{ of weddings }

Mike's sister Amaryah married her Lawrence on July 20, two days after our fourth wedding anniversary.

In true pregnancy-brain fashion {or is this just a sign that we're slowly exiting the "honeymoon/take-a-photo-of-every-milestone" phase?}, I didn't take a single picture on our anniversary outing. My mom was in town, so she watched Lainie while Mike and I went to my first midwife appointment. We got to hear Jellybean's heartbeat for the first time, which was sweet, and then we had dinner at a restaurant on the marina. We came home and ate ice cream while watching Downton Abbey with mom. I joke that we've transitioned from traveling to islands to celebrate our marriage {Honeymoon: Oahu. First anniversary: Lopez Island. Second anniversary: Kauai.}...to going to medical appointments for our children {Third anniversary: Lainie's last surgical follow-up appointment at Children's Hospital. Fourth anniversary: Jellybean's first midwife appointment.}.

There are, however, some decent photos of us from Amaryah's wedding two days later. That'll do, right?

Amaryah + Lawrence had a beautiful wedding, one of the loveliest I've seen. The ceremony and reception were outdoors, and the weather was gorgeous. So was the bride!

 

 

:: the reception area ::

 

 

 

:: the ceremony area ::

 

:: the whole family ::

 

:: exquisite centerpieces! ::

 

 

:: lace mounted on embroidery hoops, hung above the dance floor ::

 

 

:: Mike and I did this...a lot...all evening. Baby girl wants to walk everywhere. ::

{Side note: I can't decide how I feel about the fact that I comfortably wore a maternity dress at 12 weeks pregnant.}

 

 

:: three generations ::

 

 

:: all the food was miniature and SO delicious--but between feeding Lainie and myself, I only got a photo of the tiny burger. ::

 

 

:: lots of fun lawn games, which Lainie thoroughly enjoyed ::

 

:: ignore my freaky blurry hand...I love this photo of Lainie. ::

 

 

:: first dance ::

 

 

:: I kid you not--beneath that crazy red wig lies my husband. ::

 

 

:: Mike and Amaryah dancing with Estella, their cousin's daughter ::

 

It was such a lovely wedding celebration. Retrospectively I am totally a first-time mom, taking far more photos of my cute little baby than of the bride and groom and wedding festivities! All the more reason to look forward to the professional photos, right? And I'm sad not to have any pictures of the ceremony, but since we were sitting in the front row, I was completely occupied keeping Lainie quiet and happy. {Consumed by Lainie--just during the short ceremony: Two pouches of baby food, cheerios, part of a lollipop, and various sips from one water bottle and one sippy cup.} She was a little angel...a very hungry little angel, apparently...until the very end, when the pastor was doing the "by the power vested in me..." formalities just before pronouncing them husband and wife. At that precise moment, Lainie set down her lollipop and yelled, "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!" You have to admit, her timing was impeccable!

 

We are so thankful that my mom came over for the weekend specifically to help with Lainie during the wedding and reception. Partway through the reception, she took Lainie home and put her to bed. Mike and I were able to dance and par-tay and enjoy the rest of the reception without trying to entertain a very tired little girl, which was a huge blessing. Thanks, mom!!

 

What a difference four years make. When I think back on our wedding, I want to blurt out, "You were such a kid!!" We both were--not that we're terribly mature and grown-up now, but it's just crazy how much has changed since then. How much we have changed. In good ways. Marriage does grow you up. Having a child does grow you up. And while I was all misty-eyed over the wonder of Lawrence and Amaryah starting their journey as husband and wife, I am speechlessly amazed at what God has done/is doing in my own marriage. How He continues to grow us together. Continues to grow and deepen, mature and solidify and strengthen a love that I thought was pretty amazing when we said "I do" in 2009.

 

I used to be afraid of losing the butterflies-in-the-stomach, crazy-in-love inloveness of newlyweds. Everybody is, don't you think? Afraid that if it goes away, you'll be left with nothing...certain that the only other option is a lifetime of boring staleness, looking back with longing on that mythical "honeymoon phase." That is such a lie. SUCH a lie. Being newlyweds is great, and I loved that season, and every newlywed should soak it up! But the love that grows from that...after that...is a beautiful, sacred, breathtaking thing too. Love isn't static. It isn't something you achieve and then struggle to protect and maintain as-is. With Jesus at the center of a marriage, love constantly grows and changes and becomes deeper and more beautiful. It's not all sunshine and roses {or rainbows and unicorns, as Mike would say}. It's not all easy. But it is so rich. And I am so thankful for the four years I've had the great privilege of being Mrs. Mike.



