4th Anniversary!

Today is our 4th Wedding Anniversary!

I can't believe how our lives have changed in four years!


Here are some highlights in pictures:

Year 1: (It was a super busy year!)

Our wedding, of course.  A day I will never forget!

An unforgettable trip to Minnesota to visit our dear friends.  On the way home, we were caught in a snow storm, stranded on the highway for 4 hours behind a 9 semi pile-up and didn't make it home until the next day!

We bought our home.  And what a perfect home it has been!

We went on a pilgrimage to Italy.  During which, we were on a burning plane, emergency landed back at the airport, flew on Air India, ended up with a long layover in Germany, played many card games while there, and finally ended up in Rome.  We had many adventures in Rome and then went to Assisi where they had a very rare snow storm and gale force winds.  It was a memorable trip and I'd go back in a heartbeat!

A trip out to California for our dear friends' wedding!  We went with our other dear friends. and had a good time sharing a hotel room, a car, and plane rides!

Year 2: A much less eventful year...

We started out with lots of fertility testing.  And learned that we were not likely to ever conceive.  And so began our adoption journey.



We celebrated my parents' 25th wedding anniversary with a little mini-vacation to Starved Rock.

We drove down to Florida to visit Jon and Justine!  We had a blast and got burnt to a crisp!  This was the week after we had completed our Home Study for our Adoption and we were waiting for all of our paperwork to go through!

Year 3: The year of Adoptions and Weddings!

Our first adopttion situation!  After waiting only 2 months, our profile had been chosen!  We were here waiting to meet with C for the first time!

Baby Sincere was born and we got to meet and hold him!  The next day, we got a call from our case worker that C had chosen to parent.

Snowzilla 2011.  The largest snow storm I've ever seen in central Illinois!



Just 1 month later, our profile was picked again.  This time, we had no idea and after receiving a phone call that our daughter was born, we picked her up 4 hours later!  Anna Clare was beautiful and is such a joy in our lives.  We can't imagine our lives without her!

Birthmom's Day 2011!

My first Mother's Day!  And the day my beautiful girl was Baptized!



Year 4: Adoption Year #2

We finalized Anna's Adoption!  And the day before my birthday!

We went on our first vacation as a family of 3! To the Ozarks!

We celebrated our baby's 1st Birthday!

Just 2 weeks after Anna's 1st Birthday and 2 weeks after we had submitted our paperwork for another adoption, our profile was identified again!  Anthony Xavier was born two weeks later!  And what a sweet boy he is!  We are so happy to have our son!

My second Mother's Day.  And the second year in a row, we've had a sweet baby Baptized on Mother's Day!

We took our first vacation as a family of FOUR!

It's been a busy and fantastic four years.  I didn't think it was possible to love my husband more four years later than I did on the day of our wedding, but I do.  Jeremy is the best husband I could ever ask for and I am so happy to share my life with him.  I am thankful for him each and every day, for all the little things he does and for the big things he does.  He is a fantastic father to our children, they are so lucky to have him. 

I am also thankful for the continued examples of marriage that we're surrounded by: My grandparents (60 years), My in-laws (29 years), My parents (almost 28 years), Jeremy's grandparents (50+ years when his grandma died) and my othe grandparents (50+ years when my grandpa died). 

Happy 4th Anniversary Jeremy!  I love you!