Best Mom in the World

No – Nic isn’t bragging about herself…I (her husband, Jason) am!

Nic is a little more eloquent with writing than I am, so she’s kind of taken over the “public relations/communication” position in our family. But I figured today (Mother’s Day) was a good day to get a couple words in. . . After almost 11 years of marriage & 7 years of parenting alongside of Nic, she’s consistently amazed me, challenged me & inspired me. Here are some random things that I’ve learned from Nic over those years:

-Poop wipes off of most things. (sorry – if you’ve been following Nic’s blog since she started, it seemed like 4 out of her first 5 posts were about having 3 kids in diapers at the same time)

-The minivan is more than just a stylish mode of transportation. It can be a restaurant, office, library, TV room, bedroom, counseling center, waiting room (for when I run into Home Depot to “quickly” pick up 1 thing…and it turns into a 30 minute game of “I Spy” with the kids), choir practice room, changing room, and on an 18 hour trip to Kansas over Christmas, we realized it could be a 79 mile-per-hour porta-potty!

-Nic’s favorite quote “Cleaning your house before your kids are done growing is like shoveling the driveway before it stops snowing…” is NOT a joke – it’s actually true.

-It takes a real hero to hug and kiss the little hooligans that put you through a couple years of potty training, what seems like a life-sentence of providing snacks, endless (and I mean ENDLESS) loads of laundry, sleepless nights trying to keep kids in beds, not to mention carrying them around for 9 months. (I won’t even go into the whole childbirth thing…)

-Only a mom can patiently & lovingly tuck her kids in bed, tickle them, sing to them & pray with them after a long day of having every boundary tested & every hot-button pushed. Yes – us dads try our best, but we just can’t pull it off like moms can!
I could go on & on, and these are just a few. If you want to see what else Nic’s learned about being a mom, check out her past blog posts or take her out to coffee sometime (without kids of course…ha).

But here is probably the biggest thing I’ve learned about moms: Moms are some of the most under-appreciated & under-estimated people in the world. When I try to fill her shoes just around the house it stresses me out. And when you figure in everything else that she does with family, friends, church, etc. I know that I couldn’t pull off what she does in a normal day or week! Unfortunately, I don’t slow down to walk in her shoes enough to see all this. I get wrapped up in my own world and see her world through my lenses. Sorry about that Babe!
Proverbs 31:28-29 says, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
What the heck does “blessed” mean? Most people use it as a corny cliché, but I take the word pretty seriously and use it sparingly. To me it means: revered, venerated, holy.

Nic – I rise up and call you blessed! As I spend time with our kids, each one of them rises up and calls you blessed from the bottom of their little, big hearts, too! When Ian came home from school Friday, I saw the pride in his eyes when he showed me the poem and craft he made for you. I saw a special gleam in Coleson’s eyes this morning when he told me that he wanted to draw hearts & write things to you on the “breakfast-in-bed” tray in dry-erase markers. I was amazed when Carter hopped out of bed last night because he couldn’t remember if he had made you a Mother’s Day card or not and was wanting to make another one – he was so worried he wouldn’t be able to tell you he loved you in just the right way. And then there’s our little princess Tatum, who worships the ground you walk on and tries her best to imitate everything you do. She just wants to be like you. (If she grows up to be half the woman you are – I’ll be a very happy dad!)

Anyhow – Nic, I love you and I’m thankful that I’m your husband. You sacrifice more than anyone I know for the people around you. Thank you! I can’t tell you enough how great of a friend, wife and mom you are.

All you other moms out there – I’m sure many of these things are true of you, too. Know that your children adore you – even when they’re driving you crazy. If they don’t – they should! Know that your husbands are proud of you – even when they seem too busy to notice. If he isn’t – he should! Know that your dads & your moms are amazed when they watch you as a mom – even if they haven’t put those sentiments in words. If they aren’t – they should!
Moms – YOU ARE BLESSED!