Thursday, October 15, 2015

And I Thought I Loved You Then (A Letter to My Sweet Husband)

Five years ago we threw our best party yet.  It seems like only yesterday!  Some of our closest friends and family traveled with us to Mexico to celebrate with us as we officially became Mr. & Mrs. Pope.  Over these five years we have had many wonderful days with a few less-than-great days sprinkled in.  There is no one else in this world that I would want to experience the journey beside.  I am truly blessed to share my life with you! Here's a look back at the first five years and the amazing life we have shared so far!


Such a perfect moment captured by the photographers!


I can still see you standing there so sweetly saying your vows and feeling so bad that you had that heavy suit on in the hot and humid conditions!  You were a trooper and even put up with another hour or so of pics.


I couldn't have been happier and this pic captures the true emotion!


I still remember exactly what you whispered and for just a quick moment it was only us standing there. 


Such a beautiful background for a wonderful moment!


We had so much fun with all of our great friends and family!  


This one was good enough for the Christmas card, and bonus I look like I am close to your height!  Ah if only!


Still one of my favorites, and the pic isn't bad either! 


You can see me trying to follow along with your uninhibited dancing.  It still takes me a minute to get ready for the event that is about to unfold, even to this day.


This was still mild compared to what is churning on the dance floor!


Here it comes.  Your inner village person is screaming to come out and play.  Luckily I couldn't find any pics where you took your tie off and were dancing with it between your legs.  And luckily I missed that event because I was changing out of my wedding dress!  


Just like our marriage there were only two options and obviously I chose to ride the crazy train with you!  It's funny because people still to this day are shocked and appalled when you get on the dance floor.  Some ladies at a Christmas party actually asked if you were coming back again as the entertainment next year.


And I thought I loved you then!


Then we decided that our one furry child needed A LOT more space!


She loved having a backyard!


And the view wasn't too bad either!


There was this fun trip to celebrate our first anniversary!  My how quickly time flies!


We saw the Eiffel lit up on a Paris night!


An awesome Parisian picnic with an even better back drop.  And I thought I loved you then


And then things got real!


We welcomed this sweet little boy, a few weeks early.  He stole our hearts the moment he was born!


Things were a little rough for him in the beginning, but we pulled together and made our new normal work.


You were so happy to finally be a Dad!


He was given the sweetest smile!


Though he was little it was never too early to expose him to our favorite past times!


She loved and protected her little brother.  She is the most tolerant dog I have ever met!


You loved to do all of the little things that, in my opinion, took to long, and you did them with a smile.  It's probably why we make a good team.


He was such a happy baby, probably because he was so spoiled!


Their friendship was really cute to watch blossom, but she was always watching out for him more importantly.


The days were so long, but that first year flew by so fast.


We had so much fun watching him grow and learn new things as we spent the summer at the river.  And I thought I loved you then.


And then things got real, again!


There was no turning back at this point!  If only we knew!


While we anxiously waited for our second little one to get here, we also watched this one grow and become a toddler.


I wonder where he learned to admire himself in the mirror so well?  :)


Remember trying to take Christmas card pics with two sick people?  Good times!  We finally got one a few weeks later!


And I thought I loved you then!


We welcomed our grand finale under less-than-great circumstances, but again learned to love our new normal.  He was so sweet from the first moment I held him. 


And though our life was crazy with all of the various things that were changing at that very moment, you managed to help with it all.  I am not sure you slept some days!


The sleepiness nights and stress on our relationship seem so worth it now that I can look back and see how far this sweet baby has come.


For the most part B adapted really well to being a big brother!  He would come get me if he didn't think I was getting to the baby quick enough when he cried.


Holy crap this one looks just like you, ears and all!


He has the most light-hearted personality and always smiling.  He is definitely you, especially when he gets moody due to hunger.


Again she welcomed another little one into the family and protected him just like his big brother.


He so badly wanted to be like his big brother and now is giving him a run for his money in some things.


And just like you he is in a hurry to be great!  Mediocrity is not a Pope trait!


And I thought I loved you then!


Along with their different types of hair this pic so exemplifies their personalities - the accountant/engineer and the eternal frat boy!  The oldest is so us!


The holiday season was such a great time for us!  And I thought I loved you then!



This one definitely got your appetite, and no doubt people will tell stories about his eating habits just like they still do about your childhood.


This one got your caring and polite side.  Hopefully he learns to effortlessly brighten peoples' days just like you!


I am so happy that you pushed for the first one and me for the second because they are really sweet to watch in the middle of all the chaos.


And I still haven't wrapped my head around how quickly time is flying.  I can't believe he is almost 20 months or that I am recapping the last 5 years!


And this one has only a few more years before he goes off to school.


Oh goodness the trouble this one is going to get into!


They are the best of friends, and still siblings at the same time, as we watch from the sidelines.  The little one can't wait for the big one to come home so that they can play together.  I am so glad that they will always have each other.


 While a pic like this is a rare find on my iPhone I wouldn't trade any of the past five years to be without you or our crazy sweet little ones and of course my high maintenance princess.



It's been a truly amazing 5 years.  Cheers to many, many more wonderful years together!
And I thought I loved you then!