Growing up, you always dream about what you want to be when you grow up.

Some want to be teachers. Some want to be veterinarians, lawyers, doctors, or nurses. These are beautiful dreams with big titles attached, and it truly takes a special person to fill these shoes. But me?

All I ever wanted was to be a wife and mom; it never changed. I wasn’t drawn to briefcases or a classroom. I was drawn to a plastic Little Tikes kitchen. I played house like it was my full-time job — because in my heart, it already was. I lined up my babies, pretended to cook supper, and bossed around anyone who would play along with me. (My daughter Kenzy is pretty bossy too. Ha! Wonder where she gets it?) I didn’t dream about a corner office. I dreamed about a home filled with little voices and tiny shoes by the door.

And by the grace of God, I got exactly that.

I got to stay home and raise my babies thanks to my husband, who made it possible for us. Even though I still babysat other children from our home, I was the one who kissed the boo-boos, made the lunches, and read the bedtime stories. In a world that sometimes makes you feel like that’s not “enough,” I am here to tell you, it was everything.

Tyler and Kenzy are my two greatest gifts. There were hard days, long days, days when I was covered in spaghetti sauce, running on no sleep, wondering if I was doing any of it right. But there were also days so sweet and so full that my heart could barely hold it all.

I remember little hands reaching up for mine. I remember giggles echoing through the house. I remember special little picnics at the park. I remember being the person they ran to, and I never once took that for granted. I remember being part of every PTO event at their school, and I would always be there. They came first before anything!! (I’m not lying when I say I also dreamed of being the PTO president someday, and I totally was. For years. VP and Pres. May I say, I was pretty darn good at it!? And I’d even show up to meetings on my Harley. Haha!)

~ insert bada** PTO momma here ~

I’ll never regret being a stay-at-home momma.

Because here’s what nobody tells you when you’re playing house with your favorite plastic kitchen and your baby dolls: it goes fast. Faster than you can imagine. You blink, and big ones replace the tiny shoes by the door. You blink again, and they’re driving away, living their own lives, building their own stories. And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

But on this Mother’s Day, I want to pause and say something to every mom reading this, whether your babies are still small enough to carry, or grown enough to carry you sometimes. Whether you stayed home or worked two jobs to keep the lights on. Whether motherhood looked exactly like you planned, or came to you in a way you never expected.

What you do matters. What you are matters.

You are someone’s whole world! You are the voice they’ll hear in their head when life gets hard. You are the reason they know what love looks like!

I wouldn’t know how to be the mom I am without the mom who showed me how. My momma taught me the little things that turn out to be the biggest. Tucking a sweet note into a lunchbox, setting a warm meal on the table, and bowing our heads in prayer before we eat. She raised me in church and gave me a love for Jesus that I carried straight into my own home and poured into my own children. Momma, everything good that I did as a mother, I learned from watching you. Thank you will never be enough, but thank you. I love you!

And then there’s my mother-in-law, a woman who has been a part of my life since I was just 14 years old. She is quite possibly the most patient woman I have ever known. Always willing, always giving, always showing up with a smile on her face, no matter what. But perhaps the greatest thing she ever did, the thing I am forever grateful for, is that she raised one remarkable son. And she gave him to me. Thank you doesn’t cover it, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you! I love you!

I am going to go play in my real kitchen now, but I do still have that Little Tikes kitchen and all my babies I used to play with. I’ll never part with them. Just like I’ll never stop being the best momma I can be. It’s who I am. A momma. A wife. I’ll forever be grateful for these titles.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the beautiful, hardworking, strong, and loving mommas out there.

My Momma’s Favorite Stuffed Cheese Shells

Ingredients:
• 24 jumbo pasta shells; cooked according to package
• 15 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated parm
• 3 cups of sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with a layer of sauce. (About 1 cup.)

Place the ricotta cheese, 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, seasonings, and eggs in a bowl. Mix until combined. Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture and place in a baking dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce over each shell and top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake until the sauce is nice and bubbly. At least 35-45 minutes.

Uncover for the last ten minutes of baking.