happy birthday...

to a great little sis...
you've always given me the inspiration to lighten up
and not worry so much about every little thing in life.
even though you have always been the little sis,
you have sure grown up
and you're more like a best friend than
a little sister.
happy birthday!

i don't want to miss a thing

8/25
i've just been feeling like i needed a day for it to be all about your boys. for part of that we walked to the tractor park in the wagon. i knew it would take a long time, but that was what the day was for. we picked lots of acorns along the way, and by the time we got to the park our wagon was 1/2 full of snails you boys had collected. everything is always a treasure... a rock, a stick, a string. i love that. for me, every second of being with you boys is a treasure. the memory of seeing you boys running across the soccer field, will running as fast as he could to catch sam laughing the whole way, i hope will forever be etched in my heart. sam fell down laughing and waiting for will. as soon as will caught up he fell down right beside him mimicking his every move and laughter. i thought the 2 of you were never going to stop laughing. i'm glad i took the time for the day to be about you in these simple yet irreplaceable moments.

8/26
you boys have really been loving calvin lately. you're always trying to get him to play your games with you, and you're always trying to get him on your beds. he always is willing to get up there, and he doesn't even seem to mind the noisy jumping all around him. the funniest thing happened today. sam was playing in a karate suit and was pretending to do karate. calvin got involved and was playing/biting back. sam's response was "wow, calvin, i didn't know you knew how to do karate!" i'm still laughing about that one!


8/27
both of you have been stinkers at bedtime. i'm frustrated with how long it takes to get you to bed, and then even after all that time you both still get out! i've had it; i've put pete in charge of bedtime until you both stay in your beds. so far it's working. that's good, but a little frustrating. what does he do that i don't???


8/28
Sam: you LOVE helping me cook! you want to do anything i will let you. you came in today and saw that i started dinner without you. you immediately fell apart saying "pleeeeeaase don't start without me! pleeeeeeeaaaaase let me help!" i'm glad you're such a great helper. tonight you cut up a cantaloupe (not with a sharp knife), and you took it so serious and did it so perfectly. pretty much you just love dinner i think. almost every night at dinner you thank me for making such a delicious dinner. :)
Will: you had a scary fall today. you fell off your seat at the school desk while we were painting and hit your mouth on the desk. your mouth was bleeding like crazy, and i was afraid it was your tooth. it was. thankfully it wasn't as bad as it seemed; you knocked it out alignment and knocked it loose. i was afraid you were going to lose it eventually; i took you to the dentist, but thankfully it will heal with no lasting effect.

8/29
you boys love when dad and i go on a date because you know that means staying at someone's house that you love without us there. a lot of times you ask me if we will go on a date so you can go to norma's. tonight we did go on a date, and you were both thrilled to be at norma's without us. not to mention, we love the break, too. :)

8/30
we finally made it to the ogden farmer's market today; it's our favorite one. sam has been asking for it all year. he couldn't wait for the huge carrots and the train rides. will loved it, too. he mostly loved the playground. a few days ago i was talking to sam about stores. i asked him what his favorite store was and he said "Oh, the farmer's market!"

my best friend emily

consider yourself warned! this is going to be a very long post, and i'm sure it will only be a post important to me. if you're the type to lose interest easily i would probably suggest stopping here. this is a post for electronic preservation of a very important piece of paper i just found that i never want to lose.

for those of you still reading, i will give you a quick update. i have a very best friend. her name is emily. we met in jr. high in 1993. we were the best of friends through high school and college. the friendship still exists, but distance changed it when i moved here in 1999 and she currently lives in egypt. however, distance and time has proved to not change what we had; it's still there just not in the same form as when we were together at all times. yesterday i found this document i wrote within days of moving here. it was a painful decision to leave, but ultimately i think it gave us both the life we were intended for. re-reading this certainly brought back the heartache i felt when i left home. read on if you feel so inclined.

