Twelve and Two

Twelve years ago, when I was 22 and Tim was 13- not really, he just looks it, doesn't he? This was the first snapshot taken of us after we were officially married, by my friend Beth, I believe, and I've always loved the joy in it. We couldn't have anticipated how our road together would meander, but who better to travel the road with than your best friend?

We celebrated by getting away together for 24 hours, while our very generous friends took care of our little ones, and it was incredible to have the luxury of time together- we haven't done an overnight away since Emmy was a baby and we lived in Atlanta. Thank you to Catherine and Melanie!

We spent the night in a hotel with this view from our little balcony...
Again, who would have guessed, 12 years ago? What a city!

We had fun trying to remember all of our anniversaries- most we can recall but some are lost in oblivion...of course we remember the first, which we spent hiking in north Georgia. We set out fresh and ambitious in the morning, and by the time we straggled back to our car in the dark, rainy evening we had hiked 13 miles round trip! The 5th, the first time we needed a babysitter for a dinner out...and of course, the 10th, which is usually a big one.

It was big for us- 11 pounds, 4 ounces, in fact...

Which brings me to our other celebration, just two days before, of our Julian. He was a hefty little newborn, wasn't he? Amazing to think we have enjoyed two years with this precious child.

traditional birthday morning cake in bed

and of course we must share with our siblings!

As I considered how to celebrate our boy, I thought about who, outside of his family, loves him most, and it seemed obvious...

...so we headed over to the church mid- morning to sing and eat cake and pray for Ju with our friends/colleagues there, who love all of our children in a way that brings me a lot of joy, especially being so far from our families.

(As an aside, don't we look a bit like a sitcom in this picture above? Tim and I have had a good time coming up with ideas for the pilot episode.)

While we ate cake, Julian kept repeating, "Happy new year cake!", with great enthusiasm. He is an avid talker and all around doer these days. He weighed 25 pounds at his 2 year checkup, putting him close to the 25th percentile, and he's about 50th for height. His eczema continues to be a real challenge, but for the most part, it's in a manageable state. He loves to read, write on any surface with an available pen (woe to our couch, many times over!), and do anything his big brother and sister are doing, preferably first.

Happy birthday, my beautiful boy. You have been a gift to us through every joy and each challenge; we love you and thank God for you.