Home

We've been here for a year.

One. Year.

When everyone knew we were moving to Minnesota - back to Minnesota, for me - lots of people said, "You must be excited to move back home!" and I kind of shrugged and nodded and agreed, but didn't really know how I felt.  I mean, I hadn't really lived here for a decade - 10 years and a couple of months - so it didn't quite feel like moving back "home".  We were pretty well settled in Madison.  Family aside, it sure didn't feel like I was moving "back" home so much as I was moving away from it.

Plus, let us all please recall the whole "20-weeks pregnant + twin toddlers + moving states + buying a house + Tyson working out-of-state" utter ridiculousness that was our life last year.  Ahem.

(Boxes and babies in an empty playroom.)

(Exploring inside.)

(Exploring outside.)

(Our OWN SWINGSET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!)

We've unpacked the boxes.  Hung pictures on the wall.  Purchased some furniture.  Filled the pantry.  Made meal after meal after meal in the kitchen.  Met the neighbors.  Made some friends.  Taken care of the yard, shoveled the snow, built the sandbox, claimed the neighborhood park as our own.

We've added a member to the family.

And filled up that playroom (and not just with more children).

It feels like home now, y'know?  

Our house - "my boo (blue) house", as the twins call it - feels like our own now.  Not just another temporary place to move on from, like Tyson and I were so used to, but a place to stay and grow and live and breathe and continue to make our own.  We kind of like this place. 

We'll keep it for at least another year.  

Six

Six years.

At six years, the details of that day are getting a little bit fuzzy.  At one year, at two, at three...I could tell you exactly what I was doing at practically every minute of our wedding day.  What time I woke up to decorate for the reception, when I was getting my hair done, what time I arrived at the church, walked down the aisle, etc.

Some of that has faded now.  I remember that it was beautiful.  The weather was perfect.  The food was delicious, though I could barely relax enough to eat any.  I was in love with our flowers, the suits, the dresses, and, most of all, you.

Six years in, and we're settling into what our life is.  No more wandering the unknown of grad school (or, really, the unknown of post-grad school).  We're here.  Three kids, a mortgage, the minivan. 

We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into.

And yet, six years for us looks settled.  And despite a chaotic past year (a move!  a  new baby!  twin toddlers!  a job out-of-state!), it's starting to feel a lot quieter, calmer.  More settled.  We're ready for that.

Here's to the past six.  And six more.  Or sixty.  Even better.

(Years, that is.  Not kids.  Yikes.)

Five

Five years ago we planned to take a vacation, like our honeymoon to Jamaica, for every fifth anniversary as a rejuvenating getaway.  In theory, that sounds absolutely, totally, ridiculously doable.

Then, as it does, life happened.

That vacation is going to have to be postponed for awhile.

Instead, this year you graduated with your PhD (YAY!!!) and started a new job.

We have a move juuuuuuuust over the horizon.

To our very own (first!) home.

We have the most adorable twin toddlers.

And...another on the way.

Last year, our four year anniversary...it seemed so appropriate that four years also marked the first year we celebrated being a family of four.  When writing last year, I never dreamed that the five year mark would see us soon expanding to a family of five.

(Note: this number of years married = number of people in our family has really gotta slow down.  It's not gonna be sustainable for too much longer.)

So...that vacation?

 

Maybe next year.

(I see us going to bed at 10, sleeping "in" until 8, watching anything but PBS on TV, eating several consecutive meals without once having to get up to refill a cup or deal with spilled (aka thrown) food, with no babies or babies on the way, so we can indulge in all the fruity, girly drinks we can handle.  Deal?  Deal.)

Four

First comes love...

...then comes marriage...

...then comes a ba-

...wait a minute here...

.....

(!!!)

Ok, fine.

A baby...

...and then ANOTHER baby...

...in a (double-long) baby carriage.

(I think we skipped a step here...)

Happy (fourth!) Anniversary honey!  Here's to us...

...the FOUR of us.

Year 3

3 years ago, we pledged the whole, "til death do us part" thing.  Surrounded by all of our family and friends, which was so cool to think that they were all there just for us.  It was, to put it modestly, the best, most perfect day ever (*ahem* because I may or may not have planned every last. freaking. detail).  Though of course we didn't know exactly what we were getting into.  Ours isn't a new story, I don't think anyone knows what they are getting into with marriage.  How can you until you do it?  Life is crazy.  And for us, throw in moving to a brand new city a week after getting married, a husband pursuing his PhD, a wife job hunting...then job losing...then hunting all over again, moving to a new apartment, plus the various minutiae of plain old everyday life, and 3 years fly by and get even crazier. Not to mention that little did we know, very soon...

