A Heart Full of Joy

I became an aunt {again} today ❤

My brother texted me a picture and you could see it in his eyes......his heart had instantly doubled in size making perfect room to love his new little boy. What an amazing blessing God gives, as parents, that we get to experience a glimpse into the measureless love He has for us as his children. That's joy I tell ya!

Speaking of joy.....

these 2 fellas filled my cup this weekend. On Saturday morning we did breakfast in Ballard at Portage Bay, ran around in the grass at the Locks and drank strawberry lemonade as we cruised Shilshole Marina {daydreaming about one day having our own sailboat}. I attended a sweet friends baby shower, while Jody took Harrison for a ride in the burley. The evening weather was nice, so we grilled chicken and veggies then proceeded to stay up way too late.

We celebrated the morning of Mother's day at church and the early afternoon relaxing. We hit up the zoo after Harrison's nap and, as you can see, he enjoyed himself. Jody & I concluded the evening with some fresh shrimp on the grill {delicious}.

I will always have mixed emotions when it comes to Mother's day, since I know it is such a hard day for so many women, but this year I have so much to be thankful for. God's timing is perfect and, because of that, there are several girlfriends of mine who will celebrate their first Mother's Day {some with baby in arms and some still in the womb} who struggled with long battles of infertility. I can also celebrate the continued love and support of my own mother and my very precious mother-in-law......what a gift both of those ladies are in my life. I'm also crazy blessed to have the most amazing sister-in-laws who have given me lots of nieces and nephews to love on and continue to be great examples of how to parent well. Though not a woman, my greatest joy comes from my husband who continues to be my biggest cheerleader. He is such an encouragement in my life and is always making me feel like I have this mothering thing in the bag. I respect his patience with me, as I fumble my way through this child raising thing, and his kind words. More joy!

Of course it's not all rainbows and unicorns at the Duvall ranch.....I do have an almost 2 year old......but today I will focus on the gifts and blessings. The fruit of the spirit is Love, Joy and Peace {Galations 5:22}......and heaven knows we all need a little bit more of those things in our lives.

Oh remember those fresh shrimp we grilled? Well Jody caught them! Last weekend he went shrimpin' with a buddy of his, on Whidby Island, and they hit the crustacean jackpot. Now, I'm not the hugest lover of food from the sea, but these shrimp are good eatin' and luckily we have a freezer full. We plan on sharing our shrimp harvest with Jim & Jill {my in-laws} when they are in town next week. Why are they going to be in town you ask? Remember I'm having a baby......

next Tuesday!!!! Here's to the JOY of becoming a mother of two ❤