"i've only seen her cry 3 times in five years. it has only been about her parents. she's too strong for tears. she's crying now. i can't imagine what i've done. i didn't know my decision to move would affect her like this. she was laying on my bed on top of my pink comforter- the one i chose as my college comforter. i was in the pink chair she was loaning me; my legs were crossed, and i was clenching the matching pink pillow. the only light in the room was from the 3-bulb lamp behind me. it was appropriate that the lighting was dim; it wasn't exactly the brightest point in our relationship. with tears streaming down her face i heard her explaining how she was going to be so alone without me; we had spent the last 6 years mostly focusing on each other. for the 1st time she admitted that she needed someone, and i was that person. as i began listening, i heard what she was really saying.
we were losing our two-story college duplex on 1916 Cherokee Lane. It meant that i would never be waiting for her at our kitchen table at 1:00 on monday, wednesday, and friday after class so we could have cheese tortillas or turkey sandwiches. it meant that our evening walks on campus would end; how could we ever talk about our weight and eating habits again without those walks? it meant i wouldn't be borrowing her green stretch shirt from banana republic, and she would never borrow my brown sweater with the cream stripe from american eagle. we would never use my stereo to blast george strait and patsy cline so we could have a concert in any part of the house. there would be no more late night runs to taco bell for bean burritos; no other taco bell would know it was normal for me to order a bag of fire sauce, and she couldn't explain to other taco bells why her best friend ordered bags of fire sauce. they wouldn't care. we would never run to the window together again when we heard our hot mailman come to our door. there would be no more random times to ride the West Coast Bad Boyz bus together. i can't wake her up at 1:00 am to go to pratts because i was craving fat free cool whip with butterfinger bbs. there won't be anymore reasons to plan for building fountains in our backyard and flower boxes for our windows. i wouldn't be able to sleep with her 5 nights a week in her wooden antique bed because we won't be falling asleep watching french kiss, dirty dancing, or indecent proposal. how would we have cheeseless pizza with jalepenos and pineapples from papa johns on our study night during finals week? i won't be able to run upstairs in the evening when i get home and be so loud so i can hopefully wake her up from her nap just because i'm dying to talk to her. there will be no more preparations for our rare saturday morning sausage and biscuit breakfast. i won't be able to stay up until 4:30 am on a school night talking and developing our own philosophies on life; at least we had the the epiphany that life is just vicious cycle before i left. we won't have to worry about calling our neighbor to try to catch our mouse in the storage closet; the mouse can stay there as a reminder of us.
i was crying, too. i couldn't distinguish between the sad tears and the tears that came out of happiness and relief. the tears were sad because i know we are sacrificing our joys together at cherokee lane. the tears were happy because i knew in that moment that our friendship was rare. not everyone gets the privilege of feeling this way about a friend. nor do they get these experiences. i have it, and will be able to take the emotion and memory with me wherever i go."

walk-ins welcome

if i desired to take walk-in hair appointments, then i could officially do it now without anyone having to walk through my house to sit in my chair. the long awaited, totally separate entrance has now arrived, and i couldn't be more thrilled! i LOVE it! it changes the look and feel of everything about my little at home hair studio. i should've done it 3 years ago. it's simply just more professional, and more beautiful, and more convenient, and just more fitting for how i always wanted it to feel working from home. walk on in and check it out sometime! kidding, please don't really just walk in, it's still my house. :)

a few good children's books

today we snagged a few new books from the library. i have loved the suggestions from friends for children's books; i've found some real winners that way, so i thought i would share some of our great finds in case you are looking for some guaranteed suggestions.

1. Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch

This is a book about a bear who loves the moon so much that he wants to give him a birthday present. But he doesn't know when his birthday is or what to get him. So Bear goes to have a little chat with the moon.
I remember reading this as an older child and being fascinated with how that type of conversation with the moon could really happen. sam and will both loved it and wanted to read it over and over. it's definitely a warm and charming book with a touching message about love and friendship with our moon.

2. Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough

This is an adorable book about a dog who is trying to fly; it has a great message about the power of positive thinking. A perfectly rhyming book with beautiful and entertaining illustrations. We all loved this book! Sam was smiling and laughing and could hardly wait to get to the next page.

I can't believe how many great children's books there are out there! I love having and sharing any suggestions. Please feel free to pass your suggestions along as you have them. We are always looking for more.

more stickers

here are some cute back to school stickers for anyone who likes back to school stickers. i don't have anyone going back to school who would care much for them (pete might like the "when's lunch?" one), but i love having cute downloadable things like this. click here and here and here to find the free download and idea from martha stewart.

not perfect pjs

i've been doing a little sewing around here lately. let me be the 1st to admit that it's really difficult to sew cheap, knit fabric particularly around the neck. that's why the neck hole looks so big and the neck band is uneven. that was NOT what the pattern called for. :( oh well, they still work, and sam was actually very excited about them despite his crusty expression.

