I Chose You.

"I Chose You" is a very simple phrase that was said to me by my husband last night and will stay with my for a lifetime.  The timing was perfect without even knowing it. Feeling "chosen" is am amazing feeling and while I know wholeheartedly that we chose each other to share our lives with, there are moments that are made much easier when you are gently and innocently reminded of that. An entire weekend of no sessions, no golf, sleeping in until 10am, working together on the nursery, and lots of family time was what this heart of mine needed more than anything! And hearing "I Chose You" Sunday evening while walking our pup in the crazy wind was the cherry on top.  

Since I will be very pregnant, this Christmas will be the first holiday (aside from Thanksgiving when I was studying abroad in Ireland and one Christmas that we stayed in California and spent with Ryan's family) since I was born, that I am not headed home and celebrating with immediate and extended family. It was a logical, safe, and doctor recommended decision, but it was also a very hard one.  What does a child of 6 do on Christmas Eve without her gramma, parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews around her do?!?!  I like...ok, I love traditions and breaking this one has been weighing on my mind.  Luckily my parents are the most understanding and loving parents I could ask for and while I am sure they are upset to not have the three of us there on Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with their other children, they understand 100% and cannot wait to meet their grandson! Thanksgiving will be extra special for me this year, so family, you all better be there! I understand if you can't be there, but please try your hardest!   

This Christmas we are staying in our home and making memories of our own with our little family. I have grand plans of matching PJs, Hot Cocoa & Beer (for Ryan), Christmas treats, a Christmas Movie and hopefully a little Grinch performance by my main squeeze!  He's really really good at it and I cry happy tears thinking of kids gathered on his lap giggling in years to come while he imitates the Grinch voice!  Other traditions will be started this year, but we will decide them as a family over the next month or so!  Hearing "I Chose You" made staying home for Christmas and making our own memories a good thing, a happy thing, an exciting thing.  It's a change for sure and no doubt we will be calling and facetiming/skyping with family and I am sure there will be some tears shed by yours truly, but we will be making memories, surrounded by love, and we will have our first Christmas in Virginia Beach as a family of three...maybe four.  Who knows when our little New Years Bundle will decide to debut?!    

Ryan has no idea how much that meant and means to me (well until he reads this blog post), but baby, it means the world!!  I love you and am so glad we chose each other to make memories, share hardships and joys, create a family, and brave this crazy world!  You are my best friend and my lover, my shoulder to cry on and the one I run to with an insane amount of excitement.  You are my rock. Let's make some memorable and super awesome traditions to share with our kidlets for years to come!

Oh and Baby, I still Choose you!!!

"I Choose You" by Sarah Bareilles

Much love.