5 Wonderful Years

*I'm really a week behind on this post, but I wanted to make sure that it was just right before posting.

On Saturday, June 23, Daniel and I celebrated five years of wedded bliss. As I look back, the two people that stood at the altar before God and witnesses in 2007 are so much different than the two people who stand before you today. Five years ago, I could not have imagined the life that we now have. Fortunately, God is much better at molding my future than my imagination is. Each new year brings us closer to God and to each other.

Our first year of marriage was definitely an eye opener. Up until marriage, the only man I had lived with was my dad; and dad isn't your typical man. He can clean better than most women:) So, I had to learn quickly that he was not dad and that he did not pick up after himself. I learned that nagging does not make him pick up his clothes. A few months after we married, I lost my job; and we lost a good chunk of our income. Finances were tight, but it was amazing to watch God provide for us. He provided all our needs and most of our wants.

Our second year of marriage marked the start of Daniel's last year of college. During this time, God saw fit for me to return to my old job just as Daniel had to quit his job. Since he had to do his internship during the Spring of 2009, he had to quit his full time job and begin a part time job. The church was able to hire him as maintenance while he completed his pastoral internship. I watched Daniel grow in the Lord, and he was truly happy being in the ministry.

Our third year of marriage started off with Daniel graduating and going on staff at the church. We didn't expect much excitement that year, but that quickly changed. In December, we found out that we were expecting our first child. We were both excited and ready to be parents. A week or so after the positive pregnancy test, our ultrasound revealed that we would not be having one child, but two! And the adventure began! At 28 weeks, on May 26, my doctor told me that I needed to be on bedrest. So, once again, we would be without my pay check. This also placed a lot of responsibility on Daniel's shoulders. Not only did he have to work his job, but he also had to take care of things at home. He cooked, cleaned, and took care of me.

We started our fourth year of marriage; and almost exactly a month later, we welcomed into this world Peter and Titus. Shortly after their arrival, things drastically changed at church. The only thing that kept us going was our boys. Daniel had to take a second job at Rivertown Ford in order to pay bills. God has blessed Daniel with an uncanny ability to retain car facts, and he has become a wonderful, honest car salesman. Just a month before our fourth anniversary, we found out that we would be expecting our third child. I was pleasantly surprised and was ready for the challenge of three under two.

We celebrated our fourth year of marriage and began our fifth year of marriage with much anticipation for the new baby. However, our world stopped on July 6. God saw fit to take our precious baby home to be with Him. Our hearts broke as we learned the news, but God was faithful and brought us through that hard time. Unfortunately, this year of marriage was marked with several losses of family and close friends. Daniel lost his grandpa, and we lost two very dear friends this past year. Our bright spot was in March when we found out that once again we were expecting. We were a little scared and waited to tell the church till we thought it was safe. However, we learned a very important lesson that life is fragile even when you think it's safe. On May 5, we said good bye to our fourth child. We thought that this would be our "take home baby," but God remained faithful to us as we mourned another loss. God's love, grace and mercy carried us through this year of marriage.

As we end our fifth year of marriage and begin our sixth year of marriage, our hearts are still heavy, but we know that God is in control. He has great things planned for the Slavy family, and we will remain faithful to Him. He promises us in Psalm 37:3-5: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." We will trust in Him, we will delight in Him, and we will commit our way unto Him.

Changing the Norm

I've started on a quest to change the norm in my house. Unfortunately, at 6 months old, Titus contracted RSV and was hospitalized for 4 days in January of 2011. Ever since then, he has a reoccurring cough that will not completely go away. A couple of weeks ago, I began looking at what was under my kitchen sink: Scrub Free with bleach, Spic & Span, Lysol Kitchen cleaner, and several other harsh chemicals. I've always been one who has to smell the bleach in order to believe it's truly clean. As I was pondering on my cleaning supplies, I heard Titus coughing again. At that moment, it struck me that maybe, just maybe, the chemicals in our house could be aggravating his respiratory system.

Since then, I have begun my journey to chemical free living. I've already made my own stain remover, anti-itch gel, and vinegar/baking soda cleaners. I'm waiting on my essential oils to come from Amazon.com to complete my laundry detergent, my homemade deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner. I plan to be completely chemical free in a month. I bought a natural baby wash because I didn't like any of the recipes that I found online and am going to try to find a natural wash for Dan and I (hopefully, something that doesn't break the bank).

If my grandparents and great-grandparents were able to keep clean houses and families without the chemicals, I should be able to also. It just takes a little extra time to make everything. Of course, the added blessing is that making my own cleaners saves me money. That means...a new pair of shoes:)

On another note...I finally pulled out the boys pool and cleaned it up. They had so much fun playing in the water. I wish I had a big pool for them; but alas, we have no back yard for it. In fact, the small kiddie pool was on the sidewalk leading up to the front stoop. It was loads of fun nonetheless:)

Life

To be honest, I really haven't felt much like writing which is why I haven't posted in a month. Do you ever just have some of those days that you feel like you're walking around in a haze? Well, that's been me lately. I guess it's just girly hormones taking over. The past month has been full of milestones, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for all of them.

Milestone #1 - The one month mark of my 2nd miscarriage: While I know God is in control through everything, an empty womb still hurts. This week, I should be 14 weeks, and I'm nearing the 1 year anniversary of my 1st miscarriage. I've given God control and am trying not to take it back. However, relinquishing control is not easy for me, just ask my husband! God has a wonderful plan for Daniel and me, and I just have to let Him set it in motion and keep it in motion.

Milestone #2 - Turning 30: I'm now half way to 60:( I remember thinking that at 30 I would be a sophisticated adult. However, I still don't feel like an adult, and I certainly don't feel sophisticated except on Sunday. On Sunday, I wear my sophisticated high heels even though it's hard to carry the boys while wearing them. It's my one "me" thing during the week:) My family and friends did throw my a wonderful surprise party. It made my day to know that they care:) And so far, 30 hasn't been too bad. I've got a few aches and pains, but I think those are due to carrying 2 almost 30 pound toddlers.

Milestone #3 - The boys speaking in complete sentences: In the last week, they have both started speaking in sentences. Now, I'm the only one that really understands what they're saying, but they're getting it. Their developing speech is exciting, but it is also a reminder that they're growing up. They are now insistent on doing things all by themselves, and I have to let them even though I really want to keep doing it for them. Who knew that I'd be sad over their independence?!?! Titus has even started climbing out of his crib; so, I guess we'll be switching to twin beds soon. On a side note...do you realize how expensive bedding is for kids? And I don't want cartoon bedding, just something that definitely looks like it should be in a boy's room.

Milestone #4 - 5 years of marriage: June 23 will be 5 years of marriage, and it just doesn't feel like it's been that long. We're starting the kindergarten year of marriage:) He truly has provided so much love and security over the past 5 years, and I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else. He's my rock!! And I think he's almost fully Southern. I've just got to get him to start drinking sweet tea.

My silly boys:)