Dear Joshua,

It is hard to believe that we have been married ten years. It is even harder to believe that we (almost) have ten kids! Not many people can say that they have a child for every year of marriage. :)

I wonder what we would have thought if someone had told us ten years ago what our family would be like now. Would we have been excited? Petrified? Would we have laughed our heads off?

Ten years ago, at age 19, there were lots of things I was still figuring out about myself and the life I wanted. But I knew that whatever life had in store for me, I wanted to spend it with you.

We’ve done so much in ten years…We’ve bought three homes (and I am never moving again). I’ve given birth to three children. We’ve been blessed with six, soon to be seven children through adoption. We put you through school. We moved cross country. We’ve been on many family trips and enjoyed having all sorts of company stay with us. We’ve been through one child having a serious illness and another having serious unexpected health problems. We’ve watched our family grow by leaps and bounds. We’ve made easy choices and tough choices. We've had amazing blessings and disappointments. We’ve laughed and we’ve cried. We’ve learned a lot.

And throughout all that we’ve done and gone through and accomplished in ten years, our love has only grown. We hardly ever argue and we treasure each other’s company. I am even more in love with you today than I was ten years ago.

I am so grateful to have found a best friend and a husband who shares my desires, values, goals and dreams. I am so grateful that your heart is so open and tender. I am so grateful for how hard you work to take care of us all and the happy spirit you do it in. I am so grateful for what a wonderful Dad you are, and how devoted you are to our family. I am so grateful that you love me.

Thank you for letting me be the mom I want to be, and thank you for helping me create our beautiful rainbow family.

You are my best friend, the love of my life, my partner in crime and Dad to the kids I cherish. You are my rock, my soft place to land, my shoulder to cry on, my happy place, my puzzle piece and what I am most grateful for.

Happy Anniversary Josh. I can only imagine what the next ten years and beyond have in store for us.

Love,
E