And then there were 7

Years of marriage under our belts, that is.

I have often heard of the "7 year itch". Actually, I Googled it, and it is a very real thing!  Apparantly, after 7 years of marriage, couples tend to be too comfortable, too open, and not passionate enough. I would love to say that this does not hold true for my lovely husband and myself. Alas, it is TRUE that we are too comfortable, open, and the "ehem" priorities of our relationship are far different in this stage of life than they were in the beginning.

I guess my question is, then, how and why are we so happy?  We are comfortable with one another to a fault. The mystery is LONG gone. Paul is the one person in the world I can truly say absolutely ANYTHING to, and not worry about being judged. We talk about anything and everything, no holds barred, no matter how embarassing or ridiculous. My husband regluarly sees me in a less than lovely physical state (I have an at home uniform of jammies and greasy hair). That fiery, spicy, can't keep our hands off each other thing- long gone. In fact, as I hate to admit, some days I barely remember to hug my beloved, between work, dishes, laundry, cleaning, busy social lives, and parenting a toddler. Life just seems to get in the way. Ugh. Sounds miserable, right?

Not so much. I can honestly say that this is what I have come to realize IS true love, to us at least. Why did we get married in the first place? When we took our vows to one another, 7 years ago, we did not promise to keep things from one another, to not communicate, or to focus on the physical. We promised to listen, be supportive, communicate, have one another's back, and to be the best friend the other can ask for. We vowed to love one another through thick and thin, to work together in all we do, and to follow the same path and work as a team. We promised to do all we could to make a strong, lasting marriage and to raise a family, together, united as one.

Mission accomplished. I am blessed enough to have a marriage built on communication, teamwork, support, and a deep, lasting mutual respect and a true love for one another. To some, this may sound far from the exciting relationship all women seem to think they will end up with as young people.  And guess what? It IS far from it. It is what matters to us, though. We have truly come to place in our lives where are are happy, settled, and working together in just about all we do. We have honed our strenghts as a couple, and have leared a lot about ourselves and each other as we have shared this journey. How is that a bad thing?

With that being said, I am trying to do better on living up to my vows. There is a LOT of room for me to be a better wife, that is for sure. I need to make more of an effort to focus on my man (hard to do when you have a little one, but just as important as it ever was) and to take the time to nurture our relationship as a couple, and not just Leah's Mom and Dad. She is the most important, wonderful thing in our lives, but our marriage is just as important and special as she is.

I hope I can continue to try to be a better wife to my husband, cause he deserves it. He is kind, compassionate, patient beyond comprehsion, level headed (especially when I am not), hardworking, inspitrational, fun, and the most dedicated husband and father I know. Paul Fasse is my dream guy.

I am thankful for the fact that our relationship IS based on what really matters in life. So, on to year 8 we go, with what I can only describe as a bit of "itchiness".  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy anniversary to the love of my life. I look forward to sharing a lifetime full of love with you.

Phrases

Leah has  recently started putting phrases together rather well. She has always been a talker, but now she is comminutcating more and more by putting her words together. We still hear a lot of babbling, of course, but more and more of what this little nugget is saying is starting to make sense.

Some favorite phrases:
Mommy shoe
Night Night baby
Night night Maisy
Bye Bye (whoever)
Hi (whoever)
No (insert whatever she is "no-ing" at the time
Go (whatever she wants to go at the moment)
Yummy Cheerio (or cheese, or yogurt, or fruit)
Please (whatever she wants at the momemt)

She is fun as ever!!! Being home and hearing just about everything that comes out of her sassy little mouth has been so much great. I love this age and all the learning that comes along with it. 

With a little help from my friends

Leah is getting more and more social as the months pass by (hmmm.... wonder where THAT came from),and she just loved other kids now. Good thing she has a bunch of pals to play with!  So far this summer, we have had a few fun  playdates with all our big and little friends. it has been so fabulous to have the time to  get all the kids together more. Quality time with pals is the best. I'm glad my girl agrees!

Leah loves TyTy!

BFF's- in matching outfits, of course.

Uncle Alex gives the kids tractor rides. Love!

The friends that share a cup stay together. Well, at least the germs do...

Violet and Leah, sharing the playhouse. Violet won the share award this time.  :)

Ooohhh... horsey

Leah's first horse ride. She was horrified beyond comprehension. I do not see a future in racing for her. 

All the munchkins this day!We need more boys.

LOVE!

When these three are16, we are in trouble. 

Jack is such a REBEL!!!

Beautiful Mama and beautiful babies

We age them chips to get them together. Mothers of the year.

I hope everyone else has had a wonderful start to summer, too!

Naked wader

We took the pool out on the first day both of us wee off school. Leah LOVED playing in it. She splashed, ran in circles,and washed her hair for an hour. It was just the start to what is already shaping up to be one fab summer!!