i don't want to miss a thing

8/16
we just returned from a camping trip with our neighbor norma and her daughter lisa. it was a beautiful, excluded camp despite the 38 degrees snowy weather. i love the connection the boys have with these fine people. i love that they wanted to crawl into bed with norma every morning to have her sing them the good morning son. what i loved the most was the wonder and fascination these boys have with this beautiful earth. there's no limit to all of the things that can interest them when given the freedom to roam. every stick becomes a treasure and every rock is the most beautiful one they've ever seen. i loved the imagination that came to life in them, and i was reminded of how i wish i still had that intensity in my imagination.
sam got his shoes stuck in the mud and pulled them off. i can't believe how long he wanted to walk barefoot on that cold, wet ground. the best was watching him wash his shoes off in the river.


will's wild side was sure brought out on this trip. i don't think i've ever seen him with so much energy!



8/17
Sam: i couldn't believe your cousin connection today with jeff's girls at their party. you ran so much, played so hard, and was interested in everything those girls said to you. you held their hands and wouldn't leave their side. i LOVE that you love your family; you love every cousin that you have and adore them all in a different way. i also couldn't believe your excitement at HC. you were literally jumping up and down excited to go on all the rides especially the rollercoaster. you also loved the bumper cars. you looked too little to be riding alone, but you were actually good at it. i can't believe you are growing up so fast! i have loved every stage you have been in, and this one is no different.

Will: you loved your cousins lots today, too. i always love that you think you are just one of the big kids and do whatever they do. however, you are a very independent little player, too. you mostly just wanted hang at the playground and follow emi whenever she was around. however, you loved HC, too, and always wanted to ride with the big kids without me. once again though, you were happy to ride the carousel over and over again even when no one else wanted to. you are at a fun stage, too, and i'm loving what an easy child you are.


8/18
Sam: you sure know how to touch your mother's heart. today when i was making dinner brought me in all the sunflowers that you picked out of our yard. you had a few with stems and informed me those were to put in water and one without a stem was for me to put in my hair. :) speaking of hair, i'm in a major dilemma with my color. you overheard pete and i talking about what i should do. you said "i have a great idea. why don't you make it yellow again. that's how i like it. i don't like it brown." thanks for the advice. another sweet night, too. you told me at bedtime that you love the me the most. i hope you always feel this way.


Will: you are a little monkey; i walked into the kitchen today to see you scaling the kitchen cabinets. you can now officially climb up the cabinets by putting your feet on top of the drawers. you are always wanting a snack and now you can just help yourself if i'm not looking.

8/19
a few of your favorites...
*your new favorite is digging in the rocks and dirt next to the salon. you get all the trucks and tractors and you will both spend a long time out there playing together.
*you both love giving calvin a treat of dog bacon and his medicine. you both always call who gets to go 1st; i give it to you at the same time, but you both think you are first.
*sam is always loving to race; we have to do it for everything, but it sure gets you going especially when you need to get dressed, make your bed, or pick up your toys. you always say you are 1st no matter what and say that no one else is second.
*playing store/restaurant. sam always gets all of the pots and pans and loads them with almonds, crackers, cereal, green beans, etc. and offers them for sale. we also have the choice of ordering whatever we want; his store carries everything. if we get really lucky he will use the food chopper and chop everything up to make a "pie". i haven't seen him so excited about anything for awhile as he was about his restaurant pie. :)
*playing the "wolf and the colored egg" game; sam is always making up games, too. there are always so many rules, and by the time we actually get to play no one is following the rules quite right. :)

8/20
Sam: you had your first sleepover at Auntie's. you were SO excited, and you ended up LOVING it. you stayed up until midnight, but you slept through the night and wasn't scared at all. you were wiped out when you got home tonight. you cried for about 45 minutes out of sheer exhaustion. i have to admit that i always want you spending the nights with your cousins and family, but i was a little sad that you are growing up so fast to do that stuff. i just love having you at home so much it's hard when you are gone.

Will: your favorite place to have a sleepover is in your mom and dad's bed. we thought it was only fair that you got to have that special treat tonight. that was far more exciting than sleeping over at someone else's house!

