10 great years

My (our) 10 year anniversary is coming up real soon, on october 3rd 2008. i must admit i'm a little nervous that it's not going to be much. i know it's just a day, but it's a big day to me. it's a reminder of the wonderful things that have happened to me in the past 10 years. I just had a walk down memory lane, I love this lane, i would move and stay in it forever if i could. but i know if i want memories, i have to live in the present. 10 years ago on october 3rd 1998 at 10am (what were we thinking) I walked down the isle to give my heart forever to the greatest man in the world. I think back now, and oh the things I would change on that day, the colors, the flowers, the photographer, most likely everything, except the man I married. I would have new friends be apart of that day, and not have some of the others. We defiantly would have new groomsmen, some of you get this. I remember planning for this day, I was so young, honestly alls I wanted to do was get married, I would marry him in a courthouse, I just wanted to be his. that is why we had an early reception because I wanted to spend the evening with just him. I loved that day, the feeling of knowing forever I would be Mrs. Keri Dummerth. Over the past 10 years we have filled these years, not leaving one empty thing. As I looked at pictures, I remembered our very first Christmas, only a week before finding out we were having a baby. We didn't waste anytime. Waking up that morning with presents under the tree, so excited to give them to each other. Spending the day with family. over the next 9 months we spent preparing for the birth of Brennan. We looked like children ourself, we had so many people surrounding us that big day on August 15th 1999. We went through job changes, and bringing Brennan on the road, leaving him for weekends with grandparents (i was young this would never work for me now) finding out that I was pregnant, again right before Brennan's 1st birthday in 2000. Still traveling on the road, and I remember begging Benji to leave this job, so I could be home with Brennan, and soon our new baby. He loved the job, getting to see new cities, and be around his friends all the time, I was miserable, and he laid it all down, went back to throwing papers for our family. I wonder if he knows, to this day, how much that meant to me. We got back settled into our normal life wondering how in the world we were going to make it with 2 children. In 2001 we welcomed Leighton, to our family, and how perfect I thought everything was. A boy and a girl, one for me and one for him. It was great. We moved into a new house (the one we are still in) and we had so much room. But soon we would fill this house, we didn't realize it yet. I remember going back to work when Leighton was 6 months old. We had it made then, I was getting busy and making good money, and then I begged you for just one more baby, the only one we planned (at this point) This one took us a little longer, I think we tried for 6 months or so, I can't remember, but I do remember when we finally conceived. In 2003 we conceived and would give birth to another baby boy. It was a busy year. When Hayden was born, I really thought that this was the perfect family. I didn't go back to work, because 3 was very busy. I'll never forget the day we found out about child #4, right after our anniversary in october in 2004, not once since we had been married did the idea of a baby scare or upset me, like this one did. I felt somewhat complete, and I felt as if I lost control. I thought I still had a baby, since Hayden wasn't even a year yet, and I really wanted to enjoy my little family. I just went back to work again. I remember bringing the pregnancy test down to Benji, I slammed it on the steps, and cried, and stared at the wall for an hour. I remember Benji saying it's o.k. that everything was going to be good, and he was excited. A miracle had happened right before my eyes, Benji was excited about another baby. I forgot to mention when I told him about Brennan and Leighton, I thought he was going to run away. I soon got put into my place when the doctor called to tell me I needed to be careful, because my progesterone was low, and I could mis carry. I prayed, and prayed that this one be my little miracle, and boy was he. Cohen was born with some scare behind it in july of 2005. He was a daddy's boy from the very beginning. In 2006 we lost a baby, I was 9 weeks pregnant, we hadn't planned, but we were very happy about this baby. God was my strength through this. I never realized how painful a miscarriage was, it was a tough time. It made us realize that one more baby in our lives would make our family feel complete. So we began to try for our 5th one, it took us a few months to conceive , I prayed that she would be a girl, I believed it so much that I think everyone thought I was crazy. I remember people saying it's a boy, i just know it, and I would look at them and say It's a girl I just know it. Ashlyn was our dream, born June of 2007, I later found out that Dream, vision, is what her name means. Isn't God so good. Since Ashlyn has been born we have grown in so many ways, my husband has become my focus, and our children our priority. I have really lived this year looking forward to our 10 year, because of the excitement of our last 10 years. It has a lot of meaning behind it for me, the last 10 years were building for what the next years of our lives will be about. I am so proud of our marriage, and the road we have been on. This has been the best journey to get to this point, and I know there are so many more years to come. In 2008 we will celebrate our 10 year! I guess no matter what happens on that day, it's not about one day it's about the days that led up to it. I doesn't matter how we celebrate, it only matters what we celebrate it about. US!!! Our love, that gave us all of this!