Did I hear a niner in there?

Nine years. It's been nine years since we were married.  9. That makes me feel old.

 

We have done plenty of laughing, lots of crying and what seems like an excessive amount of soul searching. 

I feel like we have come a long way in those 9 years. We both have changed and grown and I definitely think we are both better people because of it. 

Sometimes I wish things were different or better. Sometimes I wish some of the trials or chaos of life was not so trying or chaotic.  I know we have to endure and am grateful that we get to endure those crazy things together. 

The most wonderful time of the year

It is pure heaven to sit in a camp chair in spring, watching this little man run bases in the cutest little uniform, while his daddy, the greatest man ever, coaches 9 little ADD 6 year olds.

The most wonderful time of the year. 

For the first time.

My children are so different from each other. Kroten is a go-getter. He takes life head on. Kemiry is definitely more hesitant and cautious. She is like her dad, a little bit OCD and more methodical. Kman is spontaneous, disorganized and carefree, a little like his mama. Kroten learned to ride his bike zero to sixty in 2 minutes. Kemiry has had lesson number one and is not ready to ride solo yet. That's ok, she will do it when she is ready. She did the same thing with potty training.

I love my cautious, timid beautiful little girl. 

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives."

TWO years... how in the heck did that happened? 

 It has been two years since I last could, in good confidence, call myself a blogger. And even then it was beginging to be spotty at best.

I look back at my blog and cherish the things that I was able to capture. I am extreamly saddened that the last two year is not recoreded. I swear that I did not fall off the earth. I also will deny tooth and nail that I was a blogger purely because it was what was cool or expected of good stay at home moms or that I was doing what was "trendy" at the time. I truely cherish the things that I recorded. 

 So what happened in My life that was so important that made me become a horrible, untrendy mom, who doesnt blog? 

 2 years ago, this month, we made a huge change for our family. Jared and I switched roles. I went back to work! I was also trying to keep up on my photography business. I was busier than ever. I was averageing 3 to 5 photoshoots a week, working evening shift 32 hours per week, cooking dinners, playing with my children, takling kindergarten japanese immersion homework (it was harder than it sounds) serving in the stake relief society and ocassionaly sleeping. Hence why blogging sadly and very rapidly took a back seat. 

 We began saying things like, "I cant wait til life slows down." 

 That is when it got worse... We decided to move in with my parents for ONE year to save money to buy a house. One year came and went, and turned into 16 months. Then, just when I was ready to buy a house... Jared was offered a job at an appartment complex including free rent. I know your asking yourself the same things I was... "what about my house?" "How can he work and I work?" "What about my House?" I still ask myself those question daily. Good news is, we love our appartment and our savings account. I now find comfort in repeating to myself daily "I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord." 

 Speaking of going where the lord wants me to go... in the midst of all this chaos, I was applying to a big company, I thought I was a shoe in for this perfect job. It was MONTHS of prayer and fasting and worrying/crying and interviews. Needless to say, I did not end up at the job. Lots of reasons why, but mostly, I am confident, that it is not where the Lord wanted me to go. however, during that time, I did get a promotion at work. This meant a pay raise and 40 hours a week. 

 HA! Just when you think things can't get busier... 

 ...A month after my promotion, The Bishop came to my house to inform me that the lord wants me to be the Young Womens President. OYE VEY! THEN... yes, there is a then, the week I got set apart, they called Jared into the elders quorum presidency. 

 So that is where we are now. I work...a ton. Jared Works a lot. The kids are both in school full time. I average, MAYBE one photoshoot every other week. I dont sew, my house is constantly a mess, Jared does laundry, its a miracle if I work out and I pray every single day that Heavenly Father will guide me to the things that really need to get done. 

 Its a crazy, turned upside down, not in my five year plan, life. We are slowly, very slowly, finding ways to make it work and relying heavily on the Lord. 

 It is bitter sweet, but I have adopted this quote from Ezra Taft Benson to be my new motto... "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives."

Still alive

We're still alive. And I have a goal to one day have a goal to blog again. My planning is in the works on how I am going to make that happen. More on that soon.