In the Beginning

         This is the story of us..how Saxon and I met and up to where we are today. This is really something my kids can look back at someday and read the story of mom and dad. The year  is 2003. It is spring time and I am in nursing school in Little Rock. I had a friend who wanted to set me up with this "really sweet guy." (You know when people say sweet they mean ugly!) I was not buying it at all. I was single, lived alone and had every intention of moving back to Jonesboro when I graduated in Dec 03. Well she talked about this guy for weeks to me. How cute he was and that he loved baseball and he had a good job with a college degree. He umpired little league on the side for fun. All these things that seemed great. Well I finally asked her his name. She said "Saxon" I thought "that is weird. He is probably weird!" The more I thought about it I decided well I guess I could meet him and just see. No commitment.  I am moving away in a few months. So early in May, I decided to check it out. I went with my friend Kim to one of her son's ballgames. Saxon was umpiring on another field so she told me to go check him out. He had no idea I was coming to the game. I had no idea that she had been telling him about me all this time too! I walked over there just to see if he was the "ugly" guy I had imagined in my head. To my great surprise he was not ugly. In fact I was very attracted to him. Just want I always wanted, tall, dark hair,  beautiful green eyes, a killer smile and did I mention TALL!! We met  after the game. It was a very short meeting because he had to eat and umpire another game. I went home and hoped for a phone call. Two days later he called. I was babysitting at the time but we talked for two hours. Just so you know the kids were sleeping. We hit it off right away. We went on our first date the next week and it was fun, it ended with our very first kiss. We had fun that summer dating just hanging out and goofing off. In September Saxon his grandmother and her sister were planning a trip to New York. Saxon played baseball growing up and in college. In the summers during college he played in a league in Newark, New York. He had a wonderful host family and they wanted to go visit them again. I was invited on this trip. I was nervous about driving all the way to Canada and back with them. I mean really to be honest, two twenty somethings and two older ladies! How much fun could that be. Well it was FUN! I have never laughed so much in my life. We went so many places on that trip including Niagara Falls. That was the turning point in our relationship. On that trip was the first time those three special words came out of Saxon's mouth to me. It was a trip I will never forget.

     Just one month later Saxon proposed to me. I was so happy although I really dreamed of a more romantic proposal. I will tell you this story is hilarious and we still argue about it today. 8 years later! It was the night before my birthday and Saxon told me he had my present in his truck. Now that is just mean in my mind, to tell someone they have a present but cannot see it! Also, my friend Kim had told me that she saw my present earlier that week. If you know me at all you know that I cannot stand to wait! I don't buy presents early because I want to give them away as soon as I buy them. I hate to wait! Anyway, so I bugged him for (he says) hours! "Please just let me have it tonight." he finally gave in and went to his truck and brought back a small jewelry box. I could tell by the shape that it was not a ring. If I said I wasn't disappointed I would be lying. I wanted a ring, but I knew that we had not been dating that long. The present was a beautiful necklace with my name engraved on a heart. I LOVED it! If he had just stopped there the night would have been great but he HAD to tell me that I had one more present in the truck. So on I went bugging him again. He says I got mad because he wouldn't give me the second present but I don't remember that. (that is what we still argue about.) Once again he gave in and threw his keys at me and told me to go get it. Excited that he gave in. I took the keys and went out to his truck expecting earrings or a bracelet to match the necklace. I found the small jewelry box and took a very small peek. I'm sure my face was priceless but of course no one saw it because I was alone. I saw something shiny and sparkly in the box. I shut it and ran back into my apartment. When I opened the door Saxon was laying on my couch with his hands behind his head and these were his exact words. "Well, will ya?" Me." will I what?" pretending like I had not seen what was in that box. Him-"marry me?" I said yes and the rest is history. Now if anyone can beat that I want to hear it! It is funny now, but like I said, not what I had dreamed of as a little girl. Saxon is still not the most romantic guy, poor thing. He tries, but he is just clueless. Haha!

     Things were moving along and the wedding plans had begun when our world was turned upside down. On November 15, 2003 I found out I was pregnant. We didn't know what to do. We knew we had made some mistakes but also knew that God doesn't and we would press on. As my mom told us "babies are blessings" I took that to heart and decided that I would be happy about this pregnancy because I knew that I always wanted to be a mom. I just didn't know it would be so soon. The next few months were stressful to say the least. I graduated, started my first job as a nurse, took my boards, and planned a wedding. Late in January I started having some complications with my pregnancy so I went to the Dr. I was by myself and they sent me for an ultrasound. I tried to call Saxon to come but he was tied up at work so I went alone. In that ultrasound I saw that wonderful little baby moving all around inside of me. She was perfect. Yes, I found out she was a girl that day. I was so excited to be having a little girl. Both of my sisters had girls so it was just fitting that I have a girl too. I had to call Saxon and tell him that everything was fine and that we were having a girl. I think he was pretty excited too.

