Ruben and I were reminiscing about the first few years of our marriage, to where it is at right now. No, the first few years were not easy. Being far away from home, living in a different country where they spoke Norwegian, and two sinful people experiencing life together, alone, for the first time. It was hard! We had little spats, and disagreement along the way. Our biggest disagreement that we struggled with for the first few months of our marriage was when to have children. I wanted to start having kids right away, and Ruben wanted to wait. That caused some tension between the two of us!
It was 11 months into our marriage that we found out we were pregnant with our first child, Anya Mae. I was sick until I delivered Anya, but I was so thankful for the support and encouragement that Ruben showed me during that time. Anya is such a blessing to our family, and I spent most of my days caring for her, cleaning the house, and making dinner. My days revolved around my child. It didn’t take long to see how that affected my husband and my relationship.
We continued down that path. I wasn’t sure how to balance life and it got very overwhelming! How was I supposed to meet the needs of my husband, and daughter? Then, to our total shock and surprise we found out 8 months later that we were pregnant with number 2! No way! Not now! How am I going to take care of two little ones under the age of two? I was scared, and excited at the same time. I knew that something had to change before this child was born.
God gave us these beautiful blessings that we are entrusted with. We need to take this job with seriousness! The Lord knows the greater picture of our lives. He can see far beyond we can. It was time to grow up, mature, and be the parents that our daughters needed us to be. Little Olivia Grace came very quickly {Literally} into our lives on December 30, 2012. Olivia’s birth was really quick, and my body went into shock. My hormone levels were not normal at all, and they literally just returned to normal last month. Now I am not blaming our relationship fully on hormone levels. It has so much more to do with not being intentional and letting my sinful desires take over.
Our marriage is at such a great point right now, better then ever! We have found some ways to intentionally spend some alone time together and help keep our relationship strong. We make a point to get out on a date at least once a week, spending some one on one time is so valuable in a relationship. Having time when the kids go to bed to just sit and talk about our days, or whatever is on our mind. Ruben is blessed to work from home so being able to visit him at work and say I love you, or give him a quick kiss letting him know that I am thinking about him.
Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
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