Flashback

It’s absolutely incredible to sit back and contemplate all that has happened to my family in the past year. It’s been quite a year. Quite a good year. We’ve been so blessed in so many ways. It’s nearing the 1-year mark that Aidan and I made the difficult journey alone from Texas to St. Louis after I left the Army. I was telling Dan just today that my military life seems so far in the past. It seems decades ago – strange how that happens. Then a few months later, Dan returned from his deployment after nearly 16 months of being away. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of having your husband/best friend/father of your child return after such a long absence. It’s been a huge adjustment for all 3 of us, but it’s definitely a welcome change.

We still cherish every single moment we have together because we understand what it is to be a family only from a distance. Aidan was a mere 6 weeks old when Dan left. He probably only weighed about 8 pounds, I would guess. Now he’s walking, talking, running, occasionally peeing on the potty (more on that later) and weighs in at a strapping 38 pounds at the age of 2. (EEK!) Dan found a job rather quickly upon arriving in St. Louis, especially considering the job market here. Then after staying with my mom and sister, we finally settled into a place of our own. We’re making a life here, and I’m incredibly grateful to have friends and family to support us. I know this next year has even better things in store for us. (Obviously! I have so many wonderful couples that I’m working with, and they’re all going to be fabulous weddings that I can’t WAIT to photograph.

And in honor of this little flashback – a sneak peek into our lives during the past year – here’s our wonderful son from a year ago. Oh how he has changed. (He has hair and teeth and that same crazy smile!) He truly is the most amazing thing to ever happen to me.