HAPPY 9-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

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I can't believe it's been 9 years, but 1 dog, 2 houses and 3 awesome kids later, here we are.

For those who don't know the Rob and Kelli story, I shall share today.

The story of Kelli and Rob...

We both went to a small elementary school together 'back in the day'. We weren't exactly good friends, but Rob's mom was my second and fifth grade teacher (aka: the first Mrs. Bates). :)

We met back up in high school and Rob began checking me out in a study hall class we shared in the library. (He wanted me...tee-hee!) We chatted often over the phone that summer. He was working two jobs and it was rare to get ahold of him, but he always returned my calls even if it was late at night.

We began dating in September of 1996 after he asked me to homecoming and we've been together ever since. We got through some rough long distance when he went off to college in Illinois. I applied to a few different colleges and knew it was the hand of God when the same college Rob was going to accepted me as well. We spent a semester together, but Rob began to persue a music career with his band 'Paging Paul' and left the next semester to return to Florida. I remained at school until that year was over and returned back to Florida. After a semester home, I returned back to college in IL, but missed home so much that after much prayer, decided to remain at home in Florida. Much to my surprise, we were engaged shortly after returning home. (Rob was 20 and I was 19) We planned our wedding for a year and we married on June 30, 2001. Two years later, we moved into our first house, I finished my bachelor's degree in education and we got our first puppy, Riley (whom we still have today...sweet thing).

I began teaching middle school English and during my first year, we found out we were expecting our first baby, Avonlea. The following year, we found out that Lincoln was on his way and after much prayer, we decided I would stay at home and raise our kids. We moved into our current house right before Lincoln's birth. The following year after that, we were blessed with another pregnancy, but that precious little one went to be with Jesus at a tender 7 weeks of age. That was difficult. We decided to persue the adoption of a baby girl from China, but after starting basic paperwork, found out I was pregnant with Norah. What a blessing!

If there's anything I can attribute to the success of our marriage it's God's faithfulness and blessing. He has kept us grounded. He has kept us strong when we felt weak. He has given us joy in the little things when it was hard to find joy. He has gotten us through rough times. He has taught us so much and it brings me such joy knowing that He is going to teach us so much more in the future. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my amazing husband.

Now, it's time to get sappy...(skip if you're not good at 'sappy') :)

Robbie,

You amaze me everyday with your loyalty to our family, your dedication, hard work, steadfastness, grace, affection, commitment and love. Your children adore you and I can honestly say that you are their hero. You are our protector and provider. Your love for Jesus is evident and it is clear that you look to Him for ways to lead our family. Thanks for being tender when you know a weary wife needs someone to talk to. Thanks for being committed and for working a job that you may not necessarily love, but know it provides for your family. Thanks for your 'glass if 1/2 full' attitude, even when it's been a rough one. Thanks for supporting my passions in life, even if they're not first priority on your personal list.

I LOVE YOU and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

xoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does nto delight in eveil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~I Corinthians 13:4-8a




Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away." ~Song of Solomon 8:6-7a

Now It's Called 'Your Partner'!

I am a member of BabyCenter.com and get updated e-mails on the milestones of my baby each week. Well, this week, I received this update on month 5, week 2 and was taken back by the words in bold. I know that there are other lifestyles out there besides the one the Bates family lives, but I don't know, I guess I was just surprised. I don't know why I was surprised. I watch TLC sometimes and love watching A Baby Story and An Adoption Story, both of which have aired episodes of homosexual couples. I guess I feel a little cheated.

Okay, enter Kelli's soapbox...I dated my husband for 4 years before getting married and we entered into our marriage the way we knew God wanted us to, Biblically speaking. I feel like I 'earned' my white dress and we 'earned' the three, little blessings we have today, along with a, not perfect, but a good marriage. It's frustrating to really work hard for the goals you have for your life and then others seem to 'float around', experimenting and expect the same treatment as those who have higher standards. We don't want to hurt other people's feelings, therefore we refer to using 'partner' instead of 'husband' or 'spouse'. I do believe in the Bible and that it is God-breathed (II Timothy 4:16-17). I do believe that homosexuality is wrong (Romans 1:26-27 and I Timothy 1:10) and that God wants us to be married before we engage in sex. Just read Song of Solomon to see how blessed a certain couple becomes through waiting to have sex until after they are married.

God has SO many blessings that He wants to give us, but by setting our OWN standards for our lives and not abiding by HIS standards, we're missing out on blessing after blessing after blessing.

One of the greatest things about knowing the Lord is that He will forgive us if we ask Him to! We all sin and make mistakes everyday, but God can forgive us of this sin and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).


Anyway, here's the article for you to read for yourself:

"Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones — stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her.

Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow, gentle movements.

A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development."

Catchin' Up

What's been going on around here?...

