- Happy #8! -

Treated to egg + sausage bagels for breakfast by Scarlett and ice cream sandwiches after dinner by Harper...

...because...

...CHEERS TO *8* YEARS!!! 

They say marriage isn't easy, but it's actually pretty easy when you're married to this guy right hurr. :)

Brian:  Thanks for filling these last 8 trips around the sun with the very best moments!  My universe is better because you're at the center of it.  We might've lost our unity candle that we burn ever year on our anniversary (LOL...but #thisis2020 after all, and what's tradition these days anyway?!), but our love certainly hasn't lost its flame!  I love you today and forevaaaaa! 

Happy anniversary! :-* :-*

 

- SEVENNNN! -

Gosh, I'm just effortlessly sliding into February over here and it almost slipped my mind to post about how, back in Novemba, we celebrated SEVEN YEARS [!!!] in the trenches...

...but just "in the trenches" of our front yard -- literally, NOT figuratively -- of course!  Ain't no seven-year itch knockin' on our door!  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BRIAN!  November 10, 2019 ^^ vs. November 10, 2012 boasts a few more tired eyes and fine wrinkles but a lot more love!

Ahem...  Brian!  I feel like the past seven years have flown by, but at the same time my heart barely remembers the way it beat prior to knowing and loving you!  You've celebrated with me at my highs and loved me at my lows; you're the calm to my crazy and the sweet to my sour. ;) :)  I actually really like us; we're such a fun team!  It still kindaaaa blows my mind to think we started our newlywed life sharing meals like this...

...with ZERO idea that seven years later we'd only be able to brave Mexican restaurants on our real anniversary with the offspring in tow because #helloFASTservice and #getinandgetout...

...but all the "then and nows" and side-by-side photos make my heart swell as they just prove how steadfast our love is and how truly blessed we are!  [...But also, here's to a real, kid-free anniversary dinner date in 2020...and also reigniting our tradition of lighting the unity candle that I found buried in a box in the basement last week... #ohwell #thenewnormal #thisisus]

Anywayzzz, again, happy anniversary, best friend! I loved you then and I love you now... I've loved the last seven and am looking forward to the next [seventy]seven!

Xoxox! :-* :-*

- Happy anniiiii, BRO! -

Dear Brian..... 

*sappy post commences* 

I'm sitting here staring at a blinking cursor wondering how the heck I can sum up SIX YEARS of wedded bliss in a few words ;) :), but here goes a little sub-par stab at it just for sh*ts and giggles.  First thangsss first: can we just talk about how unbelievably lucky you are that I was standing on the side of the road way back when and wanted to hitch a ride with you [a stranger]?! I mean...that is divine intervention if I've ever seen it; tickle me lucky that God so queerly led me to such a perfect partner!  I literalllllly love the life we've made!  If anyone hangs around our family for more than three minutes, it must be so obvious to them that you have embraced husband-hood and fatherhood like a champ. Day in and day out, you are so selfless and patient and gracious and fun and spontaneous.  I was thinking the other day that you are pretty much the entire head and heart of the family, and it's true; all I do is put the lipstick on us and make us look good!  I think I need to up my game this year after Harper has announced [several times to several different people!] that she's gonna marry her DADDY! :P

Thanks for sitting through my unity candle traditions x 6 years [and going strong]...

...and then taking me out for a nice KID-FREE dinna, even if it is only happens once per year [lolz].

You love us and lead us so well; thank you for being you! When we count our blessings, we [of courseeee] count you twice!

Love you!!!
xoxox,
B

- WOOD you believe it?! -

...We made it FIVE YEARS! 

Yep, this weekend marks 1,825 days...43,800 hours...and an un-countable amount of seconds from the day way back yesteryear when we said, "I do!"  I don't even think we knew what, "I do," really meant back then; but with each day that has passed, we've embraced the joys and tackled the challenges. ...And we've done it together and come out even stronger, so I think that's actually what, "I do!" is all about! 

