This One's For You, Babe

Yesterday marked 4 years that Matt and I have been married. Were you there that day? If you're reading this there may be a good chance that you were. Gosh, what a day. Everything was exactly the way I wanted it to be and at the end of it all I left with a partner for life. Last night we watched our wedding video like we do every year. I cry every time. Every year on our anniversary I get a bottle of wine from whatever event we are attending and we drink it the next year. Last year I got a bottle from the hotel we stayed at in the Dominican Republic. I don't think it was their policy to give away bottles of wine, but I argued that we had an all inclusive package... so what did it matter if it was open or not? 

When I think about the Dominican Republic trip I am reminded that it was the final step in our baby bucket list... the opportunity to surf one more time (although I intend to surf plenty in my future). And now here we are, parents! My husband is now the father to my baby and it's like I love him twice now. He is sitting in the chair holding her while she is sleeping right now and it's just beautiful. When I think of where we started...hanging out at the Delt house thinking of anything to spend time together. We would study and do homework together all the time. I got a 3.8 taking 18 hours the spring we started dating because we worked on schoolwork so much. But if doing homework meant I could hang out with him, fine! Now we still are always thinking of things to do to spend time together. Yesterday we went to the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur so we could look at the Dugout Canoes exhibit. What on earth? But it was a beautiful day and I got to hang out with him... so alright...

When we were watching our wedding video I realized that when we watched our personalized vows he took the approach of stating the reasons why he loved me and how he was looking forward to our marriage. I took the approach of making promises for our marriage. It sure was nice hearing him say such sweet things about me. Sometimes I think my feelings for Matt go without saying. I mean, he has to know how much I admire him, right? How incredibly intelligent he is amazes me all the time. His capability to do things that other people would have to learn, he just already knows. When I want him to build something he just figures it out and all of a sudden there it is. Well, maybe it's not sudden. All of eventually, there it is! On the way down to the lake he's just telling me all these facts about the area. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS STUFF?? 

And my goodness, to have someone to laugh with like we do. I always intend to make a list of the hilarious things Matt says in one day. His perspective on life is completely amusing to me. I often picture Cline when she is older riding in the back seat just yelling "YOU GUYS ARE NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK YOU ARE!!" And then we will laugh at her and tell her she's cute. 

I'll never be able to really express what Matt's support for my school has meant for me. I think a lot of husbands would complain that I have to work a full-time job hours but I get paid like part time. I think most husbands would have been pretty intolerant to all the travel I had to do for school. Considering that our fields are so different, many husbands would not have seen the value in what I am trying to achieve. But he didn't. I wouldn't blame him if he thought those things from time to time (I know I would have) but he didn't say discouraging things to me. Now that I am so close to being done, I really appreciate that support. 

I feel like on social media people post things in a way that they want people to be jealous of their relationship. To that I just say, That's great for you, but I wouldn't have any part of this life any other way. I am so grateful to God for pairing me with someone I never would have had the good sense to pick for myself. It all just came together perfectly. I am looking forward to this wonderful life with this man, even when we're sitting in rocking chairs on the porch watching our grandkids play and telling stories of "our day." Yeah, I'd say the best is yet to come. 

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My First Mother's Day... and Other Things

Well as you can tell, this post is a little late. That's just the story of my life these days and for the most part, I am okay with it. I was making plans for my mom and Matt's mom for Mother's Day and I totally forgot that I was going to be celebrated this year too. I mean, Mother's Day is for moms. Mom moms. Ladies of an age.... older than me. Oh no, I am in that category now. Officially a mommy. Rather, a Momma. I want her to call me Momma. If feels so southern. I picture myself as a southern Momma. Home cooked meals. Means what she says and says what she means. Give you the shirt off her back but don't you dare cross her. I hope that all plays out in this modern world. I hope I have the strength to say no to the iPhone 38 when she is 9. I hope I am the sort of mom that only has to say "no" once. I hope a lot of things for her and our family. I guess I am just going to have to enjoy this ride we're on and see how it all plays out.

Mother's Day was really nice. I could totally get used to this. We went to brunch at a nearby restaurant. I just love brunch. I wasn't sure it was going to work out because little lady was losing it on the way there and we refuse to be those parents who disregard other humans trying to enjoy their meal with a crying baby. We all universally agree on that right? If your baby is crying in a restaurant you need to either soothe them immediately, and if that can't be done.... you must exit. Some times as a parent we are going to have to miss out on some things and we just have to live with that. Our decision to procreate is not the problem of strangers.
After brunch we hung out as a family and then Matt and I went to a play while his cousin watched Cline. It was a beautiful afternoon and nice to spend some one on one time with Matt (although I would have preferred the tickets had been not on Mother's Day but it just landed that way). Cline and Dad also got me some pretty great gifts. I could get used to this Mother's Day stuff! Matt mentioned that he forgot to take into consideration that our anniversary is 2 weeks later. Bummer dude. Better luck next year!

Last weekend we went to see my parents. We don't get over to northeast Oklahoma often enough which is a shame because I love it over there. It's my home. My parents also have spent the last year remodeling their home so that put a damper on things. After seeing it this weekend, it looks great. It's like a house for grown-ups. No longer a place taken over by kids. I took Joe's Sean Sutton poster off Joe's ceiling. The real question is, why, at any point, would anyone ever have a Sean Sutton poster hanging? Let alone in a hard to reach place. Dork. ;)
I went to the Zoo with Danielle. She has a 5 year old and a baby that's 3 weeks older than Cline. We have been best friends for 15 years and it was very surreal to be walking around the zoo with our strollers with our kids. It was a great time and so good to catch up with her. There was an experience at the end that was to say the least... an experience. To protect her on the internet from embarrassment when she is older I'll spare you the details. I just proved that I loved her unconditionally.

Remember the tornado story I told you two years ago? Well this was worse in terms of fear and overreaction. At about 11:45 I was sound asleep at my parent's house. Matt was next to me and Cline was in the pack and play bassinet. I woke up to very loud wind and I thought I was crazy because... was I hearing tornado sirens??? WHAT?? I woke up everyone. Well, I woke up Matt and then I told my mom we needed to get in their walk-in closet (we gotta get them a shelter). I went in the living room and Joe and Dad didn't go to bed as early as we did to they were on the up and up and NOT CONCERNED ENOUGH. I went back to my mom's room and turned on the TV since the satellite was out. I then I started clearing out the closet. My dad must hold some sort of record for the number of exact same Wrangler jeans. I just kept pulling them out and getting everything out of the closet and replacing it with pillows. I kept running through my mind how I could hold Cline is such a way that I could protect her with my body should the tornado hit. And then it was gone and headed northeast. Needless to say, my heart rate was through the roof for about 8 minutes.

Cline is 9 weeks now. Time sure has flown. Every night when we go to bed I think, "How did we get here so fast??"  She is a lot of fun. She will smile at me when I smile at her and man... that's the good stuff. It's adorable. She is sleeping more which is a life changer. The first few weeks are tough. If some how you have a kid that sleeps all night from day one... you should just keep that story to yourself. She eats a little less which is also helpful. You can tell she is getting more control of her hands and it being a little more intentional about what she does with them.

Overall, I can't really ask for more from motherhood. This is much like I thought it was going to be. Before too long, I'd like to start blogging about other things. I don't really know where I am going to find the time to blog more often... but when I do I would like to keep up a variety of topics. This is definitely not a mom blog. That just seems like a good way to get in trouble. You'll either over share or you'll offend people.. or both. And I don't really want any part of that. Plus, I refuse to be a person who is incapable of conversation outside of kids. There's just more to me than that. Not much more these days... but eventually.

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