This blog post is part of a series that I began for telling our story. You can read the first post here.
We’ve been blessed to have children around us in our family throughout our marriage. Travis’ sister had a little boy before we were married. In fact, he was our “ring bearer” at our wedding. Why quotes? Well, he was only 17 months old at the time, and got so hot in his tiny little tux while taking pictures that he threw up. So he actually missed the wedding (so did my father-in-law, who was watching him). We’ve got some great photos of him at the reception, however, wearing a t-shirt and looking happy.
His little sister was born the Christmas after I gave birth to Jonah. Then the following May my sister had her firstborn, and between then and the summer of 2016, had five more kids. So now we have two nephews and six nieces, all of whom bring us so much joy.
I am thinking most about our first nephew, the little boy who did NOT want to be a ring bearer, who has since grown into a man. His birthday is today, and at 19 he is making his own way in the world. I know he struggled as much as any of our extended family with the loss of our children – I remember him crying as a toddler, wanting his cousin who he never got to meet. I also have a sweet picture of him holding Samantha from when we brought her home on hospice. We don’t get to see him very often, but we love him and miss him.
Happy birthday, Damian! I hope you have a great day!
Next post coming tomorrow.
Blooming Joy! 