5 years ago (in June)....I married my best friend...

5 years...5 wonderful and blessed years...5 incredible and memorable years...5 years of marriage. June 25, 2005 I became Mrs. Philip John Justiss! I love the sound of that!!

I am one blessed girl. I am one wonderfully blessed girl. When I say I am in love with my husband and he is my blessing from above, it is an understatement... God is so good and has blessed me beyond measure in my marriage. God's love is poured out daily to me through the words and actions of my husband. He is a Christian. He is loyal. He is constant. He is loving. He is forgiving. He is understanding. He is patient. He is supportive. He is encouraging. He is compassionate. He is passionate. He is uplifting. He is faithful. He is my best friend. He is a listener. He is incredible. He is strong. He is healthy. He is adventurous. He is love. He is never jealous. He is knowledgeable. He is brilliant. He is challenging. He is all I ever dreamed of. He is an answer to many prayers. He has a heart of prayer. He is devoted. He is a wonderful father. He is firm in his faith. He is everything...

I love my husband more than I can ever put into words. He brightens my day. He challenges me to be a better person daily. He encourages me more than he realizes. He supports me in whatever I'm doing. He believes in me. I love how he enjoys cooking and spending time in the kitchen. I love how he's always trying new recipes and techniques. He is full of surprises. I love his love of reading and how fast he can dive into a book and become so entranced that all the world around him melts. I love his constant desire to learn. I love the example he sets for our boys. He is constant reminder of love. I love to watch him spend time playing with William, even if it's two seconds after he walks in from a long day at the office. He's always giving. I love how he can relax on the couch and just be. I love to pile on the couches with him and spend time watching t.v. shows or movies together. I love how he tries extra hard to be extra quiet in the mornings as to not wake me. I love how he gives me a kiss every morning and tells me to have a great day before he leaves for work. I love how he knows I am not a morning person and understands that I am slow to get moving first thing in the morning. I love how he factors in an extra 10 mins of prep time for me when he says "we need to leave in 20 mins"...that really means 30! It's not that I spend a lot of time primping, but I take extra time to get everyone else ready, then spend about 5 mins on myself...so he allows an extra "cushion" for me. I love how he's there when times get tough. With every struggle we face, he's there to lift me and hold me in those loving and strong arms and say "I'm here, we will get through this"...whether it be the loss of a loved one, sickness, sadness, financial or just being down on myself...he's there to reassure me that we will pull through. I love how he reaches for my hand when we pray. I love the fact that we both believe in saying the blessing to give thanks before a meal. I love his tender heart. I love how he dives head first into our Bible study lessons and always leave a sermon ready for a discussion. I love his faith. I love knowing he's lifting me in prayer. He is outstanding. I love him for who he is. I love how his hair has a certain "flip" to the back when it begins to get a little shaggy. I love his Auburn hat. I love his plain flip-flops, because that's who he is. I love how he can sit and listen to me ramble on and on about my day and all the little details...b/c let's face it...I can get lost in all the little details. He patiently listens and remembers my stories. He has such a huge heart and a gentle spirit. I am blessed to have his heart. He chose me as his wife. He chose me.

Wowie...I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face. Yep. That's me...crying over my love for my husband. I don't want to go back and edit or rearrange any of the above, b/c I want to capture how my thoughts just poured out...it may or may not make sense, but it's what God laid on my heart. It's how I feel about my husband. I pray one day my sons will appreciate my words about the love I have for their father. I pray they can see into this window of our lives.

It's been seven years since we met. Seven incredible years. Philip proposed after a year of dating and we were married within nine months. As of June 25th, we've been married five years now, and they have been beyond my expectations. We had the most perfect wedding ever...in my opinion. Looking back, I truly felt like the most beautiful bride in the world and felt so on top of the world. Little did I know that my life would not only continue to be wonderful, but be better than I ever dreamed. My husband makes sure of it. He does spoil me, but not in the sense of high-maintenance. I will venture to say that I am not a high maintenance girl, and I hope this is a fair statement. He spoils me with quality time and unexpected surprises. I can't quite seem to put this into words...it's like when he can tell it's been a long day, he'll send me to take a long, hot bubble bath or let me sleep in some on a weekend. Or, he'll suggest sunset on the beach when he can tell I've become too wrapped up in housework or playing at home with my boys. He'll cook my favorites on a whim, just b/c he knows it will put a smile on my face. Even if he's not up for a picture, he'll put a smile on his face for me so I can capture the moment b/c he knows how much I love pictures. He just knows how to make me smile...

