I love being a Mom because my children make me a better person.  They may be the toughest bosses I have ever had, and the pay is not great, but hearing them say, “I love you Mommy” with the warmth of a great big hug or seeing the delight in their face when they master something makes the rewards of being a Mother so worth it!  When I was out climbing the corporate ladder, kids were the furthest thing from my mind.  I had to endure a life-threatening skiing accident to wake me up to motherhood.  After that, I realized life was not all about work (my husband always pointed out that I lived to work and he worked to live), and we made the decision to start a family.  It is the best gift I have ever received, and now I work to live for my children.

Here are some memorable moments about my kiddos from the journals I keep for them:

From my journal about Madison (now age 6):

Today is September 11, 2006 (5 years after the 9/11 attacks).  We were sitting at breakfast today watching the news, and I was already quite emotional when I looked over at you and saw you saluting during the National Anthem.  When I asked you what you were doing, you said you were saluting like the guy on TV.  I knew you did not understand completely, but you made me so proud.  You are so young, yet so profound in so many ways.  Like the other day when you told Daddy you were sorry for growing up too fast.  You completely brought a tear to his eye.  You are very special my little princess, and I love you very much or should I say “all the way around my back.”

From my journal about Brayden (now age 3):

You say the cutest things all the time.  One of those things happens to be when you tell us you love us!  You will say something like, “I love you $15 or I love you 250 and 6.”  I just want to take you and eat you up!!!  Then there are the times you don’t sleep through the night, and I want to send you to the moon…not this morning though.  When you crawled into bed, you laid on my chest in the fetal position, and I held you there just like when you were a baby.  It put such a beautiful smile on my face and in my heart as I laid there staring at you and sucking in your every little breath hitting my lips!

Camie Dunbar

(AKA Madison (6) and Brayden’s (3) Mom