the Hood project: Amy Braithwaite

Meet Amy Braithwaite - mommy to 4 beautiful girls, 1st grade teacher, and always looks gorgeous.  

                                        She has a kind heart and is just a pleasant person to be around. 

                                        One of my most favorite people ever!!!

What is the biggest surprise of being a mom?

Poop and boogers aren’t that big of a deal!

Any crazy birth stories?

My first two babies arrived in almost exactly the same way.  It was the same day of the week, 
same general time, and same labor-inducing Sunday drive around Utah Lake to escape the home 
teacher visits that were scheduled.

What is the hardest part about being a mom?
The hardest part about being a mom is seeing my kids hurt, sick, or sad.  Being a mom can be so 

chaotic sometimes and I can deal with it but when someone has hurt my child’s feelings, well, 
that takes the cake!  

How have you and your life changed since becoming a mom?

How has my life NOT changed since becoming a mom?  It is no longer about me.  It’s all about  

them.  And that is great!  

How has your personal style evolved throughout the years?

I am more confident in my style and know what I like.  

What are your favorite things to do together as a family?

We love to make breakfast.

We love to watch movies.

We love to go in the mountains.

We love going on vacations.

We love going to get ice cream.

If we can do any of those things together, together is better.

What’s the most treasured piece of advice that you ever received?

My sister told me something very simple when I had my first baby that I have never forgotten 
and have always tried to do with each baby:  Enjoy every SECOND!  And now that I don’t have 
a baby, and don’t plan to have any more, I can see even more value in this and give the same 
advice every chance I get.

What are some of your favorite things that make you happy and get you through the day?

I love a warm, cozy atmosphere.

I love a clean counter, an empty sink and a clean floor.

I love a soft bed where I can snuggle up with a good book.

I love coming home to all of it!

Knowing I can come home and nuzzle my nose into my toddler’s neck and breathe her in, gets 

me through my day.

Describe the way that you felt after giving birth?

Okay, for one, I hated pregnancy and two, I realized that how I felt after giving birth was 
comparable to number one.  I dreaded the “after” part, especially the first week. Just thinking 
about it makes me anxious.  And I was so numb right after giving birth that I couldn’t feel 
anything good anyway and was pretty much helpless and useless.  However, one of the best 
experiences of my life was having that newborn baby laid skin-to-skin on me.  Just thinking 
about that brings tears to my eyes.  

What is your own advice on being a mom?

Do what works for you!  Don’t feel guilty for being a mommy differently than your friends or 

family, or even strangers for that matter.  Do what works for you!  You’ll figure out what works 

for you, don’t worry.  

What are your greatest desires for your kids?

My greatest desires for my kids are to gain and have confidence in themselves and their amazing 
abilities, to be happy, to be kind to everyone, and to be themselves!

the Hood project: Arianne Taufa

 this thing called motherHOOD-the highest and most special calling

Meet Arianne Taufa - not only is she a mama to these 2 cuties but she is also a full time student and helps her husband manage his barber shop - Una's Barber Shop.

I was so exhausted after this session. Keeping up with these two is no easy challenge!!!

How has you and your life changed since becoming a mom?
I'm a completely different person now that I'm a mom.  I kind of always knew that I was going to be a mom but I also thought that I would just stay home with my kids.  Now that I'm in school full-time, I cherish the time with my kids even more now.

What's the hardest part about being a mom?
The hardest thing for me so far as a mom, is that I wish I could have taken away all the pain my son has/had with his club foot and that he didn't have to go through all of this & that it could have been me instead of him. I hate seeing my kids in pain especially when it sometimes happens on a daily basis with my son's feet.

What important lessons have you learned from you children and spouse?
The most important lesson I have learned is to just be happy and take things as they come and don't stress about non-factor things in life.

How is you parenting style?  Who does more of the disciplining in your marriage?
I have no shame when it comes to disciplining my kids and I probably should have more shame because nowadays it's bad to punish your kids compared to when I was growing up. But I do most of the disciplining unless they did something really bad and then it's my husband's turn.

What are your favorite things to do together as a family?
Actually anything & everything is my favorite thing, even just hanging out watching tv & playing together.

What are you greatest desires for your kids?
I honestly, just want them to be happy with whatever life they choose and that they will be successful in their life.  I want to give them the best life that I can & everything that me & my husband didn't have growing up.

What's the most treasured piece of advice that you ever received?
From my sister-in-law & she told me that it doesn't matter what anyone else says about you, you are the best mom you can possibly be & that's all that matters!

How does you husband make you feel special?
Hmmm let's see.... haha actually just the small simple things he does for me.  And just spending time with me & us having some alone time.

If you could go back to when you first became a mom, what would you tell yourself?
I'd tell myself not to listen to all of our family's advice and we would just raise our children the way we want to.