Philip, I love you dearly. I will always love you dearly. Here's to 5 wonderful years together and endless years ahead.

And for the record, this year, as a traditional gift (wood) he gave me a white, wicker rocking chair for the front porch. This is perfect! At the time of our anniversary, I was 9 months pregnant. This gift has been priceless! I (we) have spent many a hrs. out there, rocking and holding our new baby, while watching our other baby play. He thought of me and picked something so "me". Gifts are not the main point, it's the thought put into the gift. Also, for the "just because" gift this year, he gave me a stationary stamp with our address and name. I've been wanting one for a while, and since he knew I would be writing thank you notes and doing birth announcements, he chose this gift. He is always thinking of me and ways to brighten my day. I gave him a butcher's block for his wood traditional gift. He's been wanting on and needed one for his master chef skills. I was tickled to surprise him with this, knowing his love for cooking. It completes our kitchen, and reminds me of the little things that help make him who he is. For his "just because" gift, I gave him a new pizza peel as well as an acrylic canister for his coffee beans. He loves making homemade pizza and it's always a treat for us, so I wanted him to have a nice pizza peel. The coffee bean canister was to match his canister for espresso beans, both of which I engraved with a "c" for coffee and "e" for espresso. Again, all for his love of foods, and just to put a smile on his face. We enjoy surprising each other with gifts, anticipating the smiles...

I love my husband, and I know my husband loves me. I am so very thankful for the man he is and for who he is in my life. Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy Father's Day Philip :)

Boy am I blessed to be married to such a wonderful man! He is an incredible daddy and my children are blessed! I love celebrating my husband and spoiling him. I loved watching how excited William was about celebrating his daddy this year. We enjoyed a wonderful day with William while waiting on our new baby! William and I had picked out some fun gifts for Philip, but the best was letting William paint a picture for him. This was the best! It is now hanging in our bedroom, next to my Mother's Day painting :)

Here are just a few of my favorites of Philip as a daddy...

*his love for his children
*his devotion to his family
*his bedtime stories for William
*his calmness as a parent
*the way he interacts with William
*the interest he shows in his family
*the way he spends time playing with William
*everything about him!!

I find it hard to put into words my admiration...

I just love my husband!!!!! I love watching him as a daddy!!!!

Just Fun in June...

Oh, the days of June. What an exciting month for us...just waiting on our new little baby to arrive! We stayed busy to soak up some memories with William and help pass the time waiting on the new baby. We had so much fun just enjoying our summer days. Lots of days spent at the beach and the pool...lots of evenings painting just for the fun of it. Lots of fun in the kitchen together...Just lots of fun and laughter.



We kicked off the month of June with a a quick visit from Gram and Grumps. They came up to visit for a weekend and we enjoyed the time together. We did a little shopping and hung out around the house. One afternoon we all enjoyed some delicious watermelon out on the porch. I had a huge scare while they were in town...my computer basically decided to die and tell me that I had lost ALL OF MY PICTURES AND VIDEOS...thankfully, Gram had her computer so we check my external hard drive on her computer...AND ALL MY PICTURES WERE THERE!! Also, I was able to recover pictures from a memory card that had become corrupt and void..this was a wonderful blessing b/c the pictures that had been lost were the pictures from my baby shower and mother's day! I had been so heartbroken that I had no pictures from my shower, but luckily, I was able to recover all of them!! Thanks Gram for letting me use your computer!!!




We also had lots of fun in the kitchen with William...Just take a look at the pictures...We do have a chef on our hands!




William has done wonderfully settling into his new "big boy" room. The next step was making his bathroom a "big boy" bathroom. He loves his new little step-stool. He has enjoyed his afternoons outside playing on his playground, too!



The beach called our name just about every afternoon this summer. It was the perfect thing for us...a 2 year old in love with sunshine, water and sand, and a very pregnant mother who loves the sunshine, water and sand...and watching her little boy have a blast...How could I not enjoy the days in the warm sun, splashing in the water and capturing my little boy's happiness...OH, how I love being on the beach!





Father's Day will be in a separate post...I love my husband and love watching him as a daddy!

To end our month, we had a nervous scare...my dear sweet husband came down with a severe case of strep throat (just days before I went into labor). I will admit, I was terrified...I was having contractions and couldn't imagine what would happen...So, I had to focus my thoughts on William and getting Philip better...so William and I spent time creating get well gifts for Daddy and cooking soups and buying Popsicles...I was in constant prayer...And those prayers were answered...he recovered!!!





