Dear husband,

It has been 7 years since the night we met. That night felt like magic. Experiencing love at first sight wasn't in my plan (or yours either). We were just lucky that way. I know we both still remember it with fondness like it was yesterday and yet it seems like a different time. I remember feeling like I was on cloud 9 billion and told to come down (good try Jenny). Sometimes we joke that those were better times. Better? Maybe not... less stressful? Maybe some days. 

We're different than we were back then.

Us being in love and swooning over one another made others want to vomit, now we worry about things like baby spit up and kid vomit.

We used to Skype all night and still function at work the next day, now we wonder if we're going to have a crying kid all night or if our toddler will climb in bed between us at 3 a.m. and we go to work sleep-deprived every day of the week.

I remember waiting for you on the boardwalk the night after we met and feeling all the butterflies of excitement. These days I wait for our kids to put their shoes on with as much patience as I can muster. And we read books about butterflies, though I still have those butterflies in my stomach when I look at you.

We used to have time to see a movie or "watch Netflix and chill," but these days we take our kids to farms and festivals and our kids have taken over the Netflix. Not to mention that we crash into bed before any "chilling" can occur (or maybe that's just me). 

Our dinner conversations are no longer about the latest song on the radio. It has been replaced by the funny thing our kids said or did last week. We don't talk about the big night out we're going to have with our friends this weekend, but what our strategy will be to try and get the kids to nap at the same time on Saturday. 

Life is crazy for us these days. Sometimes I feel like I just high five you on your way out the door in the morning. We're like two ships passing in the night. 

Life looks a lot different now. 

I know sometimes I don't give you enough credit for cooking dinner for us, caring for the kids, putting the dishes away, and all the other amazing things you do. But you deserve all that praise, and when I see how you laugh with our kids, kiss their "boo-boos", and snuggle with them at bedtime I think, "That guy is sexy!"... and, "How did I get so lucky?"

We may not be out at the dueling piano bar on the weekends or stay up talking all night or sleeping in until noon just because we can.

We will probably not be having an 8 hour talk, like the first night we met, and wonder where the time went any time in the near future. 

We probably won't spontaneously decide to have a weekend getaway, those things take planning (and packing our entire life up in the car). 

But life together now is even better than the night we met and I wouldn't change a thing. 

We still have those late nights, but the disco lighting and loud music has been replaced by kids singing and babies crying. I love this life, and I wouldn't love it as much without you in it. 

If I had to do it all over again I'd still go up to cloud 9 billion and fall head over heels in love again, because now I get to multiply that love for each year we're together and for each kid we have.  

Seven years down and an eternity to go. I'm just glad I get to do it with you by my side. 

Love,

Your wife