Four years now

On the last day of May we celebrated our 4th anniversary. We share the anniversary weekend with both sets of parents (how ironic!)

Anyhow, I hauled out the ol' wedding album and poured over the memories of that day. I would encourage you to do this on your anniversary - it gave a renewed sweetness to my love for my husband. Even though neither of us really knew what we were getting into, it has certainly been a wonderful journey together.

It also struck me how very thin I look in these pictures. Not so much because I was the skinniest I have ever been, but because when you are pregnant and only maternity pants with large elastic inserts fit you, you start to feel like a whale (a cute whale, but one nonetheless).

I mentioned this to my husband, and he said "No! You don't look big! You're pregnant!"

Ah, husbands: trained to say all the right things at the right time.

And then he continues "You're like a pufferfish..."

"You know, because you will be small again soon."

"You didn't just say that, did you?"

"Okay, maybe that was a bad example. What about a frog with its chest puffed out."

"Maybe you should stop here."

Hey, we are only four years into this...give it time.

Also? Doesn't Phil look like he is 16 here? I can't believe how "grown up" he looks now compared to back then. He really had no idea what he had in store for him with all of this "family stuff". (He is going to be gray before he hits 30 at this rate.)

We put Ryan down early (because he makes tiny little two-year old messes that would stain a freshly ironed white tablecloth) and sat down to dinner served on our fine china and drank from wine glasses filled with chocolate milk - because that is how we do fancy when we are pregnant. It was really quite fun!

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Anyhow, I love my husband for many reasons. First, he is a wonderful provider for our family - he never complains about working and has allowed me to stay home with Ryan for the past year and a half.

Second, he is an amazing father. There are days when we differ on discipline or rewards or whatnot, but the truth of it is I cannot imagine raising Ryan without him. He is my balance and though we are not exactly the same when it comes to parenting, it really has shown to be good for Ryan. He can put him down to bed better than me any day. Plus- he doesn't hide the fact that he gets excited when Ryan gets cool toys like lego's or trains.

Third, he pushes me to be a better person- from what I eat to how I think and live my life. I am hands down more confident now than when I met him. Plus, I would never have been excited about finding asparagus on our property before Phil, because I didn't enjoy vegetables. Today I eat fish, red meat, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, celery and a myriad of other things because of him (and the incessant taunting! Just kidding).

He has taught me to be diligent and to focus on what is important. To think beyond what is comfortable and work toward what is right and good. There are many days I hate him for this trait. And as I journey further, I realize what a blessing it is to my life. He is passionate and intent on learning all the time- something that I left for "school". But, that trait has made him into a plumber, carpenter, welder, gardener, mechanic, and farmer. I never understood the term Jack of all Trades until I met him.

Truly, the Lord blessed me with this guy.

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I have always wondered why, given that many of us will be married one day, that we don't know who it is we are going to marry. Wouldn't that take a lot of the work out of the whole thing? Wouldn't we make a lot fewer mistakes when dating?

And then it hit me- if it would have been revealed to me that I would someday fall in love with AND marry that kid who walked me home from school when we were in 4th grade who talked the whole way home about resurrecting his rosebush from the compost pile...

Truly, we have a God who must chuckle at us, but around the turns and bends builds us such neat life.