Fourth Anniversary

Yesterday, Todd and I celebrated our fourth anniversary.  Long enough where it feels like we're not newlyweds but at the same time, our life together has truly flown...a true whirlwind.  Having kids has done that to me...the days feel long...full of getting little creatures ready for the day, to school, three meals, snacks, baths, play time and shopping for them, too.  But the years FLY BY.  It truly seems like I just had Adam and got engaged and I've already been married four years.  I also think because I am married to the right person, time is different.  Life no longer feels like a time clock I'm punching until I can retire.  Now, I worry about making time last.  It's not perfect, but I am living the life I want to live with the people I want to live it with.  That is really, really worth celebrating.

After dropping Adam off at school, Abbey, Ellie and I brought Todd two apple fritters from Tim Horton's, exactly what I grabbed him on our wedding day.  He told me I was goofy, but I know he liked it.  He likes that I am sentimental about silly things.

I took these two photos yesterday, the only ones from our anniversary day.  Last night, we  did celebrate.  I made Todd stuffed shells, which turned out really well and I got a Cake Boss cake at Price Chopper, which was overpriced, but was actually better, I think than the one we got at his bakery in NJ, though, as Todd pointed out, it probably had way more preservatives!  But I had been running around cooking, taking care of Ellie and keeping the other two kids alive so I didn't have the camera out.  

After we picked Adam up from school, I stopped at this mini-playground at the fort.  Forever it's just been an old school metal slide, but they added a protective cap to the now dangerous slide and two swings.  It's a good spot for a short play time.  Nice to get a photo of them both looking at the camera!

Little Ellie, sleepy, so I left her right in the car (it's right next to the swings) with the door open and she fell asleep right after I took this photo.  Todd surprised me with tickets to 50 Shades of Grey, the musical when he got home.  I had said I wanted to see it, but I wasn't expecting it as we haven't done a ton of big gifts for our anniversary...I was pretty excited!  I LOVE our date nights and I LOVE going to the theatre!

Since we knew it would be hard to take the crew out to dinner on a Friday, Todd wanted to take us out earlier in the week.  We talked about going up to Delmonico's on Wednesday, but his day is too long and the kids are a lot...and I was having an AWFUL DAY.  I debated whether or not to go out at all, but in the end I had hoped doing so would turn things around.  It didn't.  We went to Bridie Manor because it's never crowded and the kids were all doing normal kid things...but I was just having one of those days were everything grated on my nerves EVERYTHING.  The food was so-so.  And Abbey wanted to dance because the last time we were there, it was a wedding reception and she danced the night away!  Ellie with her Daddy.  It's a crummy photo, but I like it.  Ellie is growing up SO FAST.

For some reason, Adam thought it would be funny to do this when I took his photo.  Doesn't he look grown up, too?

Ellie was going for Todd's water glass.  She tasted a sip or two.  I was told to start giving her rice cereal.  Not A BABY ANYMORE!

I grabbed this photo of my Abbey, who was giving me agina that day.  Oh, my girl!

I loved that Todd wanted to take me out, knowing it was kind of crazy day.  He wanted to make sure I had a night out.  I thought it was very sweet and I appreciate how hard he tries to make things special.  It's not what he does exactly, but the effort he puts in is really, really thoughtful.  I am more in love with him now than ever.  I wish we had more time together, but I remind myself that will happen soon enough when our kids are all over the place with school, their friends and activities.  And I love the family we have created.  Adam was asking us about what an anniversary really is...it isn't quite when our family started...we started that before our wedding day...but Todd told him it's the day we decided to commit ourselves forever.  We talked to each other, after, about how marriage is almost becoming outdated, but we're romantics.  I think choosing to stay together is more romantic than in the old days where people just stayed married because of cultural pressure.  We choose to stay together because we love each other...and out family.  The Butlers est. 2009 :)