Today I am posting my 100th entry to this little blog of mine. Over the course of my last 99 entries I’ve written about many subjects, but the overarching theme has definitely been “mommy life”. I’ve written about hot topics such as what it takes to be a mom, how to prepare yourself for parenthood (Good luck with that one!),  how I attempt to get things done with my kids around (Again, best of luck), how we discipline, how we travel with our kids, what I feed my kids, and the ridiculous things that I do as a mom.  Lots of…mom stuff. So, for my 100th post I thought it would be appropriate to write about my favorite mom-topic: how much I love being a mom. I could probably share with you a million reasons why motherhood is the best “job” in the world, but I’ll practice a bit of self control and stick to 100 (100th post, remember?).  And now, here are the top 100 reasons why I love being a mom:

1. Snuggles
2. Hearing my baby say “Mama!” all day long
3. Getting to see God answer my prayers for my children
4. Ugga Muggas
5. Seeing that first ultrasound pictures of the life growing inside me
6. Parenting with my husband
7. Having my family be my full-time “job”
8. Waking up to children’s voices instead of a buzzing alarm (I just wish those sweet little voices would learn how to sleep past 7 AM…)
9. Going to children’s museums and kiddie playgrounds
10. Teaching them new things
11. Seeing the light in their eyes when they learn something new and have that “Aha!” moment
12. Growing in the virtue of “patience”
13. Singing lullabies
14. Tiny naked bottoms running to the bathtub
15. Bubble baths
16. The smell of a baby
17. Kissing boo-boos
18. Watching my older son teach his little brother (mostly it’s just him teaching the baby how to get into mischief, but I’m sure it will come in handy some day)
19. My new-found appreciation for all things “balls” (if you know David, you know exactly what I mean)
20. Hearing a small voice say, “I love you”, and knowing that he really means it
21. Watching first steps (and first everythings!)
22. Having an excuse to eat chicken nuggets and Mac ‘n Cheese
23. Witnessing innocence
24. Playing!
25. Watching my children grow and change
26. Hearing David say the phrase, “So, I was thinking today we could…”. He sounds just like his Mommy.
27. Splashing in mud puddles
28. Nursing my baby until he falls asleep in my arms
29. Re-watching classic movies like “The Lion King” and “Cars”
30. Exploring new places with my kids
31. Stroking feathery-soft baby hair
32. Learning in a whole new way how to trust God each day
33. Celebrating holidays through the eyes of a child–it’s magical
34. The hilarious things they say
35. Wrestling (even though Daddy definitely has me beat in this area!)
36. Seeing bits of me and my husband in our children
37. Kissing their sweet, soft, pudgy little cheeks
38. Teaching my kids God’s Word
39. Comforting my kids when they are upset
40. Painting with our fingers
41. Baby laughs–there’s no problem in this world that a baby laugh can’t cure
42. Reading with my children
43. Oggling their teeny-tiny clothes
44. Being the one they run to when they are scared
45. Priority boarding on airplanes
46. Helping them
47. Praying with them
48. Sharing in their joys and sorrows
49. Learning from them
50. My son’s excitement to see me when I pick him up from school
51. Trying new things
52. Wiping away crocodile tears
53. Listening to David talking to and playing with other children
54. Seeing how excited they get over the little things in life
55. Knowing that I helped create something AMAZING
56. Sharing in my kids’ curiosity
57. Nourishing and sustaining another life with my own body
58. Being appreciated
59. Watching David DEVOUR his broccoli and turn up his nose at a cookie (he may not be my child after all…)
60. Feeling Acting younger than I am
61. All the cute baby gear
62. Planning their birthday parties
63. Because my kids rock!
64. Helping to shape a young life that will influence the world long after I’m gone
65. Doing the mundane…but having it feel purposeful
66. Watching my kids sleep
67. Lazing around together in our jammies
68. Watching David dance and sing
69. Mimi and Gigi
70. Taking the boys swimming
71. Buying bunch after bunch after bunch of bananas
72. Doling out M&M’s for potty successes (and always sneaking a few for myself…)
73. Having picnics together
74. Baby kisses (they feel more like baby licks, but I know that he means them lovingly)
75. Blowing raspberries on their tummies and watching them squirm
76. Swinging on the swings and sliding on the slides with them
77. Watching them spend hours on a “meaningless” task like putting balls in a basket or throwing rocks into water
78. Playing Peek-a-boo and Pat-a-cake
79. Encouraging them
80. Witnessing David’s unique sense of style (which usually includes 3 layers of basketball t-shirts and nothing else)
81. Brushing their teeth and seeing new teeth appear in their mouths seemingly every day
82. Being humbled by my children
83. Tickling my baby during diaper changes
84. Bedtime. ‘Nuf said.
85. Counting tiny fingers and tiny toes
86. Holding their hands
87. Seeing David’s “cheese face” when we’re taking his photo
88. Unconditional love
89. Watching Jacob crawl at lightning speed when he sees something he wants across the room
90. Challenging them and being challenged by them
91. Sharing in their dreams
92. Hearing my baby clap when he’s excited
93. Helping them see their potential
94. Cuddling when they don’t feel well
95. Meeting new friends with my kids
96. Watching David DOMINATE at Angry Birds
97. Experiencing old things from a new perspective
98. Finding toys in random places to remind me that my children have been here
99. Laughing uncontrollably when David rolls down a hill and then (dizzily) tries to run back up to the top
100. Loving them. I just love loving them.

So there you have it, 100 reasons I’m one of the luckiest people in the world. Thank you for letting me be your mommy, boys!