Us

Six years ago, at 4:42 in the afternoon, as God and our closest loved ones looked on, my life became forever intertwined with the most wonderful man I know! He is my dearest friend, my team mate, my hero and my love! A man I respect with every ounce of my being and whose life is a living testimony to the strength of his spirit and the depth of his heart. There are few words today that echo what abides in my heart. Instead, a quiet, peaceful sense of absolute comfort resides there. For few things in life make me happier than when I am with my love! Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! I love you so.....

Thankful....

I awoke this morning to rain falling gently outside our window and as I snuggled deep under the covers, thinking of all that today means to me, thankfulness welled in my heart for all that I enjoy! We are often reminded on this day to count our blessings, and this morning as I do, I realize just how long that list is! We are so blessed! Home...health...friends...family.....God has given us so much! I am abundantly grateful! And at this precise moment, I sit on the couch with my firstborn beside me. The rain still falls, the house is cozy and quiet. Together...side by side, we are sharing a blanket and a good, ol' fashion episode of Tom & Jerry! :) What could be better? Life is good! May today be a string of such simple pleasures and blessings for you as well! Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Where we've been....

This weekend took my husband and I on a journey....one we never could have imagined and one we will certainly never forget! To say that we have been forever changed is an understatement! I cannot, in words, summarize the depth to which our marriage was enriched this weekend! We have been abundantly blessed!

So you are probably asking where we have been? Like I mentioned on Thursday, we spent from Friday afternoon until late Sunday afternoon in La Jolla at a christian marriage retreat called "A Weekend to Remember". (you can google it if you want to know more.) And let me just tell you that it was, in fact, a weekend to remember! It was probably the single, most profound gift either one of us could ever give to one another! We both agreed...it was enriching...and worth every single penny spent to attend!!!!

On the home front side of things, the kids stayed at my mom & dad's house for the weekend (thank you sooooo much, you guys!!!) and did great! Ellie had a rough start on Friday when I was getting ready to leave though. I had taken them over before lunch to feed them and put them down for a nap there, but Ellie (who must've just known that I was leaving) refused to lay down and cried (sobbed!) for nearly an hour! It wasn't until my mom returned home and took Ellie from my arms (I was beyond frustration at that point!) that Ellie made the mental transition that I was leaving and calmed down to sleep. But phew!!! It was NOT the relaxing start to the weekend I had hoped for!

However, each time we called the kids over the weekend, Luke sounded happy and peaceful as he re-told the adventures of the day and my mom reported that both kiddos were doing well, eating well and sleeping well! Thankfully! :) To know that they were happy was such a relief to us, and made our two nights (TWO NIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!) away all the more enjoyable!

We had our first session at the conference on Friday night after we checked into the hotel and got settled. They upgraded our room to the Regency Club floor where we had access to hor'derves (sp?) and wine each evening, and breakfast each morning! So on Friday, we enjoyed a glass of wine before session and then made our way downstairs for the conference to begin.

Saturday was spent in and out of sessions, with a few couples 'projects' mixed in to hone in on what we were learning. There were, I would guess, 300 couples there this weekend, and to watch us all, in our different stages and places in marriage, growing and changing as couples was incredible! It was so encouraging to see all these men and women there...to be surrounded by them.... all there with the single purpose of loving their spouses better. Wow! You don't get to experience that often in the world today!

Saturday night was 'date night', so Ty and I enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Flemings (which happened to be right across from our hotel!) as our 6th anniversary dinner. Our actual anniversary isn't, of-course, until this Sunday, but celebrating early, especially on a weekend like this, was awesome! We had mentioned that it was our anniversary, and all the staff who took care of us acknowledged us as they came by. AND....we got a yummy box of chocolate covered strawberries to share as well! So sweet!

Sunday morning was spent in session again, with the weekend closing with a renewal of our wedding vows. *sniff, sniff*. It was emotional! And wonderful! And something I will not soon forget!!!! Thank you, my love, for sharing in such an incredible weekend with me! You are amazing!

We headed for home a little after 1pm yesterday, making a stop in Ontario to fill the gas tank (can I just tell you that gas was a mere $1.84!!!! Holy cow!!! Awesome!!!!) , to fill our bellies and to quickly do a little wrap-up Christmas shopping at Toys R Us for the kids! :) We made it back to my parents house just as the kids were waking from their naps! It was so, so, SO good to hold them after being away! We had missed them! Did I tell you that Ellie began walking well over the weekend while we were gone?! How sad it was to me to hear over the phone that she was actively walking!!!! *Sigh* You leave for two days and she walks! What's up with that?!

Anyway....you can't have it all, right?! :) You know what though? I DO have it all! I am blessed beyond comprehension! I have everything I would want and WAY more than I could possibly need! Today, I am utterly grateful!

Getaway time.....