8/21
Sam: you wanted to go to the dr. with us today to see the fish. you were very concerned about will once we were there. you told me you wanted to make a list for you and will of 3 things. you said the 1st thing was for you to be a good big brother. i thought that was sweet.
you know how to loosen the straps on your car seat now. you keep them totally loose, and i know it's not safe. the dr. said you weigh enough to be in a booster. we tried it today, and you are still a touch too short. thank goodness! i'm not ready to make that safety jump yet!
Will: you had your 2 year check-up today. you weren't happy about it either. you would cry if anyone like the nurse or doctor even walked into the room. you would insist on wrapping your arms around my neck and not look at anyone. you did not love your shots either. you SCREAMED and held onto my neck for dear life! the important thing is that you are healthy; you're still little but healthy. you weighed 24 pounds and in the 9th percentile, 33 inches tall and in the the 13th percentile. i have always loved you staying little.

good times & good food

dear summer & jamie,
thank you for the fun nature walk last week. i enjoyed all the talking about food, and it has really got me thinking about what we really do eat around here. in keeping with the topic of our discussions i thought i would pass along a few things that we do that relate to that discussion, especially for you, summer, to see what you can sneak in on andrew. :) ENJOY! and i look forward to more discussions and more of the things you do.

love jennifer

p.s. here's the instructions for the tostadas that are to die for!



Bean tostadas

white corn tortillas
refried beans (vegetarian if keeping with what we talked about); i occasionally make my own using a technique like this
lettuce
tomato
onion
avocado
salsa
sour cream
jalapeno peppers
any other topping you like; corn is good, too

the only trick is getting the shells cooked just right. to do that, pour approximately 1/2 inch oil in the bottom of a small frying pan. heat on medium high; wait until oil is very hot. drop the tortillas in one at a time and cook on each side for a few seconds until crisp. they cook fast. be sure they look pretty golden before pulling them out or else they will be chewy. once your tortillas are done, then load them up with all of your toppings. be prepared with lots of tortillas; you will probably want a few! :)

get inspired

i've discovered this simple blog site called tumblr. i've started using it to store all the great ideas i find online that i want to remember to make, read, cook, or just remember. i've been uploading for a few weeks now, but i'm still working to improve the site. check it out, and perhaps you might also get inspired. the site is jenvanderlinden.tumblr.com the link will also be added in my sidebar.

if you can remember

i can't believe pete started back to school already! today was his 1st official day. wow! what a summer we've had! i'm fully convinced that every family needs to be home all together for an extended length of time. not just for all the projects and completed 'to-do lists' but for the connection and the fun. our summer has been full of all of those things, but what i have loved the most is the connection, the re-falling in love with pete all over again because i was able to see and re-visit all of his ways day after day without them getting lost in the too short days of work and endless responsibilities. what a simple and perfect life he has given me. the longer we are married the more i can see what a match we are, how much we need each other.

sorry, i digress. the point of the post started out to be a reminder to me of the mindset shift that need to takes place now that i'm going back to mostly solo parenting again. our boys are our life, and i'm constantly feeling the pressure to not screw them up. i know you can only give and do so much in a day to advance the cause of fostering happy and peaceful children. in the end it's their choice anyways. however, i love this reminder of their perspective. i hope to have this be my motivation for all that i do with my boys in the upcoming months of parenting. i borrowed the reminder from the lovely blog beauty that moves. i loved the picture so much that she attached with this poem that i wanted to include here, too, even though it's no one i know. good luck with your upcoming school year whatever you will be doing!


If You Can Remember

If you can remember that it takes three of my steps to equal one of yours;

If you understand that I must view life at an eye level three feet below yours;

If you can touch my life with your faith, without taking away my need for self-determination;

Then I can grow, learn, and become.

~ ~ ~

If you can remember that it takes time for me to gain the experience in living you have already had;

If you can understand that I can only relate to those things which have meaning on my levels of maturity;

If you can let me take a step of independence when I can, instead of thrusting me out or pulling me back;

If you can touch my life with your hope, without destroying my sense of reality;

Then I can grow, learn and become.

~ ~ ~

If you can remember that it takes courage for me to try again after failure, just like you;

If you can let me find my own path when I want, instead of choosing for me the way you think I should go;

If you can touch my life with your love, without taking away the space I need to breathe;

Then I can grow, learn and become.

~ ~ ~

Marti King For The Montessori Foundation

i don't want to miss a thing

(sorry, i love the potty shots! :) )

Sam: i remembered something so sweet he said at our family camping trip a few weeks ago. a family came over to our campsite and started using the volleyball court that was in our camp. the grown-ups were mumbling a little about them being in our camp. before we knew it sam went over to them and asked them if they would like to join us for dinner when they were finished. i LOVE that example! thank you, sam!

