Nine

Stop.

Seriously? Nine? As in I now have a nine-year-old living in my house??

How did that happen? Especially considering you were born only two days ago. And I’ll blink and it will be time for your first deer hunt with Daddy. And then you’ll be driving around in one of those El Caminos you’ve been obsessed with for the past two years (“it’s so cool Mama…it’s a car and truck all in one!”). And then you’ll be packing up your El Camino and heading off for college. And then...

Oh, I know. I’m being dramatic.  But, my word, how time flies.

And now with nine years behind us, I feel like we’re embarking on new territory.

It seems like we’re at the official beginning of BIG KID-NESS. But I have enjoyed you, son, more and more each year and I know this will be no exception. They say these are the golden years of childhood and I can’t wait to watch as you continue to become the person God made you to be.

You are sweet. And kind. And bright. And inventive. And perceptive (although you do still have the occasional shirt-on-backwards day…but days like that remind me just how much I love the person you are). You amaze me more and more each and every day, and I am blessed to have been given such an extraordinary son.

It was nine years ago today that you entered our world and changed us totally and completely. I’d always known that I wanted to be a mother, but I never really knew what I was in for.  And I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing.

We are so proud of you, son, and so grateful that God blessed us with the special gift of you. Daddy and I could not love you more.  Happy Birthday, my sweet TJ…I have a feeling that you are going to be great at being nine!!

Love,
Mama

Marriage Requires Commitment. Of Course, So Does Insanity.

Today is our 12^th Anniversary. The most important lesson I have learned? Marriage requires commitment. Of course, so does insanity.  But I love my husband more now than I did then. He is the husband, father, and friend that I prayed for and my heart is filled with gratitude for all that he is and all that he does.

A lot of things have changed in the last 12 years, but the one thing that has remained an ever-present constant is that there is no one else I would rather spend my life with than my husband. It’s been fun. It’s been hard. But most of all, it’s been an adventure.

We’ve laughed a lot. And cried a little (admittedly,one of us much, much more than the other).  But together, we’ve learned what it really means to love someone for better or for worse. It’s been more than I could have hoped for or imagined. And I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

He’s still the one.