Happy 5 years!!!

Jesus! We just celebrated FIVE years of marriage! That feels like such a milestone to me. I know that when we look back in 25 years, we will think five years was nothing- just the start of our adventure.  But, for now, we have had such a crazy ride over the past five years. Starting our life together. Moving. Having TWO babies. Learning

 c

Happy Father's Day!!

You are such a great dad.  You are so present in the lives of our girls. You are there to answer their questions, clean them up, kiss an owie better, feed them when they're hangry, discipline them when they're out of line, read to them, love them unconditionally, and delight in them. You pour yourself out to them and me even after working hard all day. You come home with a smile on your face and serve us! What an incredible gift you are to our family. Our girls are going to grow up with so much confidence and joy because they have a father who really does delight in them and takes the time to play with them- down on their level, playing pretend, wrestling... you are so good to them! and I just want to say THANK YOU for all that you pour into your family. when i know maybe you dream about going with Cesar on vacation to watch soccer games in other countries. or golfing all the day long in the summer. or going to an 8 hour game at the game store. or getting a snowboarding season pass in the winter. and your family demands a lot from you, but you always rise to the occassion. you always meet our needs. and you do it well. thank you for the security that you give me- i know i can always count on you. the girls know you'll always be there for them. thank you for the love that you give us- you love us no matter what we do. you love us deeply and unconditionally. and you do it so well! you are so good to us and we are just thankful for you <3

Thank you!

Oh boy- yesterday was a day to remember! You left for work in the morning and told me you were planning to stay over at the New Farm working 'til 5:30 so that you could stop by Lupito and Olivia's after to fix their broken dryer, so you wouldn't get home 'til like 7... that was sad for me, but I said I could handle it.  But then, June threw up just a little bit before she went down for a nap. and I thought it was strange, but didn't think much of it.  Johanna was exhausted, but didn't go to sleep the whole hour + she was in grandma's room. I had to keep telling her to stay in the room because I would hear her walking around in the kitchen, etc.  After a short while, June woke up screaming and I went in to get her and there was throw up all over her and her bed :( So, I put her in the bath and cleaned her up and got some clean clothes on her.  All while Johanna is being a huge butt because she is tired but won't nap.  fun! and then as soon as she is all clean, June throws up again all over me and herself and I leaned her over the sink, so the sink and counters too.  I took off all her clothes and brought her upstairs to grandma so I could quickly change clothing and clean up her crib and the sink area that were all covered in throw up.  But when I went upstairs to get her, she had thrown up again.  Anyway, she ended up throwing up 7 times! it was a mess and she was so sad. and Johanna watched 3 episodes of the Backyardigans.  and I felt so defeated and exhausted.  I called you and told you I couldn't handle it and please come home and fix Lupito's dryer tomorrow.  So, you did.  and then I had defrosted some black beans and tamales from the freezer for dinner.  You got home and whisked June away to read to her so I could change clothes and clean up vomit and get dinner ready. and then the tamales were disgusting- turns out they weren't cooked yet, but you said they were soggy from sitting out all day.  haha I just about cried.  so you let me heat up some leftover soup and have 20 minutes to myself while eating.  Anyway, I just always want to remember how you are there for me whenever I need you.  When I am about to lose my cool, you always come through for me.  You always support me and never tell me to try harder or not care so much about the messes or tell me what I could be doing better.  You are such a light in my life.  You are the best part of my every day! You are what I most look forward to all the time.  Time spent with you is always my favorite.  You make any bad situation so much better. and I get to look back at hard days with you and laugh. and someday, when we are old and gray and sitting on a porch swing together remembering these days, I will remember how incredible you were to me. I will remember your kind smile and your always ready arms and your quick to serve attitude. and I just want you to know how thankful I am for you! and I want you to know that I believe you are the very best choice I could have ever made. and I want you to know that I LOVE you! more than I can express in words. I hope that I express that deep love and affection to you through my actions and words every day- I hope that you always know how much I care for you.  I pray that God will continue to work on my servant heart and that I will want to put you first every time.  I hope that you feel supported in your work. and in your play. thank you for the incredible growth you have shown me lately- God is clearly working on your heart and I am so excited to watch you blossoming into a man of God and the spiritual leader of our family.  What an incredible privilege it is to be on this adventure with you.  Thank you for all that you are to me and to our girls- you are our rock! 

winters together!

