Today I’m backtracking to a trip we took to the Utah desert. After Brad got out of school and before he started his internship we drove down to Bryce Canyon National park for a couple of nights. Our girls are getting older, which makes adventures with them easier in some ways, but we are still learning a lot about hiking and camping with young kids. There were more than a few times the trip was a struggle, but in this case, the good moments certainly outweighed the difficulties. I think what I want my kids to learn most from our outdoor adventures is that just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. It is why we tell them repeatedly that they can do hard things, and why we push them to go further than they want to on hikes. Sometimes I have to remind myself as well.

Having grown up in the Northwest, where everything is wet and green, I am always surprised by how astonishingly beautiful the desert can be.

According to my girls, skirts are the wardrobe of choice for adventures. I think Lucy is rocking the look.

Brad and I go on camping trips for the hiking and the beautiful views. Our girls go camping for s’mores. I think they just put up with everything else in order to get s’mores.

But having a view like this next to your campground doesn’t hurt either.

That first night, after we (finally) got all the girls to sleep in the tent, we sat outside in the car looking at the stars and the trail maps. We’ve hiked with our girls enough now to know that a mile will take us a little over an hour, including frequent stops for snacks and the bathroom. Brad was pushing for a 6 mile loop, and I was trying to tell him that it was way too ambitious. “It’ll be fun!” (That’s what he always tells me when he wants to do something that I think is a bad idea.) In the end, I resigned, with the warning that he would probably have to carry Annika a good portion of the way, and I wasn’t going to carry two kids at once. (Carrying Lucy and Elise was already a given).

At the trailhead the next morning, the view over the canyon took my breath away. The trail down the canyon is steep, with drop-offs the whole way, so we started the twins in the backpacks, and Elise wasn’t happy. (Lucy is always happy to be carried – little lazy bum.) We zig-zagged down to the bottom, and Annika kept a surprisingly good pace. She would continue to surprise me all day. Once we made the mile-long trek to the bottom of the canyon, we hiked the peek-a-boo loop, which is a three mile loop the park rates as strenuous. We told Annika that it was long and hard, and we weren’t sure she could hike the whole thing, but we wanted her to try. She said “I can do it!” – and she did. It wasn’t easy, and there were times she was barely moving, but she hiked every step of that loop. I was so proud of her I could have burst. Not to be outdone, Lucy hiked the whole long zig-zagging mile out of the canyon, giving her parents a heart attack as she ran up the narrow trail. I know there are plenty of other 5 year olds who can hike further – what she did was not particularly remarkable in and of itself. But for her to set a goal and then see it through, despite the difficulties, was a big step for her and a very fulfilling moment for me.  One of the hard parts of parenting is that for all the effort you put into raising kids, you often don’t see the results or get any feedback until years down the road. This hike was a little bit of positive feedback for me – an indication that maybe some of the lessons we are trying to teach our girls are sinking in, that just maybe I’m doing something right as a parent.

If that hike was an indication of what we are doing right as a parents, the next morning told the story of some of the things we are doing wrong. Namely, that we are pretty terrible at giving our girls consistent and dependable schedules, and we frequently push them too far when they are too tired and get annoyed with them when they really just need a nap. I mean, we should probably just go easy on them, they’re only 3, right?

But we had another day in southern Utah, and by-golly, I didn’t want to waste it, even it it was only 30 degrees and everyone was exhausted.  The pioneers didn’t let exhaustion or cold weather stop them, right? (And really, you have no idea how many pioneer stories I’ve told Annika while we are hiking. I’m not sure it is really fair to compare her recreational hiking experience with her parents to her ancestors’ forced migration across the United States, but pain is all about perspective right? That little blister is nothing compared to bare, bleeding feet, and good stories make the time go faster.) So we loaded up and headed to Red Canyon State Park.

