Another Year for Our Family

Today marks another anniversary of the day our family began. It started out differently than this day 9 years ago. Today I got to wake up next to my handsome husband. I think we spent 20 minutes together where we were both fully awake before you had to go to work. I spent my morning with Ryan, then with both Evan and Ryan and then we added two grandmas and one grandpa to the mix. On this anniversary, we began moving into our new home. The one that is ours, picked out by us, and that we'll be paying off for a long while. 

Last night, Natalie helped you start to paint while Grandma Karen watched boys and Grandma Betty packed up our kitchen. 

Today, Grandma Karen watched boys while Grandma Betty unpacked our kitchen and Grandpa helped move boxes and boxes and boxes. I took Ryan to school and drew hearts on your car. You came home and got to work while I went to our other home and sent the grandmas to their other home. I think I saw you for a total of 10 minutes at that transition. You did stop by the house for 10 more minutes before heading off again. Evan, Ryan & I went to the Titmus farm and visited the new lambs, the chickens and the bunnies. 

And now at 11:40 pm, you are helping me be sane by taking over the "getting Evan to sleep" job. So on this anniversary, I've only seen you for maybe an hour. But I love you. I was bombarded by memories today and thought about you often. First, was our cake cutting knife that Grandma used to open a package today. Then it was our cookie jar that we bought together a few weeks after we got married. Then a box of knives that was a wedding gift and is still unopened. 

The next set of memories sent me to before I met you. When I was a little girl and had a big sister and brother who raised sheep. Once upon a time, a newborn lamb needed extra care and was brought down from the shed to a box by the stove and bottlefed. And I thought about my times spent hanging out in the sheep barn during a county fair. I thought about my parents who have chickens and gather eggs daily. 

I thought of scary geese and a stupid goat. I'm glad for the experiences I had growing up, even if some of them were due to siblings' desires to raise animals and no hard work on my part. 

I'm grateful for the things our family does together too. I'm grateful that we've been in family history lately and been reminded of the importance of not only researching and connecting family to family, but finding stories and writing our own. I'm so glad that my story is connected forever with you, Oliver. Happy Anniversary.