9 years

Today is our 9 year Anniversary!  Truly one of the best days of my life.  (The picture below is from our rehearsal dinner...yes, I was blond, skinny, and tan.)
I knew when I met David almost 14 years ago that he was something special.  Someone that would potentially change my life forever.
He, even at 19, was confident, loving, wise, brilliant, honest, and had so much spiritual depth. He knew he wanted to be a doctor and was on that path to make it happen.
I fell for him quickly and hard.  I knew I was young and that this love may not last but I was truly smitten.  He had my heart and I was going wherever he went.  
Thankfully, this love did last and he has never let go of me.  He has led me through this wonderful life of ours...this life that at times has been so sad and so terribly hard.  He has loved me through the worst moments of my life and the best moments of my life.
I'll never forget after Forrest passed the amount of people that told us losing a child is so hard on a marriage and the statistics show that a large percentage of marriages end in divorce.  I remember David and I looking at each other and deciding right then and there that we were fighting for our marriage.  We were going to fight for each other.  We were going to work hard to make sure our marriage was a top priority.

I can thankfully say that we are stronger, more in love, and respect each other far more than we did before we had Forrest.  We can now look at each other and know that we can make it through any and everything.  We have survived the best and the worst and love each other more than ever.

I am sitting here typing this and crying because I truly can't express what he means to me.  We have our ups and downs like every normal couple does and there are times I want to pull out my hair because he hasn't taken the trash out after being asked 5 times but I truly don't know what I would do without him.  
We were watching the movie "We Bought a Zoo" the other night and after it was all over we both just sat there not saying a word but with tears rolling down our faces (I think I am the only one who had the tears but we were definitely thinking the same thing).  It hit us hard that life without the other would truly be terrible.  He is my once in a lifetime kind of love.

Happy Anniversary David...thank you for being my once in a lifetime kind of love.  I can't wait to spend many, many more years together raising our precious children and growing old together.

Oregon brain

So, I didn't mean to announce quite so early that I was pregnant with baby #4 but my brain is completely mush.  I told my friend after I accidentally announced on Instragram by posting a picture of my 2 boys in their Big Bro shirts that I had Oregon Brain.  I meant to say Preggo Brain but spell check changed it to Oregon Brain and I honestly feel that way.  I am all over the place.  I have felt great with this pregnancy besides some back pain (such a blessing...best of the 4) but my brain is gone.  I keep saying and doing things that are hilarious.  I am emotional, forgetful, and pretty scattered and if you know me well, you know this is not the typical me.  I am usually very organized and remember most things well.  I guess being pregnant 4 times in less than 5 years has finally done it to me.  I think this is my body saying, enough already...give me a break!  The picture I posted on Instagram is below.  I put this quote with it. "What do you do on a cold, rainy day in Boston...watch a movie while enjoying popcorn".  Should have said "We are having a baby...woo hoo" because every comment I received after that made me realize I had made a mistake.

My high school girls jumped on this in about 2 seconds and I was receiving text after text wondering what the shirts meant.  Oh well...we are over 12 weeks which was my goal but I was planning on waiting a little bit longer.  Here's hoping to my old brain coming back and Oregon brain going away.  If not, I guess I can deal with a scattered brain for 6.5 more months!

*If anyone has asked to follow me on Instragram and I haven't responded, I'm sorry.  I use that for really close friends and family.  I don't mean to not respond.  

my precious girls

2 of my precious high school girls are currently in the air flying to visit us in Boston.  I am so excited to see them and show them this wonderful town we have fallen in love with!  They are staying with us for 3 nights with tons on our to-do list so the posts may be sporadic.  I am ready to soak up my time with these precious girls before they begin their lives as college freshmen.  I will be back soon with a post from our wonderful weekend in Portsmouth, NH, a fun trip to the zoo with friends, and the adventures with Ellen and Maggie.


*Happy birthday to my middle brother Matt!  We love and miss you.  Enjoy your special day.

Friday announcement

A little announcement to make:

These two are going to be big brothers. We are pregnant with baby #4.

The picture below shows that Austin is excited (he thinks)... and Miller is shocked.
Not so sure about bringing another little one into this crazy family...he/she better be ready to come out wrestling.

We are due New Years Eve! Bring on the party and fireworks because the Spence's are bringing another little one into this world!

Touch a Truck

Two Sundays ago Charlestown had an event called "Touch a Truck".  Different types of trucks were parked in one parking lot for kids and families to see and touch.  It was a little boys dream.  Austin literally ran from one truck to the next.  He was so giddy he didn't know what to do.  We would try to take a picture and he would raise his hand real quickly and say "hi" and then move on.  He was not about to take the time to take a picture.

He would pretend to drive each one and tell us where he was going.  
Miller only wanted to get in the truck if mommy or daddy got in as well.  He wasn't quite as excited as Austin.

The hardest part was waiting in the lines to get in the truck.  We often came up with things for the boys to do while one parent waited.
He was so busy while in each truck.  He would touch every button, gear, etc.

Miller decided to join Austin in the bobcat because this truck had candy after you got out.  Miller was all about the candy.

In the picture below Miller is pointing to the woman who was busy taking at least 10 pieces of candy.  I was shocked...one grown woman took at least 10 pieces of candy and stuffed it in her pocket.  I'm pretty sure it was for the children. 
Miller's favorite was driving the Duck boat.  Austin did this for real when we went on the duck boat in the fall so Miller was ready for his turn.  
It was a really great outing that the boys will remember for a while.

more from our Memphis trip

While in Memphis we visited the neatest park in Shelby Farms called Woodland Discovery Playground.  It had so many things for the kids to do.  My only complaint is it's in direct sunlight so a lot of the slides were super hot and you couldn't touch them because they would burn you.  But besides that, great addition to Memphis (I know it has been there for well over a year but we haven't been around to experience it yet).  My mom and I took the boys on a Saturday and I think they could have stayed forever.

When we first got there Austin climbed the highest spider web and realized when he got to the top that he was too scared to come down so mommy to the rescue.  I had to climb up to get him down.  After that we decided the smaller webs were probably the best for Austin. 
We then spent time in the sand/water area.  The boys were in Heaven.  It was a really hot day so nice to be able to cool off.  By the time we were ready to leave they were soaking wet.  Every aspect of them was wet.

That afternoon I attended a graduation party for one of my seniors. It was great to be reunited with so many of my precious girls.
Loving on the twin girls...can't wait to meet them in less than 3 weeks!
Monday was graduation day for 2 of the schools my girls attend. They are both all girls schools and truly beautiful ceremonies. The girls looked beautiful and radiant.
I was like the proud mom who wouldn't stop taking pictures. I am truly so proud of them though.
That afternoon was the second ceremony we attended. Again, all girls and every girl was to wear white.

We also had the chance to play with good buddies.  We are super sad to miss Whit's 4th birthday!  Happy birthday Whit man!  We will celebrate when we return to Memphis.
It was a wonderful trip home and made us excited about returning in August.