{ date }

Yesterday

baby at Grandpa and Grandma's

crowded coffee shop

caramel lattes with

perfectly-swirled foam

oatmeal raisin cookie {for him}

sweet potato sage scone {for her}

good conversation
giggling

kisses

hand-holding

Skip-Bo {he won}

a perfect Sunday afternoon date



 

 

 

 

 

{ Beloved }

Linking up at Tales of a Gypsy Mama for this week's Five Minute Friday!

~*~*~

 

 

I can feel it in his gaze, how much he loves me. He always whispers "Goodbye, I love you, have a good day" when he slips into the dark of our bedroom to kiss me goodbye before leaving for work in the morning. And the first thing he does when he gets home? Before he loves on that bewitchingly chubby little girl? Kisses me and tells me he loves me.

 

I know what it is to be someone's Beloved. I know what it is to be so, so secure in his love...to know that I can count on him no matter what. Looking back, I know now that I didn't expect it. Not even after I said yes and he put the ring on my finger. I couldn't fathom anyone knowing me--and still loving me. Not just "still" loving me, but loving me more each day, loving me more with the passage of time, more even though he knows even better how I'm broken and dirty and how I've hurt him and how I'll inevitably hurt him again. Because we're both human, you know?

 

He's not perfect. Neither am I. But I am his Beloved. He's always finding new ways to show me. Last night it was sea salt caramel gelato and a Skor bar--and I said I didn't want anything for Valentine's Day!

{ Family Photos 2012 }

Our friend Lauren took family/newborn photos for us at the beginning of September.

{Check out Lauren's photography website here--we couldn't be happier with her work!}

 

Here is our sweet Elaina Rae at 9.5 weeks old...

 

 

 

 

Thank you Jesus for the sweet gift of this baby girl!



{ Midweek Date Night }

Last week, Lainie and I ventured down to our local farmer's market. It's quite small; just Wednesday afternoons from 3pm-7pm, and less than two dozen vendors, but it's fun and very picturesque {in the lighthouse park, the Puget Sound a few steps away}. I suggested to Mike that we go there for our date this week, so we did.

Disclaimer: You won't see evidence of Lainie or her stroller in any of these photos, but both were definitely present.

.

:: picking out sandwich bread {I just now noticed the tablecloth--love it!} ::

:: My dinner: pear and Gorgonzola pizza with caramelized onions ::

:: the pizza stand--cool oven, huh?! ::

:: One of the pizza guys pretended he was going to photobomb the shot, and Mike encouraged him to actually do it! ::

:: fresh two-patty cheeseburger {is anyone surprised that's what he chose?} ::

:: blackberry lavender ice cream bar for dessert ::

:: coconut lavender ice cream bar...it was SO delicious! {See the bouquet of dahlias Mike got me?} ::

Happy Date Night, Honey!

{ Three Years }

{Note: Contrary to appearances, I did *not* write the previous blog post while in labor! I was at the hospital at the time it was published, but I'd written that post, and this one, a few days earlier. I assumed on our anniversary we'd be at Children's Hospital with Lainie, so I'd better get an anniversary post pre-written! I also made a list of all the posts I wanted to write before the baby arrived: baby showers, the nursery, etc. And then my water broke, 17 days before her due date, and 24 hours later--exactly to the minute!!--Lainie was born, and all my blog-writing aspirations dissipated like the morning dew. I'll be back, with lots of pictures and details, someday...but for now, I'm just trying to sleep when I can and snuggle my baby.}

Dearest Mike,

On a balmy July day exactly three years ago, we were all grins and excitement and wedding-day-butterflies.

We dreamed about babies and what the future held.

I probably hoped that by the time our third anniversary rolled around, we'd be a little family of three.

When we found out I was pregnant last November, it looked like the chances were pretty good that we might end up sharing our anniversary with our baby's birthday--my due date was only five days before our anniversary!

Then, when we found out about Elaina's diaphragmatic hernia in May, we began to prepare ourselves for a long summer at Children's Hospital with our sick little daughter. Neither of us ever imagined we'd spend our third anniversary at Children's Hospital, but now it looked like that was inevitable. 

But my love, no matter where we are, there are no people I'd rather spend our anniversary with than you and Lainie. 

And by sheer grace from God, not only are we not in the hospital on our special day, Lainie was discharged 13 days ago! Not only was she born early...not only was she able to breathe on her own from the moment she was born...not only was she far beyond every best case scenario the doctors ever predicted...she was discharged from the hospital when she was only 8 days old!

I'm sure we'll steal a few kisses today when Lainie isn't lookin...and thank Jesus for the innumerable graces He has lavished on us in our three years as Mr. & Mrs.

I love you!

{ Maternity Photos }

Mike's sister Amaryah took these photos when I was 36 weeks. {She also gave me the purple dress I'm wearing--yay for a SIL with both exceptional fashion sense and photography know-how!}