To my husband...

The eighth anniversary isn't really a "big" one; it's not as exciting as the first or as impressive as the fiftieth. But it is another year, another occasion to remember God's faithfulness to us as a couple and His blessings on our family as it's grown. 

In the decade since we started dating, we've traveled the world, lived on three continents and welcomed four new lives into our family. 

Summer 2003 - we started dating

I love him so much I married him twice - first in Canada and (this photo) in Brazil. 

We have shared so much in the past years; joys and sorrows, laughter and tears, ups and downs. And through it all I feel so blessed to have had you by my side.

Travel is so much easier without kids (well, with one it's pretty easy...)

We've had a lot of adventures, the biggest one, of course, becoming parents. We do make pretty cute babies, if I say so myself.

I can't wait to see what our future holds. 

Love you honey,

Your wife

Friday's Letters - I should have known

My hubby likes to down-play things and then surprise me later. For instance, just before we became engaged, he spent several days trying to convince me that the whole idea of engagement rings was out-dated and ridiculous - why did I need a shiny, diamond filled symbol of our love and commitment? Of course, he'd already bought a ring months before that my mom (who he hadn't even met in person yet) had already seen, thanks to MSN messenger and a web link. While I wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or serious about the ring thing, it did make our engagement "event" a lot more special.

So over the last few years, I've learned that I don't have to "remind" David of any big events or give subtle (or not so subtle) hints for upcoming occasions. I'd rather keep my expectations low and be surprised by his thoughtfulness. He doesn't disappoint. :) 

 I guess it also helps that I'm not too high maintenance? Ask David if he agrees with that statement. 

After writing yesterday about how we usually keep V-day pretty low-key, David arrived home with roses, chocolate and other goodies. One was a Subway sandwich, which is one of our favorite quick lunches (not available everywhere in Brazil). The other was a set of "Mommy" stuff - an anti-stretch line cream, a soothing gel for legs and feet (even more reason for a good foot rub!) and a sweet smelling perfume. Along with a sweet card of course. Can you guess what ILYMIW means?

So today I'm dedicating my "Friday's Letters" to my one and only Valentine, David - 

Honey, this year we will celebrate 8 years of marriage, and a decade of knowing each other. We've lived on three continents, experiencing the different cultures and countries where we each grew up. You are a faithful and constant partner, a loving husband and a wonderful father. 

There are too many things to thank you for, but I will mention a few - I love the way you can't resist the kids' requests for snuggles at any time of the day or night. You love to lavish them with toys and remember all their odd requests. I love to hear you explaining to Lucas about God, His word and making Jesus a real presence in our home. 

Thank you for making so many phone calls for me that I'd rather not make. Thank you for encouraging my various creative pursuits and reading my blog. Thank you for being a voice of reason and logic when it sometimes defies me or I'm tempted to rush into something. Thank you for surprising me. 

I look forward to many, many more years of surprises.

ILYMIW!

Taara

When there is no Denny's

If we had our way, we'd celebrate this Valentine's Day with a big breakfast out at Denny's or IHop or another "breakfast" type place. With two small kids it's hard to get out for big date nights and I'm usually tired by the time we get them to bed anyways. So since the kids are in preschool in the mornings, a breakfast date is a great time for us to get away.

Unfortunately, we have no Denny's or IHop around here. Brazilians aren't really into the big breakfast scene. So we went for the next best thing, a nice Padaria (Bakery) where we could sit down for some fresh orange juice, croissants, sweet bread and cappuccino. 

A nice breakfast date, chocolate kisses from me to the hubs (but you can bet I'm going to steal a few)
and a shot of me at almost 23 weeks. 

February 14th is not Valentine's Day here in Brazil. We have actually just come off the famous "Carnaval" holiday, which happens right before the beginning of Lent. (We don't really celebrate Carnaval either.) It is a huge deal here in Brazil and we actually have another version of Valentine's Day on June 12th. While we are not big V-day celebrators, it's nice to do something small. And the June 12th celebration comes right around our anniversary (June 11) so we always do something to mark that day as well. 

It is quite nice to "celebrate" without all the commercialisation of the holiday. No stress, just time to enjoy each other's company in the absence of small (and continuous) voices, and talk about names for our babies. :) 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!