Through the Years...

It's 4am and I can't sleep. Everyone is asleep, but me! I feel like a kid again waiting for Santa except Santa isn't coming for another 24 hours, but I'm too excited to sleep! So much to do still and my mind is just whirling with it all because it stirs up so much in me and I become SO reminiscent around the holidays. Here's a look back at our family growing; or trying to grow through the years. :) Our first year we were married 2 months before Christmas so we used our Christmas card as an wedding announcement + a Christmas card rolled into one. I wasn't too great keeping Christmas cards, but I remember we used this picture.

2001.


2002. The next year, we thought we'd spruce it up a bit and get them done professionally. "Professionally" meaning we went to WalMart (busting out in laughter) Nothing against WalMart, but God love them with the fake Christmas tree/fireplace background. I thought these were so cool at the time though. I don't have the actual card, but remember putting the walmart picture in a frame so here it is taken in the dark from my camera at 4am. I chose that necklace carefully and made sure it showed in the picture. It was such a meaningful necklace because it said something special on it, but at this point I have no idea who gave it to me or what it says. Super special huh?

2002:

2003: I have no idea what we did for a Christmas card this year and am totally annoyed I can't find it and kicking myself for not documenting better around this time. grrr.

Moving on to 2004. We started at the beginning of this year and I was convinced we'd have a baby to celebrate Christmas with or at least an announcement maybe on the card. We moved into our house that year and were more than ready. Everyone kept asking us "when ya gonna have kids" and that question tripled when we moved into our house from a condo. I couldn't find the actual card, but remember cutting it out for a Christmas tree ornament. Poor david who looks head-less. ha
2004

2005. I almost didn't do a Christmas card this year because we had been trying for 2 years, married for 4 and I was almost embarrassed to send out another picture of just us. Felt so cheesy, but we took this picture at Skip's wedding and it was semi -decent so we slapped it into a card and sent out just a handful.


2006: Dude, enough of the not-so-Happy-Hutchesons already! 5 years of just us on the card was getting old. It felt like I was reminding all of our friends and family we still didn't have kids or any signs of them coming. It's funny because as sad as we were about the void in our lives, we really tried super duper hard to be happy in other areas of our life. Yes, it was a dark cloud over us, but we tried really, really hard not to let it suck us in to the vortex of depression and taint everything else. We didn't always succeed, but man did we try! We took this picture at Kelle's wedding which was so much fun and filled with so much love. This picture epitomizes that night. I don't remember who took this picture, but thank you if it's you!!


2007. Finally, we have someone other than us on the card! Well, kinda...
Seriously, I couldn't smile big enough in this picture to show my happiness...


2008: The year we became parents. Finally! Look who made the front of the Christmas card! These pictures were taken by Kelle and they're still up on my refrigerator even though it's from 2008. I heart them that much and every time I go to exchange out some new pictures these are always skipped. I was tickling her like crazy trying to get a smile and in the process my smile is the one where you can see the back section of my teeth! Heidi bought her the shirt and it was perfect as she was our present that Christmas.
In looking through old files, I found this one of Lily on Santa's lap that year. I guess you can say we've come a long way since she'll stand next to him as long as he doesn't touch her. I can't wait to show her this picture!
wow, she's really going to town here...
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ



2009: These pictures were taken by my friend Katie and the forest is actually real behind us. We have this picture on a canvas on our wall and every time I look at it, it makes me smile inside.

It's ironic that we have "Love Can Build a Bridge" on our Christmas card last year because we sing that song every night with this book. It comes with the song on tape in the back of the book, but because we don't have a cassette player, we listen to it by playing an old Oprah when they were on a few weeks ago singing this song. I can't believe this was just last year! We didn't have any baby in the tum-tum yet and were just contemplating doing IVF#3 in the upcoming January. I keep thinking I skipped a year somehow in my files. Wow, what a difference a year makes!!


2010: And then this year we got to add the snuggle bear Grady. Yes, he's as sweet and delectable as he looks. His neck is heavenly and is such a sweet little soul. The 2 words that always pop up in my head when I describe him are 'sweet' or 'heavenly'. They don't do him justice, but they come close. He'll probably sleep through most of Christmas, but we'll have pictures to remember it as he will watch his sister maybe or maybe not get the Barbie car she's been dreaming of. She's never been attracted to the Barbie brand yet, but saw a real life Barbie car in a Kmart catalog and has been carrying it around like the bible. If you ask her what else she wants, she just says the Barbie car and that's it. All Grady wants is more of Momma's milk and lots of snuggles. I think Santa will make our kids very happy this Christmas. (still feels odd to say kids plural btw)


Jen took these pictures and they capture so much of our heart and our happiness finally being a family of four. It's odd to long for something for so many years and it hangs over you like a heavy dark cloud, then it's finally here and I find myself looking for pieces of that cloud or for the other shoe to drop. Dam, that other shoe. Then I realize there's no other shoe and our family is complete. Our family isn't perfect by any means, but man o man it's sure easier to deal with the daily stress and struggles when you have these 2 little ones in planted in our lives. They put everything in perspective and show us the true meaning of Christmas.

And the true meaning of love.



Merry Christmas!