We celebrated our 19th anniversary (a week later since we were sick the week of our anniversary!) with going out on a date. Here’s what I wrote the next day on Instagram:
He slept on the couch last night…
No, we didn’t have an argument (although, trust me, we’ve had plenty of arguments over the years), we had both been up and down with a child who kept waking up crying throughout the night and couldn’t seem to sleep. Finally, around 3:30 a.m., I sent him to the couch so he could sleep because I knew he needed to be out the door at 5:30 am to take Kaitlynn to an early skating lesson this morning.
This is love. This is what 19 years of marriage looks like.
It’s him sending me to bed early and staying up for Baby D’s last feed. It me sending him to the couch in the middle of the night so he can get more sleep.
It’s a random kiss in the middle of the kitchen on a routine Monday.
It’s laughing at the toddler’s antics together.
It’s crying together in the middle of the night over how much we miss Champ living with us.
It’s many countless conversations of what it looks to love bio mamas well.
It’s celebrating together every little win that Baby D has — many things that most no one else might even notice.
It’s late-night conversations about how to walk with our teens well.
It’s dreaming about the future and laughing about how we might have to wait another 5-10 years to go on a real anniversary trip together and that’s okay because these bonus babies are worth shelving plans for later.
It’s changing diapers and cleaning up throw up and cleaning up spilled tube feeds and administering meds and driving kids to lessons and practices and therapies and appointments so that he or I can have some time to do something soul-filling.
It’s inside jokes and whispering sweet nothings and flirting when the other least expects it.
It’s showing up when you don’t feel like it, staying when it would be easier to walk away, saying, “I still love you” on the hard days, and asking, “Will you forgive me?” when you messed up yet again.
It’s beautiful. It’s hard.
It’s wonderful. It’s messy.
It’s work. And it’s every bit worth it.
I’d marry you all over again, Jesse Paine. Thank you for 19 years of this wild adventure of life we’ve been on. Even though some days didn’t feel like it, every day has been a gift!
This girlie figured out how to take a chair from the kitchen table and move it over to the kitchen counter so she can help cook. Look out world! (Speaking of kids in the kitchen, watch this if you need a smile today!)
Oh and yes, that’s an alligator head on the ground that we got on a trip a number of years ago. It’s one of her favorite things to play with right now!
She loves taking care of her dolly and wanted her to get to play in Baby D’s activity center.
Time for a hair cut again!
I can’t believe how quickly his hair grows!
Post hair cut (not the best picture, but it’s all I ended up getting from the back! I took some cute pictures from the front and someday soon, I can’t wait to get to share pictures with his face!!)
I’ve struggled with a lot of anemia in my pregnancies (was hospitalized with anemia with Kaitlynn because my hemoglobin and platelets were so low and ended up having to be induced early because of it!) and have tried just about every natural remedy under the sun. The only things that consistently work for me are taking taking Slow-fe iron with orange juice, cooking in cast iron pans, and eating red meat.
I made a one-day trip to North Carolina to visit my sisters and have a little baby shower for my sister who is due soon!
The scenery was so pretty as we flew into NC!
My sister had made all of this yummy food!
Can you tell that the little boys helped unwrap the gifts?? The cat enjoyed the wrapping paper, too! 
My 8 Goals for This Week
Personal Goals
Reading Goals
Family Goals
Have a date night with Jesse.
Business/Blogging Goals
Write a post on my best tips for surviving the first trimester.Create on IG reel on my best tips for the first trimester.
Book Goals
Work on the Step-by-Step implementation plan for the end of the book.
My 10 Goals for This Week
Personal Goals
Reading Goals
Family Goals
- Take Kathrynne to a movie.
- Go on a date with Silas.
Business/Blogging Goals
- Write a post on How to Eat Out Less
- Create on IG reel on 5 Things I Do Every Morning.
Book Goals
- Finish the Step-by-Step implementation plan for the end of the book.
What are your goals for this week? Share them in the comments below.