So this is where we are headed this weekend to celebrate our anniversary! :) Not too shabby! Actually, truth be known, this is a picture of Torrey Pines, and we're actually going to La Jolla, but hey....close enough...and you get the picture! :)

How lucky are we that we get to enjoy two weekends away in the same month?! I tease that we are getting a weekend for each year it's been since we got away last. :) We feel blessed!!

We will spend the majority of our time this weekend pouring love into our marriage by way of the couples retreat we are attending. It is something we have not done thus far (a couples retreat, I mean) and we are both feeling excited and also a little unsure of what to expect. I'm sure it will be wonderful though! How could two and a half days alone with my very best friend be anything less??!

So....off we go! More on Monday.....

Fifteen Months

My sweet Belle turned 15 months old on Sunday! Every day I see her looking less and less like a baby and more like a toddler. It astounds me to watch her grow! It also entices those bittersweet moments to wash over me from time to time as I vacillate between sadness that her infancy is over and joy in watching each new stage unfold. I just pray that the moments...the details...the sound of her giggle and twinkle in her eye as she smiles, the sound of her tiny feet pattering across the floor, or the way she tucks her head into the crook of my neck when I rock her before bed...that all those things etch themselves into my mind and that I will not forget. It saddens me to think that one day, I will likely forget those details. I have with Luke. :( Things I swore I would for sure remember have now been washed away over time. **sigh** So I guess this is why I blog, no? To keep a written account of our days and moments.

Thinking of all this spawned the thought that I should check Luke's baby book to see how my kids compare to one another over time. They are such different kids that I'd venture to guess that there are more discrepancies among them at this age than similarities, but let's see.....

At 15 months, Luke had been walking for over a month and a half, and could, in fact walk backwards. :) Ellie...well...she's on that road but the going is much slower! :) LOL!

At 15 months, Ellie has several words......duck( dukkkk), shoes (shoosh), choochoo, uh-oh, mom, dad, milk, dog(sounds more like duck than dog, but it's dog for sure!) , good girl (she tells Tess this all the time!), cracker (cacker), banana (nana) and probably a few more that I can't remember. Luke had about the same. :)

At 15 months, Luke weighed 21 lbs 9 oz , was 30 inches tall (25th %tile) and had 8 teeth. Ellie weighs 21 lbs 12 ozs, is 31.5 inches tall , and has 6 teeth. Ironically, they are very close in size, with Ellie just being a tad taller (75th %tile) than her big bro!

At 15 months, I remember Luke being so physically adept while rarely showing interest in the quieter activities like looking at books or watching a baby video. Ellie, on the other hand, is not so physical, but LOVES to flip through books and will sit for brief periods of time to check out what big brother is watching on TV.

At 15 months, Luke was not really a cuddler. He would let me snuggle him before bed, but that was it. Ellie LOVES to be near me...preferably IN my arms, tugging on my pant legs or on my lap at all times. She smiles in the car if I reach back to hold her hand (yes...I can feasibly and relatively safely do this while driving) and gently strokes my hand! She's a cuddle-bug! And I LOVE every second of it! :)

Both have always been excellent sleepers! (Praise God!) Ellie still naps twice a day for me! Yay!!!

When it comes to food, Ellie is a chow hound, often out eating her brother (seriously!) and adventurous in the food she is willing to try. She still really hasn't met a food she hasn't liked!! Luke, on the other hand, has been a picky, bird-eater since birth. It's a wonder sometimes how he grows!

Luke had a lot less hair at the same age as his sister does....

Apparently, they both loved hats around this time too, because in looking back for a picture of Luke at 15 months, I came across this one....

And just yesterday, before I ever thought of writing this post, I took these of Ellie...

She's such a cutie! Just like her hat from Grandma says! :) Here are a few last photos of her that I took a couple of days ago, just for fun!

She loves to peek at her 'button' and is showing it to me here....

Just a couple of final details, lest I forget them! Ellie has a MAJOR shoe fetish! Since the time she became mobile and could get herself to shoes that may have been around, she has gravitated towards them. At first, she munched on them (eeww!), but now, she will find her shoes and hold & snuggle them to her chest. She will also try to put them on her feet! Because she is constantly wanting them, at times I try to sneak them away so I don't end up loosing one of the pair. As soon as she realizes they are missing, she will start to whine and if she sees them resting on the stairs behind the baby gate out of her reach, she will fuss and cry until I either completely remove them from sight or give in and let her have them! AND...her shoes are the first thing she asks for when I get her up in the morning! Before I even scoop her up out of her crib, she is usually pointing at her closet and saying "shoosh! shoosh!!" Silly girl!

She also has an affinity for airplanes. She takes after her grandpa in this area! She LOVES airplanes and will somehow manage to see the smallest, quietest airplanes in the sky well before any of us do! If she sees one, or even just hears one from inside or outside, she will point to the sky and whine a little (in a 'hey, mom...look' kind of way.). It's a little crazy to us how persistent and perceptive she is in finding them! But I like that she not only shares grandpa's looks, but also one of his loves!

I love you, my sweet Ellie Belly! You are one of my deepest joys in life!