Sometimes Lucy does this thing where she refuses to walk by herself. At all. She would rather stand by her car door and cry for 15 minutes than walk up the 3 stairs into the house. Eventually someone will take pity on her (usually not me) and carry her in. This was one of those mornings for her. We knew everyone was tired, so we found a 1/4 mile nature walk past some fun rock formations. Annika and Elise skipped and ran and climbed up boulders. Lucy wouldn’t walk a single step. She wouldn’t even walk from the bathroom stall to the sink. I was holding back tears as we finally made it back to the car;  I was so full of frustration and guilt after asking, arguing, pleading, making deals, threatening, and then finally just giving in. I just wanted her to stretch her legs for a couple hundred feet before our car ride home. It should’t have been a big deal for either of us. Please tell me I’m not the only mom with moments like this.

I don’t have a picture of Lucy crying, or one of me carrying her. I was too annoyed to take a picture. But here is one of Annika climbing a rock, with Lucy peeking out behind. I set her down to take a picture, and she wasn’t happy about it.

Luckily I have a husband is more patient than I am, and was wise enough to see that Lucy just needed a little break, a little snack and a little motivation. He encouraged us to try one more little hike, and promised fruit snacks at the end for anyone who gave it their best effort. Now, we really try to stay away from bribes, but there is a fine line between bribes and motivation. I’m not sure where this one fell, but it worked like a charm. Lucy and Elise and Annika ran and skipped along the trail. Elise made up a little chant that went something along the lines of “I’m a great hiker. I’m the best hiker! I’m so great!” and she kept it up the whole time. Once, when I cautioned Elise to slow down as she ran along a narrow trail with a steep drop-off she stopped and said “It’s ok Mom. We’re all going to die. Just like Jesus. We will be alive again.” And then she skipped away. For my fears, I’m the only one who came away from the hike with an injury. I stubbed my pinkie toe on the corner of a sharp rock, tearing it open. Blood pooled around my toes in my sandal. Elise said “I’m a good hiker, and Lucy’s a good hiker and Annika’s a good hiker, but you’re not a good hiker mom. You got blood.” I’m still waiting for my toenail to grow back. Maybe it is time to retire my Chacos as my hiking shoe of choice.

And then we ate fruit snacks and drove home. Exhausted, but happy. Rejuvenated after a few days in the wilderness and ready to face our new adventures.

Annika: Right when I first saw it snowing, it was just snowing a tiny bit. But then it started snowing like a snowstorm. And I was so excited! But the further we got on the trip, it wasn’t so snowy.

Lucy: We tried to ice skate

Elise: Daddy is scared of the snow

I was more than a little worried as we loaded into our car Friday morning and the snow started to come down. I kept thinking “what kind of crazy people are we, taking our small children camping while there is a blizzard outside?!”

I’m at the tent. We had fun roasting marshmallows. 

It was warm in the tent, even though it was cold outside. 

I liked sleeping in my sleeping bag. 

My fears eased up when we arrived in Capitol Reef with the sun shining brightly. It was still cold, but we were all smiles.

This hike went to an arch. And we had so much fun at the arch, I almost didn’t want to leave. But then we did. My favorite part was seeing the arch and seeing the river.

My favorite part was eating M&Ms.

My favorite part was eating M&Ms and camping and going over the bridge.

The hike to Hickman bridge was so beautiful in the evening light. As I was looking back through my pictures, I realized that I must be the most annoying Mom to hike with; I’m constantly making my kids stop for a picture. I have a picture for every 10 feet of trail on this hike. The light was just so wonderful, and I was just so happy to be outside with my family.  They’re good sports to put up with me.

Traveling with kids can be exasperating at times, but wonderful in so many ways. It’s funny – we’re constantly pointing out to our kids all the things they should find interesting. “Look at that arch! Look how high the canyon walls are! Do you see those Native American petroglyphs?” Yet my girls were most entertained playing in the sand and rocks, and climbing up walls. Kids are a good reminder to slow down, and appreciate the beautiful and enjoyable things right in front of us. They force me to remember that pushing to the destination is not as important as enjoying the experience along the way.

