The month of July has flown by. I feel like I blinked and we are already one sleep away from it being August. Which is one of my favourite months because ITS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!
This month though to be honest has been exhausting, both mentally and physically. We had so much going on with Lily's birthday party and Mason's baptism I felt like I never stopped. I always want my kids to have the best of everything and will put them before everything else in the world. Which meant devoting all of my time into throwing Lily the best 3rd birthday party I possibly could and making sure Mason's baptism was beautifully put together. I wouldn't change any of that for the world though. To be honest with you, I would probably be a party planner in another life because as stressful as it may be sometimes I really enjoy doing it.
There are three things that were really important to me this month and that taught me a lot that I want to share and reflect on.
Masons Baptism taught me a lot this month. While I do strongly believe in having your child baptized I will be honest with you that I am not a overly religious person.However, sitting in church listening to the service really resonated with me on a lot of different levels. While I don't go to church often when I do, I always think to myself why don't I do this more. I always leave feeling a connection to something, whether it is god or a higher being, I feel connected and refreshed. Another reasons that Mason's baptism was really special was that my great uncle was able to come and baptize Mason just as he did Lily. It was really important to me to have my Father Roy come and be apart of this special day for us. Knowing that he has had a lot of health issues recently and was still able to make the lengthy trip to be here with us meant the world to me. It reminded me of the importance of family. The importance of family being present for those special and memorable moments not only in mine but my children's life as well. This occasion also got me thinking about how you define family. Looking out seeing who came to celebrate Mason with us I realized that I did not have a lot of family present that day, and when I say family I mean blood related family. However, I did have a lot of family there. When I looked out and saw people like Austin, Justin, Lizzie, Gary and Katerina there for me and my family it brought tears to my eyes. While these people may not be blood, that doesn't mean anything. These people are my family and I am so grateful for them and that my children have them in their life.
Lily's Birthday party reminded me the importance of celebrating life's milestones and enjoying every minute. One thing I promised myself was that I wanted to be present for her party. I didn't want to be stressing out about the food, the party favours and if everyone else was happy. I wanted to be 100% present for my daughter and have fun with her. I wanted to enjoy every minute with Lily and make sure it was special for her. And I did exactly that! I put my phone away and let our photographer handle the pictures and it was the best thing I ever did. There is so much pressure now a days to throw these huge extravagant parties for our kids. I love planning parties and doing all the DIY I can but nothing was more special than watching Lily have fun with her friends brought tears to my eyes. Seeing her reaction when she walked into PlayVille and how excited she was about every little detail made my heart so happy. Then we came home Lily gave me the biggest hug and thanked me for giving her the best birthday ever. I cried as she hugged me because that is all I could have wished for. Knowing that she had the birthday party that she dreamed of. The best part was that her and I did it together. We planned every detail together and it was so much fun - I did have a few surprises for her. But most of the shopping and planning we did together. It was what we called "girl time" and we had so much fun. This was the hardest birthday for me yet. I had a hard time with her turning 3. I don't know if it is just that she is getting so much bigger and smarter this past year or that next year she will be going to school next year but boy did it hit me!
How much baseball means to me is another thing that I didn't expect to hit me so hard this month. I stepped back out on the field after pretty much 2 years off from being pregnant and then my injury. Getting back on the field with my team hit me hard. I hadn't felt as good as I did the moment I put those cleats on in over 2 years. Being on the baseball field is my happy place. I forget everything else that is going on around me and just focus on the game and having fun with my friends. It felt so freeing and refreshing to not have to think about anything else. I also didn't realize how much I missed the socialization part. Even though I wasn't playing I would still go down and watch the games and hangout with my friends but there is something different about being apart of the game with them. It just reminded me how important baseball is to me and my self-care.
Being a mom we can wear many different shoes. Sometimes shoes that I wish I didn't have to wear but do because that is what's best for my family. But in all reality I wouldn't change any of it for the world. Juggling many different shoes or hats; whatever analogy you want to use, has taught me a lot and I will be forever grateful for that.
What are some things that you've learned and reflected on this month?