Our family is growing in many ways... Growing in numbers, knowledge, parenting skills, growing in love, in our faith, growing our culinary skills (if you can call it that), growing without gluten (some of us), growing green...........
That was pretty much our Friday summed up. Ryan and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in style...with a sick toddler. A toddler with strep throat, actually. Out went our plans for dinner that night, plans to meet up with several friends at a nearby lake the next morning, etc, etc...
We did get to go out Saturday evening, though. We went to Outback because they have a good gluten-free menu and a great gluten-free dessert...and because we like Outback. ;) It's also toddler-friendly. I'm not seeing having Aiden somewhere like the Melting Pot for a 2-3 hour dinner. He may have used to do that really well, but he's not likely to sit still for that long at his age right now. Boy how things can change when you have little ones, huh?
Headed out to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary :)
Aiden eating some yummy ice cream at Outback. He usually doesn't eat ice cream out because of the egg issue, but we're still introducing it and thought we would try the ice cream. We didn't ask if it had egg, but the fact that he got red spots all over his chin kind of told us... He also didn't eat a whole lot. Apparently mama's homemade ice cream is preferred.
Ryan with our half-eaten dessert. No worries - that baby didn't last long
To reminisce a bit, here are a few pictures from my and Ryan's wedding reception. I love this series because it's a good example how much fun we like to have. Makes me smile every time I look back at these shots. Ryan got a little bit of icing on me when we were doing the cake thing. But...I couldn't be outdone and totally got him back.
I didn't think he would get any on me. Ryan's not that kind of guy usually, so I was kind of surprised.
"Your turn now. Come here, babe."
After this, I got even more cake and went after him again. Fun times!
Today is our anniversary - four years. I know people say this ALL the time, but Ryan and I even both acknowledged that it feels like we just got married...yet at the same time, it feels like we've been together forever. It goes by quickly, but you easily get to where you are so comfortable with each other and your lives together.
This last year has been a tough one for us. Not for our relationship, necessarily. (So nobody start worrying! Haha!) It's just been a tough year in general. We've had less sleep (less than during Aiden's first year, if you can believe that!) and are learning how so little sleep can affect just about every other facet in our lives, more financial stress, and just all kinds of other things going on to cause stress and make life busier. We've had to learn how to connect and rely on each other in different ways. We've had to learn how to balance things we didn't before. Just all kinds of things have made this year more difficult than others. It's part of life and being a family. Nobody's complaining (though an easy year this go-round wouldn't be so terrible). ;)
We're big Michael Buble fans, and, like just about everyone else, I'm sure, it seems like there is always one love song on each of his cds that we feel is one of "our" songs. You know what I mean. On his "Call Me Irresponsible" cd, I'm pretty sure it's "Everything" for most folks, and on his newest cd, it's probably "Crazy Love" (which I especially love because it's in one of my favorite older movies - She's Having a Baby, but I'm getting off track). BUT there is another song from his Crazy Love cd that really speaks to me and makes me think more about me and Ryan, especially after this past year. I think some people that know us, especially those that have known as before getting married and shortly after, think that we're this perfect couple, always so polite with each other and respectful, and that we're "lucky." I don't buy being lucky. We are what we make ourselves to be. It's not about luck, it's about choices we make every single day. If you rely on luck, you will only get so far...and not very far, at that. So many things we have talked or planned have turned out differently than we expected. But through it all, we're still holding on. And neither of us are going to let go. :) We are a strong couple not because we got lucky but because of how we handle things together and how we treat one another.
And yes, we're still crazy in love with each other.
Hold On
Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones? I guess that we were once Babe, we were once
But luck will leave you cause It is a faithless friend And in the end when life has got you down You've got someone here that you can wrap your arms around
So hold on to me tight Hold on to me tonight We are stronger here together Than we could ever be alone So hold on to me Don't you ever let me go
There's a thousand ways for things to fall apart But it's no one's fault No it's not my fault
Maybe all the plans we made would not work out But I have no doubt even though it's hard to see I've got faith in us and I believe in you and me
So hold on to me tight Hold on, I promise it'll be alright Cause it's you and me together And baby all we've got is time So hold on to me, hold on to me tonight
There's so many dreams that we have given up Take a look at all we've got And with this kind of love What we've got here is enough
So hold on to me tight Hold on, I promise it'll be alright Cause we are stronger here together Then we could ever be alone Just hold on to me Don't you ever let me go Hold on to me, it's gonna be alright Hold on to me tonight They always say we were the lucky ones
Sorry if it's not showing up right. I even clicked to use the smallest sized video, and it's just not posting right.... Sorry 'bout that! It's just the lyrics and sound anyway. ;)
Basically, if I were to say a certain line applied to us or that I would say it just like it is in the song...well, it's just the ENTIRE thing. All of it is exactly what I would say. (Thanks, Micheal. You summed it up pretty well!)
I love you, babe. I love that we're stronger together than apart. I love that even though some plans don't work out the way we first thought, that what we have is enough and is right for us in the end. I love that we're always there for each other. I love that others might look at our relationship and think we are lucky...but that we know it's more than that, which means it will remain. I love that you support me fully in every single way possible. I love that you give your all to me without me having to ask, even when it means giving more than you have. (And I love that you want to give me even more than that.) I love the husband that you are to me, the father you are to my children. I love every little thing about you. (Well, most things.) ;) And I love that even when we are going through difficult times, we know we will be holding on to one another through it all, no matter what.
