60 Greatest Love Stories

if you have a few minutes and a box of kleenex nearby, check out these touching stories about some of the greatest love stories of all time.  thanks for sharing, ally-bear!

me and d

tonight d and i were laying on the couch cuddling and he says to me, "i love you. more than you know. i'm sorry i don't tell you enough just how much you mean to me."  awh.... *sigh*  (he had been drinking all afternoon, but the message was nonetheless heartfelt and sincere.)  to which i replied, "it's ok, honey.  i tell you enough for the both of us."  we chuckled and enjoyed our time together until minishe climbed on d's back and exclaimed, "gittyup horsie!"  but i have had a few hours now to reflect on his words, and i have to admit, i don't hear those words enough from him and we stopped kissing goodnight years ago. but you know what?  i never have wondered how he feels about me.  i never have and i never will.

more about mini-she, mini-he

as you may have noticed, the address for my blog is minisheminihe... aptly named considering our children are truly the mini-versions of us.  with one very big exception: the major parts of their demeanor.  minihe is high strung and easily angered - me.  minishe is relaxed and pretty easygoing - definitely not  me.  it is interesting to observe how these dynamics are reflected in their relationships with us and with each other.  minihe and i are like oil and water most times; yet minishe and i could spend hours upon hours together.  the same could be said of their relationship with d, except in reverse.  minihe could spend hours outside, in the bobcat, riding in the combine or tractor with d and not have one single problem.  (he is, afterall, 3 years old)  now the girl and dad, after about an hour, she's had enough...  i am curious to see how these trends will manifest themselves in the years to come.  pretty sure (as i sit here watching them fight over farm animals) that it probably won't change until they are grown adults.  wish me luck!!

UPDATE:
It is fascinating to come back to these early posts two years later and realize just how much has changed!  I am about to have a 4 year old and 6 year old very soon!  

Minihe will start kindergarten in the fall, and is still interested in everything boy!  He wants to live in Duluth and be a country singer.  He adores Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Hunter Hayes.  He bites his nails like there is no tomorrow and has just discovered how sarcasm works.  Although we haven't started him in any organized sports, I think he'll do really well in wrestling, track, Tae Kwon Do or karate, boxing, swim team... anything where he can channel all that energy!  I plan on buying him a guitar to take lessons on this fall and am really excited that he is excited about learning many instruments!  He is funny.  He is sensitive.  He is literal.  He loves animals.  He leaves his socks right where he takes them off - just like his dad.  :)  He loves to snuggle and tell me he loves me to Grandpa Paul and back.  It gets me every. single. time.

Minishe...  what a little princess!  Oh. My. Gosh.  She LOVES Frozen and twirls around the house in her Elsa or Anna dress with a crown and wand.  She sings.  She dances.  She floats.  She loves dresses.  She is everything girl!  But she loves digging in the garden for worms and finding the squishiest mud to throw at her brother.  She is patient and kind.  She has a smile that lights up a room and a laugh that lights up hearts.  I let her dance on the stage at school for fun one afternoon after dance class, and we have heard about it every day since!  I have no doubt she will be the lead in the school musical someday, and I really hope I will be there to coach her, teach her, and guide her to discover her passion for the performing arts.  She asks us to tell her stories about Jesus and knows He loves her more than anything or anyone.  Her faith could move mountains!

I love these two crazy kids and can't wait to come back again in two years and update what amazing young lads they have come to be.

who i am - part 1

i love to talk about my family!  no joke!  i have thee cutest kids, i have a great husband, and i have an incredibly supportive extended family.  m&m are amazing little children and i don't know how i got so lucky to be their mom.

d and i met several years back, introduced by a mutual friend.  although both of us were in relationships at the time, i was upset he didn't give me a second look after the "hey-hello's" were exchanged.  a year later we caught up at a party, but, again, nothing materialized.  only a few short months later at a montgomery gentry concert at the surf in clear lake did we finally exchange numbers.  and thus began our journey to forever...

first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage...  we were blessed in 2008 with our first child - a son.  he is energetic, enthusiastic, and entertaining.  and absolutely adorable!!  he is definitely a mini-he - looks like his dad, shares the same interests, sense of humor, and a smile that lights up a room!  my grandma always told me that she hoped i would have a girl just like me so i could know just what i put her through.  as we all know, grandmothers always speak the truth!  my mini-she is sweet and laid-back, so far, nothing like me.  but she is the spitting image of me and when she throws a fit, she really knows how to throw a fit.  that much drama can't be learned; it can only be inherited.  thanks, grandma.

i am incredibly blessed.  but it could have been a very different story for me had i not been raised by my paternal grandparents.  after their youngest had graduated from high school, i was born and they took on the challenge of raising me with open arms.  my love of music was instilled at a very young age sitting at the piano with my grandpa.  i am pretty sure i knew note names and where they were on the piano before i knew how to read. :)  my grandma taught me a lot about running a household.  although reluctant to learn as a young girl, it is amazing how much i rely on those memories to help me in my duties as a wife and mother. 

in posts to follow i am sure i will delve into the situation(s) that led to this placement and the emotions that have haunted me as an adolescent, teen, and young adult.  it is cathartic for me to write about this, and it is my hope others will benefit from hearing these stories as well.