How can a decade pass so quickly?

While it doesn't seem like it was yesterday, it sure doesn't feel like it's been ten whole years since our wedding day! Little could I have known on June 1, 1996, what the next ten years held. In ten years we've:

Travelled (Italy, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Costa Rica, China...too many places to list!)

Earned 3 advanced degrees between us (Master's for me, MS & Dental for Andy)

Lived in 5 different places (UC, two places in Houston, Okinawa, Fort Worth)

Purchased several cars (while we miss our little Oki cars we love our Odyssey!)

Become parents (the hardest yet most fulfulling thing we've done yet...our sons are such a precious gift from God to us)

Grown even more in love with each other.

To those of you who were there to celebrate our union ten years ago, thank you for your continued love, support, and friendship. To those whom we have met in the last ten years, thank you for sharing this journey for us. And to those whom we are yet to meet, carpe diem!

Our little Christian...

It's Christian's turn to be bragged about. He just turned 18 months old on Friday the 21st, but he thinks he's much older. He wants to do everything that Dominic does...including play T-ball...and can't understand why he can't tag along. His vocabulary stuns us. Just last week he said "I want dinosaur party." He rarely talks baby talk, and his speech is surprisingly clear. He does a good job letting us know what he wants, especially when it comes to food. Each morning he will tell me what he wants to eat. Usually it's "I want sausage", but sometimes it's "I want pancakes" or "I want egg". (How quickly they master the "I want..." statements, don't they?) He repeats almost everything you say and retains what he has learned. He amazes us!

Dominic to the rescue!!!

Just had to share what happened last night when I had the boys in the tub together. I left the water running as they both like to play with the water. Christian decided to pull on a mysterious silver knob and, to both their surprise, the shower came on and cold water was raining on them. Christian started screaming, and Dominic exclaimed "Oh my gosh!" as he jumped out of the tub. Once out, he turned to his little brother and said, "I help you!" He grabbed Christian and pulled him to safety, out of the tub. It was so touching to see his concern for his brother and his rush to help him, even though I was right there. It's days like this that I love being a mom.

April 1 & 2....what a weekend!

We had a busy but fun weekend! Saturday was a Japanese festival, and we were eager to reconnect with the culture we miss. While the location was beautiful (the Japanese Gardens at the Botanical Center) it was unlike any festival we ever attended in Okinawa. While Andy & I were disappointed at the absence of yakisoba and Orion birru, we enjoyed watching the boys feeding the large koi in the ponds. They had a great time!

On Sunday we visited with Thomas the Tank and even went for a ride! The boys were very surprised to see Thomas "live". They enjoyed the train ride, along with many of the other activities like bubble blowing and playing with trains. It was a fun day for all of us.

On a sad note, we lost two wonderful people this week. My grandfather passed away on Sunday, and Andy's uncle passed on Tuesday. They will both be greatly missed.

Sunshine & sweetness...

I changed the name of my blog today (and if you know me, it will be changed periodically) so I thought I'd explain what it means.

A friend once asked if I could use just one word to descibe my child, what would it be. It's so hard to think of just one word to describe each of my boys, but once I came up with something it kind of stuck. Don't worry, I don't call them these words out loud, just in my head.

Dominic is like sunshine. He has this energy about him that just makes me smile. He approaches everything with such joy and excitement. I love to watch him walk: he has this bounce to his step like he is truly living life and enjoying every minute of it.

Christian is sweetness. From the day he was born he's just been the sweetest, calmest baby. From his coy smile to his easy going manner to the way he says 'hi' to everyone who passes, he's just sweet. Not a day passes that someone doesn't comment on what a good baby he is.

Any other words you can think of to describe my amazing little boys?

Our recent big news is Andy's promotion! We are so happy for him and proud of him! He had a nice little ceremony at work, and Dominic got to put on his Daddy's new rank. They had practiced at home, and Dominic took his role very seriously. He stood on the table in front of everyone and was very focused on his task. Everyone commented on how cute it was.

Afterwards we had lunch at the clinic and enjoyed chatting with everyone. It was a memorable day!

A recent computer crash and the subsequent loss of many of my saved files gave me an excuse to try something new for my internet publishings. As much as I enjoyed creating and updating our webpage, I think this may be an easier way for me to share pics and news online. So I'll give it a try and see how it goes. You can tell me which you prefer...the web page or the blog!