2005

• Made it through our son's second heart surgery and countless doctors appointments

• Made it through our son's third heart surgery
• Sold our first home and purchased our second home
• Lived in a two bedroom apartment while the new home was being finished.  That was a loooong two months.  I remember we were so crammed into that tiny apartment you had to go to the living room to get clean underwear.  If you leaned against the kitchen sink and bent over at the waist, you could rest your head on the stove...Yes, we found that out through trial and error.  Oh, and the best part, you had to turn the shower on and off with a pair of pliers.  We were definitely living the glamorous life!
• Moved into our new home.  I loved it so much, I refused to hang anything on the walls for several months.  I didn't want to put a single hole in it! :)

• Welcomed our second son into the world
• Got use to life with two kids - enough said!

• Purchased an even bigger family car
• I think we had two ear surgeries during that year, but it is a bit fuzzy....I lost a few more brain cells with the birth of each child.  :)

• Went on our first family vacation - AMAZING!
• For some reason, that is all I can remember from 2009...and a few more brain cells bite the dust!

• Welcome our daughter into the world the day before my 30th birthday!  I always said I wanted to be done having children by the time I was thirty.  Now is that called time management or what!
• Got use to life while being completely out numbered.  We also learned the art of counting to three at least 200 times a day.  Come to think of it, I still count to three all day.  When one child is away from the heard it really throws me!  I literally have a moment of pure panic.
• Sent our oldest off to kindergarten

• Purchased yet another bigger family car.  We have maxed out the size, the only thing left is a 15 passenger van.
• Went on our second family vacation (great memories but some memories I have blocked out due to  vacationing with three children ages six and under).

• Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a big, exciting....dinner.  When we got married we said we would go to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary.  A few years later we negotiated on a long weekend in Las Vegas.  Well....we did get to go to dinner at a fancy restaurant. :)
• Decided I should resign from 10 years of teaching to stay home with our kids, which turned out to be such a blessing for our family.
• Began working through our oldest son's diagnosis of ADHD with General Anxiety.

• Yet another fantastic family vacation - lots of fun and NO pack-n-play, highchair, diapers, or bottles.  Hallelujah we have made it passed the baby phase!!!!  It only took us 8 years!

Reading over the list above reminds me that an anniversary is a BIG DEAL!  As each year passes more and more trials, celebrations, and victories occur.  So many marriages don't survive.  I think I heard on TV that the current divorce rate is up to 40%.  That is crazy to me!  Marriage is hard work but it is also the most rewarding team you will ever play on.  I am honored to say that my kids don't even know what divorce is.  I know they will eventually find out at school or from friends, but I like that for now, they are innocent.  They are surrounded by people who have stayed married for a long time.  My parents have been married over 35 years and my in-laws have been married over 40 years.  The parents of my closest childhood friends are also still married.  It is a big deal to have these amazing examples for my children.

I hope some day we will be able to renew our vows.  The words we spoke eleven years ago have such a different meaning now.  

"In sickness and in health" - We have been blessed with good health, but our oldest son lives with congenital heart disease, ADHD, and anxiety.  We have endured three heart surgeries and even though he is a thriving boy, more surgeries will eventually be in his (our) future.

"For richer or poorer" - Our family was built on two incomes, this year we made the radical decision for me to stay home.  We have been blessed with things just "falling into place" with our finances, but we also learned to budget and prioritize.  If anything, we now understand that our riches are in the form of blessings not money.  

"Till death do us part" - Since we got married, we have lost four family members (three grandparents and my uncle).  We have watched as one spouse lost the other and had to live through it.  We have also felt the peace that comes with knowing they have been reunited in Heaven.

With each season of life and each season of marriage, the meaning of your vows change.  Though the words may be the same, the life that has happened gives them new meaning and depth.

The date of an anniversary should not be overlooked.  It is a major date in the history of your family.  It is a victory for not only you and your spouse but for your kids.  It is a BIG DEAL! Here are a few pictures just for fun.