Sleepless nights, a toddler with the sniffles, Rob's back to work, I'm solo with three kiddos (going quite well actually!), rain, potty training our puppy (any tips would be great since it's been 7 years!!!), catching up on chores (the house has stayed somewhat reasonable), getting adjusted to dividing up my time amongst three children and making sure the two older ones feel appreciated and loved, our 8-year anniversary (June 30) which consisted of a sitter for the two older ones and a night out to Cheesecake Factory for Rob, Norah and I (she slept the whole time and it was actually like we were alone on a date...yipee), shopping for matching girls' dresses at our local outlet mall (gotta love Osh Kosh and Carter's...great matching girls' dresses in infant and older girls), letting a little extra television slip here and there for the older kids during nursing sessions with the baby and I, debating on starting homeschooling year early to get a jump on things, wondering whether to start Avonlea on Kindergarden math or K-4 math book...I may use both, cleaning off the back porch and tossing old, broken toys that we never used or played with, enjoying meals provided by our church family...yummo!...and just enjoying the simple moments between Rob and I, looking forward to "rooming" again in the same bed/room.


We know that these moments are supposed to be some of the most precious moments as our children are young and sometimes we fail to remember that in the times of cleaning up the 4th glass of spilled milk, changing the 7th diaper of the day and waking up for the 3 a.m. feeding, but somehow with God's strength, we make it work, whether it's stealing a kiss, snuggling/talking for a few minutes after kids have been put to bed or chatting on the phone for a few minutes during our day. I've found that remembering to pray amid the daily chaos helps as well as asking the Lord each morning to be in charge of my day. He does bring me peace and rest when I ask Him to.


I have a verse taped next to my bed which reads:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Go Rays!!

Rob and I were able to get out (thanks Mom!) and enjoy a baseball game last night (White Sox vs. Rays) in some nice (free) company seats behind third base. Rob and I had a blast and enjoyed the chance to relax. The father and son next to us also caught two foul balls. It was a lot of fun even though we lost. =(

Fireproof

Rob and I went to see the movie Fireproof last night and I think every married couple, dating couple or person who wants to get married someday should see this movie. I have to be honest, I went in a little skeptical knowing that it was a low-budget film, but it exceeded my expectations immensely. Rob and I were both touched by it. Make sure you make it out to this movie soon!!!

There's also a website to visit: www.fireproofyourmarriage.com

MEXICO

Anniversary Dinner at San Lucas' Restaraunt in downtown Puerto Vallerta, Mexico Robbie and I celebrated our 7-year anniversary this past week and we spent it in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico (that's why I haven't posted in so long!). It was so wonderful. The kids stayed home with Grandma Bates and did splendidly. They were able to stay on their schedule, which helped a lot. As for what we did, it would take forever to write about it all, but I'll give a brief story. We stayed at the Barcelo Le Jolla De Mismaloya hotel in Puerto Vallerta and it was soooo beautiful. We were between two mountains, yet on the beach. A weird concept for a Florida girl to grasp since we have no mountains here, just flat beaches and coastlines. We woke up in the morning to monkies and tropical birds singing as well as listening to the waves of the ocean. It was like a movie. We had clost to no civilization around us with the exception of the local people. As we ate breakfast everyday, we watched them set up their fishing boats and restaraunts. Dogs are abundant along the beach and they "live the life" totally free to swim and play in the sand all day. We mostly hung out by the pool the first day and explored the hotel and the beach. We got a couples message on the beach (so relaxing!), ate coconut, found granite rocks to bring home, watched the locals fish (no fishing poles, just string, hook and bait), we went ziplining (well, Rob did...read on to find out why I didn't), we took a catamaran boat along the coast of Puerto Vallerta to go snorkeling and explore an old fishing village (my favorite part by far). We took a taxi into town and visited their markets (found some souveniers) as well as ate dinner (we both got sick from the food) at an authentic Mexican restaraunt. We spent 6 days and 5 nights there which was just enough for us. We were really missing the kiddos by the fourth day. It was hard to call home and hear their voices, but not be able to hug and kiss them. Needless to say, we enjoyed the time alone and away from the everyday. We got to celebrate our anniversary in a beautiful country that I'm sure we'll visit again. It's been 7 wonderful years!!! The waterfall in Yelapa where all the locals go swimming. It was beautiful. The water was brown that day because it had just rained. Rob and I went for a swim as well. A local wood worker who uses Rosewood, a very strong wood that is very rare and illegal to use unless you're in Yelapa. We bought a vase to hold some flowers. After swimming on the beach of Yelapa Rob going ziplining in the mountains...yes, folks, I chickened out. =) In Yelapa (an old fishing village that you can only get to by boat...just got electricity 4 years ago!), a woman carrying fish. La Playa De Mismaloya, outside our hotel La Playa De Mismaloya Rob at the pool in our hotel Heading home...bittersweet

Best Husband in the World

So, those of you that read my entry on Friday know that it's been a tough week. Of coarse, I say "tough", meaning for me. There are always others in the world worse off than I am so sometimes I need to ask God to help me suck it up. Anyway, I am not a big crier, so when I do cry, Rob knows that something is difficult for me. He knew I had had a bad day and came home with these beauties. Daisies are my favorite flower (they're so cheery and friendly!) and my heart melted when I saw them.

The night didn't end there. We had booked a babysitter for the evening and were able to get out to LeRoy Selman's to eat. We had never been there so it was fun trying something new. We enjoyed the rest of the evening just being alone without any little ones to tend to.

What a perfect ending to a stressful week. =)