December 31, 2011 - 2 years

Its been two years since I married this man.

I never knew two years could be so full. I still think we just got married. Seriously. But it's been two years of happiness and joy, struggles and a few fights (or maybe 5 or 6. . .), lots of tears and laughter (oh how he's taught me to laugh!) but more love and kisses, and one crazy, wild ride. 

Two years, and he still makes my toes tingle and my cheeks blush. He still makes my heart beat fast and gives my stomach butterflies. Two years, two children, stress, anxiety and a new home thousands of miles from the old and he keeps me wondering when the honeymoon ends.

He makes me madder than any person ever can, and he knows me better than any person ever will.

We’ve fought battles we didn’t know we could face. We’ve emerged stronger, victorious (sometimes), resolved, thankful. And I’m pretty sure together, we could conquer the world.

I promised to walk beside him for better or worse, and he’s held my hand and led me through better and worse (worst?). Because he is strong, I can walk beside him. I long to grow old with him.

And I don't believe the Lord is finished with us. We have a lifetime to live together. Thank God.

Photo credit: Peter Serven

Wedding photos.

I'm all snuggled up waiting for my husband to get home and working on our wedding album. That's right, our wedding album. Yeah, yeah I know we've been married over a year, but I've wanted to make sure it's exactly how I dreamed it would be. Besides, we've had a lot going on.


Anyway, as I'm looking through these pictures I felt like I should post a few here because I just love them so much. And so here they are:

-A.H.

Lipstick and my little girl.

My husband bought me lipstick. The kind with dramatic color. The kind I'd been asking for.

(He'll be embarrassed knowing I am blogging about this, but I think I am entitled to bragging about him even just a little).

As I sat admiring his color choices-- pink peony and a burnt red-- he tilted his head and said with a grin, "I thought they'd go nicely with your skin tones."

And that's just another little thing I love about him: that he stood in the cosmetics aisle for at least several minutes pondering which shades would compliment my coloring.

But he's a man.

One that is conscious of skin tones and working with them. Yet he'd rebuild the engine of a car or gut a deer in a heartbeat.

I've been so blessed.
________________________________________________

Joyce has brought exceptional joy to both Peter and I, these past few months specifically.  I'd been working hard with her on colors, letters, numbers, animals and their sounds, etc., but wasn't seeing her absorb the information. We blamed it on the language barrier, and I resolved myself to teaching her again, once we had mastered basic conversation skills. :)

Well, overnight, it seemed, she blossomed. Her parents are thrilled, friends are dumb-founded, I am tickled, and Peter is impressed.

Apparently she'd been processing and storing all that information in her little mind.

She now builds towers with blocks and works her way down the tower, naming the letters and their color as she goes. She writes letters on her Doodle Pad, speaks full sentences in English to me and Peter and Korean to her parents, she teaches me Korean nouns, and minds her manners in public.

I love this girl.

Next week we'll try potty training.

-A.H.

Summary of our year in pictures.

 In looking over the year, I can see how horrible I have been at capturing moments (big or little) in photos. The ones I did get (or steal!) are below.

 It's difficult to sum up some events from the past year, but for those that can be documented, here they are: 

December. . .

12/31/09
thank God for an amazing photographer.

Can two people be any happier?

January. . .

Honeymooning in Riviera Maya, Mexico where I spent most
of the time sick in bed, the waves were cold, the legal drinking
age is 18 (!!), and there were more mixed drinks floating on trays
than I knew existed.

the sun was a nice change from January in Cleveland,
though. . .

In February. . .

. . .we welcomed this little  (and he was little. . .
 then-- 9 weeks, 10 pounds)  munchkin (and headache) into our family.

Gosh,  he is pretty cute.

March. . .

In March we discovered his all-time favorite chew
toys: underwear and t-shirts.

Also, by March his best friend was the squeaking stuffed duck
Peter bought him (that had to be taken away at night or else
no one slept).

He especially enjoyed getting tangled in curling ribbon. . .

This year we enjoyed a Greek Easter feast at friends Bryan and Kate's.

Springtime, Peter spend a lot of afternoons in my dad's shop
at my family's in Medina
primping the Bimmer for summertime.

In May we took a short weekend break and visited Peter's
long-time friend Chris in Columbus. . .

I also threw a bachelorette party for my sister.

June. . .

5 June, Peter and I stood beside Daniel
and Ashlee as attendants and witnessed the most beautiful,
sincere, covenantally-minded wedding.

A complete surprise, early June,
we found out we were expecting. . .twins.

July. . .

We celebrated Peter's  birthday with
Daniel and Ashlee, only minutes away from
the hospital he was born at, 23 years ago. 

The dreadful surgery to straighten and connect
his collarbone.

Tis the season for weddings! Peter was also a groomsmen in Chris and Lindsay's wedding in July. 

Loxley continued to grow (as we'd hope. . ;)), and despite
his age and prior experiences,  he still found chewing electrical cords
appealing.

We had lots of outings through the summer, savoring each
moment with my family before their big move to Detroit.

In August. . .

. . .we vacationed in Virginia with my whole family


(the week before Peter lost his job). . .

. . .and this precious little girl was entrusted to me. . .

In September. . .

. . . I became a green drink fanatic. . .

. . .and Peter was in yet another wedding.
Congrats, Paul and Em!

October came and we both stood beside Jonathan and Chloe
as they covenanted before God and man. . .

. . .I also visited my family in their new house
in Michigan. . .

Nearing his 1st birthday, Loxley had grown into quite a. . .
man, er, dog, and was beginning to lose his puppy face.

Peter also worked on quite a few projects
 around the house while the weather was tolerable.

We spent Thanksgiving at Peter's Aunt Paula's in Pennsylvania. . .

Thank you, thank you, Rachel!

And Christmas was at my family's in Michigan. . .

I turned nineteen. . .

One more year as a married teenager. . .

. . .and 1 year as husband and wife!

That's about it. 7 weddings. Tons of babies on the way. And huge hopes for 2011.

-A.H.