I couldn't wait to meet our new baby, but I found my thoughts consumed with William and realizing he would no longer be my little baby...no longer just mommy and William...no longer the only little one...(please don't think I was not happy about the baby, I just couldn't comprehend the change that was to come...but, boy was I ever excited and ready to hold that sweet baby and begin the new chapter...)

still playing catch up

yep...still here...still trying to play catch up...between being behind for a while, then having my computer basically crash right before the baby was born and almost losing all pictures and videos...then having our little baby 10 days early...and just taking some time off from computer stuff to enjoy our new bundle...I'm just now getting back into my blog...

stick with me...I'm a work in progress, but I'm loving being the mother of 2!!!! I love spending my time with William...and Baby Justiss (Ha!! Everyone knows what we had, but for the sake of this silly blog...I'm holding off)

Ha!! Until next time...

My Mother's Day...a blessed day

I love being a mother. I just love being a mommy. It is everything I ever dreamed...and more...much, much more. I love all the little details of my life as a mother. I love spending my days at home (and on the go) being with my little boy, experiencing life together. I love watching his little face light up with excitement everyday and hear him say "I love you Moma".

The little things of William....

his sweet voice, just talking away and carrying on conversations

his little mind, just so full of questions

his little face...bright with smiles, full of happiness

his imagination...he loves to pretend and create things

his sweet manners...(Thank you, You're Welcome, Excuse Me, Please, Ma'm, Sir, Oh Dear...)

his voice when he sings and tells me stories and "reads" books

his chubby little tummy

his chubby little hands

his chubby little feet

his blonde hair...(and the curls that come back and flip out)

his love of swimming (swimming underwater independently at 2.5 years)

his love of outdoors, noticing tiny blades of grass and flowers as well as huge trees and clouds

his carefree way he plays on the beach

his face as he listens to me read books to him

his little prayers

everything about him...it's all the little things that make me a mommy...I am truly blessed!

This year for Mother's day we stayed home from church b/c William was fighting a fever virus. We just hung out around the house and enjoyed family time. We painted for a while and played for a while. Philip sent me out to the beach for a little time alone...but I ended calling him and asking him to bring W down so I could play on the beach with him :) We ended the afternoon with a quick trip down to the beach. The day was perfect! I will say it again, I am truly blessed to be a mother.

W's new "big boy" room

The time had come. The time had finally come for my baby to move from his nursery to a "Big Boy" room...and I wasn't ready! Although I knew in my heart it was right and talked non stop about the big move and had fun picking everything out for his new room, I WAS NOT READY TO WATCH MY BABY BOY LEAVE HIS SOFT, SWEET BABY ROOM AND MOVE TO A BIG BOY ROOM! Somehow, I made it through the transition with a smile on my face and excitement in my voice. Somehow, I didn't let W see me cry the tears that streamed down my face. Somehow, the time had come and gone for W to be in his baby room. Somehow, my 1st baby had grownup and was ready to move to his new room with a big bed!

So, we spent time picking out new bedding for W that would "grow" with him. We painted his new room (thanks Philip and Hunter). We ordered new furniture for his new room. We decorated the walls with his artwork and portraits. We made the room ready and perfect. AND. WILLIAM. MOVED. Oh, his excitement! Oh, his joy! He loved every minute of it! He did great his 1st night...Mommy just decided she needed to spend that 1st night with him, you know, just in case...he slept all through the night! Ha~

Anyway, my little angel has moved to his big boy room and yet, he's still my little angel. He is loving his new room! I am so proud of my big boy~

Baby Justiss' Baby Shower (May 1, 2010)

I am so thankful for my wonderful friends and family who took the time to shower me and baby Justiss with such wonderful gifts and to celebrate the upcoming arrival of my sweet baby.

Oh, how blessed I am to be surrounded by such wonderful women! I couldn't help but smile all morning, while enjoying the shower, just knowing all these wonderful women were there with me to share in the excitement of my new baby on the way. I felt so loved and so blessed! When you feel the love others have for your little one, your heart just bursts with pride. I loved every minute of the shower because I could feel the love for my child and know that all my friends were there with love and support for me (and Philp) as we anticipate our new little one. I am so thankful for all who made the shower so wonderful!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!