Since we left our house in a blizzard, and the forecast called for below freezing temperatures, we were more than a little worried about the weather. I even called to make sure there was a hotel with room available, just in case we were freezing. It really wasn’t so bad during the day (as long as we were wearing long underwear, hats and gloves), but it did get quite chilly at night. We rushed to get dinner warmed up, but even though it started at a boil, my soup was freezing again before I could eat it. I huddled with the girls around the fire while Brad set up the tent, and we roasted marshmallows, which was unanimously the favorite part of the weekend for our girls.

I really liked the fire, it was warm, and roasting marshmallows. 

With blankets piled under us and a down comforter on top of my down sleeping bag, it was actually one of my best nights of sleep in a tent – ever. Annika climbed into Brad’s sleeping bag sometime in the early morning, so I’m not sure his experience was as enjoyable as mine.  The early morning was the coldest part of our trip – so Brad just turned the heat on in the car, and the girls were warm and toasty while they ate their breakfast. Problem solved.

That’s silly that we had S’mores in the morning.

Yes, Annika, it is silly. But we were camping. And it was cold.  And who doesn’t want s’mores at 9 am?

I liked when we were going in the little bit wider canyons, but not the super skinny ones.  I got stuck on the way back down.

Saturday morning started with a hike up to Cohab Canyon – once you climb up into the canyon there are a few little tiny slot canyons to explore. It might have been my favorite part of the weekend. I think Annika enjoyed it too – until she got stuck and scraped her side, and I haven’t heard the end of it since. It’s a terrible wound, you know, and requires new bandages a couple times a day. 

The pie was yummy, but Elise didn’t let me have any of her pie.

The current location of the campground was once the site of a very isolated Mormon pioneer community. One of the farmhouses still stands, and now serves as part museum, part gift shop where they sell justifiably famous pies. We got two and they didn’t last long. On our way home we asked the girls what their favorite part of the trip was, and Lucy was quick to respond that eating pie was her favorite part. She takes after her Mom. Food makes or breaks a vacation, you know.

Capitol Reef was fun because it had a little bit of everything – Native American ruins and petroglyphs, pioneer cabins, slot canyons, arches, and some great hikes.

There is nothing like camping and hiking to completely wear out your kids.

I liked the Indian carvings. My Mom thought there weren’t going to be any, but there were actually some Indian carvings, and also some Pioneer names on the walls.

We squeezed in a scenic drive and one last hike before we had to head home. In Capitol Reef they have two roads that actually drive into the slot canyons. I’ve hiked a lot of canyons, but I found it a little disconcerting to drive my car past the sign that warned of flash floods. We didn’t get flooded, we had a cold, yet enjoyable hike, and after filling up on some gourmet burgers in the tiny town of Torrey, we made it home late Saturday night. Not bad for a weekend getaway.

Our fears were alleviated when we arrived at a nearly empty campground in a canyon still filled with trees bearing red, orange and yellow leaves. It turns out that November is an ideal time to visit the park – the crowds are gone, you can drive through the canyon, the leaves are beautiful, and while chilly, it is still warm enough for camping. It was a short weekend, so we got started right away.

Here are some new traveling with toddlers tips:

1. Be aware of hikes that have steep drop-offs. Toddlers like to run and skip and are notoriously clumsy. You will find yourself squeezing their hands tightly and feeling a bit panicked until you reach more level ground. The kids weren’t at all nervous – even though Annika cried the entire drive to the trailhead because the road was so high up.

2. If your toddler (or preschooler) wants to buy a hat (or shirt or backpack) that you can’t stand – buy it and tell her that it is her new hiking hat. Then she’ll be excited to hike and camp because she gets to wear her hat. And you’ll only have a few pictures (or a lot) with the ugly hat – but awesome hiker poses make it ok.

3. Even toddlers can appreciate incredible views, but don’t underestimate the fun of a rock jungle gym and a natural sandbox.

4. Campfires are wonderful, and are the cure for almost everything when you are camping. Unless you are Lucy – and then the sound of the wood popping is terrifying.

