Today we went pumpkin picking and after we took our family picture I joked with Joe that if we looked back at the previous years, he probably would be wearing the same flannel. As I went back to gather the proof I was surprised, not only to see he wasn’t wearing his trusty flannel – but how much we have grown over the years.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Going back to 2007, I would never have given the answer of, married with two children – that’s for sure! It’s crazy to see all the beautiful things we have brought into our lives.

Tomorrow the little man starts daycare. I can’t believe that our time at home is over and I’m sad that our baby days are going by so quickly. I know he’ll be in good hands, I just wish they were mine. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!

What comes around goes around. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Good deed brings fortune; bad deed brings misfortune. Karma’s a bitch. The sayings go on and on and sadly they all apply to our life right now.

They say opposites attract but weirdly Joe & I are pretty darn similar, both as adults and especially as children. We are both outgoing, hard workers who grew up in small towns surrounded by family, loved sports & the outdoors and most importantly weren’t the greatest of kids.

I never shut up; he was a loud mouth. He craved attention; I found a way to be the center of it. I hated to miss out on things; he was nosy. He had a hard time focusing; I was constantly on the move. I try to remind myself of these things every time I’m frustrated with Ella…it came from somewhere! I have said a million times over, “I have never seen a little girl act like this!” To which my mother responds, “I have…you!”

To this day we struggle to go out for dinner because Ella can barely sit down long enough for us to be greeted by the server. She’s immediately standing in the booth to see what else is going on. I found myself asking, “who stands in the booth?!” Please see exhibit A—>

Ella gets excited about everything and I mean everything. I prefer this over the alternative of her caring about nothing however her jumping, screaming and shouting over the smallest things makes it a little challenging for Will’s sleep schedule. As a child I was the same way and like Ella my excitement usually clouded my ability to make good decisions. I remember going to a friends birthday celebration once and I was so overcome with excitement that I sat on the cake when we got in the car! So embarrassing.

I’m still looking for photos of me misbehaving as a child, and I’m sure there are many to choose from but the moral of the story is – Ella is our kid. She has taken the “best” of both of us and blended it into one “special” little package. She is everything we deserve!