A Decade

I always spend a bit of time reflecting on the year that has passed as we enter a new year with a fresh new start.  This year, even more so as I reflect on a decade that has passed.  I'm sure everyone can say that life has changed considerably over a decade and ours is no different. In fact, I can probably say with confidence that the decade that just passed presented the most change that any decade will have in our entire lives.  Sure, future decades will be full of changes too, but this was pretty one was pretty epic for us!

This was us 10 years ago:

We were so young still and skinny :)  2009 was a really hard year.  Peter, only 7 months into his career was laid off in one of the worst economy's in history.  I was officially diagnosed with infertility, my grandma who meant a whole lot to me passed away suddenly.  I was working a job I hated when all I wanted was to be a mom and raise some babies!  We were well into the stressful and expensive adoption process. As the clock rolled over into a new year and a new decade we were hopeful for positive days ahead.

Over the course of this last decade we've added 5 children to our family! I quit my job and have been fortunate to have my dream come true of staying home and home schooling our kids.  Peter has moved jobs 3 times to advance his career.  We bought a new house, celebrated 5th and 10th milestone wedding anniversaries, 30th Birthday's, and traveled to some pretty cool places. We've lived life and matured considerably. We've been thrown major curveballs from "our plans" but through perseverance and a whole lot of prayers we've always been okay.  My life at this point looks exactly as I had always hoped it would but I couldn't see getting there in my 10 year younger self.  We've been so very fortunate and I am grateful for everything life gave to us over the decade we are leaving behind.  Precious memories have been made and we've grown so much!  

Here's a very small highlight reel of our last decade! 

So very much life has been lived in the last 10 years, the highlight of course is our five children.  I have no idea what to expect over the next decade and I am at a place in life where that is okay to me.  I know by the end of this next decade we will be WELL into parenting teenagers, and it breaks my heart a little to think that kids will be leaving the nest.  I know parenting has challenges at every phase and I look ahead with a little trepidation as I know there will be highs and lows in the phases we are entering, but I hope we navigate wisely and are still able to have a lot of fun! I look forward to celebrating our 15th and 20th (WOW!) wedding anniversaries in the decade ahead.  I've heard great things about the years of marriage we are entering into.  I look forward to where Peter's job takes him, the adventures and new places we will visit, and the little life moments that somehow become big memories.  Middle school, high school graduates, preschool again, maybe more children, maybe not. We have been so blessed in this life and I know we will face challenges in the coming years but I hope we continue to rely on God no matter what we face and I hope that life over this next decade holds just as much joy, growth and love as the decade we have left behind.