Wordless Wednesday

What makes me a Theta Mom?

Heather {Theta Mom} tagged me!

I now must share with you five experiences that have

molded me into a Theta Mom {The True, Authentic Mom.}

So, here they are.

In no particular order...

1. I make mistakes. I laugh at my mistakes. I learn from my mistakes.

For instance: When Aidyn was about 10 months I was giving him a bath.  I was playing games with him, being goofy, the usual.  I took him out of the water to wrap in a towel and decided to lift him high in the air to make funny faces at him.  I bumped his head on the shower rod.  He didn't even flinch-- his had just tapped the rod.

I cried for hours to my husband telling him I broke our baby. Seriously.

Now, I laugh at my {over} reaction and I learned a valuable lesson.

Never lift my baby over my head near low objects. :)

2. While I was pregnant with Aidyn I worried over my future constantly.  Should I go back to school? Should I go for a major I loved this time?{I originally went for education but dreamed of going for graphic design} Should I stay at home with him? It seemed like such a hard decision to make but once Aidyn was born it was pretty clear.  When he was 11 months I left my position as a manager at a salon and decided to stay at home with him.  School will wait and I know I've made the right choice for myself and my family.

3. Aidyn always brings out the best in me.  He's taught me to slow down, soak everything in and a beautiful way to communicate. Don't let that fool you into thinking we don't have our off moments.
Like the times when he throws a tantrum in the middle of a restaurant and I get so flustered because nothing will calm him down and soon I want to hide my face in my hands and have a good cry. It happens.

4.  The past year I've become so confident with my parenting. As a new mom I second guessed myself often-- I really felt I had a lot to prove.  Now, I don't feel I need to explain the choices I make for my family.  It's easy to when other's give their opinions but  it's become easy for me to say this is what works for us.

5.  Going with #4...this parenting is a never ending learning experience. As confident as I feel I'm always open to new ideas and learning from other mothers. {I love this blog community!} This year has been huge for my family and I.  In the past months Ethan has lost his job, we had to move in with my parents, and give up much of what we were accustomed to.  And it was so much easier than I expected.  We've gained so much more then we ever thought we lost. We have each other and our family has been amazing.  That's all that matters!
The only person I was ever worried about {of course} was Aidyn.  I wanted it to be an easy transition for him and he didn't even bat an eye at all the new changes.  He's in a beautiful house filled with family and love. Why did I ever worry?

6. Yes, I'm breaking the rules and adding a #6.  I have fun!  I've learned to eliminate stress, stop and take a deep breath, and ask myself will this matter in five years? Will this matter in one? Better yet, will this matter next week?!  I don't take myself too seriously and  I surround myself with positive people.

So now I'm tagging you.

Yes, you!

All you mommies out there and even if you're not a mommy

share what you think makes you authentic as a person!

Grab the tag and share your answers.

Christmas Photo Shoot

Last year, the company we ordered our holiday cards from lost our order

and we didn't receive them until a few days before Christmas.

It was pretty disappointing.

I made sure this year we would not have the same problem.

So, this weekend, I dragged the boys out for a photo shoot.

I, of course, was impatient and couldn't wait for better lighting so we ended

up going out when it was way too sunny.

We had a few hiccups and I didn't get everything I was envisioning

but sometimes you just have to roll with it.

Even better, sometimes you roll with it and end up finding something

you love more than you originally envisioned.

Burglar Alarm

{Mom's dog Coco}

Don't underestimate her tiny stature.

Her bark is much worse than her bite.

And I'm sure that has nothing to do with her having very few teeth left.