5. Make sure you take everyone to the bathroom before you all get in your sleeping bags. And make sure they are really done going to the bathroom. Otherwise, you’ll get all undressed and zipped up only to unzip, redress, put shoes on and walk to the bathroom. Twice, if you’re lucky. By that time everyone else in the tent will be asleep, which results in Annika saying “Hey, Mom! It’s like a mommy -daughter date!”

6. S’mores are a totally acceptable breakfast food.

7. Sticks are the best toys, and you can never have too many rocks.

8. Finally, being in the outdoors with your children can really bring out the best in them, and you’ll be surprised at how they exceed your expectations. We wanted to hike up the river a little bit into the Virgin River Narrows. Brad and I have done it a couple of times, but we wanted to show our girls; it is one of our favorite places in the world. However, it was November, and it was cold and rainy, and the water was a frigid 45 degrees. Anyone else we saw going up the river had on drysuits, special shoes, and had hiking poles. We had rolled up jeans with dry clothes in our bag. We put the twins in the backpack and crossed the river once, carrying Annika. It was so cold it hurt, and as the rain came down we decided we wouldn’t go any further. But Annika was determined. She wanted to hike in the river. After hearing her beg and plead, we decided we would put on her water shoes, roll up her pants and let her try it. It was so cold we were sure she would take a few steps in and then want to go home. But she didn’t. Even though the water was up to the top of her legs at times, she just kept going. It wasn’t until none of us could feel our extremities anymore that she consented to turning back. We are amazed at the girl she is growing up to be.

Lucy and Elise weren’t to be outshone either. On each of the three hikes we did, they hiked at least a mile – sometimes more. Their little legs just kept on going!

This last week Brad accepted an internship offer with DigitalGlobe – a satellite imagery company based in Longmont, CO. We’ll only be 20 minutes outside of Boulder and an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park. We are looking forward to spending an entire summer in the mountains with our tough little girls.

I suspect that you didn’t come here for book recommendations. Our family also took a little walk in the woods this past Saturday. We hiked the trail to Stewart Falls, past Sundance on the east side of Mount Timpanogas. It is a popular trail, and really quite crowded on a beautiful Saturday in the fall, but still a perfect trail for our girls. It is around 4 miles round trip, and Annika hiked every step of it. Lucy probably managed around 2-3 miles on her own. Elise was pretty content to chill in the backpack for most of the afternoon. It took us around 4 hours to do an easy 4 miles, but a good chunk of it was spent gathering pink leaves. I should correct myself – not pink leaves – “pinky dinky” leaves. Last week Elise started to say “pinky dinky” instead of just “pink.” (Other Mothers of toddlers out there – is this something she picked up, or did she just come up with it all on her own?) And not just occasionally – but every single time. Her sisters caught on quickly. So as we rounded each new bend on this walk we would hear a resounding chorus of “Look! Pinky dinky!”  They were in heaven, hiking through a pink forest. By the end of the hike, I had a backpack full of treasures – “pinky dinky” leaves, “interesting” rocks,  and “great smelling” pine needles.

True to form, our girls chose their own outfits for the hike and were all wearing skirts and tutus. But a fancy ensemble didn’t prevent them from enjoying themselves and getting absolutely filthy. I was so proud – that’s the best way to end a hike, isn’t it? With scraped knees, dirty faces, and great big smiles.

Really, though, we decided when we left Europe that we would try to bring our attitude about traveling and exploring with us. We figured that maybe we took America for granted before, and there are just as many things to do and enjoy if you are looking for them. There are still cultural experiences to be had here – they just involve rodeos and small town markets instead of museums and cafes. Instead of touring cities, we’re hiking mountains. I can’t say for sure until Brad starts school and we settle into a routine, but I think we’re going to like here.

I have 936 photos from the month of July and the first week of August alone. I am not sure that even my Mom wants to see that many pictures, and I certainly haven’t been sitting at the computer often enough to edit that many. Instead you’ll get a little sampling of our summer – it’s been a good one.

