This week, my 4 year old told me he “hated this” in a full out screaming tantrum in his room over I don’t even remember what. My two year old put his hands into the toilet water while going potty… twice. And my 5 month old thoroughly enjoyed sucking the icing off a mint Oreo cookie my two year old snuck her while I was holding her up on my shoulder helping my four year old with something and kneeling down.

Daily, these three make me laugh and drive me up a wall. My oldest wants to have me watch every move his toys make while racing, mystery solving, wrestling, and crime fighting. I hear mama probably 100 times a day, no exaggeration! Sometimes he says mama just to have me look at him without anything to say to me. My two year old is so independent now that if I try to get his drink cup out of the fridge for him he scolds me and puts the cup back just to reopen the door and get it himself. He helps himself to all the snacks in the cabinets and is a bit of a tornado. He is ripping all the LEGO Batman toys apart these days. And my daughter? She is sweet and giggly but doesn’t want to be put down. Ever. And is teething terribly too.

Yet, the intelligence and memory that my oldest has truly astonishes me. He can remember every wrestler’s name, and knows their big moves. He reenacts his favorite movies and shows, and he sways and dances to his favorite music (he loves U2 like his daddy). It is the coolest thing to see! My two year old is sassy and adorable. He is a tough guy with no fear but the biggest hugs and kisses (and will wipe mine off when I give them to him). He loves space ships and BB8, and he cries when the Star Wars movies end and begs for another one with the real BB8. And my baby gives those priceless smiles in the middle of a day when I think I am going to lose my cool because the boys are being too rough and just won’t listen to anyone.

My husband and I have some really tough days. We fight and we say things we regret and we let life and stress get the better of us. And we have weeks of smiles and laughs and eye rolls when the kids do something truly unbelievable. We fight and we fight to keep it all together in this beautiful mess. It truly comes in waves but we never stop trying. He and I have gone from kids, to adults, to parents. There is a lot of love in that process but it is messy and hard and nearly impossible some days. And through it all it makes me love him more.

These are all the reasons I love motherhood, being a wife, and raising our own tribe. We take the best things from our parents, add our own twists, and hang on for the ride just trying to survive. I am not a perfect mama, I make a lot of mistakes but that’s when you pick yourself up the next day and try again. I am so thankful I get to take this journey.

Happy Mother’s Day to every mom, mother to be, mother figure, mentor, and role-model. We are blessed to have you in our lives. 💗