I realize my last post got a bit defensive. To the point that Steve asked me if someone had said something to me. Other than the passing comment, no one has really said anything. I tried to explain to him that I feel like people will make comments and maybe if I get defensive first, they'll think twice and not make the offensive comment. He didn't understand.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm inclined to think it's something all mothers feel at some point, if they care at all what other people think of them. And I admit I care more than I should what other people think of me. As I tried to explain to Steve, it's harder to shrug off comments when your pregnant and hormonal. And comments about parenting decisions or motherhood just seem to hit deep.
I know everyone gets comments. I feel like being a young mom and having kids so close together makes me a walking target. Just last night, someone noticed I was pregnant and asked if I had other kids. I said yes and listed their ages. She laughed and said I must have hit my head. Gee, thanks. I also get comments about how frequently we must have sex. Actually, we're just really fertile. If getting pregnant were a problem or we have actually tried to get pregnant, I think there would have been a lot more sex. And why is anyone speculating on the amount of sex I have with my husband? I also get annoyed with the joke that we haven't figured out what causes a pregnancy. Yes, I somehow managed to get THREE degrees and didn't figure out how a woman gets pregnant. We're not crazy, just crazy fertile. And there's no way that we'd want to not have a child we conceived. We've been increasingly careful but keep getting pregnant. I realize that's an enviable problem to have, but it is becoming a problem unless we want to be the next Duggar family.
I do realize if we'd waited to have kids, people would have made comments then, asking when we were planning on having kids. Or if we'd actually managed to space out our kids, they'd be asking when we're having the next one. That would be annoying too. But why do people seem to think it's acceptable to comment on a couple's choice of when to have kids or how many or think that you're not done until you have one of each sex or think you should be done if you do have one of each sex? There are all the comments on a pregnant woman's body too. Odds are she doesn't want to hear the comment unless you say she looks fabulous or she's glowing. Carrying low, high, big, small or any other way is not a compliment. Saying she looks tired or swollen or miserable is an insult, especially if it's followed up by a comment saying that you hope she goes late (I actually got this my first pregnancy - multiple times). And the twin comments! I know I carry big and show early. Twins do happen to run in my family, but no, I am not having twins. Thanks for telling me I look like a blimp. The offenders are not only men and not even only women who haven't had kids. I just don't understand.
Basically I'm just tired and frustrated. I've spent a lot of time being pregnant, which for me translates into feeling huge and swollen and hypersensitive. I get lots of comments and I'm more irritable than normal. I kind of want to hide out until this baby comes, to avoid the comments and biting anyone's head off. I have three months left and my face is getting puffy and my shirts are getting too tight and short. Since we're having another girl, I feel like I have to argue with people that yes, we're done and we have a right to be done. I know we're young and could have more kids. But we're done. I am so tired of expanding. Pregnancy is nine months of aches and pains followed by labor and then recovery, sleeplessness, and much-needed weight loss. I've done it three times in as many years. I don't want to do it again and don't want to try to afford it either.
Frustrating me further is the fact that with each pregnancy, I have more things I need to do and get less sympathy from Steve. I actually asked him this morning if he was excited about this baby. He assured me he is but that it's just not new. He just seems less interested in what's going on this time. I know none of this is new - it's not for me either. But I feel like he's more involved and I feel less alone if he talks to her or feels her kick or watches her move (last night my stomach was dancing). It doesn't help that my self-esteem takes a hit every pregnancy either. I feel like a big blob and like my brain has taken a vacation. I feel old and creaky.
Does anyone other than Steve read this? Do other moms feel like they have to defend their choices too? It's been a rough week and I'd like to hear that I'm not as alone as I feel.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
26 weeks and counting
Yesterday marked my 26th week of this pregnancy. So I have 14 weeks until my due date. Since the doctor plans on inducing me at 39 weeks at the latest (April 6, my late grandpa's birthday, I hope it happens that day!), that's 13 weeks to go. So 13 weeks minus 1 day and that means I have 90 days left in this pregnancy. Hopefully my last one ever. I suppose some women would be sad about that. I'm not. But then I've spent 24.5 months pregnant. We've only been married 49 months. Yeah, I've been pregnant for half of our marriage. I am so ready to be done with pregnancy.