After a week in the United States I’m adjusting, but still find myself occasionally startled by differences. Watching my children discover this country for the first time is entertaining. Here are a few examples:

When we woke up our first morning here, Lucy rolled out of bed onto the carpeted floor. Then she just stood there for a good 30 seconds or more, wiggling her toes in the carpet. “Wow!” she kept saying “it’s so soft!”

In Europe, all the light switches are flat and you just push them to turn the light on and off. Annika still can’t find the light switches in this house, and I hurt my hand the other day when I hit one instead of flipping it.

Our children are delighted by ice and fascinated by the ice and water machine in the refrigerator. Yesterday I came out of the bathroom to find that all three of my girls were completely, soaking wet and were trailing water all around the house. When we asked them where they got so wet they informed us it was from the fridge. They had been playing in the water dispenser, and the kitchen was flooded!

We were prepping our kids by telling them that everything in America is bigger – the cars are bigger, the roads are bigger, the stores are bigger, the shopping carts are bigger, the houses are bigger, the refrigerators are bigger, and even the people are bigger! We took them all to Costco and they were amazed. Big carts that fit two kids! Huge parking lot with hundreds of cars! Then I found a giant bag of Craisins and showed Annika. “See, Annika, everything here is bigger!” She just started giggling and couldn’t stop; she had never seen such a huge bag and was so amused to find that things in America really were so big.

Now I realize that not all of Europe is cold, and that not all of America is hot, but the biggest (and best) change for our family has been the warmer weather. After not seeing the sun consistently for a few years it has been kind of amazing to wake up to sunshine every morning. I thought I would hate the heat and humidity, but it hasn’t been bad at all. (Though the ants I could do without.) We’ve been playing hard and enjoying all the activities sunshine affords. My kids are in heaven with so much space to play and the chance to go outside all the time. I love seeing them dirty and sweaty and happy.

I know I’m home in my own country, but I feel as if I’ve been traveling. New places, new weather, new food, new culture. There are big trucks, bbq joints, palm trees, unfamiliar bugs, accents I’m not accustomed to, and really, really big stores. So I’ve been trying to experience it and photograph it just like we have been on a European vacation. Here’s how we travel with kids in the South United States!

As far as we found, Europe does not have swampy rivers with Alligators. This is definitely something your kids should experience.

Our children may have been used to eclairs, savory crepes, and maybe even schnitzel, but fried okra, field peas with snaps, creamed corn, bbq pork with coleslaw, and sweet cornbread were new tastes and a welcome experience. Maybe we’ll try alligator before we leave?

A trip to Orlando gave us the chance to visit family we hadn’t seen since our children were born, a trip to Cocoa beach, and a day at Sea World. Even if Sea World isn’t your thing, a visit to an amusement park is a must for an authentic American experience, complete with cut-off t-shirts, cotton candy, and blaring music.

My love for Paris grows with each visit. I am not sure I could ever get bored there; it is a city made up of so many little cities and neighborhoods – each one so different than the others. At times it feels grand and sophisticated and bustling. Then a quick metro ride and it feels intimate and quaint and friendly. It is a city made for strolling, and eating, and talking. And for taking pictures – lots and lots of pictures. Because, above all, Paris is beautiful. The art is beautiful, the architecture is beautiful, the food is beautiful, the clothes are beautiful – even the people are beautiful.

There are more pictures in this post than you probably care to look at, and yet there are more I would still like to edit, and even more I would have liked to have taken. I am so glad that my Mom, and my Grandma, and my Aunt Annette wanted to come and make this trip to Paris; I wouldn’t have gone again if they hadn’t have come, and those 4 days in the city were some of the best I’ve spent in Europe.

