So glad I said yes.

9 years ago at the top of the Warren Dunes, Derek asked me to be his girlfriend.

I hesitated because I knew I was still struggling with a past relationship. But I also knew that I really wanted to be Derek's girlfriend. So I said yes.

I'm so glad I did.

For the first six months of our relationship I put that poor guy through the ringer. But he never once even considered breaking it off. He was in it for life starting on this day 9 years ago at the top of the Dunes.

About six months into our relationship I was working a gruelingly boring 8 hour shift in the dressing rooms at Marshalls.

I'll never forget that shift.

I was staring out at the store that was practically empty. I wasn't even really thinking about Derek. I was probably thinking about how insanely bored I was and wondering if it was worth the $6/hr or whatever it was.

But suddenly it hit me. I love him! I just knew it out of the blue. And was giddy about it. I watched him fight for me for the first six months. I watched him put up with me, adore me, treat me like a princess, have overwhelming patience for me.

I knew from that moment that I loved him and I haven't stopped since.

I'm so thankful God gave me a peace about saying yes 9 years ago, because I needed to see him fight for me. I have no doubt in my mind that he will always fight for me. He is so good to me.

It's important to mention that even though Derek has always been so amazing to me, if God hadn't gotten ahold of my ridiculousness six months after I said yes, I wouldn't have come to the place of recognizing it. God broke me just days before that shift at Marshalls and I'm so grateful for it!

Our whole relationship is completely owed to Him. It's such a beautiful thing when God writes your love story :)



Happy 9th Anniversary, my One and Only Forever Love.

Happy 4th Birthday, Marie Love

To my Goob,

4 years ago, at 1:51pm, we became parents for the first time to the most beautiful baby girl. You were so squishy you could barely open your eyes, which seemed to be fine with you as you loved to sleep more than anything the first few months of your life.

But wow have things changed! Now you are Little Miss Active. Your daddy and you can go non-stop all day long.

 

One new thing that you do that I just adore is you love to tell me and daddy and Jack that you love us. "Mommy, did you know that I love you?" are the words that brighten every single one of my days! You've become a little bit more of a snuggler as you're getting older. You are a wonderful big sister, always looking out for your brother and wanting to spend time with him.

You are sure that this new little sibling of yours is a little sister. I hope for you that it is. But if you get another little brother, I know you will love him just the way you love your JackJack. I'm so proud of how much you've grown since becoming a big sister. I pray that one day you will be blessed with being a momma because I know you will be amazing at it, in spite of all your momma's failings.

I constantly pray that God will draw you to Himself, that you will be sensitive to Him and give your life to Him very soon. There is nothing I or your dad want more for you! I also pray often that no matter what kind of ups and downs we go through in this life, that you and I will always have a strong relationship. I want to hear you say, "Mommy, I love you SO much" all the days of my life. God is continually working on me to be the best momma for you possible. But I will fail, and I do fail, and you already know that. And you always forgive me. Thank you! And don't ever stop!

Every time I ask you to stop growing up you tell me that you have to. Sometimes you say Daddy said it was okay, but I'm quite certain that's not true! I know you have to, but make sure you are always my baby girl.

 

We love you so much more than life, Baby Girl.

Happy 4th Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jack Edward

Dear Little Man,

2 years ago today you entered our world, improving it by leaps and bounds. It's so fascinating seeing how different you are from your sister and yet just as amazingly wonderful!

 

Your vocabulary is amazing, and your athletic skills are undeniable. You were once my perfectly obedient boy, but over the past few months you've become incredibly independent which has gotten you into a little trouble! In spite of that, I already see how you are going to have a sensitive heart to the Lord's leading.

You never tire of giving great big hugs and that melts this momma's heart every time! You adore your dad and are happiest when we are all together as a family. That is what you have in common with mommy.  But otherwise you are just like your dad. Your laid back demeanor, athleticism, matter-of-fact-ness, love of sleep, quiet sociableness. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love it!

You also are such a big helper! You like to help mommy clean and do laundry. You didn't get that from mommy or daddy, but that is just fine with us! Don't ever change.

