Carter is ONE

SO as I said last time, fast forward to present day, well not quite yet…

July 6^th we celebrated our sweet little boy turning ONE! I thought this would be the only time in his life he would let me pick his party theme so I went with a Red-White-& Blue since it’s so close to 4^th of July. Everyone who knows me knows my love for the 4^th of July. A lot of it stems from my patriotism, but then there are the added bonuses of fireworks, family fun, and oh yea- my husband proposed to me that day 3 years ago!!!  I know it is so cliché but I really can’t help but think, “where did the time go….”

Here are some little details from the day:

The past year has been one roller-coaster after the next for us; we are so thankful to so many people for so many different reasons during this process. Mostly though, I am thankful to my little Carter, for ALWAYS ALWAYS having a smile on his face no matter what he was going through. He is the happiest, most resilient, most loving, most fun little bundle of energy I’ve ever known! My love for him is my most prized possession!

Credits:

invites: https://www.etsy.com/transaction/83489312

cake: http://www.penelopesbakery.com/

photography: Be Bold Photography By Bre

The Beginning...

So I’ve been contemplating blogging for a while now. I start to think, yea I want to do it, and then I never get around to it, needless to say, it’s been put on the back burner for quite some time. Today felt like a good day, but where to start…? I am a family girl, always have been, always will be, so the beginning feels like a good place for me

On March 20^th 2010 I married the most amazingly wonderful man. He truly was an answer to any prayer I’d ever said! During our marriage counseling, the pastor said she was going to write our ceremony based off of us as a couple, she didn’t have a set script she reads, and it would be fully centered on us. About a week before our ceremony, she emailed us word for word what she would say. How cool is that: years later I can reflect back on the exact words I stood before God and an entire congregation of family and friends and married my husband to.  Here are some of her words:

“We are together in this sweet and sacred hour to witness the uniting of Travis and Samantha in the enduring bonds of Christian marriage.  This happiest and holiest of human relationships was first celebrated in the quiet gardens of Eden.  God saw that it was not good for man to live alone, and so He created woman and gave her to him to be his companion, his wife.  The Lord said: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

This first description of marriage gives us three words for the establishing of a home.  The first is leaving.  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother.”  When a man and a woman establish a new home, there is a sense in which they leave their old ones.  They don’t leave in terms of love and communication, but rather in terms of authority and priority.  The most important human relationship for you now is the one you are establishing today, in this place and before these witnesses.  The primary relationship in your life shifts from the parental to the spousal, from mother and father to husband and wife.

The second idea in Genesis 2:24 is cleaving.  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined, be united, shall cleave, to his wife.  The word “cleave” means to stick like glue, to be devoted, committed to each other.  Every marriage goes through difficult periods and challenging times.  It is easy for love to grow lukewarm, then cold.  Disillusionment can descend on a home.  That’s why you have to remember that divorce is never an option, that the vows you are taking before God are holy, binding, and permanent.  You are today deciding to stick to one another, through thick and thin, through good and bad.  We do not know what the years ahead will bring, nor how life and labor will unfold before you.  But whatever the passing seasons hold, you must always remember to keep your poise, guard your purity, find your place, and fulfill your purpose.  As it is written in the book of Philippians, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

That leads to a third concept in Genesis 2:24: Weaving.  The verse goes on to say that the man and the woman, who leave their parents, cleave to one another and become as one.  They should weave their lives together.  Marriage requires developing common interests, common hobbies, good communication, time together, frequent dating, and growing love.  A wedding takes only a few minutes to perform, but a marriage takes a lifetime to perfect.  In your marriage “…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  And in your marriage “…Let each of you speak truth,” for we are members of one another.  “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the enemy.”  In your marriage, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.””

I know I know, you’re probably thinking “wow that was long”, but when I tried to pick apart pieces, I couldn’t. It all made perfect sense, and I think as a couple, that is who Travis and I are, and that is how we try and build our marriage and our family!

So now that you know where we’ve come from, fast forward to present day….  (next blog coming soon)