I’ll bore myself if I talk about it anymore, so here’s the extra concise version of our trip to go along with all the pictures*:

Day One: Train ride into the city, boat tour on the Seine, metro ride to Montmarte, walk up to the cathedral, dinner at Le Moulin de Galette, get lost and walk through the red light district after I explicitly promised my Grandma that we wouldn’t

Day Two: Morning trip to the open-air market, lunch in the sun at Luxembourg gardens, shopping, and Notre Dame Cathedral. The highlight of the trip, and possibly my time in Europe, was dinner with my Grandma’s cousin’s daughter. Sheila welcomed us into her home and treated us like family. She served us a beautiful 4 course meal and we got to ask her every question we’ve ever had about really living in Europe. Her family was wonderful, the food was incredible, and it was so, so, so fun to see what it is really like to live in France. After dinner they drove us back to our apartment and we got a nighttime driving tour of the city. I hope it is not the last time our paths cross – we left feeling as though we had known each other forever! I called Brad right away after our dinner and told him that someday we would live in France (seriously – 8 weeks of vacation a year AND all that good food!)

Day Three and Four: It’s my birthday! Ice cream on Isle St. Louis, climb to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, buy lunch on Rue Cler and eat it in front of the Eifel Tower, walk back to the metro via Trocodero, and finish with a birthday dinner with a waiter who was Lumiere in the flesh.  The next morning pack up, try to avoid getting pick pocketed by gypsies while Annette is shopping, and then spend the rest of our day in the Orsay Museum before taking the train back home. Whew!

Once we got home we unpacked, washed some clothes, packed again, and left the next morning for Switzerland. Stay tuned!

*Both the photography and the editing on all these pictures are a joint effort between me and my Mom. Some are hers, some are mine, she’s edited some of mine, I’ve edited some of hers. You get the idea. They’re ours.

But by the time we put the kids to bed and did our dishes on Christmas, I was feeling a bit down. And exhausted. And we spent a long time talking to our families on Skype, which was wonderful, but I missed them and wished we could be with them. And I laid on Brad’s shoulder in bed and cried for a little while, then felt ashamed that I was crying on Christmas when I had so much to be thankful for.

The next morning we got up and the girls were in a terrible mood. Lucy was crying and screaming so hard I even tried to put her back to bed. Against our better judgement, we decided to go ahead with our plans to drive two hours to go to one more (after)Christmas Market in Strasbourg, France. I am so glad we did.

We put a movie on for the girls in the back seat of the van, and as Brad and I sat in the front and talked while he drove we noticed how quiet it was. When our girls are awake our house is loud and crazy – really loud. Once they go to bed, we always have something to do – dishes, application essays, work, editing, projects, laundry, etc… We were so happy to be just sitting together and talking while our kids were quiet we joked that maybe we should just drive around all day. Our drive there was one of the best dates we’ve had in a while.

Even though the day started out rough, our girls were exceptionally well behaved once we were there. It was early in the afternoon, the market wasn’t too crowded, and the weather was nice. There was a giant Christmas tree, hundreds of food stands with pretzels, candies, cookies, and crepes, hot spiced apple cider, a beautiful city, and a carousel ride for the girls. We didn’t buy anything besides food, but just being together in the city was perfect.

As a bonus, we stumbled on a ice skating rink. For 2 Euro we rented Annika some ice skates and spent an hour on a children’s rink with her. Our little Annika, who is generally afraid of everything is apparently growing up. She was excited to try ice skating and jumped right on the ice without needing any persuasion on coercing. Even when she fell she got right back up, licked the ice off her sleeve, and kept going. I was a proud mom that day.

We ate galettes (savory crepes) for dinner and danced around the giant Christmas tree before heading back home. I had been feeling so sad that I wasn’t with family this Christmas. Doing something I loved that I can only do in Europe was just what I needed. Having a whole day with Brad and seeing my girls smile all day was icing on the cake. It was a day I think I’ll remember for a long time.

1. Nani is really great at reading stories. She is endlessly patient and will even read the same three page alphabet books to the littlest ones over and over again.

2. Nani will play tea party, and will even put on a fancy necklace. She brings beautiful ballerina dresses as gifts. Sometimes she admits to being Fancy Nancy which wins her big points with Annika.

3. Nani is a great sport; she’s up for going anywhere you want to travel, and she’s happy to stay home and play too. We stayed home most of the time, but we also made it out to Bernkastel-Kues for a festival, we went to the zoo on a surprisingly cold day, we went shopping in Idar-Oberstien and in Trier, and visited the Hinzert Concentration camp together. Traveling with my girls is no walk in the park, but having Nani along made it much more fun.

