Another Anniversary, Another Story

Another anniversary.

Happy 5th Anniversary to my sweet husband. Some of you may recall that every anniversary that we have had thus far has been...hmm..what's the word I'm looking for...eventful?

We got engaged in December 2006 and because of Blake's job, had to get married in the summer. My options were 1) getting married that summer or 2) waiting a year and a half later until the next. So, I picked the last weekend in the summer to give me more time to prepare. Little did I know, that's the weekend that football media day would fall on EVERY SINGLE year.

Not only is it media day weekend every year, but we've had a history of the most "unromantic" anniversaries. I'm hoping to break the streak one year, but it WILL NOT be this year.

Here's a recap of our last 4 anniversaries.

I think this is where the marriage started going downhill ;) 

1st anniversary: It was Blake's school's (CSU) turn to host the Athletic Director's Conference in Charleston, meaning that there was no possible way that Blake could get out of going. It wasn't all bad, though. Our anniversary was on the night of the "social gathering" which happened to be a dinner cruise around the Charleston Harbor. It was a little awkward having to entertain a boat full of Athletic Director's that we didn't know, but it could have been worse and the harbor tour was amazing (and Blake didn't have to spend a dime on dinner). Thus began a series of "unromantic" anniversaries.

The "limo" that Blake rented to drive the A.D.'s around. 

Can't complain about the beautiful view

Year 2:  I don't really remember year 2, so it must not have been too bad. I think that my in-laws were visiting, and I love my in-laws, so this was probably the best anniversary yet. Of course, we didn't go on a romantic date, but I'm sure my mother-in-law cooked us something even better.

3rd Anniversary: This anniversary was by far the most eventful and unromantic. We spent the entire day in the heart hospital of MUSC. I went to the doctor thinking that I was having minor panic attacks, and come to find out, after multiple heart tests I was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Not only did Blake and I spend the entire day in the hospital, but they sent me home with a not-so-sexy heart monitor with about 15 wires. I looked like a suicide bomber. **No worries, though, I am completely healthy now** After we left the hospital, we headed straight to Charlotte (for media day, of course). They did hook us up with the Executive Suite, which sounded exciting until we realized that it just meant that we had a large conference room table in the middle of our hotel room. Woohoo, more room to spread out all of the new heart equipment that I had just been given that morning. But, once again, it could have been worse.

Posing with my gear a week later, right after
finding out that there was a little  baby in that tummy. 

4th Anniversary: Continuing our unromantic streak, last year Blake and I were wondering what exciting events our anniversary would hold. We laughed and said, "Well, this year we have a 3 month old, so a romantic date is out of the picture." Little did we know that we would be spending our anniversary thousands of miles apart. Blake took the ORU job a week before our anniversary, and had to start his new job before we could get the house packed up. So, he spent our anniversary in Oklahoma while Beckett and I stayed behind in South Carolina.

So, what was the plan for this year? Moving day, of course! Nothing more unromantic than pouring sweat in the 116 degree heat! So, that was the plan. Once again, we laugh thinking that was our anniversary surprise for this year. But wait, more excitement?? Blake was just diagnosed with a tick-bourne disease called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever that made him very ill. He's on an antibiotic now and doing much better now. So, needless to say, it's been an interesting week in our household.

It's always exciting (and somewhat scary, to be honest) to see what the next anniversary holds, but I wouldn't want to spend these unromantic anniversaries with anyone else. I plan to be married for 80+ years, so hopefully we'll turn this negative streak around soon.

Playing in the Rain

Rainy days in the summer are rare in Oklahoma, so when it drizzled for a bit one afternoon, we let Beckett play in the rain at Pa's house. His Grandpa and I supervised from inside the garage.

Soccer with Grandaddy

My parents visited during Memorial Day weekend. We had so much fun, although we didn't do much of anything. I kept asking what they wanted to do and they said "just watch Beckett." So, that's what we did. Grandaddy and Beckett had a good time playing soccer together. Beckett's Grandma and Grandpa Freeland bought him an Oklahoma State hat a while back. He wore it for the first time this weekend because he saw his grandaddy wearing a hat and thought that it was pretty cool. He wouldn't leave it on for very long, but long enough for me to snap a few pictures. Now that Grandaddy is gone, I can't get him to put it back on again. 

Our Bunny Friend

Beckett found a baby bunny in the back yard. He is so fearless and will go after anything that moves. I'm not looking forward to the day when he brings all sorts of creatures into my house! I can't believe that this little bunny rabbit let him come as close as he did. When the bunny first noticed Beckett, he took off running. Then he froze and let Beckett look at him from a distance. As Beckett got closer, the bunny ran under the bush. Beckett wanted to find him so he stood outside of the bushes for a while waiting for him, but he never came back out. 

Congratulations!

Congratulations are in order for many of our family members. We have an exciting few months ahead of us!