 

2 little babies would be on their way to us.  At the same time.  We are so excited for our little twins and this next phase of life and marriage.  And, let's be honest, we're a little psyched out.  I mean, girl loves a full night's sleep.  But, c'mon, two babies?!?  That's pretty awesome.  And just like three years ago, I'm sure we have absolutely no idea what we're in for.  We didn't know what we were getting into with marriage, and we don't know what we're in for now as we're about to be parents.  To twins.  Good Lord.  But that's ok, because in the end, we only have...

1 life, together, (oh gosh, that was pretty corny, huh?  I know, I'm sorry.), and he's really a pretty good guy to hang out and do life with.  We have fun, and life is about to get even more crazy, so I guess I'll keep him around...for at least another three years or so.  ;)

Fall

Hubby told me that he thinks I've been happier lately.  I told him this can be attributed to one thing.

Fall.

It's a season where there are just too many good things going on to not be happy.

This, for example.

Yup, hubby and me at the apple orchard.  Also it looks all casual, like we were in the middle of blissfully picking apples on the fancy apple-picking ladder and everything, but in reality we were walking in the orchard and all of a sudden there was this vignette of a tipped-over box of apples and a 3-legged ladder.  I ignored the sign next to it that probably said not to touch anything, and promptly turned this opportunity into a photo op instead.

Also this.

Yup.  That photo was already taken two years ago.  Two years and six days ago, to be exact.  And since the second year was loads better than the first, that makes me all kinds of happy.  Not to mention we went away for a cuddly get-away this weekend.  Shopping in Galena (where I picked up this beaut and this deliciousness), a cozy overnight stay in Dubuque, and a massage to finish it all off.  Plus we spent our time resting (after shopping, and before going out to dinner) by watching Hercules.  The Disney version.  Clearly we know how to celebrate.

This, too.

I made creamy sorrel spinach soup last night.  It was an overall meh, and my favorite part was that I got to eat bread with it.  Until I warmed up the above for lunch today.  Totally.  Different.  Soup.  Some sort of magic must have happened in my refrigerator last night, because I ate two big bowlfuls of it.  And more bread.  It was amazingly good.  And it thickened up overnight, turning into a rich, veggie stew-like bowl of yummy-ness.  Note to self: make the day before consumption.

And the last thing that's making me happy: the hot apple cider I am drinking right now.  So good.  This place clearly knows their way around cider.  I was all sad earlier because I didn't want to make coffee and didn't have any tea, but wanted something hot to drink.  So I moped around for awhile until I remembered apple cider in the refrigerator and it turned out to be exactly what I needed.  Cheers.

The Anniversary

Hard to believe that JUST a year ago (ok, a year and a day.  With all the adventure of celebrating this weekend, I'm a day late.) we were doing this...

...and this...

...and a whole lotta this!

Fast forward to this weekend, where we journeyed to Chicago to celebrate our first amazing, crazy, busy, fun, hard, incredible, ordinary, ridiculous, loving, surprising, wonderful year of marriage.

And while going to Chicago was a much-needed get-away for the two of us, my biggest surprise came as we were leaving the city.  That's when I got to open my present to find...

...this.  
(click to enlarge)  

Yup, a present I have to work for.  As if I haven't done ENOUGH to earn TRUCKLOADS of gifts for the unselfish and loving wife* I have been during this past year.  (*Also selfish and unloving at times, but hey, we've all got our flaws.)

Here goes nothin...

Found: book #6, in the linen closet.  I actually thought of this hiding spot on my way home, so I was happy to find my first book here.

Found:  book #3, underneath the bookshelf.

Found:  book #4, behind all the DVDs.  Fun fact: #4 is the only one we also own the DVD of, so book #4 was hidden behind it's corresponding movie.

Found:  book #5, underneath the shoe shelf in the front closet.  Note: ignore the ugly, terrible, over-flowing, honey-you-need-to-take-out-the-recycling, recycling bag.

Found:  book #7, in the upstairs bathroom that we don't really use.  Also notice my shape-shifting appearance change since this was getting dangerously close to the time we needed to leave for church.

Found:  book #2!  Really, honey, really???  

So there you have it.  I even managed to restore my hubby's soul just in time to leave for church.  

Happy FIRST Anniversary, Honey!

Our (slightly chilly) carriage ride in Chicago.