remember

As always, it is important to remember the reason for our holidays is not just to have a day off from work.

love

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.
~ Louis De Bernieres

Nine years ago today I experienced a "temporary madness" of being totally and completely in love with a man who happens to look like Mr. Incredible, and married him. Nine years later, that "earthquake" has subsided and I have made a decision to love this man no matter what happens...and one heckuva lot has happened. In nine years we have renovated an entire 1930s house, moved twice, Mr. Incredible has endured 3 different corporate environments, which were largely unpleasant, 2 bosses who were, in a word, horrid, a few others who weren't, but were all too temporary, he has lost both of his parents, sold the home and farm he grew up on, and, of course, what made all of this tolerable, we had 4 children who neither one of us thought we would, or could, have. And now, last but not least, we are both experiencing a loss of a job for the very first time. Yes, he has joined the unemployment statistics and has been laid off.

So....the fortunate accident is that we found each other and our roots have grown together. We are one tree. And everyone knows that if you have good roots, anything can grow. We are excited, nervous, anxious, and worried, about the next few (hopefully "few"!) months of growth. I hope, pray, wish and beg that it is a really, really good blossom of a job for Mr. Incredible.

Happy 9th Anniversary to my farm boy (hence the tractor that took us from the chapel to our reception)! It feels like a lot more than 9 years...in a good way...I think.....

the boys

I took these pictures of "the boys" a couple weeks ago and just had to share...since we are still in their birthday month 'n all....

 I love his curly hair. People ask me all the time(!) if I style their hair different so I can tell them apart. Whuh????? No, seriously....what the...are you serious????? Yes. Yes they are. (And can you believe it's more than one person who has asked??!!) Niels is actually my first babe with bone straight hair. It feels and looks like silk. But I do love the curls!

 The boys love the fishies.

 And they love the pup.

She is SO incredibly patient. She's such a good lil pup...who will be 13 this August.

And, of course, they REALLY love to eat....

It's very difficult to get a good smiley picture of Anders. These are some of my very favorites of him...if only his face were clean...although his handsome-ness does shine through!

 And then there's my always on-the-alert Niels. This is his most common expression.

 When he's not laughing.....

Ok mommy. That's enough. Let's get in the bath.