As the soup flys.
Yesterday, Stuart and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. Whoop whoop! Four years, my friends. A good celebration, indeed!The irony was, however, that we really didn't celebrate it.Because he had to work, the day began as mostly any other - a quick breakfast together before the kids woke up, a hustle past each other in the bathroom as we got ready, and a romantic smooch when he left for work.He went about his day teaching and preparing for spring break.And I went about my day changing diapers, doing dishes, sweeping floors, and all the other extremely important tasks I tend to in a day.We made our way to the school at about 3:30 to jump the van (oh, I haven't told you about the van yet, have I?) and helped him sweep up and clean his room to prepare for the school's auction that was held last night.Someone got us tickets to go even - can you imagine? A fancy night away full of adults and food and conversation?We couldn't find a sitter.Dang.So we meandered on home (after said cleaning & van jumping), arriving at a slightly messy/lived in home.Dangit. I totally forgot about dinner.The irony! A food blogger forgetting about dinner!I quickly reheated some leftover soup and threw together a chopped cabbage salad. Then, I made a new Family Rule that doesn't allow cooking on anniversaries. Should have made it up yesterday. Could've saved myself some heartache.I served the less-than-impressive dinner to Stuart, who only ate a few bites. He wasn't hungry. Or rather, he wasn't very enthusiastic about eating this soup for the fourth time this week and cabbage, well, it just ain't his favorite. Georgia, however, was happily eating soup and beans in her booster seat.And then...She totally tipped the chair over, soup flew up the curtains, beans ended up all over the floor, the chair was splattered with limp pieces of mustard greens, and Georgia lay in a heap on the floor, crying, still strapped into the booster seat.It's funny now. But at the time, it really wasn't.Stuart cleaned up the mess while I attempted to eat my plate of cabbage salad with one hand (the other was supporting the hobbit on my lap). Georgia stood by my side the rest of the meal in tears and completely naked (she'd been stripped of her soup-covered-clothes).We then grabbed both munckins and piled 'em into the bath to wash the sins of the day away for good.My, how four years can change things!Four years ago, we were just two crazy kids in love. And now we just have two crazy kids.Though we are still deeply in love, it certainly has morphed into a different love than it was on our wedding day. The anticipation, anxiousness, mystery, and romance of it all subsides.But as that fades, it is replaced with deep companionship, practiced forgiveness, a hefty sense of humor, and a deep appreciation for one another.It's wonderful.And even when soup is flying across the kitchen table, and dinner is leftovers, and floors are dirty, and babies are crying - there is beauty in knowing that by God's grace, Stu and I have build this madness together.