Tell the story only you can tell...

...this was the theme for the 08 Scrap Etc Event. I love it...it's something that I've been thinking about for the past year. Who's going to tell my story if not me?? No one. Because no one understands me better than me.

But as I sat in my classes and listened to some of the instructors talk about their story, I realized that I'm a pretty lucky girl. Some of these women are considered celebrities in the scrapbooking world so to hear them open their hearts and talk about their personal experiences, I was shocked to find that they haven't always been happy...they haven't always lived a charmed life. They had unhappy moments in their marriage, didn't enjoy being pregnant, battled postpartum depression and seriously thought at times that they no longer wanted to be moms...or wives.

Ayden and Jameson are both a handful. They're crazy...they're BOYS! I loved being pregnant with them and would do it again in a heartbeat!! I was in total awe after both of my deliveries and I felt nothing but an overwhelming surge of love flow through me. I can't imagine it being any other way and feel so sad that any woman would be deprived of these emotions.

I agree with the instructors that you need to tell your story...good and bad. But looking back, I realize that I have way more good than bad in my life. I want my boys to know that. I want them to know that they were born because their parents loved eachother and wanted them more than anything. I want them to know that as parents, Jason and I have both struggled but in the end we love them greatly. I want them to know who we are, were we came from and what our dreams are. Maybe when they become adults and find that someone special to marry and have babies of their own, our story will inspire them. They will look back and see that despite the struggles, we were happy. They'll know it's okay to have doubts, it's okay to be scared, it's okay to trust but most importantly I hope they'll know that we lived our lives to the fullest and cherished the special moments we've exprienced as a family.

Will I continue to bitch about having to clean poop off of every surface of the bathroom? Will I continue to complain when my children misbehave or drive me to the brink of insanity? Will I still lose my temper and lock myself in my bedroom for at least 2 minutes of quiet time? Of course! I wouldn't be human if I didn't. But if I took one thing back from this trip, it's that it could be so much worse...that I need to get over the bad times quickly because something good is right around the corner and I'd hate to miss it.

So I promise to finish downloading my photos tonight and get them uploaded into flickr. I'm also resuming my birthday countdown for Jameson by posting another picture of him today. 15 more days until my little goober turns 2!