      Everything was going as planned and  life was good. Saxon and I got married that March on the 1st day of spring. March 20th. It was a beautiful wedding and a great reception. We danced the night away. The food was delicious ( well, that's what I heard) I never ate a bite that whole night. We had to drive through Wendy's on our way to the hotel. We didn't take a honeymoon because I was still so new at work and I was pregnant.

      Things went smoothly for the rest of my pregnancy. Then on June 25th 2004 at 11:39 am we welcomed our 6lb 15oz baby girl into this world. Our beautiful Emma Allison Berry. She changed our world like nothing we had ever experienced. Her first year was so much fun. Watching life through her eyes. Seeing all the "firsts". We bought our first house that year and I felt like my life could not be better. On Emma's 1st birthday we were taken by surprise again when we found out we were expecting our second baby. I was again nervous because Emma was still a baby herself, but super excited. I scheduled a Dr. appointment and things were right on track. Then, on July 15th, one of the worst days of my life, we lost that baby. It was hard to say the least. I never got answers as to what happened but I know that the baby is in heaven and I will meet him someday. I tell myself that it is so Saxon's mom can have a grand baby in heaven with her since she didn't get to meet them here on earth. Saxon and I had to make some decisions where we wanted to go from there. We knew we wanted another baby, but we were not sure how soon we wanted one. We talked with my doctor and got the OK to try to get pregnant again. That October we found out we were pregnant again! Due in June, just 10 days before Emma's second birthday. This pregnancy was a little more challenging. I gained A LOT of weight and I was tired ALL THE TIME!  At our twenty week ultrasound we found out that we were expecting a little boy! Saxon was so excited. He said he didn't care if it was a boy or girl but he ran out of that ultrasound room and starting calling everyone to tell them we were having a boy. My doctor finally had enough when I gained 12lbs my last week of pregnancy and you could not determine one toe from the next because my feet were so swollen. So on June 2, 2006 at 11:50 am we welcomed 7lb 9oz Eli Spencer Berry into our world. Another beautiful healthy baby.

     God has a funny way of putting things on your heart. I remember the night before we went for our ultrasound to find out if Spencer was a boy or girl, standing outside his room thinking, "I really want a boy named Spencer, but I really want a dark headed little girl named Eden too" I kept thinking. "I WANT BOTH!" After we found out Spencer was who he is then I pretty much forgot about that. I was happy that god had blessed us with 2 healthy children. A girl and a boy, who was I to want more? Saxon was sure that he did not want any more kids so he made an appointment to have a vasectomy. (I'm sure he will appreciate me telling this part) I agreed because like I said before I felt blessed with the family I had. He went on to have his vasectomy but the day of I had second thoughts. I got nervous and sweaty. "What if I want more kids later?" He just blew it off and went on in and had it done. I let the thought go once again and life went on as normal. Like I said before God put things on your heart for a reason. On December 9th that year, yes, Spencer was only 6 months old. I found out I was pregnant again! Of course Saxon joked and asked if the baby was really his and of course it is. All I could think of was how little my kids were and they would only be 3 and 14months when this baby was born. When we told my mom, once again she had something wonderful to say. She reminded me of the two times that I talked about wanting more kids and God gave me those desires for a reason. He knew that I was going to have another baby and he knew that it would be my sweet Eden. In the spring when we went for our ultrasound I was not surprised to find out we were having another girl. My pregnancy with her was amazing. I felt good and had lots of energy. On August 16, 2007 at 10:58am we welcomed 7lb 15oz,blacked headed, Eden Avery Berry. She had tons and I mean tons of jet black hair. She was perfect. I knew then our family was complete.

