12.18.2008

happy anniversary to me.

Our anniversary was on Tuesday. My husband surprised me with a fun weekend away. On Saturday his parents arrived at our house to stay with the Emma, and we headed to the city. We dropped off the baby with his cousin and had a few hours completely alone. It was, fantastic! After a very nice dinner we retrieved our bundle of joy (or crabbiness) and checked into a hotel. We had a wonderful time lounging and getting our HGTV fix.

It was such an awesome surprise. He never fails to amaze me. I am very lucky to have him, he's a catch!

I have been remembering some of the lessons I have had. A handful of examples...

~ people have different definitions of numerous things. simple things, such as when the toilet paper is really gone, is subjective. act accordingly.

~ when something is wrong, and he asks, "what's wrong", he really does know that something is wrong. so insisting that nothing is wrong is an insult to his intelligence. just answer truthfully, for pete's sake.

~ luke skywalker's history. maybe his dad isn't such a bad guy after all.

~ we are each other's biggest fan. if that ever changes, we'll need to change it back.

~ i don't need to be martha stewart to be a good wife. i need to let him have his own expectations of me.

~ the things that you read about men in magazines or on MSN are rarely true. if you have a question, just ask him. if you assume the things you read are true and follow the "rules" they give, he may eventually think you are really weird and will want you to return to normal.

~ there is nothing better than married life.

~ how to give a haircut.

~ how to ask for forgiveness, although i don't do this nearly enough.

~ men aren't women. they will never be women. don't treat them like women. we don't want them to be women. if you want to talk to a woman, call a woman.

~ how to move.

and finally,

~ no matter what happens in my life, my husband is a soft place for me to fall. a place where there is no judgement, no harsh words and no "i told you so's".

12.12.2008

Earlier this week, I was thinking about the last year. I remember some particular things that really bothered me a year ago, on a very consistent basis. I have been so frustrated that I would pray and pray and pray, and didn't ever feel the earth shattering answer I wanted so badly. Nothing seemed to change.

But it did.

I have got to learn, apparently more than one time, that the things I want are within myself. The answer to better relationships, and the sadness that I carry, is my learning to act with grace. I have to learn to let other people be less than who I want them to be. I have to. I may want more or different or better, but that really isn't very relevant.

So in the past year, I can see how my attitude has began to change and my heart has began to soften. I can learn to disagree gracefully, to forgive regularly, and let it be how it is. Just enjoy it for what it is.

I really thought I had come a long way. The very next day I had a conversation that showed me maybe I haven't come that far after all. But I am trying, I really am.

I saw a quote a few weeks ago. The exact phrase escapes me, but the point of it is that every person is going through something big in their life. So even though you don't know what it is, you still can be gracious towards them. There are some relationships in my life that I wish I could fix. I wish I could change things that I just can't change. Even though I get really angry sometimes, I think that I am beginning to see things in a different perspective.

I have also realized that a lack of sleep really does strange things to my brain. Things make sense inside, but don't always come out in a way that makes as much sense. So excuse my rambling.

12.09.2008

today

it is very cold out, and snowy too. i don't think we'll be going anywhere. emma got a new hat last week, with some matching mittens. she actually wears the hat, which is definitely progress. i think she realizes that it keeps her warm.

yesterday she discovered the goodness of cinnamon and sugar toast. it was a hit, she had two full pieces, for a snack.

i am going to do a lot of laundry today. it feels good to clean up while your house is somewhat toasty, and it's freezing out.

our anniversary is next week already. somehow it snuck up on us. someday i think it would be fun to take a train ride for our anniversary, like in alaska. but not this year, we'll be dining out somewhere local. it's not quite as much fun when i can't have anything dairy, but i'll manage. this is the first anniversary that i won't be pregnant. that makes it feel like a longer time, us being married.

we're done with snack time. off i go....

12.05.2008

the babes are big

While she was entertaining herself one day, I thought she was being pretty quite. So I popped around the corner and found her plucking Sam, our beloved house plant. He's doing well, I am happy to report.
Two months...

He may outgrow his stroller quickly


Don't worry, she's a really good driver.



I like her daddy's hat too :)

We went for check-ups this week. M is almost 24 lbs, and Owen is 12. No wonder I keep saying he is getting heavy in his car seat.