So my 20's are over....

Okay so another decade has come to an end. reflecting back over the last 10 years makes me so grateful . So many wonderful things happened in my 20's. Just to name a few:

1. Graduated college at 21
2. Got engaged to my high school sweetheart at 23
3. Got married at 24
4. Bought our first house at 24
5. Had our first child, our beautiful daughter Emma, at 26
6. Had our 2nd child, our sweet little happy boy Jacob, at 28
7. Bought our 2nd house that has room for us to expand in, at 29.

I have learned a lot in the last decade as well. I hope that I have done a lot of maturing, Josh may say otherwise. Here are some of the things that I think are the most important lessons that I have learned.

1. Children are a true gift from God. No matter how they come to us, by birth, adoption, fostering, marriage, it doesn't matter. God sends us the children that are in our lives.

2. There is no greater gift you can give your child than your time. My children may like toys, movies and candy, but they are the happiest when they are with Josh and me. It's so important for us to never forget why we decided to have children in the first place, and that it goes by very quickly and we will never get that time back.

3. True friends are very rare. In high school you may have 20 close friends, but you learn as you get older that there are only a few who will be there for you no matter what. I can count mine on one hand. You may talk to these friends everyday, or you may only be able to catch up once in awhile, but when it matter most, when you are in need, they will be your side to make things easier.

4. Patience really is a virtue. It makes us better people, better mothers, better spouses, etc... I am always working on this one. I have a hot Italian temper that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. I have really tried hard to better myself when it comes to this, especially as a mother. My children have tested that patience big time. I am not perfect, but I am getting better.


Everyone has told me that their 30's were better than their 20's. If this is true, then I am truly excited for the next 10 years.

Happiest moments, not the most attractive perhaps, but the happiest :)

Jacob and Emma's Love/Hate relationship

I know my children love each other, but they don't always show it. Okay so mostly Emma doesn't show it. I cant blame her, I know her baby brother gets into her stuff, breaks her crayons, sometimes eats her crayons, and takes a lot of lap time away from her. She can't hold him anymore because he struggles and gets away. This was the main reason she liked him in the beginning, because she could hold him and he couldn't leave. She's been asking for a baby sister for awhile now, maybe thinking a girl would work out better. It's escalated since one of her church friends just got a new baby sister and she got to hold her. She wants a baby "just like Gracie" she said to me this morning. I've told her she needs to treat the baby she has better if she wants another one. Not that she is mean to him, but she has very short patience for him, but then again she's only 3 1/2. She must have been listening to me because tonight when Jacob decided he wanted only hugs from his sister and chased her around the house, which Emma usually doesn't enjoy, she gave in. They did nothing but hug and cuddle for about 5 minutes. She even let me take pictures of it, which is another thing she doesn't enjoy. There is nothing that makes me happier, than seeing my children love each other. If she keeps this up, we may give her a baby sister after all.