Don't get me wrong; I want Nora to stay in there for about 3 more months. I want her to be full-term and healthy when she's born. But once she's here, I'm done with pregnancy. Before anyone says anything about us being too young to do anything permanent, realize that birth control has not worked for us. The hormones in the pill (and the patch) make me nuts. I'm like a surly teenager again. I think Mirena would do the same. A copper IUD is also out of the question, since the idea of a foreign object in my body freaks me out and I have a nickel allergy. We've tried condoms. Mia took two nights of not using one. This pregnancy we were even more careful and used condoms every time the month I got pregnant. And none of them broke. Given our record, if we put off doing something permanent, I will get pregnant again. I would almost bet it would be twin girls if we did. As for the argument about trying again for a boy, we've never exactly tried to get pregnant. And we could have ten more kids with no guarantee we'd ever have a boy. Steve loves his little girls and they do "boy" stuff, like playing outside, shooting hoops, playing with cars and trains, and building things. We're good and in agreement that we're done once Nora is here.
Don't get me wrong; I want Nora to stay in there for about 3 more months. I want her to be full-term and healthy when she's born. But once she's here, I'm done with pregnancy. Before anyone says anything about us being too young to do anything permanent, realize that birth control has not worked for us. The hormones in the pill (and the patch) make me nuts. I'm like a surly teenager again. I think Mirena would do the same. A copper IUD is also out of the question, since the idea of a foreign object in my body freaks me out and I have a nickel allergy. We've tried condoms. Mia took two nights of not using one. This pregnancy we were even more careful and used condoms every time the month I got pregnant. And none of them broke. Given our record, if we put off doing something permanent, I will get pregnant again. I would almost bet it would be twin girls if we did. As for the argument about trying again for a boy, we've never exactly tried to get pregnant. And we could have ten more kids with no guarantee we'd ever have a boy. Steve loves his little girls and they do "boy" stuff, like playing outside, shooting hoops, playing with cars and trains, and building things. We're good and in agreement that we're done once Nora is here.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year!
It's 2010! Our New Year's Eve was simple and low-key, like us. We went to Uncle Fred and Aunt Rita's house to ring in 2010 with card games, food, lots of family, and fireworks. It's nice to go somewhere and bring the kids. They had a great time playing with some of the other little kids and did really well considering they stayed up about 4 hours past their usual bedtime. Ella liked the fireworks. Mia wasn't so impressed but she was pretty tired by then. Steve and I played Apples to Apples with some of the cousins. Pretty quiet evening. Well, not quiet. But anything with that many Scotts in that small of a space isn't going to be quiet. :) Low-key though.
I was talking to Steve last night about how I think he's the ideal husband. Not perfect, but I know that the girls and I are his top priority. He likes video games and new computer parts and electronics, but those are a hobby, not an escape or something he spends a lot of money on. Being financially comfortable is important to us, but top of the line everything or the latest gadgets aren't. Last night I had an important realization though. Steve is the ideal partner for ME. I'm low-key too and we have the same priorities. If haute couture and expensive shoes were important to me, I wouldn't be anywhere near as happy with him. Same thing if my career came before my family. Or having the biggest, nicest house or the newest car. We do have nice things and my career is important, but we agree that our family comes first. And because of that, we're content with hand-me-downs, mismatched furniture, and vacations spent visiting family. We figure the time will come when we have the means for nicer things. We do well with what we have and are very content. I honestly had some trouble coming up with a list of things I wanted for Christmas. There will always be something bigger and nicer than what we have - that just seems to be the nature of things. But we've been blessed in the best ways possible - with family, friends, health. Materially we're blessed too. Our needs are met and most of our wants.
