At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to invite a
different sibling and their family over for dinner each week.
It's always nice to spend time with one family for the evening,
but with eight other siblings, it can be a lot of work.
For Mother's Day, I had Lucy and her family come over to celebrate with us.
My parents are regulars, and it was a great opportunity
to honor Mom on this special day.
Mr. Nielson prepared a beautiful Mother's Day dinner for us.
He enjoys cooking and makes dinner every Sunday.
Today, being my special day, I made a few requests -
I asked him to go easy on the garlic since he puts it in everything
and to make super duper whipped potatoes.
The best part of the evening was when we cut the delicious
gorgeous cake that my friend Megan made.
(Did you happen to catch beautiful Megan on Cupcake Wars?!)
Look at this gorgeous cake!!
This was prettier than my wedding cake.
I'm serious.
I've said it before, and I will say it again, I love being a mother.
I love raising children, and I love teaching them about God.
I am honored to have five gorgeous children in this day and age.
It's hard work, and at times it feels like it only gets harder.
But it's hard work that I will continue to do my very best at.
It's important work and the kind of work I can actually admit to
being somewhat good at.
I am good at being a mother because it's a partnership
I share with God and my husband.
Together, we make it possible to succeed beautifully.
Motherhood is the type of work that pulls, pushes, stretches, hurts, and teaches
me things that I wouldn't learn any other way.
"In this great, eternal work, mothers have carried the torch of
faith and family from the beginning.
The need for that torch to burn brightly and dispel darkness has never been greater."
-Jeffery R. Holland
