day.

3) If money were no object how would you spend a kid free day?

With my husband! We like to find a good brunch deal or head in to town and spend the day exploring the city. Pre-baby, that’s all we did: wining and dinning in the big city or hopping a ferry to a cute and quaint town to wine taste. Those are my kind of adventures.

4) What’s one meal you could eat everyday?

Anything created with the ingredients and spices of “Mexico” in mind. Burritos? Fajitas? Tostadas? I’ll eat it all, anytime of the day!

5) What’s a TV show you wish was still airing new episodes?

Friends. Even after watching all ten seasons multiple times, I will never get enough of Friends in my life.

6) Who are four people you’d want to invite to a dinner party?

1. Oprah Winfrey (her wisdom and perspective)

2. Ellen Degeneres (her humor)

3. Mary (Mother of Jesus to talk about motherhood)

4. My Grandma (a great conversationalist and witty persona)

Whew, that was fun!

I’d love to connect with you again and hopefully get to know a lot of you through my own blog at mamajots.com or over on Instagram @mama.jots. There, you will see all the wild adventures of my daughter Abby (21) months and a few DIY projects, as well. Every caption on Instagram shares my motherhood insights and stories as we venture ahead.

Thanks again Happily Ever Mock readers and Kelly for having me this week! To read Kelly’s answers to my questions, head on over to mamajots.com

– Steph

Before I share this years Valentine photos, Let me throw it back a bit to Hallie’s last few!

                                                                 9 months

                                                                        Almost 2

                                                                     Almost 3

And here we are now, at almost four! I can’t believe how big my little Valentine is getting!

My funny Valentine is full of sweet and sass! She was really such a doll though! All day she said she had a special Valentine planned for Daddy and I. When we got home, she dressed up in a ballet costume and asked me to turn on “Shake it Off”.  When I did, she performed the cutest little dance routine! My heart could explode with all the love I have for her!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentines Day!