To be perfectly honest, our house is overly full. We still have a lot of baby stuff. I have boxes of maternity clothes (in multiple sizes) and larger sizes that I would love to get rid of. People have been very generous with us. Out of two cribs and two toddler beds, we only bought one. Since we've decided we are done with three kids, once we get the all clear (meaning word that Steve's surgery did in fact work), we're going to start giving some of this stuff away. As Nora no longer needs it and I shrink out of clothes again (yay!), we'll pass it along. Since people have been so generous, we feel it's only right to pass these things along to other people who need them. Although I tend to save things in case we need them later, I am so excited about the prospect of cleaning out closets and part of the attic! If we're done having kids, we won't need this stuff anymore. (This is assuming Steve's surgery sticks better than Doug's. But even if it doesn't, we've got a good nine years before anymore kids.) And I am so ready to have things more organized and have a bit more space to work with. So is Steve. We have so many boxes of clothes it's ridiculous! Both mine and the girls. Some of the things we actually spent money on we may try to sell, but I think most of it will be given away. The idea of more space is so nice, but it's definitely even better coupled with the idea that we'll be blessing someone else too.
I guess I've been all over the place with this post. So why not go more places with it? My goals for this year are the following:
- After Nora comes, get back in shape and back down to my goal weight/size by Christmas.
- Potty train Ella and maybe Mia too, if we think she's ready.
- Clean out some of our closets!
- Pay off some of our debts and pay down other ones.
- Continue to make time for date nights and family time. This is the important stuff.
- Take and pass the NCE (National Counseling Exam).
I was talking to Steve last night about how I think he's the ideal husband. Not perfect, but I know that the girls and I are his top priority. He likes video games and new computer parts and electronics, but those are a hobby, not an escape or something he spends a lot of money on. Being financially comfortable is important to us, but top of the line everything or the latest gadgets aren't. Last night I had an important realization though. Steve is the ideal partner for ME. I'm low-key too and we have the same priorities. If haute couture and expensive shoes were important to me, I wouldn't be anywhere near as happy with him. Same thing if my career came before my family. Or having the biggest, nicest house or the newest car. We do have nice things and my career is important, but we agree that our family comes first. And because of that, we're content with hand-me-downs, mismatched furniture, and vacations spent visiting family. We figure the time will come when we have the means for nicer things. We do well with what we have and are very content. I honestly had some trouble coming up with a list of things I wanted for Christmas. There will always be something bigger and nicer than what we have - that just seems to be the nature of things. But we've been blessed in the best ways possible - with family, friends, health. Materially we're blessed too. Our needs are met and most of our wants.
To be perfectly honest, our house is overly full. We still have a lot of baby stuff. I have boxes of maternity clothes (in multiple sizes) and larger sizes that I would love to get rid of. People have been very generous with us. Out of two cribs and two toddler beds, we only bought one. Since we've decided we are done with three kids, once we get the all clear (meaning word that Steve's surgery did in fact work), we're going to start giving some of this stuff away. As Nora no longer needs it and I shrink out of clothes again (yay!), we'll pass it along. Since people have been so generous, we feel it's only right to pass these things along to other people who need them. Although I tend to save things in case we need them later, I am so excited about the prospect of cleaning out closets and part of the attic! If we're done having kids, we won't need this stuff anymore. (This is assuming Steve's surgery sticks better than Doug's. But even if it doesn't, we've got a good nine years before anymore kids.) And I am so ready to have things more organized and have a bit more space to work with. So is Steve. We have so many boxes of clothes it's ridiculous! Both mine and the girls. Some of the things we actually spent money on we may try to sell, but I think most of it will be given away. The idea of more space is so nice, but it's definitely even better coupled with the idea that we'll be blessing someone else too.
I guess I've been all over the place with this post. So why not go more places with it? My goals for this year are the following:
- After Nora comes, get back in shape and back down to my goal weight/size by Christmas.
- Potty train Ella and maybe Mia too, if we think she's ready.
- Clean out some of our closets!
