Steven

It would be impossible for me to do justice in trying to accurately describe Steven. I honestly don't know anyone like him. "He's so quiet!", everyone always says. It takes awhile to get to know him, it's true. But I think I do. Steven's not the kind of person who will gush to anyone about his life. It's rare to hear him blab about mundane things. He usually has a point in what he's saying. Every so often I'll realize that he is just talking away and my stomach flips a little. It does because I know he doesn't chat like that with anyone except me.
So yeah, he's pretty quiet. But he's also really funny. Sometimes the way he says things is downright hilarious. He's quick to add something witty even when it sounds like something most people would have rehearsed and held onto for awhile to use for such a moment. He's thought for years that I don't think he's funny. I'm sorry, it's just ingrained stoicism gained by years of living in rural Minnesota. Those Germans don't laugh out loud about anything. A smile should be victorious enough. Anyway, yes Steven, I really do think you're funny. If I readily laughed out loud you'd hear me laughing - a lot.
Ah, he is wise. Yes. Steven can surprise me with a wisdom that's far beyond his years or experience. It comes out of the humble and sound part of his heart. I am soothed by it. I get directed by it. This is the very place he pulls his strength for fatherhood from. Sometimes I'll have days as a mother where I feel so overwhelmed and lost as "Mommy!!!" and Steven will come home and all of my doubts melt away. His patience and sincerity with Evelyn drive me to be a better parent and I can see it in Evelyn's face that she is confident and safe in his love.
I've seen him mature and change over these years and I've never been more proud to really know a person.

And Along Came Evelyn

Evelyn is now so interwoven into every aspect of our lives that it’s really hard to imagine what it was like before she was here. We were much younger and I’m guessing we had a lot more free time on our hands. When we got married we decided we’d start having children two years later. Those two years passed and we decided to put it off six more months and then another six months and then a few more…There never seemed a perfect time to have a baby, there were always more logical reasons not to. We picked a date again where we would finally “try”, but were pleasantly surprised when God worked it out that we conceived the month before that. I’m always enthralled by the fact that Evelyn began somewhere in the B.V.I. during a span of time where our days were filled with sailing the pristine waters, snorkeling and soaking in the sun. Evelyn is our little Caribbean baby. She was born in March, and her birthstone is Aquamarine, a stone that is traditionally believed to protect sailors as they master the balance of wind against sail and glide their way over turquoise water. How fitting.

I still sometimes wonder if we’re ready to be parents. Would I be that much more patient had I waited six more months or maybe that much more selfless had she been born five years earlier? I don’t know. My timing is definitely questionable, but I believe His is not. And I’m glad I wasn’t the one who decided. All I know is that Evelyn is now here and that is indeed perfect.

OUR NEW BLOG SITE!!!!!!!

I’ve been wanting to create my own blog for awhile now, but I couldn’t decide if it would be my own personal musings (very thoughtfully written, of course) or more simply about Evelyn and our little family. After taking a few days to come up with some umphful (yes, that is now a word) title and pulling none from my brain, I have decided that keeping it simple is all I can do. This decision is further solidified by certain distractions from the other room, which keep entering the office while I write this. Something about where did you hide my pacifier and uh-oh, the entire roll of Charmin has somehow clogged the toilet… I will do my best.

Suzie and Steven

Sometimes I can't believe that I was only 19 when Steven and I met! Just babies! We really were young, but we were also old enough to have tasted life without each other, to understand loneliness and wanting, to have tiptoed through darkness and to better understand light. We have grown up together in so many ways. We've made space for each other's changes and have taught each other how to be better. I treasure all the time we've had so far.

When we were dating we had so many fights and broke up so many times that we figured we had already worked out all of the kinks before we got married. Eight years later, even with plenty of disagreements, misunderstanding and hurt feelings, I don't think we have gotten even close to re-experiencing the difficulties we had in the early days. I think we both understand what it's like to lose each other and it's only made us stronger.
We've also had more times of laughter, warmth and adventure than I can count. We've traveled and seen new things for the first time while standing side by side. We've torn out floors, walls and doors and replaced them with new ones. We've dreamed and planned and made it happen. We've packed and moved. We've cried at funerals, glowed at weddings and stayed awake through graduations. We've lost count of birthday parties and Christmas presents. We've gone through seven cars, four dogs, three cats and fifty fish. And together we created an amazingly remarkable little human being. There is no one else I'd rather do this with......