Working on getting all my photos backed up sure has a way of making me all sentimental. I was going through pictures of Kaya’s room from last year… back before Kaelyn was born and it became “the girls’ room”. Seeing that tiny space, the simple nursery that I spent so much time dreaming up and preparing for our sweet baby girl, gives me a pang of longing in my heart.

It’s not a longing for things to be as they once were, because we all know that I am so in love with my little family just as it is now.

It’s more of a yearning for all that time that’s gone by. All those special moments that have already passed, which we can only relive through our memories.

Six years ago, we were engaged and counting down the days until I’d come home from Europe! We were planning to go to the temple and make those sacred marriage covenants with each other. We were anxious and intimidated, but we knew we were meant to be together. We thought we loved each other then, but that was nothing compared to how we feel now.

We filled our tiny, one-bedroom apartment with old furniture, wedding photos, and our furry babies, Maggie and Juni.

Three years ago, we were getting ready to be first-time parents. We had no idea what a wild ride we were in for. We were excited and terrified and wondered every day if we’d be ready for this. Little did we know how much our hearts were about to explode with the greatest love we’ve ever felt.

We had moved to a bigger apartment, and there was room for a nursery. I planned and pinned ideas on Pinterest, shopped, sewed, and hot-glued. Michael put together a crib and a dresser and we hung things on the walls.

One year ago, we knew our family was going to change forever, because we three were about to become four. We were counting down the days, making the most of our one-on-one time with Kaya, and daydreaming about meeting our second precious baby girl. Our hearts would grow yet again.

That same tiny room changed once more- we gave Kaya a “big-girl” bed, and the crib moved to the other wall. The rocking chair moved to our room, and it felt like we had more furniture than we had space at first.

But oh, that sweet, tiny, newborn baby.

Watching that little room evolve over time is just a physical reminder of how much our family has grown over these past few years… and how much we’ve grown, too. It truly is something amazing.

I don’t know where we’ll be or what we’ll be doing one year from now. Or three years. Or six.

But I do know I’m going to hold on and cherish these moments, because soon they’ll just be a part of the time that’s already gone by, like all the memories we already have.