Eight Years and Counting...

As of February 2nd, Ammon and I have been married for eight years. On one hand that seems like a very long time and on the other I can't believe it's been that long. In that time we have moved 3 times, had 3 children and had 3 jobs, plus part time National Guard. We bought our first house and have seen our oldest child start school. In that time we've also learned that kids change how you view the entire world, including your spouse. We've learned that housework is not all the wife's responsibility. Ammon is a speed demon at folding and putting away laundry...except socks. He won't ever sort socks, so I do that and he does the rest. And just as we've learned that sometimes men do housework, sometimes women have to take the boys fishing. Yes, I fish. Ammon does not. He did agree to take the kids one day with some friends of ours and when one of them caught a fish, he said, "O.K. honey." It took me a minute to realize that he needed me to take the fish off the hook because it just feels too gross. Yes, he'll stick his hand down a toilet, but won't touch a fish. And so I fish, he does laundry. Yet another lesson learned is that no one person should ever be in charge of the family finances. That's a team effort. We started out with me doing it all, then I handed it off to Ammon after Ryan was born. This year we learned that budgeting together is not only sensible from a financial standpoint, but it is good for the relationship. It keeps us on the same page and no one has to wonder if an impromptu purchase is going to cause a crisis or a fight. We both know ahead of time how much we are working with. We also talk about things we'd like to save up for and that opens the door for many surprising and wonderful conversations. Last, but certainly not least, our roles as parents have drawn us closer as a couple and made us put life into a much larger perspective. We are always changing and growing alongside our kids as they go through each new phase of life. That creates a very strong bond between a couple, one that we plan to keep intact eternally.