- Pay off some of our debts and pay down other ones.
- Continue to make time for date nights and family time. This is the important stuff.
- Take and pass the NCE (National Counseling Exam).
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sick :(
I'm not sick anymore, but the 24 hour bug I had cycled through the whole family. I've been okay other than an occasionally moody stomach since last Wednesday. Thursday was Christmas eve and Mia threw up shortly before we were supposed to go to Doug and Linda's for the Scott Christmas. Since I had already been sick and it's Steve's family, I stayed home with her. She only threw up one more time and we cuddled in the chair and I did laundry. She seemed back to normal by the time Steve and Ella got home and opened her presents and played with Ella's for a little bit before bed. The next morning she woke up early, so Steve got up with her and let me and Ella sleep in a little. We opened our gifts and then Steve made breakfast. Mia had half a pancake and some scrambled eggs and has been fine since then.
We headed to my parents' house that night and no one showed any symptoms. In fact, everyone was fine most of the weekend. Saturday evening we had the Atherton Christmas and got a lot of great gifts. The girls had a blast playing with their cousins and sledding earlier in the day. Sunday morning the girls were in the nursery when Susan (who was one of the nursery workers that morning) came to get me and said Ella had thrown up twice. Irene (the other lady in the nursery) helped me clean up Ella and her clothes. Ella seemed okay the rest of the day, other than not having much of an appetite. She didn't get sick again and we're still not sure if it was my bug she had or if it was a combination of too many jelly beans the night before (she found a bowl of them and none of the adults noticed until most of the bowl was gone) and leaning over the toy box.
After the Steward Christmas that afternoon, we headed home that night. The family time was great, but it's always nice to get back home and into our little routine. It snowed most of the way, so the trip was longer than normal. We saw two cars in the ditch but we made it home safely. That night Steve's stomach was upset. Sure enough, he got sick in the middle of the night. And then he got sick every few hours after that. :( The last time was 7am yesterday. Needless to say, he stayed home. I got the girls up as normal and he slept for a few more hours. He had chills and nausea off and on during the day but didn't get sick again. He took it easy and I ran some errands while the girls napped. He was able to keep soup down and had a bit of an appetite by evening so he had some peanut butter toast. Today he was okay other than being a little tired and weak from not eating very much. He's at work.
Since everyone had been sick, I thought we were done. I was relieved that the girls had each only thrown up twice and didn't have the accompanying diarrhea. Steve and I can handle the flu a bit easier than the girls can. I was sitting down with my bowl of cereal this morning when Ella threw up again. Chocolate milk and dry Life cereal. All over the living room carpet. She seems fine now. She finished her chocolate milk (I was cleaning the carpet and she drank it before I realized it was still out) and ate more cereal and seems fine. When she had the flu last year she lost her appetite and was lethargic. She's been walking around playing with her new toys all morning. So I'm not sure what to think but I'm really hoping this is the end of it.
As far as I know, we somehow didn't get everyone else sick this time. Last year we had the Atherton Christmas and almost everyone had the flu within a week, if not the next 24 hours. A month later we were all together again and half of us got sick again. This time, Leslie is the only other person who got sick (and I'm sorry we got you sick!). Luckily she only threw up once in the middle of the night and felt okay by morning. I'm praying no one else got our germs and this is our only bout of the flu this year. I do feel more prepared now. We have rolls of paper towels positioned throughout the house. There's a bucket here in the living room in case one of the girls gets sick again. We're stocked up on laundry detergent. We're just low on carpet cleaner, but it's on the list. I just hope I don't need it again soon!
We headed to my parents' house that night and no one showed any symptoms. In fact, everyone was fine most of the weekend. Saturday evening we had the Atherton Christmas and got a lot of great gifts. The girls had a blast playing with their cousins and sledding earlier in the day. Sunday morning the girls were in the nursery when Susan (who was one of the nursery workers that morning) came to get me and said Ella had thrown up twice. Irene (the other lady in the nursery) helped me clean up Ella and her clothes. Ella seemed okay the rest of the day, other than not having much of an appetite. She didn't get sick again and we're still not sure if it was my bug she had or if it was a combination of too many jelly beans the night before (she found a bowl of them and none of the adults noticed until most of the bowl was gone) and leaning over the toy box.
