Paint - AppleBarrell acrylic (Lanier Blue); vellum - unknown (white); fibers - unknown (blue woooley mammoth); Other: MM eyelet charms, MM word charms, MM alpha charms, MM foam stamps (philadelphia), MM bookplate, CTMH eyelets, Mosaic alpha tiles.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Wife journaling; <BR><BR><BR><BR>I guess I always knew I would someday get married and have a family, or at least I hoped I would. What I didn’t count on was just how much LOVE I would have for the man I would marry. When I started dating John I knew he was different. I knew he was “the one” almost instantly. I felt more for him than I had ever felt for any of my other boyfriends. I don’t know if it was because I was older and more mature. Maybe it was because I had experienced life more. Or maybe it was simply because of the man I could tell John was. I had never dated anyone so compassionate, affectionate, or considerate. He was such a warm and loving person. He was gentle, kind hearted and caring. <BR><BR><BR><BR>We’ve been married for over 10 years and I wouldn’t have known it to be possible, but I can actually say I love him more today than the day we married. Just when you think it is impossible to love someone more than you already do, something he says or does just opens your heart up even more. I will never forget just how wonderful he was in the delivery room with me delivering our two <BR><BR><BR><BR>children. He is simply the best husband and father and I feel at times that I don’t deserve him. I hope that his love for me continues to grow as my love for him does. <BR><BR><BR><BR>John, I love you with all my heart and more. Thank you for showing me just how much I am capable of loving someone. <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Mother journaling; <BR><BR><BR><BR>Just like I always imagined I would get married someday, I always figured I would have children. Lots of them. Being the youngest of <BR><BR><BR><BR>8 children and aunt to 20 nieces and nephews, fertility was never a problem in our family. So, imagine the shock of trying to <BR><BR><BR><BR>conceive a child for over 2 years and not being able to. Dr. Zehnder prescribed the fertility drug Clomid to help me conceive, but after a lot of praying and research, I decided not to take it. My mind ran wild with thoughts of why. Maybe it was because something was going to happen to John and God knew I wouldn’t be able to raise the child on my own. Or maybe something was going to happen to me and John wouldn’t be able to handle raising the child alone. Your mind can definitely get the better of you and make you think horrible thoughts. Maybe we would lose the baby or something would be wrong with him/her and God knew neither of us would have been able to survive something like that. I just came to accept that it wasn’t meant to be, for whatever reason. God knows best. <BR><BR><BR><BR>Then it happened, after almost 3 years of trying, I was pregnant and we did it on our own! We told ourselves that after the baby was born we would not protect or prevent getting pregnant. We wanted another baby, and soon. We started trying almost immediately after Samantha was born. The closer in age the better. We figured it took so long for Samantha that we didn’t want to waste any more time. 6 years later, Samantha was still an only child. I had given up hope of having another child, but was content with Samantha. <BR><BR>She was my dream come true and The Lord had blessed us with a beautiful, healthy, daughter and I was thankful for that. <BR><BR>Imagine our surprise, after more than 6 years of trying, at age 35, I find out I’m having another baby! Samantha had been praying for a baby brother or baby sister for about 2-3 years. She would pray and then ask me why God wasn’t answering her prayers. That’s a hard one for most adults to understand. Try explaining that to a 5-6 year old. There’s no doubt in my mind that God was answering one special little girls prayer. It WAS meant to be! Samantha is such a wonderful big sister and a great help. She loves her brother, Benjamin, so much and never complains about helping us with him. John, Samantha and Benjamin are My Dream Come True. <BR><BR><BR><BR>I am truly Blessed and Thank God for the wonderful family he has given me. I love each and every one of you.