January 2, 2020

Now that we’re in 2020, I’ve loved reading all of the “decade” posts. Each post has inspired me to think back on the last ten years.

The last decade has been the best years of my life.

This time in 2010 I was just a couple of months away from giving birth to our second son. I remember the night I was going into the hospital to be induced. It was the night we had a small party for Kylan because he was turning 2 years old! The weekend before, we had his construction themed birthday party. Still to this day, that party was one of my favorites.

I snagged my first substituting job and was quickly promoted to a teachers assistant where I worked hard for 6 years. I can’t believe that the kiddos in the first class I ever had are now 12 and 13 years old.

Life was a blur for a few years and then Jordan and I got married. One of my favorite memories was our first night together. After our wedding we didn’t leave town to go on a honeymoon. Instead we went on our first ever grocery shopping trip and spent our first night together in our new home. Our home that Jordan and his mom had spent weeks decorating and getting ready for us. I can still remember how the house smelled when we walked in for the first time.

A few months after our wedding day we got the surprise of our lives. We were expecting a baby girl. She was born 3 days after our 1 year wedding anniversary.

We moved to Tennessee in a sweet little house with a wrap around porch. Klara took her first steps, celebrated her first birthday party, and I started a blog.

I maintained a 4.0 GPA in college while working full time and raising our babies. That will forever be one of my greatest achievements.

After some major life changes and 6 years of a great job, we moved back into the home we lived in when we first got married. The little white house on the corner with the red front door and a huge backyard.

I was able to stay home with Klara until she started school. That was something I had always dreamed of doing and my husband gave me that opportunity. I spent mornings getting the boys to school, sipping coffee, folding laundry and washing dishes. I grocery shopped, cooked dinner each night, and baked peanut butter cookies and peach cobblers.

Once Klara started school I was offered my dream job and loved every minute of teaching Pre-K. It sounds cliche, but I was living my childhood dream. Every second I spent in my classroom was a dream come true. Lesson plans, planning small group activities, spending too much money on Teachers Pay Teachers, using my teacher library card, labeling and laminating are what my dreams were always made of and it was my reality.

After constant prayers and a whole lot of contemplating, I made the decision to accept a position in special education. I absolutely love what I do for a living and if I could turn back time, there’s nothing I would do differently when it comes to my career.

In the past decade Jordan accomplished so much. He managed a company, but ultimately decided to accept a position that offered more money once Klara was born. He has been working hard for more than 5 years and was promoted to supervisor. He is the most hardworking man I know.

We have went on so many family vacations. Myrtle Beach, Gatlinburg, Maryland, the Outer Banks, Destin, and Pigeon Forge to name a few.

We have made so many traditions with our babies. Family movie night is our favorite.

Our kids have had so many amazing opportunities and I am so thankful for that. They have seen Nashville, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Baltimore, and so much more. They had the time of their lives at Great Wolf Lodge, they have put their feet in the ocean, and have rode on a trolley. They have seen dolphins and held an alligator. Kylan has traveled on an airplane and has went to numerous college football games.

Kylan has went through 9 years of school already (counting Head Start and Pre-K) and Koby has made it through 7. They both have made honor roll more times than I can count. Kylan was one of the few kids recognized in the school district for his compassion for others and Koby has been one of the top 10 accelerated readers in his grade.

We have watched Kylan dribble a basketball down the basketball court since he was 6 years old. We have seen him run more bases, make more tackles and 3 pointers than we could count. Things I never thought he would be able to do because he was a patient at Shriners hospital for many years. Read more about Kylan’s story here.

Kylan was hospitalized for 10 days, 5 of those were spent in ICU. I thought I knew fear and heartache before his hospitalization, but the truth is you will never experience heartache like you do when a team of doctors tell you your child’s health is deteriorating and that they can’t explain why. It’s one of a parents worst nightmares.

Koby has taught us so much about so many different things, from Sonic to Mario to Nintendo Switch hacks. This past decade brought many challenges with behaviors, meltdowns, IEP meetings and an autism diagnosis. It also brought us to the absolute best school with the most accepting and accommodating teachers.

Klara has played soccer and went to ballet camp. She took ballet and had the sweetest recitals I’ve ever seen. She took swim lessons, graduated Pre K, and she had the time of her life at cheer camp.

Some of the decades best memories are our babies being involved at church. Vacation bible school, movie nights, dinners, and youth events. Kylan being baptized was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Jordan and I have binge watched so many shows over the past decade. Cuddling on the couch with him is something that I’ll never get tired of. We spent a weekend away and reconnected when we needed it the most. We went to a show in Chattanooga. We fell in love with maple bacon donuts in the Outer Banks. We have ate entirely too many steak tacos at Outback Steakhouse and too many slices of oatmeal cake at our favorite bakery.

So much has happened in the past decade. If only time would slow down a little so I can savor every minute.