After the Steward Christmas that afternoon, we headed home that night. The family time was great, but it's always nice to get back home and into our little routine. It snowed most of the way, so the trip was longer than normal. We saw two cars in the ditch but we made it home safely. That night Steve's stomach was upset. Sure enough, he got sick in the middle of the night. And then he got sick every few hours after that. :( The last time was 7am yesterday. Needless to say, he stayed home. I got the girls up as normal and he slept for a few more hours. He had chills and nausea off and on during the day but didn't get sick again. He took it easy and I ran some errands while the girls napped. He was able to keep soup down and had a bit of an appetite by evening so he had some peanut butter toast. Today he was okay other than being a little tired and weak from not eating very much. He's at work.
Since everyone had been sick, I thought we were done. I was relieved that the girls had each only thrown up twice and didn't have the accompanying diarrhea. Steve and I can handle the flu a bit easier than the girls can. I was sitting down with my bowl of cereal this morning when Ella threw up again. Chocolate milk and dry Life cereal. All over the living room carpet. She seems fine now. She finished her chocolate milk (I was cleaning the carpet and she drank it before I realized it was still out) and ate more cereal and seems fine. When she had the flu last year she lost her appetite and was lethargic. She's been walking around playing with her new toys all morning. So I'm not sure what to think but I'm really hoping this is the end of it.
As far as I know, we somehow didn't get everyone else sick this time. Last year we had the Atherton Christmas and almost everyone had the flu within a week, if not the next 24 hours. A month later we were all together again and half of us got sick again. This time, Leslie is the only other person who got sick (and I'm sorry we got you sick!). Luckily she only threw up once in the middle of the night and felt okay by morning. I'm praying no one else got our germs and this is our only bout of the flu this year. I do feel more prepared now. We have rolls of paper towels positioned throughout the house. There's a bucket here in the living room in case one of the girls gets sick again. We're stocked up on laundry detergent. We're just low on carpet cleaner, but it's on the list. I just hope I don't need it again soon!
Friday, December 25, 2009
End of Year Newsletter
It's been another busy year. At this point, 2010 looks like a new adventure and maybe a different sort of busy. I think we're up for the challenge. :)
Steve is working at Comcast and has been for four years now. Since last December he has worked in the business tier at the call center and very much prefers that to residential. However, there will be some restructuring next March so he'll either be moving back to residential or a new position. We're waiting for more details on that. Steve also has the opportunity to help a friend with a new computer business venture. Otherwise he keeps busy with things around the house and yard and keeping all his girls happy. :)
Paula finished her masters degree and graduated in May. She became a limited licensed professional counselor (LLPC) in July and began working part-time at Community Connections as an evaluator in August. She really likes being able to work part-time and be home with the girls the rest of the time. Fitness has been another important thing for her this year, but that has taken a backseat due to another development. She's looking forward to getting back into shape this coming year.
Ella turned three in November. She's very bright and knows all her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. She loves to build things, color, and pretend. She has quite the imagination. She also loves books and learning new things. But more than her new accomplishments, we are proud of the little girl she's becoming. She is very empathetic and will give a hug and a kiss to make someone feel better. She's our social butterfly and absolutely loves the nursery at church.
Amelia is twenty months old and a ham. She loves to color and sing and do whatever Ella is doing. She knows all her animal sounds and loves books too. Her vocabulary is exploding and she carries on the funniest conversations. She takes time to warm up to people but loves to make people smile. She's very caring and cuddly. She's very expressive and always busy.
