The husband and the wife

I love this guy.

This self-portrait of us was taken up in the mountains several days ago.

Doesn't matter what we're doing, we have a good time. 

{Reminds me of one of our favorite lines EVER from A Mighty Wind.  "If you punched a hole in them, you'd have a good time."  Hahahaha.  I know, it's not really funny if you don't know the context.  And if you haven't seen Christopher Guest's movies, you have to.  You just do.}

Lately I've been thinking about how it's really, really nice to be on this here life journey with somebody.  I spend a lot of time bouncing ideas off of Kevin (who is generally more than happy to listen and offer input when I want it).  We talk about parenting and current events and various other random stuff that no one in the world probably cares about but us.  :)  And when something isn't going well...an adoption, or an issue with one of our kids...I am not alone.  I feel so blessed.

I always knew that I wanted to get married someday.  I didn't necessarily envision becoming a wife at age 20--I assumed it would be later--but then I met Kevin, and visions of being his young bride began taking up space in my mind.  :)  And, I'm really glad.  No stage of my married life would have been better spent unmarried.  Not one.  I think God gives each of us a role to fill, and for some that is the role of wife and mother.  That's obviously what I've been given to do and live out.  It's pretty much all I do, and I'm okay with that.  Most days, it feels like plenty!

In all fairness, I WILL admit that being a mother is more work than I thought it would be.  :)  Not even so much physical work, but emotional work.  Mental effort.  Working through problems and solutions.  Trying to be intentional.  Loving even when I'm tired.  Choosing to be patient.  Doing everything in my power to place my trust in God, even when I want to be in control and have all the answers.  Being a "wife", on the other hand, doesn't seem like a ton of work, in and of itself, but I think it's all connected to the "mother" part.  Doing the work of a mother is ultimately doing the work of a wife, and vice versa.  Becoming a mom made me a much, much better wife.  Becoming a mom to many has made me a better wife, for that matter.

And, I really like being Kevin's wife.  He makes me happy.  And he's a good guy.  I suppose I primarily think of myself as a mom, because that is what takes up most of my time.  But I'm a wife too, and I have a husband who is pretty great.  And we took our picture up in the mountains and there aren't even any little ones in it, save for the top of Mary's head in the Ergo.  A monumental occasion, I think!

So I'm documenting it here.  Us.  In the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  And if all you saw was this photo, you'd never really know that there were a bunch of kids at our feet, exploring the woods and searching for bears.