We are celebrating 17 years of marriage this month: Seven.Teen.
17 is a number that old people celebrate. You can’t claim to be 29 AND be married 17 years.
But I like this side better. I prefer the well-known comfort of my lifelong friend and soulmate over youth any day.
On our 11th Anniversary, we headed to the hospital, and welcomed our first son the next morning.
This year he turns 6.
I’m not sure which is harder to imagine that we have been married 17 years or that we have an almost 6-year-old. Either way, these two events make August extra special in our home.
In our 17 years together, this has been our most chaotic season so far. We proudly live in a home that is ruled by a little army we made ourselves.
Our soon to be 6-year-old is learning to write, developing his story-telling skills, and loves to surprise us with home videos created while we were unaware. He is a ninja-in-training and often working to save the world. He is a deep thinker and has a profound sense of other’s emotions.
Our 3-year-old is also quickly mastering his ninja skills and is developing his handstand-to-roll over the couch quite nicely. He is as much independent as he is a team player. He loves to read and draw pictures…mostly on paper. Hearing the boys old enough to really engage in their own elaborate conversations, play, and bickering has left me wanting to be more of a listener. I can’t write all their conversations down, but I wish I could. There is genius in their creativity and in their natural relation and love for one another.
Our two-year-old twins are busy conquering talking in sentences, which has added more complexity and laughter to the household. I had not spent much time around twins until I had my own, but their connection is unique. They started communicating with their own language that no one else understood. They fall asleep holding hands and often embrace in hugs or cradle each other’s faces as they check to see if the other is ok.
For as much sweetness as they embody they also LOVE attention seeking pranks. Charlie’s favorite prank is to tell me he is Gabe, this always leads to him selling out his secret as he starts to giggle. It is not uncommon for them to scheme and plot. Messes are more than double with these two. They are the reason our home now comes equipped with coded locks on most doors.
We recently announced that we are expecting our 6th baby. We know there is plenty more chaos and beauty to come.
As we approach our 17th Wedding Anniversary, there is one memory that has had me laughing continuously over the past few weeks.
All those years ago when I was dating this now husband-of-mine he told me he wanted a large family, specifically six kids. I sternly and seriously informed him that if he wanted six kids he should marry someone else as I had career aspirations and no desire to have more than 2 or 3 kids. He never mentioned it again.
Over the years, we have had to work extra hard to have kids. There was a very long time where we didn’t know if we would have a baby of our own. This is one area of our life that we have had little control over. We still never planned to have six, but through our journey here we find ourselves excitedly expecting out 6th little bundle.
I love how life turns and twists and you suddenly find the most joy in something you said you never wanted. I realize how much I would have missed.
Thank you Charlie for asking me to walk through life with you. Thank you for loving who I am all along the way. Happy Anniversary.