Will: you absolutely LOVE watching the slideshow video we made of our january disneyland trip. it's always the dvd in our player upstairs. several times throughout the day you open the armoire, turn the tv on and come and get me saying "disneyland". to be honest, i LOVE that you enjoy watching those family memories; pleasant memories our family is what i desire to be etched in your heart more than almost anything else. hopefully this is a start.

Sam: today i was complaining about how will's high chair is always dirty, and i swear no matter how often i clean it it's still always dirty. anyway, i was mumbling out loud about why the chair was so disgusting. sam said, "well, mom, i don't think you've cleaned it for awhile." good point, sam, probably not often enough.

Will: you love getting in our bed almost every night, but the way you do it is pretty funny. i put you to bed in your bed like normal, and you tell me to "go". after you're certain i'm gone downstairs you go get in our bed to go to sleep. you are even learning that you need to wait for sam to go to sleep or else he will tattle on you and you will be placed back in your bed. you're sneaky!

Sam: i was the jerk tonight. the 1 1/2 hour bedtime tonight was about to do me in. the boys would just not go to sleep. they wanted to sleep together, but will wouldn't stop pestering sam. i started yelling at them to knock it off, and then sam started crying. he said he was sad because i was hurting his feelings. i don't ever want my kids to feel like i'm hurting their feelings! i feel horrible!

Will: you love shoes. you love wearing everyones shoes even yours. i love how you get them out of your drawer whenever you want to do something, and i love that you put them back in your drawer when you take them off. perhaps you could remind sam when he's not reminding himself.

perfect feet

another foot post... i know, i know, but my foot is all that has been consuming that emotional part of my brain for the last week. i haven't really been thinking about anything else. plus, my experience today is worth noting.
i went to get fitted for the brace today at least that's what i thought i was going for.
i was relieved that this guy thought that was a little jumping gun. he wants to start with redesigning my orthotic.
i LOVED this guy, like in the "you are so in touch with what you're doing" kind of way.
he spent 1 1/2 hours with me. he let me talk, a lot, and the best part was that he actually listened. he listened to everything that has worked for me in the past and what hasn't. he listened to what was important to me. but most importantly he listened to what I thought would work based on how my foot feels. and finally someone listened.
he put a 1/2 inch cushioned lift in the heel of my shoe along with my old orthotic. it was literally nothing more than this:

and guess what happened???
it actually worked! better than any other shoe insert i have ever had!
what a relief!
now it's on to designing an orthotic that's just like that combination, and i will work with that as long as i can.
he scared me straight today, too.
he asked me if i wanted to be noticeably bent to the side in 30 years.
of course i don't!
he highly encouraged me to do structural integration again every 2-3 weeks for the rest of my life to keep my back and hips aligned so they don't set in the misalignment like they are now. check, i WILL do that.
what a relief!
i'm glad i don't have to contemplate surgery right now.
i'm glad there are professionals out there that really have a gift for healing and not just the ability to be a doctor.
this guy definitely had that gift and insight.
and thank goodness i found him before someone else talked me into doing something permanently stupid.

i was that girl again

i went to a foot specialist today for some chronic heel pain stemming from a foot defect that i was born with.
i wondered as i the doctor and i were discussing the details of the defect and treatment when i became old enough to deal with this on my own without my mom being in charge.
i had emotional memories rushing back of appointments at shriners hospital;
my mom and the doctor were always the ones doing the discussing.
it must've appeared i was never listening,
but i always was.
it's my foot after-all, and i've always known how it has functioned better than any doctor has ever been able to explain.
i live with it. i feel it. i know it.
the doctor today gave me 5 options.
wear a brace,
shorten the achilles tendon 2-3 more inches,
fuse the ankle,
reconnect the tendons & ligaments to a new muscle on the front of my leg,
wear an orthotic and replace it often the rest of my life (just like i'm already doing).
wear a brace again?
i couldn't believe that i would ever have to do that again.
i don't want people to look at me and pete together and think
"that poor man is married to a handicap girl." or
"those poor kids have a handicap mom."
i'm not handicap.
i have a special foot.
a special foot that i couldn't imagine altering forever by fusing it.
i would lose my freaky trick of being able to bend it back almost all the way to my leg.
i would lose the special foot i came into this world with
exactly like i was supposed to.
i don't want the heel pain anymore.
i don't even want to limp anymore.
but i don't want to unnecessarily alter the way i was intended to walk this earth.
i guess i will give the brace a try.
i'm not handicap though,
and for that i'm lucky and thankful.

i don't want to miss a thing

just a recap of some of the things that have happened over the last few weeks. only 2 more weeks before pete goes back to school, and i am planning on falling back into a routine of doing many of the things i've overlooked while having him home. it's just been so much fun having him here we haven't done anything else besides play and work. anyways, a few noteworthy things...