Our special day fell on a Friday this year, so we celebrated that evening with a nice [adult-only] dinner at Popeyes Chophouse! Yummmmmm.  The next morning was the annual unity candle lighting...

...and that night was dinner with Fr. Meconi -- the one that helped us tie the knot and officially wrapped us up in this beautiful mess!  We love you, Fr. M!!! ...SO much that we resurrected the selfie stick for your visit! :)

Wood, wood everywhere!

Harper [sort of grudgingly] agreed to take these pics in my wedding dress so we could make Brian's gift:

...and they're just plastered allll over 'dis blog, because howwwww could I choose just one?????

[Thanks, Grammy Resa for all your behind-the-scenes work!!! Lol!]

I/we love this sweet little lady so much and will cherish these photos forever!!! 

And finally...

To Brian: I love the life we've made together, especially the beautiful little soul[s] God is trusting us with!!! I never could've imagined this life we live today when you first put a ring on it... And the best is yet to come! You are the best husband and baby daddy; we are so very lucky to call you ours!!!  

Five years down and forever to go...  And every day, I still "do!" :-* 

- And make that... -

THREE! 

Threeeeee years and twenty days full of nothing but mushy-gushy head-over-heels googly-eyed passionate LOVE! 

...Jay kayyy, of course.  

I'm a little late on this post, but the thought of our third anniversary going down the drain without a mention made me shudder.  Truly, though, this little relationship coined "marriage" is so much greater than I ever imagined it could be.  A chosen best friend now STUCK with me for the rest of his life.  Muahahah.  Brian may not've understood "for better or for worse" three years ago, but I think he is starting to now...  In fact, in this VERY moment, my heart is smiling from apex to base at the sight of him washing out a disgusting blown-out baby outfit [chunks of baby poop for daysss!].  Hashtag marriage and families.  This is what it's alllll about.  ;) 

ANYWAY! The baby's crying and the house is a disaster and it's time for baths and bed.  Cheers to three years and many more to come! 

And in case you were wondering, Brian..................

...it's still a yes. <3

*****

Throwback to our actual anniversary celebration:  Brian made homemade spinach and feta-stuffed chicken breasts and we enjoyed a candlelit dinner for three!  It's amazing how our love grew exponentially stronger after that sweet soul in the high chair came along.  :)

Other fun lovey anni posts! 

• Second anniversary...

• First anniversary pics w/ Paige...

• First anniversary...

• Honeymoon...

• Wedding!!! [Well wedding pics, I mean...]

- The Fetus in Florida -

Packed the bags and hit the road...it's VAY-CAY time!!! 

We headed to Destin in November for a week-long roadtrip/anniversary celebration/baby-moon.  Pretty sweet to drive right into 70-degree temps when it was literally a freezing tundra in Illinois!

Hello, sunshine... :) 

So my parents were nice enough to donate their timeshare points to the baby-moon cause and rented us this little 3-bedroom hole in the wall dump... 

The best donuts there ever were.  Ever.  Brian could hardly drag me out of that place.  [Sorry I'm not sorry?] 

22 weeks!  Getting close to viability and also the maximum weight limit at the pool! Hey baby hey baby hey baby HEY!!! 

And lastly, busting out my tripod and camera for some pics on the beach...  Love my little blooming family! 

[^^ Brian soaked up some sun on the golf course this day while I sat at the pool under an umbrella wearing 50 SPF...but still........it's debatable...bi-racial relationship?]

Hope we meet again soon, FL..... :) 

- Anni Pics -

We love posing for my friend Paige and we love having new fun pictures to hang up in the house [and by "we" I mostly mean, well, "I"...]...so in honor of our first anniversary we had a little photo sesh!  Brian is the man of all men for being such a sport and Paige is the photog of all photographers for so effortlessly capturing our love! 

Here are some of my faves... Happy first anniversary to us and Merry Christmas to you! ;) 

...And let there be light... [Anatomy 101 and photo sesh all in one.] 

Thanks a million, Paigey Poo! And I love you, Brian Boo! :)