Another decade older, and deeper in love

turned 30 today!! wow... when I woke up this morning, my first thought was "I need coffee" then it was... "hey, I'm 30 today..." and I began to think about my 20th birthday...

10 Years ago today:

Lion and I were 6 months preggers with Tortoise... we were both in the military, living in an apartment just outside of a major military base in my home state. We had been married just under a year...

When I met Lion, I was only 18, technically still just a baby - but I wouldn't have thought so then!!! I thought that I wasn't interested in being a Mom... after seeing the devastation brought to my parents after the death of my older brother and younger sister in a car accident when I was 14 (yes, I was in the car too, but that's irrelevant to this post), I knew that it was only a matter of time before God called home someone else I loved.. and I didn't want to feel the loss of a child, losing a sibling(s) is bad enough... I didn't think that I could handle the pain of losing a child... Lion knew it was just fear talking though!!! and Thank God he did too.. cause I can't imagine a life where I'm NOT Mama Roo!!

In ten years, I have been given SO much to love!! Lion and I have 5 (and Koala's still in the oven) beautiful, very different, children that alternately make me laugh and scream (but even when I'm screaming, you can feel the love ... HA)... with Lion came a wonderful family that I'm proud to be a member of... and I love them all dearly! And great friends that feel like family! With all the love has come very little heartbreak... the loss of our pregnancy last December certainly has a lasting impact, but God has given us the confort and strength to move on - and now we have another gorgeous baby we will be oh-so-happy to meet THIS December (God in his infinite wisdom gave me this baby and made her due very near the anniversary of the loss of Baby Gabriel). He who knows all things has my not-so-little-family in his hand, and I pray he continues to bless us --- Thy Will Be Done. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring!!! Here are pics of the kids taken over the last few months:

Here's Vixen

and Monkey

Zebra

Elephant

Tortoise

I would post pics of Koala and Lion and I but I'm not home, and don't have access to our photo library!!