Sam: i made hobo dinners one night, and he LOVED them! i have never seen him have this type of reaction to food. he was devouring it saying how delicious it was and how much he loved it. he said "this is way too good. it's better than chuckee cheeses!" thank goodness.

Will: you are definitely the peacemaker in our home. sam was totally throwing a fit because he didn't want to share the markers with you. i finally was able to convince him to give you one even though it made him scream harder. you held it for a few seconds, looked at sam, and gave it back to him. you tried to hug him saying "(S)AM. (S)AM." that's how you always are. if sam won't share then you just hug him. if sam's crying you will always go to him to hug him. you are a tenderhearted brother.

Sam: we recently went camping with my family. while in the pool you gave us a little scare. you just walked a little where you couldn't touch with no one seeing you. thank goodness auntie sawing you bobbing up and down in the water. it totally scared me, but you were fine.

Will: you also gave us a little scare on the camping trip. in a matter of a minute you disappeared from camp. the scary part is there was a river next to our camp, but it was blocked by an embankment. you climb up the embankment and had gotten pretty far before pete found you. that was scary! i'm still thankful you went across instead of down or you would've been history!

Sam: you've been being a little physically explosive at your brother when he makes you mad. you totally lash out on him by squeezing, hitting, biting him, etc. i'm just not sure how to handle it, but i'm not happy about it. we were at costco and both of you were riding in the basket of the cart. will kicked you, so you bit his toe until bled. not good, sam. not good at all. :(

Will: you've sure been looking hammered lately. you got quite the black eye after you scraped your face. you and sam were jumping on the couch and you fell into the edge of the table. poor baby.

Sam: you guys spent the night at gma jane's while pete & i went overnight for our anniversary. you were so cute when she was putting you to bed. she read you a story and was laying with you. after the story you told her "now my mom normally talks about things." that touched my heart because i LOVE how you want to talk about whatever is on your mind every night. lately every night you want to talk about how you want to take care of the earth and you want to know what the earth is made of. i LOVE this tradition, and i'm happy that you love it, too. i hope this is a tradition that lasts until you leave our home. :)

Will: you are loving your big boy bed. you're pretty good about staying in it. we still have to lay with you, and occasionally you find your way to our bed at night. i don't mind. i love laying with you, and i love the special treat of having you in bed snuggling all the way to me. i used to worry that i shouldn't let your sleeping habits be like that. i'm not worried anymore. one day i will turn around and you will be 16; i want to remember that i took EVERY opportunity to snuggle you.

Sam: this has got to be one of the funniest things you have said to me lately. you told me another reason you don't like to go to primary. you said "i don't like primary because everyone is always calling me sunbeam. they keep forgetting that i am a sam!" i'm still laughing about that one!

Will: you love feeding calvin food from your high chair when no one is looking, but if he takes food out of your hand when you're not wanting him to you then you really let him have it. you slap him and say NO!

some of my favorite tender memories about you boys lately.... seeing sam putting his arm around will the whole time they are riding in the bike trailer, seeing will always wanting to hold sam's hand and sam letting him, sam trying to put will for a nap in sam's bed; sam asked him if he wanted to talk about things, so they were saying all kinds of silly things like what's in a wall and laughing their heads off. sam telling me he would take care of will when they spent the night at gma jane's and that he could sleep with him. i LOVE having boys!!!

8 years and counting

a lot changes in 8 years,
and i'm not referring to our
waist lines,hair color, or wrinkles.
i'm more referring to the experiences
that have molded us into a couple.
time has taken us from a naive, inexperienced
relationship and turned us into a relationship of
depth and substance.
we have grown together,
and we have grown as individuals,
always allowing each other to be who we want to be.
we are comfortable and secure.
i love him more now
than ever before.