12 Years and Counting

Yesterday we celebrated our 12 year anniversary. We went out to lunch on Satruday and I was sad to have to take Gabby because she took one look at the sitter at clung to me for dear life. She is too much of a mommy's girl. Anyway, as we celebrated this occasion I reflected on what has happened the last 12 years. We now have five children. We have lived in Utah, California (very briefly), Virginia, Michigan, Idaho, and Wyoming. We have had 5 different cars and owned 3 different houses. We have moved 8 different times. We have lost 6 grandparents, and gained many nieces and nephews. We have had a lot of change through the last 12 years, but we have faced the changes together and that has made a huge difference.

I have also reflected on where we will be in 12 years. Emma will be 21, Ben 19, so it is possible we may be supporting 2 missionaries, or have a son-in-law or we could be (yikes) grandparents. Eliza will be a senior in High School and Gideon a freshman, Gabriella will be in sixth grade. We will be on the road to being empty-nesters. What scares me is how fast the last 12 years have gone by and how fast the next 12 will go. I wish time would slow down so I could savor every moment and enjoy each phase, each conversation, every time of discovery, each twinkling of laughter. I will just have to muddle through on my own and hope that with the resurrection, a perfect brain will come with perfect memories of this life.