     The next year is pretty much a blur in my mind. I'm sure you have no idea why. I stayed home with the kids during the week and worked on the weekends. I felt like all I did was feed babies and change diapers. For those of you who don't know, I work in the NICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital. So that is what I did at work and at home. It was such a blessing to be able to be a working mom and get to stay home with my kids too! When Eden turned 1, Emma started preschool at our church. That was a relief for me. She was having fun, learning so much and I had only 2 kids to look after for a few hours a day. Spencer and Eden were like two peas in a pod. At 1 and 2 years old they were into everything. Life was crazy. The following summer 09 we decided to take a family vacation to Florida. Almost my entire family went on that vacation. It was a blast. Driving all the way to Florida with a 1,2, and 4 year old. The kids actually did really well. We went to the beach every day and swam in the pool a lot. We even ventured out to a water park. Thank goodness we had tons of help from the family. It was nice to get away from everyday life and just relax. I love my family so much and it is nice to spend a week with them all in one place since we are all usually spread out all over the south. We decided after that vacation that we would pass on vacations for the next year or two and wait to take the kids to Walt Disney World. I am hoping to go sometime within the next year. Shortly after we came back from vacation Emma started kindergarten. That was an exciting but sad day for me. How could my little girl be starting school? That fall we decided that we were quickly out growing our current hose and we needed to move. We decided the best option would to be to build a house so we could have just what we wanted. In January we put our house on the market and only after 3 days it sold. We were surprised but happy. I think I really had a hard time letting go of that house. All of my memories were in that house. We moved there when Emma was only 4 months old and we had all of our "firsts" there. Our first christmas' with each child. All three learned to crawl and walk and talk in that house. They all had their first birthdays there. It was full of memories and I cried many tears while moving out. We then moved to a rent house because construction of our new house had just begun. That was a stressful few months. The house was tiny, but we survived. Lets just say I cried tears of joy when we moved out of that house. That puts us now in June of 2010 when we moved into our current and final house. We now live on the land that Saxon grew up on and it is wonderful out here. We have tons of land to just wonder around on and Saxon can tell the kids stories for days about things he did as a child out here. It is awesome.

     In the fall Emma (6) started 1st grade at a new school. She adjusted well and is in the top of her class. She is reading like a champ and does wonderful in math too. She loves science and just about anything new. She loves to learn. She is always a happy girl. She takes dance and plays softball and is good at both. She is a delight to be around and can carry on a conversation with an adult on just about anything. She is shy at first until she gets to know you (just like me) but then you cannot get her to be quiet. She has no idea how to whisper (just like Saxon). She loves to sing and loves the Lord. She loves going to church and AWANA on Wednesday nights.  She loves to be the center of attention. She wants to be an artist when she grows up. She is a good friend although she can be bossy. We love her dearly and cannot wait to see what kind of person she grows up to be. No matter what she will always be surrounded by friends and people that love her.

    Spencer is 4 now and all boy! He goes to preschool at our church and has the same teacher that Emma had when she was 4. He is an easy going kid with tons of energy. He climbs on everything and has since he could walk. When he was a baby I would find him standing in the middle of the dinning room table trying to swing from the chandelier. He still would try if we would let him. I think he is half monkey (he must get that from Saxon).  He loves to be outside and ride his bike. He likes baseball and watching TV.  He loves to play the wii. He is much better than either of the girls and me! He is still not interested in learning a whole lot. I am working with him on his writing and he is getting better. He is left handed and we don't know where he got it. No one in our family is left handed. Saxon is excited because he says he will be a great left handed pitcher someday. He loves his sisters but usually sides with Eden if given a choice. He is a great big brother to her. He protects her and looks after her. He is very rarely mean to her. They are still like two peas in a pod. Life will be very different when he goes to kindergarten next year. We love him so much and cannot imagine life without him.

     Eden, where do I begin? The little girl is hilarious. She is 3 now and brings so much joy to our family. It is funny to think that we tried to prevent ourselves from having another baby and here she is. Our lives would be so different without her. She has a personality just like Saxon. She will be that class clown for sure. She loves to make people laugh. She is a happy little girl. She tries everything her big brother and sister do and is very determined to be as good as they are. She is my strong willed child. She does not give up easily and wants her way all the time! She also loves to sing (like Emma). The one thing that I don't understand about her is that when she gets up in the morning the first thing she wants to do is get dressed for the day. I could lay around in my pj's all day but not Eden. She wants to be dressed and will bug you to death if you don't just go ahead and get her dressed. Maybe one day she can explain it to me but for now I just have her clothes ready when she wakes up! She loves to play outside too. She wants to dance and play ball like Emma. She is very smart, from the moment she started talking you could carry on a conversation with her. Life without Eden would not be the same and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

OK well that about sums the story of us up! Each day is an adventure in our house. Some are good and some well...are not, but we make it through the bumps in the road and press on. God is wonderful and has blessed my life so richly. I could not ask for more!