Happy 5th Anniversary…

I cannot believe I am saying 5th anniversary! It feels like only yesterday Shaun and I were married. This is a special year not just because its our 5th but also because it falls on the exact day of our wedding. At this time five years ago I was getting up and enjoying the calm with my sister, Sarita, and Tommie. I was packing up my bags making sure that some made it to Shaun’s room, which was our suite and the rest went with me. We left around 11am and headed to the salon to get our hair and makeup done. Unbeknownst to me, a large brush fire had started causing traffic and road closures. Everyone was worried about telling me but when they did, they were shocked to see a still calm and unaffected bride. I was getting married and as long as Shaun was there waiting for me, nothing else mattered. I weathered the storm and kept myself focused on what mattered most, my soon to be husband.

Not much has changed since then. When the road gets tough and we are faced with challenges, I try to to worry because I know I have Shaun right there with me. He is the cool, calm and level headed person that balances my often emotional and reactive personality. In my mind we are a perfect match and after five years our relationship is better and stronger then it was before.

Luckily the year leading up to our 5th Anniversary has been a bit more tame then it has in the past. Since we celebrated our fourth anniversary we have…

• Celebrated Ellie’s 1st Birthday and watched her grow. In that year she has learned to talk, speak in sentences, count, learned a few colors and teach us a lot about patience. Yes, she is our go getter and our tester. She loves to test us and can cause some frustration but her smile, hugs and her love of cuddling with mommy makes it all worth it and then some.
• My dear friends Mackenzie and Jeff were married on July 17th, 2011.  I was a bridesmaid but even more importantly Abby was a flower girl! This was her first time being a flower girl and she loved every moment of it. She still talks about it and asks when she can see handsome Grady again!
• Abby enjoyed her very first Broadway show… Mary Poppins. We took Grandma Zoe for her birthday and Abby had a blast. She watched every minute of it and was such a little lady. She even sang along to all the songs that she knew!
• Our house on Hatillo Avenue finally sold. It was sad to say goodbye since I loved that house (just wished it was in a different location) but I know we will be on to bigger things soon!
• Abby celebrated her 3rd Birthday and she has grown by leaps and bounds since. Abby is learning so much it amazes me. While she is still just learning to write she has memorized all of her alphabet and is now working on numbers. She loves to sing and she loves music. Listening to her sing a long to Adele’s “21” album always makes me smile and giggle.
• Abby and Ellie went Trick or Treating for the very first time and loved it! We only did a small portion of the Auntie Jen’s neighborhood but that made them completely happy.
• Abby began her first year of dance classes! Mommy is very proud and it looks like Ellie is taking a liking to it as well! We will have to start her next year though because she is still too little.
• We enjoyed another trip at Christmas time trip to Montana.This time we came home with a messed up bumper thanks to a nutty old lady in Dillon Montana. Abby and Ellie didn’t get to see as much snow as they would have liked, but we still had the chance to walk around on Main Street, enjoy the Museum of the Rockies and Shaun and I had several days to ourselves. One of which found us in Yellowstone!
• Abby had her first bee sting! Happy to report that she is not allergic!
• Shaun and I took our first extended trip without the girls and headed to San Francisco. We missed them very much but it was wonderful to get away and enjoy the time together and I had the chance to see my best friend. I haven’t seen her since Abby’s baby shower in 2008! It had been far too long!
• Shaun and I had the chance (twice actually) to greet the LA Kings as they came home from series wins, the first time after completing Round 1 of the playoffs and the second after the Kings won the Western Conference!
• We took Abby for her very first haircut! I shed a few tears but it was worth it!
• And last but not least… as an early anniversary present… THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!! Best present ever!