8 years ago today...

8 years ago today, we were pronounced husband and wife. The best thing ever. I can't believe how much we have been through in the last 8 years. We moved to a different city, then a different state, and then returned back "home." (UGH! So many boxes of books.) We've traveled to 5 countries and more cities than I can remember seeking out used bookstores, delicious food, and unique local attractions. I cried a lot of tears, and he wiped them all away. Then he made me laugh and shed all my troubles, and sometimes just forget why I was upset in the first place. 

What I love most about the last 8 years is how much we've laughed. I think that's pretty much what we are best at. Laughing at each other, with each other, at the silly things, at the same things, different things, just laughing... together. And now after eight years, we have an (almost) 8 month old, and I can't wait to share that legacy with him. This is a family that laughs and does it well. We also listen and love, encourage and support. We champion one another, even when we don't believe in ourselves. We try to love each other more and better every year. But most of all, we laugh. 

I love all of our memories and all the adventures we've had. Someone once told me that we "make marriage look fun," and I'd like to think we still do that. I look at pictures and think of how much we have enjoyed just being together, no matter where we were. I thank Jesus (not often enough) for this wonderful man, how good he is to me, and this amazing life we have together. This life really is a gift from God, the God Nathan and I share a relationship with... what another amazing gift. Because He loved us, we love Him, and we love each other. And that is why we can truly laugh. We can truly laugh because we are truly loved. Wow. I hope Will grows up knowing that and just soaking up pure love in our home. That his laughter is not tinged with sadness but filled with joy.

I look forward to laughing through another 80 years of adventures, side by side. Happy Anniversary to us!

Our first laugh as husband and wife!

Let the adventure begin

In these 4 pictures we are having an argument in front of Westminster Abbey.  I was trying to frame a shot of the two of us for Nathan to take (with his arm stretched out), which as you can see from the first picture... I screwed up. 

Picture #2, is Nathan explaining to me that he could hold the camera a different way and still take the picture. I did not agree. 

Picture #3, is the two of us laughing at me being dumb. 

Picture #4, SUCCESS!

Being silly in the British Museum.

Pretending to be monsters attacking European cities at Mini-Europe.

Devouring vast amounts of melted cheese

Devouring vast amounts of falafel

William (37 weeks)

William as a pirate

7 months and counting!

Well, our big guy is 7 months old! I told Nathan it feels like we have a real baby now, not an infant. 7 months just feels like an older baby to me... Nathan thinks I'm weird (what's new).

His first two teeth are really coming in. We had a couple of days of biting, but other than that, I just love seeing his little smile grow! We don't have a doctor's appointment until 9 months, but I can't wait to see how much he's grown! I might have to do an approximate weight and height to satisfy my curiosity.

He's been loving all the solids. Not a picky eater at all, though the thicker texture is taking a little getting used to. He loves to play with his feet and put them in his mouth. He can even sit up on his own. Now that he can sit, he would rather do that then lay down. He likes to be able to see everything and reach for his own toys. He also loves his jumperoo. He gets super excited playing in it, and we just love watching him explore all the toys and try to figure out how they work. Of course, he has already beaten his father at chess.

We had a bath time adventure last week. One of us will usually bathes him while we are taking a shower. Especially for a busy mama, it's easier to just clean both me and the baby at the same time. So I sit him in his little tub, playing with his Sophie the Giraffe, while I get cleaned up, then I sit down and give him a bath. Last week, I was already to get us both clean. He was happy in his tub while I was showering really quick. I sat down to finish him up, and I brought the shower head over to hose him off. Suddenly, the water in his bath tub was all murky. Awesome. He pooped.

So there we are, soapy, wet, slippery, poop water all over the floor of the shower. (It's a little stressful holding a wiggly, poopy, slippery baby in the shower.) He wasn't really sitting super well by himself at the time, so I couldn't just sit him outside the shower while I cleaned up for fear he would fall over on the tiled floor. (Then I'd have a wiggly, poopy, slippery, screaming baby. No thanks.) I had to clean us both up as best I could, get him out of the shower, dressed and happy, so I could go back in the shower, disinfect and rewash us both, minus the poop water. Luckily, Nathan came home in the middle of the craziness, so he could play with the boy while I disinfected. Welcome home, honey! Excuse me while I attend to some poop.

Will is an amazing adventure, and even the gross parts are fun because Nathan and I get to experience all of this together. I'm so happy to share this funny little person with my hilarious best friend! Really, the best part of all of this is sharing it with Nathan.

We both love getting to know him and can't wait to see more of his personality come out, little by little. The more interactive he gets, the more facial expressions we get to see. We can't help but laugh at the many faces of William. I'll leave you with just a few...