Hello my handsome husband! Right now, you are upstairs cleaning a bit before your parents get home from Mexico this afternoon and I am down here sipping coffee and blogging while June naps and Johanna makes a welcome home card for your mom.  I am noticing a trend in my past few blogs- sick again! What is up with my immune system this year? This is literally like the 3rd or 4th time I have gotten a cold in just a few months.  It is so annoying.  Poor little June too is sick for like the 5th time in her little life- not even a year old! Johanna got snot stuck in her throat and totally threw up all over the other night and then I brought her into our room to change jammies and so that she wouldn't wake up June and she ended up sleeping with us- all cuddled up with you.  You weren't sure if you liked it or not because she smelled like throw up (her blanket) but she was so cuddly haha. I am sorry I do not like to cuddle in my sleep- maybe someday? probably not. We have had so much snow and ice over the past month and have been getting stuck at home all the time because of weather and sickness.  It has been interesting.  We have certainly gotten a lot lot lot of time together! Last year, it took us all the way through November to finish our "best of 100" game challenge, but this year, we are already 41 games in haha. I mean, we did have a newborn last year and I was exhausted the first while because I was pregnant and sleep-deprived but still...we are almost half way done in only like 4 weeks. It is so much fun playing games with you- I am so glad that you enjoy playing together and that we can connect side-by-side and meet your recreational companionship needs through games. You are teaching me a new game each month- it started on the 28th of the month and now it is somehow the 20th of each month and I think you are trying to slowly push it up so you eventually get an extra month...hmm. You love the learning of new games, but me...not so much. so we compromised! I really do enjoy most of the new games you teach me, I just don't like the learning. I am kicking your butt so far on our "best of 100", but you were leading early on.  It is a lot of fun- I like this tradition a lot! We FINALLY have our room back after a year of babies sleeping in it all the time! June is now in the closet and Johanna goes down in the room too at 7:30 so we get every evening together from like 7:30 on and it is magical! I am loving this stage! I am starting to get some serious baby fever again and I have no idea how.  Logically, I totally want to wait at least another year or 15 months before even getting pregnant again, but I am starting to get sad each month when I get my period and start really thinking about baby #3.  I guess I am a little crazy! There is no way we can stay living with your parents with a third kid and we really want to last another 18 months for financial gain- huge advantage! our house will be paid off and we can have a bit of time to save up another down payment.  But we really aren't sure where we will go after we move out- we go back and forth all the time about moving into our Alika house vs building on the property vs trying to squeeze into the trailer again with 3 kids.  There are so so many different things to think about! like $$ and space and the kids and animals and long term goals.  blah blah blah. anyway, I think about this kind of stuff all the time! and i am always talking to you about it and you hardly ever want to really think about it. there is my futuristic for you! i am so excited for our future and that next stage! but this stage is pretty fun too!! we are going to have 2 toddlers and no babies for the next year or 2 years! we will be able to start getting away just us again and I am getting my body back. Now that your parents are coming back, we are really excited to start going out on dates again.  We have been enjoying evenings at home watching tv and playing too many games, but we are planning to go to the gym together and to Goodwill and everything in between until the busy season starts.  I am so excited! You are my very favorite person to spend time with! and i love love love dating you.  you are currently watching the pizza pajama pants I got you for Christmas and you love love your cozy Timbers socks. and Johanna got you an ornament that says "my dad, my friend" and I got you a new body pillow with a fuzzy cover. we went really light on Christmas presents this year (well, we were supposed to), but of course you still spent more $ on me than I did on you...you are always so generous. I think gifts is more of your love language than mine. you got me THREE massages- you know the way to my heart! and the Sims 4- fun! although I hardly have time to play it. someday i sure will and you and the kiddos will enjoy it too! and you got me epsom salts and a new loaf pan (cute blue!).  perfect gifts! sexy Christmas wasn't too exciting this year, but next year I am so excited to send the kiddos off and do it right complete with snowman pancakes and Christmas coffee ;) You have been going to a men's fraternity group on Tuesday nights and I use that night to catch up on messages/texts, clean the house, blog, etc. and it is kind of a nice break.  and then you try to get out once more a week- soccer or a game night etc. and then i am going to start going out sometimes too for mom's night out once a month! and then i like to take detox baths and have a goal of reading 1 book a month this year, so it is good for us.  loving this slow, intentional season in our marriage- absolutely spoiled by time with you <3 Johanna was playing trolls the other day and she was making them go to mom's group and I said ok send the daddy to work and her response was "No, it's winter so daddy stays home." hahah love it! love you! love you! love you!

here are some fun couple photos- working on taking more pics of just us two! seems i mostly take pics of the  girls now or selfies with the girls or family pics, but i want lots of just you and me to remember things too <3

when you have too much time on your hands