The biggest surprise of our year came in July, when we found out we were expecting our third child! In November, we found out that we are expecting a healthy baby girl. We're picked Nora Ann as her name and we expect her arrival in April (her due date is two days before Mia's birthday). She's active and Paula is 24 weeks pregnant now. Ella likes to listen to her heartbeat and Mia likes to kiss Mommy's belly. Luckily Steve adores all his girls and is looking forward to adding another one.
We've found a church that feels like home and have been attending there since July. We've also joined a small group that is doing the Love Dare. Our circle of friends has expanded, which we are thankful for. We've been so blessed with all the people in our lives and all the material things we have. We have a warm home, reliable vehicles, jobs with insurance, and healthy kids. We have family and friends who truly love and care for us and our girls. It's been a very good year.
Steve is working at Comcast and has been for four years now. Since last December he has worked in the business tier at the call center and very much prefers that to residential. However, there will be some restructuring next March so he'll either be moving back to residential or a new position. We're waiting for more details on that. Steve also has the opportunity to help a friend with a new computer business venture. Otherwise he keeps busy with things around the house and yard and keeping all his girls happy. :)
Paula finished her masters degree and graduated in May. She became a limited licensed professional counselor (LLPC) in July and began working part-time at Community Connections as an evaluator in August. She really likes being able to work part-time and be home with the girls the rest of the time. Fitness has been another important thing for her this year, but that has taken a backseat due to another development. She's looking forward to getting back into shape this coming year.
Ella turned three in November. She's very bright and knows all her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. She loves to build things, color, and pretend. She has quite the imagination. She also loves books and learning new things. But more than her new accomplishments, we are proud of the little girl she's becoming. She is very empathetic and will give a hug and a kiss to make someone feel better. She's our social butterfly and absolutely loves the nursery at church.
Amelia is twenty months old and a ham. She loves to color and sing and do whatever Ella is doing. She knows all her animal sounds and loves books too. Her vocabulary is exploding and she carries on the funniest conversations. She takes time to warm up to people but loves to make people smile. She's very caring and cuddly. She's very expressive and always busy.
The biggest surprise of our year came in July, when we found out we were expecting our third child! In November, we found out that we are expecting a healthy baby girl. We're picked Nora Ann as her name and we expect her arrival in April (her due date is two days before Mia's birthday). She's active and Paula is 24 weeks pregnant now. Ella likes to listen to her heartbeat and Mia likes to kiss Mommy's belly. Luckily Steve adores all his girls and is looking forward to adding another one.
We've found a church that feels like home and have been attending there since July. We've also joined a small group that is doing the Love Dare. Our circle of friends has expanded, which we are thankful for. We've been so blessed with all the people in our lives and all the material things we have. We have a warm home, reliable vehicles, jobs with insurance, and healthy kids. We have family and friends who truly love and care for us and our girls. It's been a very good year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Scott family!
With love, Steve & Paula, Ella & Amelia
With love, Steve & Paula, Ella & Amelia
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Updates
I guess I haven't updated in a while. I did finally change the profile picture. But here's some of what's happened here:
- Ella had her 3 year well-child check. She's in the 75th percentile for height and weight and perfectly healthy.
- I'm 24 weeks pregnant now. And sick with the flu. It's been pretty miserable. But after throwing up six times yesterday, I seem to be able to keep down crackers and water today. I might try Sprite in a little while. Maybe by dinner I'll try chicken noodle soup. Luckily, this seems to be a 24 hour thing, so I should be over it by this evening (I hope). I'm praying no one else gets sick! And Nora is doing fine. She's been kicking a lot (not pleasant when my stomach is upset, but it's reassuring) and despite the fact that I've managed to eat very little in the past 24 hours, she can still get all she needs from me. Amazing how that all works.
- Mia split her lip open earlier this week. Ella was pulling Mia around by the hand and Mia lost her balance and fell. Steve and I were both at work and Kat said there was a lot of blood. But Mia is doing fine. Her lip is still a little swollen and bloody but seems to be healing. Ella felt so horrible when it happened that she put herself in time-out, crying the whole time, and saying she would never pull Mia ever again. I wish they were more gentle with each other, but they sure are sweet and empathetic.
