Anniversary #7

Derek and I celebrated our seventh anniversary today!

I'm not sure who created the idea list for anniversary presents. Apparently, the traditional 7th anniversary gift is wool or copper. The modern gift is either a desk set or pen/pencil sets. While we didn't stick to tradition-- we still gifted each other equally un-romantic gifts... new shoes.

They might not be romantic, but they are certainly pricey!!!

I guess this means that by year seven comes around, you can pass up all extraneous gifts and go for the practical things! We both have particularly tender feet and it's important to have a good shoe to prevent many trips to the podiatrist. I wanted to stick to the doctor's orders when picking out my shoes... and that led me to getting a pair of shoes that are only two velcro straps away from being the number one shoe sold to senior citizens. At least it has some pink. Derek's shoes are cool, though!

Truthfully, the best part of our anniversary is that Derek wasn't away at army training!! His unit is typically scheduled for annual training during our anniversary and thanks to a change in plans, annual training isn't until August, so we got to spend our anniversary TOGETHER! How much more romantic can it be?!? 

Well, Derek actually took today off as an optional holiday so we got to spend all day together! We ventured to new restaurant for lunch and to went to a movie. We were a good three decades younger than anyone else in the theater! ... at least they weren't texting!

We opted for a day time-date to accomodate Jackson's t-ball game tonight. Going to a ball game might not sound like an ideal anniversary activity, but I think it was just perfect. Seven years ago, we said our vows and committed ourselves to each other and our future family. Today, we spent the evening supporting our little boy as he played a t-ball game having the time of his life (other than the inning he didn't get to catch the ball...). 

Celebrating marriage doesn't always need a romantic getaway. Today, we found joy in the life we started together and brought us to where we are... even if that means cleaning out the gutters. We cherish our family, we're thankful for our house, and we love each other more than when we said "I do".

Trading blue for pink

I can't deny that it took a little while to get used to the idea that we are going to have a little girl. It's no secret that I have always wanted a little girl, but I was just so sure that this time it was going to be another girl. And then it dawned on me-- having a girl means so much extra work in the mean time!

I began searching through names hoping that'd help, but that was actually depressing. I am so committed to pick a name that means something- I can't just pick a name; it needs to come from somewhere... and there are very few girl names that I like and I haven't found one that I absolutely love.

So, Tuesday night after class I headed to the store and I went to check out the baby section. I found myself gravitation towards the boy section several times, but I made myself go back to the little girls stuff and I finally felt the excitement of having a little girl!

I am so excited to be the recipient of Chacey's hand-me-downs because she always has the cutest outfits, but I have vowed to not buy/receive any girl things until I go through all of Jackson's old clothes and send them packing. I just can't convince myself that I need to keep everything of his on the chance that we may need them in the future. Purchasing the two little onsies on Tuesday really helped motivate me to get it done and so I spent several hours this afternoon going through the boxes upon boxes of little boy clothes. I did keep a few of my favorites that I just couldn't party with.

We had 12 target diaper boxes filled with clothes that I separated into three piles: two for little boys at church and one to go to an organization that supports teen moms.

All so I can start to fill the closets with some pink and purple, ruffles and sparkles!

And in other non-related news... Linda bought Jackson a pair of boots today at Kohl's. Once he tried on the boots, he wouldn't let anyone take them off, so he actually wore them around the store. The only way I could convince him to take them off to put on pajamas was to let him take a shower first. And then he insisted on wearing them with his PJs...

Don't tell me this isn't normal...

Not only has he worn his boots all day, but he has been staring at them too-- even when he walks, so he ends up running into things. And he talks about them too. "Boots. Boots." But the cutest thing of all, is that he'll tell you that he has boots like his daddy. I like to think that's why he loves them so much!