4. When you have a Nani you can go on walks and you don’t have to carry or push everyone. She’s also a great help in pumping a teeter-totter.

5. Nani taught us all how to sew. She is an exceptional teacher and very, very patient. You need to be with a student like me. Annika proved to be more adept and certainly more creative.

6. Feeding the ducks at the lake is much more fun when Nani is there to help. Also, I feel much less worried about one of my girls falling in.

7. Nani will go with you to get ice cream. Everyone likes ice cream! French fries on a fork were a particular hit with the girls. You can eat junk like that when you Nani comes to visit. (Or anyone else for that matter — does anyone want to come visit so I have an excuse to buy more french fries?)

8. Nani will go with you to do things that only a child would find entertaining. Like Sesame Street Live. When watching people dance in big Sesame Street costumes proves to be scarier than it is entertaining, she’ll be happy to move to the back of the auditorium with you to watch the show from far, far away.

9. Having Nani visit gives you an excuse to celebrate her birthday. We love birthday parties in our house! (So much, in fact, that Annika’s most often requested bedtime story involves inventing birthday parties for princesses.)

10. Nani has wonderful ideas for fun activities. Annika and Nani spent hours painting and drawing together, and her idea to let the kids go to town measuring and pouring and stirring cups and bowls of rice and cornmeal was the hit of the day.

11. Having a Nani means having one more person around to love your children, and seeing your children so happy is one of life’s greatest joys.

Thank you, Nani, for a wonderful visit. I hope you had as much fun as we did.

The last six years have been an adventure, and full of joy. It is sometimes hard for me to believe that I found a man as wonderful as Brad, and that he is apparently fond of me too. He handles the stress of a demanding calling, a demanding job, and even more demanding family with grace and without complaint. More importantly, he makes me laugh everyday and life is just more enjoyable when he is around. Each year has been better than the last.

I intended on just posting one picture for each of the last six years, but then I started looking through all these old pictures and got a bit carried away. I enjoyed myself. I hope it’s fun for you too.

So, first we dated.

{January 2005 } I'm not sure what Brad is laughing at. Maybe it has to do with the hats we borrowed from my Grandma.

Then we got married.

{August 2005} Awwww.... aren't we cute?

Then we played a lot. We studied and worked some too, but I don’t have pictures of that.

{June 2006}

{August 2006}

Then we graduated. And Brad commissioned. And we moved to Georgia, and then to Germany. And I got pregnant with Annika. 2007 was a big year for us.

{April 2007}

{December 2007}

And after waddling around Europe while 7 and  8 months pregnant, Annika joined our family. And we were happier than we thought we could be.

Brad also deployed this year – which in the end made our relationship better, but 2008 was rough at times.

{February 2008} Being seven months pregnant explains the puffy cheeks, but I have no excuse for my hair. I wish I could tell my past self to get a haircut before going on vacation.

{April 2008}

It was a long year, but Brad came home in 2009. It was wonderful. We liked having one baby so much we decided to have another. But one more ended up being two more, and we realized our lives really would never be the same.

I have two little babies inside me in this picture, but I still thought I was just eating too many brownies.

Then Lucy and Elise joined our family in 2009, and life started to get a little bit crazy. As it turns out, we like it that way. We still play, but now we have three kids in tow and they make our life all the more enjoyable.

{March 2010}

{June 2010} A family picture plus some guys in speedos. It doesn't get better than that.

Now instead of having two babies and a toddler we have two toddlers and a preschooler. Having three little girls running around means our house is a lot more messy, but we laugh a lot harder. Sometimes Brad and I still find time to go on dates, and we found out that we still like each other.

{May 2011}

Here’s to six great years, and many more to come!

{June 2011} I know, I know I just posted this picture, but the babies are giggling in their crib in the other room so I don't have time to edit another. The point is, we love each other.