- I found a dead mouse in our kitchen yesterday. It was on the floor and I haven't seen evidence of where else it has been. It's been disposed of and I hope it was alone. Ew.
- Ella had her 3 year well-child check. She's in the 75th percentile for height and weight and perfectly healthy.
- I'm 24 weeks pregnant now. And sick with the flu. It's been pretty miserable. But after throwing up six times yesterday, I seem to be able to keep down crackers and water today. I might try Sprite in a little while. Maybe by dinner I'll try chicken noodle soup. Luckily, this seems to be a 24 hour thing, so I should be over it by this evening (I hope). I'm praying no one else gets sick! And Nora is doing fine. She's been kicking a lot (not pleasant when my stomach is upset, but it's reassuring) and despite the fact that I've managed to eat very little in the past 24 hours, she can still get all she needs from me. Amazing how that all works.
- Mia split her lip open earlier this week. Ella was pulling Mia around by the hand and Mia lost her balance and fell. Steve and I were both at work and Kat said there was a lot of blood. But Mia is doing fine. Her lip is still a little swollen and bloody but seems to be healing. Ella felt so horrible when it happened that she put herself in time-out, crying the whole time, and saying she would never pull Mia ever again. I wish they were more gentle with each other, but they sure are sweet and empathetic.
- I found a dead mouse in our kitchen yesterday. It was on the floor and I haven't seen evidence of where else it has been. It's been disposed of and I hope it was alone. Ew.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Four years later...
Four years ago today there was a double wedding in Evart. Two young couples said their vows. The father of the brides pronounced them man and wife, and man and wife. They posed for hundreds of pictures and smiled until their cheeks hurt. And they still couldn't stop smiling. They celebrated with a dinner with several hundred friends and family before one couple went to a hotel in Cadillac (I think) and the other to a bed and breakfast in Holland. It was a beautiful day and the memories are a happy blur.
Four years later, those two couples have four kids between them, with a fifth on the way. One higher education degree has been earned, a business has been started, a house has been bought, and several vehicles have been purchased. There have been some tears and much more laughter. Through experiences and the addition of kids, love has grown and deepened. I'm happy to say we're all happy. Life has been very busy and full. It feels like it's been much longer than four years (in a good way). Life before Steve and our girls feels like it was a lifetime ago. Marriage and parenthood presents a whole new set of challenges but I wouldn't trade them for what I had before.
Steve, I love you. You're more than I could have hoped for in a husband and you make me feel incredibly safe and loved. I'm so thankful I have you by my side for this adventure. Thank you for being so kind and supportive and fun. Thank you for being you. You've truly been my partner in this and I am so happy that you are mine and I am yours. I love you more everyday.
Tracy and Donovan, happy anniversary! I am so glad we shared our wedding day and all that went with it. You're our family and true friends too. Thank you for all the help, support, laughter, and memories. We love you guys. To many more years!
Four years later, those two couples have four kids between them, with a fifth on the way. One higher education degree has been earned, a business has been started, a house has been bought, and several vehicles have been purchased. There have been some tears and much more laughter. Through experiences and the addition of kids, love has grown and deepened. I'm happy to say we're all happy. Life has been very busy and full. It feels like it's been much longer than four years (in a good way). Life before Steve and our girls feels like it was a lifetime ago. Marriage and parenthood presents a whole new set of challenges but I wouldn't trade them for what I had before.
Steve, I love you. You're more than I could have hoped for in a husband and you make me feel incredibly safe and loved. I'm so thankful I have you by my side for this adventure. Thank you for being so kind and supportive and fun. Thank you for being you. You've truly been my partner in this and I am so happy that you are mine and I am yours. I love you more everyday.
Tracy and Donovan, happy anniversary! I am so glad we shared our wedding day and all that went with it. You're our family and true friends too. Thank you for all the help, support, laughter, and memories. We love you guys. To many more years!
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