Blake and I will soon have a new brother-in-law. My sister, Serah, said "yes" this morning and we are ecstatic about the party that they will be throwing later this year. There's never a dull moment with these two, so there will be tons of fun to be had!  

Blake and I will also be gaining a new sister-in-law next year. My little brother, Stephen, recently proposed to his girlfriend (now fiance), Kristen. We are so happy about adding Kristen to our family and excited to see what the future holds for her and Stephen. 

Also, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (Blake's brother) are expecting another baby in December. Chris and Kari obviously make cute babies, so we are looking forward to them adding another adorable animal to the zoo ;) 

And last, but definitely, not least, Beckett's Aunt Carson and Uncle Phillip are also expecting another baby and also due in December. Beckett is gaining two cousins in one month. How exciting is that? 

Happy 15 Months!

Here is a monthly update for my five faithful followers :) Now that Beckett is getting a little older, I am planning to not do quite as many monthly updates. I skipped the 14 months because not too much had changed.

What have you been up to? 

You are running everywhere and rarely ever walk anymore. If you are awake you are constantly moving and will not sit down for even a minute. You play so hard, but you also sleep hard (thank you, Jesus!). You'll now go down easily for naps and bedtime without putting up a fight and usually sleep about 12-13 hours at night with at least a 3 hour nap during the day. Daddy and I thought this day would never come. For at least the first three months after you were born, you had your nights and days reversed. Then you started sleeping better throughout the night, but still woke up at least once or twice. It felt as if you would never transition, so this is a major milestone for our whole family! 

Playing with the music box that Aunt Darlene and
Uncle Phil gave you. You love music and dancing. 

You are really starting to recognize more words now. When I say "let's change your diaper" you run into your room. When I ask you if you want yogurt, you run to the refrigerator door. Yogurt is your favorite food right now. At the moment, we are still struggling with food textures. You still won't touch anything slimy (pasta, fruit, etc) and start gagging when you try to pick it up with your fingers.

Some little boy spilled the box of Cheerios on the floor and you
and Karsten tried to eat them all before I  could get to them. 

You haven't learned to say the word "no" yet (thank goodness), but you have learned to shake your head "no". You shake your head "no" to everything I ask, even if you don't mean it. If I am feeding you and try to cram something in your mouth that you don't want, you shake your head "no." If I ignore you and try to force something in there, you spit it right back out.

Coloring with crayons for the first time

You love to be outdoors. You would live outside if we would let you. Sometimes you cry when we make you come back inside. You love to play in dirt, with rocks, and especially with/in water! I've never met a kid who loved water so much. You love it when we pour water over your head or squirt you in the face with water (sounds cruel, but you really do like it). 

Ready to go swimming

You love to play with sports balls. You always have a basketball, soccer ball, baseball or football in your hands. You are really great at kicking the ball, and have been getting much better at catching the ball. We are still working on your throwing. You can throw backwards like no other, but the forward throw is struggling a bit. It usually ends up going backwards behind your head. Is there a sport that uses a backwards throw?

Loving on the giraffe from our friend Ashley

You love to listen to music and dance, so we've been working on more songs and dance moves lately. Your Grandma Kaki taught you the Hokey Pokey and you have really enjoyed singing that lately while turning around in circles. Grandma Bummie always does Pat-a-cake with you and now you can do it by yourself. It's really cute watching you do all of the hand motions.

Wearing Daddy's shoes

Trying to walk in Daddy's shoes

You have started using a few words now, in addition to several animal sounds. You have always been more interested in animal noises than real words. Here are the animals/animal sounds that you know: cow=moo, sheep=baa, gamecock=cock-a-doodle-doo, duck=quack quack and the pig=snort. We are still working hard on the dog, cat, and horse for now. You are also doing well with "please" and "thank you" and "cracker", but we're trying to get you to say "I love you." You're almost there, but already close enough to melt Mommy and Daddy's heart. You can also count to three with a little help. This weekend, Daddy taught you the word "uh oh" and how to find your belly button. I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advance to anyone person that you run up to lifting their shirt up to find their belly button. 

You still have 4 teeth on the top and 4 on the bottom with no sign (other than a LOT of drooling) of any more coming anytime soon. You love to flash your smile to the ladies and they always flirt back. You're weighing in at about 25 pounds and eating like you are about to have another growth spurt. Your favorite things to do are dance, listen to music, read, play in the water and play with insects and other wild animals. You also love to talk and kiss yourself in the mirror.

Here's a cute video of you showing us how Pa tickles your belly and how Grandpa plays the Bumblebee tickle game.

My Friend, Mr. Turtle

Grandpa found a turtle in his bushes and brought it around to the backyard for Beckett to play with. Grandpa put it down on the patio, but he was inside of his shell and Beckett wasn't interested. As soon as the turtle came out of his shell and started crawling, Beckett sprinted over to him. The rest is history, poor turtle. *Disclaimer: No turtles were hurt during this play session...or at least killed.