I pray for you every night, that the Spirit will draw you to Himself. I pray that you will spend your life glorifying the Father, growing in Him, and impacting the world. I have confidence that you will do just that by the grace of God.

Very soon you will be a big brother. It breaks a little bit of my heart thinking about you no longer being the baby. Sometimes I worry a little that you will feel left out. Please know, Sweet Schnook, that there is nothing in the whole entire world that could possible cause me to love you even a smidgen less. I learned that the moment I laid eyes on you at 7:57am on July 1, 2010. I learned that I could love your dad with my whole heart, your sister with my whole heart, and still have so much love for you that my heart burst with it. I still get teary thinking about that moment. And somehow I love you more each day.

Jack Edward, I pray you live up to your namesakes. Continue the legacy of God-fearing men in the Jacobs and Johnson families. Love God with all you are.

And don't forget to always love your momma, too :)



We love you so much, JackJack.

Happy 2nd Birthday.

Hugs and Kisses

Derek is home on break (hurray!!!) for a few weeks and we are thoroughly enjoying having him around! The kids are remarkably more happy when he's home. Even though I know he'd go stir crazy, I wish he could be home all the time!

Speaking of stir crazy, he just left for a long weekend trip with the school. So I'm a little nervous about how grouchy the babies are gonna be in the morning when they run into our room and daddy is not there. Jack has burst into tears in the past on such occasions.

It's very possible God brought along this pin to ensure that this weekend goes smoothly. (And also it's been a huge fear of mine since giving birth to Marie of losing or having a strained relationship with my kids).

Take the time to check out this blog post on Ahaparenting.com. Excellent ideas on how to strengthen your relationship with your babes! In the past, on not enough occasions, I've stopped in the midst of all I had to do while my kids were begging for attention and driving me crazy, and I gave them hugs and kisses and just played with them.

Can I just tell you, it works miracles! Even for just 5 minutes.

I am looking forward to some quality time with my babies this weekend, even if it means nothing really gets done. We're all gonna be missing daddy, so what better time to double up on hugs and kisses?

Please say a quick prayer for the group going on the trip this weekend. SAFETY, of course! And an overall wonderful time!

My Littlest Brother Got Himself Married!

There really is very little better than a family weekend. But adding a wedding - and as a result a sister - to the mix is pretty fantastic.

Our drive to Chicago went so smoothly I told Derek I thought it another simple sign that Erik and Rebecca are meant to be! haha. Jack slept the entire time and Marie got an okay nap and sat quietly the rest of the time.

 

At the hotel we got some swimming in before the rehearsal.

 I spent the entire time with my kids, trying to rally them and keep them out of trouble. So for me the rehearsal was a little chaotic, but since it was super short, I think it went very smoothly for everyone else!

 Honestly, I was a little nervous about this wedding because it was nothing like the typical wedding in this family. It was an ALL DAY affair. With Derek in the wedding party and the wedding itself starting right in the middle of nap time, a lot of prayer preceded!

Jack sustaining 2nd degree burns from grabbing my hair straightener an hour and a half before start time did not help matters... at all.

But praise the Lord, he finally quieted down just in time for us to sneak into the front row. Marie didn't quite make it all the way down the aisle. My only real regret. I should have been back there encouraging her to go but I was hoping having Paw-Paw, Uncle Erik, Uncle Kyle, and Daddy all up front beckoning her would be enough. Oh well. She made it down for the rehearsal!

It was a beautiful ceremony. And even though there were plenty of stressful moments (for me) at the reception, it was overall a wonderful time! And what made it all the more wonderful was chatting with Derek afterwards about how much fun they had as a wedding party in the limo and during pictures. It all was totally worth it knowing that my new sis-in-law got her dream wedding and my littlest brother got his dream girl.

Derek managed to get Jack to sleep. I'm pretty sure he would have slept straight through the night right there on the floor.

And now my baby girl can't stop talking about getting married like Aunt Rebecca and flying away in a helicopter!

We were so blessed and grateful to be a part of this day. We paid for gas and that was it!! What a blessing! And we're so excited to spend some quality time with my baby brother and his new wife in the near future!