Though you have stolen my husband for hours each night. Though you have consequently forced me to eat my bowls of ice cream eh hem, fruits and vegetables, all by my lonesome. Though I now work on my laptop alone without my husband working on his right beside me and though I now have random phrases like 'core synergistics' and 'superman banana' in my vocabulary...

At least my husband can do this..

and this..
because months ago..he could not. His back was so bad somedays he could barely walk upright... and I was just a wee bit worried I'd married an 80 year old in disguise.

So yes, even though I roll my eyes at your super cheesy superhero talk, I still think you deserve a thank you, you know...for giving me my husband back.

** quick side note: I tootally used to listen to that Deanna Carter song and think, "Well..yeah! It like...IS!"**



Ryan and I were talking to Macy and Carter the other night and we found ourselves rolling down the unfortunate road of 'did you know, when Mommy and Daddy were your age we didn't even have cell phones!'

Yep, we actually did go there.

We told them how we didn't have computers, or email. How our phones had to be plugged in to walls. It was hilarious. I was cringing at myself the whole time because I distinctly remember rolling my eyes at my parents for those stories and wondering what they were yapping about. The awe of it all was completely lost on me, as though to say, "Of course you didn't have those things when you were little, that was FOREVER ago, duh!' . That was the exact face my 6 and 4 year old were absent mindely wearing as Ryan and I blabbed on and on for own own reminiscent sakes.

It's funny when your kids get to an age that you yourself have memories from. The other night Ryan and I were painting our bathroom. (Next side note: it is a strange and troubling phenomenon I've come to see in myself, that when things get overwhelming, and I feel stressed and bogged down; frustrated by important things that I wish weren't robbing me of all my time and energy, I actually react by packing additional unnecessary things in. It's my stubborn attempt to feel slightly normal as I insist on continuing to do the little projects and extras that help me to feel I'm not letting life completely pass me by un-enjoyed... I'm unpacking these thoughts at the moment, more another time..) Anyway, the kids were getting ready for bed and Ryan and I were painting. Macy came in and sat in our closet just watching us for a moment, enthralled and excited by the activity going on around her. I clearly remember being right around that age one night when my parents were painting our hallway bathroom. I had woken up sick and my parents let me sit in my doorway with a bowl and watch them paint (the bathroom was directly across from my room). I remember sitting their cross legged in my Hello Kitty pj's and feeling like I was seeing a secret world, it felt like the middle of the night (it was probably 10pm), all my brothers were asleep and my parents were acting.. well, different. They weren't really paying too much attention to me, they were interacting with each other as though (gasp!) they had a relationship all on their own. They were laughing and talking and they got into a tiny paint flicking fight.

(***they were SPLATTER PAINTING the bathroom with teal and pink colors B.T.W.! Yes, I said, splatter painting..dont act like you're too cool to remember.)

And it just seemed magical to me at the time, surreal. I didn't know why. But I see my parents in those memories I have as a 6ishyr old, knowing that they were around my age now.. and I realize with a whole new freshness that each of us really do live as the main character in our own perspectives. I thought for sure as a 6 yr old that my parents were done with their portion of story writing and were now focused on being the supporting actors in MY story. I only saw them as mom and dad. But Ryan and I are so much more than Mom and Dad. We are an 'us' too, and it is so enjoyable to realize that though my kids may spend the next 20 years mistakenly thinking that we are 'so old we don't really have anything left to live for besides THEM', they will be so wrong.

We are really only at the very brink of our journey together. Our journey in marriage. Our journey as parents. Our journey in ministry. It's exciting to me to think of all the things we will see, to wonder at all the things we have no idea will take place in our lifetime together. To picture our church 20 years from now. To picture our kids 20 years from now. To think how well I think I know Ryan now, to think how far we've come and how hard we've worked for the communication and relationship we have now, 10 years in.. and then to double it, triple it, quadruple it. I have no idea what kind of closeness sharing a life for that long produces. I can't even fathom. But it's so exciting (and a tad humbling) to know that my tiny, self-centered, kid-understanding of age was so incredibly off. That so much, SO MUCH, of this life is still to come.

I mean..ten years ago we didn't even have BLOGS.

Whhhaaaaaat?!

A few pieces of scrap wood

+ a nail gun (and daddy supervision)

+ lots of old paint samples
= VERY HAPPY KIDDOS

Last weekend I went to our church's Women's Retreat, which was woonderful. Thanks to my awesome parents Ryan got a mini retreat too :) They took all three boys for the weekend (I know, what?! why am I even going away now? lucky lucky man) and Ryan and Macy had a very special 'Daddy Daughter Weekend'. Macy was ecstatic! From the minute she found out she got busy making plans for them, it was adorable.

Saturday night her school put on a Father Daughter dance which she'd already been looking forward to for weeks, so the rest of the weekend was just icing on the cake. I do have to say I may have fought back some sappy mommy tears when I found out the school changed the date of the dance to the weekend of my retreat. I have so many memories of special dates and dances with my dad, and I always remember my mom helping get me ready; all dressed up, hair curled, lipstick(!!!) etc. I was suuper sad to miss that this time with her so I made Ryan promise he would find a way to take some pictures. I think they had a little fun with the self timer!



Aaand then they had fun playing photographer/model...


Oh yeah..it was a 'Masquerade Ball'. Decorating their masks was the 'craft' Macy had planned for their morning. So cute.
I just love these pictures. It's so fun for me to watch Macy's growing relationship with her dad, such a special bond they already share and I know this weekend was a rare and really neat gift for both of them. I'm a little jealous I'll be honest. But I know I'll get my chances over the years as well. :)
Suuper hard core modeling folks. For realz.

Side note: I got Ryan all prepped, showed him how to use a curling iron and everything, he promised me he'd try. But she would NOT let him touch her hair and insisted this is how she wanted to wear it. Maybe it's a good thing I wasn't there, I would have pinned her down and made her let me make it all curly and cutesy (not really) (okay maybe really..) which could have totally ruined the moment....sometimes Dad's are just way better at seeing the big picture!


She may say over and over (and OVER) how much she wishes God would give her a sister and how hard it is only having brothers.. but this little girl is gonna figure out one of these days that the gig she's got goin' on.. it isn't all bad.