12 Years, 12 Photos

Today, Ryan and I celebrated a dozen years of marriage together. We were joking how it feels like more (we’ve been together since we were 17). We didn’t really do anything special; it was a typical Sunday around here. Hopefully, we can get a date night in Ohio next week!

Saturday evening, we did have an outing to Jacob’s Farm for drinks and dinner. This is a favorite place of ours because it has a beautiful farm setting, play structures for kids, u-pick fruit, delicious food and drinks, and overall, just really a cool vibe.

For today’s blog post, I thought I would take you through the last twelve years using one photo to represent each year. So, if you would like a trip down memory lane with us, keep scrolling:)

2011

On June 25, 2011, Ryan and I said, “I Do”. We had already been together eight years and were more than ready to officially begin the rest of our lives together. We got married in our hometown of Toledo, Ohio and it was a fun, beautiful day. Honestly, I would probably plan it a lot different now, but it was the perfect day for where we were in our lives at the time.

We moved into our cute little apartment in Ottawa Hills and began dreaming of what our lives would be like. Many of those dreams have come true in the last twelve years!

2012

This was the year we bought our first home. Above is a photo of the announcement we sent out in the mail that year. We called it our “starter” house, but it actually turned into our beloved home for the next decade. We made countless memories there and the tears flowed when we said goodbye.

2013

In 2013, we began growing our family! We adopted our sweet Nala girl in June and the next month found out we were pregnant with our first child. Our dreams were beginning to come true, and God was answering our prayers. However, sometimes God answers prayers in unexpected ways and we would find out later that year we would not only become first -time parents, but first-time parents of a child with Down syndrome. I wrote a whole post about that experience on World Down Syndrome Day which you can read here.

2014

Andrew made an unexpected early arrival in January. It was a rocky start with my water breaking while teaching, ten days of bed rest, and a month in the NICU. We entered parenthood on a roller coaster of a ride and had no clue what we were doing. However, we cherished Andrew’s first year, and our hearts filled with joy watching him grow each month. Andrew was the best baby, and while he met milestones later than most, it allowed us to enjoy the baby stage at a slower pace. All the fears we had of Down syndrome quickly diminished. They would come back in years to come, but that first year we simply loved our new baby with our whole beings.

2015

Another year of growing our family! We found out we were pregnant with Lucas in the spring and welcomed our Christmas baby on December 18th. We didn’t expect to get pregnant again so soon, but it ended up being such a blessing for Andrew to have a younger brother close in age. They have learned so much from each other over the years.

2016

We were in the thick of parenthood with a two-year-old and a newborn. Some of those days seem like a blur, but when I look back at photos, I immediately remember how full our hearts were at the time, despite the sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Lucas was a very different baby than Andrew, so we were figuring everything out all over again in a different way. Some highlights that year included a family vacation to the Smokey Mountains and summer memories at the lake.

2017

We found our groove as a family of four this year. I accepted a part-time position at Lial Catholic School to become a little more present as mom. I thank God for opening that door. One big highlight that year was I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon! We made a vacation out of it to Disney World. They were very young and don’t remember it, but we sure do. We haven’t been back since and I think we’re planning our next trip for 2024. Can’t wait!

2018

We took a memorable trip to Hocking Hills in the spring. Ryan accepted his position with Lathrop that summer, and he had the whole month of July off in between jobs. We spent lots of time at the lake. We planned short getaways to Port Huron and Indianapolis. The boys, my parents, and I also flew down to Raleigh that summer to visit my sister and brother-in-law. It was during all of this that I found out I was pregnant with number three! Our family was growing again!

2019

We welcomed our newest addition, Owen, on February 26th. This was a year of big adjustment going from two to three children. We were outnumbered and it was a whole new level of mess, chaos, and exhaustion. However, it was also a whole new level of love, joy, and fulfillment. We adored watching Drew become a big brother again and Lucas for the first time. They doted on their new baby brother, and it made it all worth it. I also felt more confident as a mom, more laid back, and just in tune with motherhood and what truly matters.

2020

Covid turned our lives upside down, but we still found joy that year. We were enjoying the boys at the precious ages of 6, 4, and 1. We snuck in a Kalahari trip right before the craziness of lockdowns. There was lots of quarantine time at the lake, we were outdoors a lot, and one of my best friends got married…so even though there were difficult times due to the pandemic, we stayed healthy and still had a memorable year.

2021

We celebrated our 10-year anniversary in Key West! It was an amazing trip, and we hope to return again one day. This was also the year we began to feel a big pull for a new beginning in northern Michigan. Ryan began interviewing for jobs up this way and the dream started to turn into reality.

2022

2022 was the big year of change for our family. You can read my blog post here reflecting on our half year milestone. 2022 was jammed packed with adventure and new experiences: a getaway to Hocking Hills, selling our home in Toledo, spending summer weekends at the Weidman KOA, Nashville with my sister and goddaughter, officially making the big move to Michigan, an epic New York City trip…

If you follow along, you know we got pregnant that fall and unfortunately had a miscarriage right after Thanksgiving. We stayed focused on our many blessings that year and through sadness we found joy during the Christmas season. We ended 2022 with very full hearts, even if still a little broken.

2023

I guess this is technically photo thirteen, but wow, has so much happened in the last twelve years. When I was looking through photos for this post, my heart filled with gratitude of the life God has blessed us with and just how beautiful it is. There were many lows I didn’t mention along with many highs, but “it is a wonderful life and I love it.” That quote by Jim Henson made me think of this movie….

Happy 12 Year Anniversary Ryan! I love you so much and I know you would give me the moon if you could;) You pretty much have! Cheers to the next 12!