Our anniversary was so nice! I usually don't get that excited about that kind of stuff...usually it is just a card or a dinner. It was fun to celebrate a little more this year. Ten years feels like an accomplishment of some kind. I bought tickets to the Twins game for Cory. Instead of a diamond as a gift, I am taking him to the baseball diamond. Neither of us has been there yet so it shoudl be fun. My sister and her husband are joining us as well. I am really looking forward to it. We will be seated by the Twins dug out so if you are watching the July 3rd game you might see us on TV:)

Our anniversary night fell on a Thursday, which people around here know as sacred "men's night". Even our 10 year was no match for "men's night". So, the kids and I made a trip to the zoo. Liv was clapping her hands and screaming when we pulled into the parking lot. She had no idea where we were but she was pretty pumped about it. Nothing makes me happier than to see the pure excitement in my kids faces. Right off the bat the monkeys and armadillos were entertaining! It was a great time we shared together. Liv LOVED it! She walked most of the zoo hand in hand with Holden. He just loves her so much. He is just as thrilled to see her squeal with delight as I am.

I asked for suggestions on where to eat (stupid, I know). The kids wore me down and Space Aliens was the hands down winner. We had so much fun playing the games together. We had a game that was psycho and kept shooting out piles of tickets for nothing. Holden took full advantage...okay so did I:) The kids and I toasted to our anniversary and texted Cory to let him know. We decided to order ourselves a desert to share to bask in the specialness of the day:) We got a large brownie sundae thingy with M&M's and chocolate syrup (my heart beats faster just thinking of it). We had 4 spoons. Of course, 1 spoon sat there unused as I fed Liv from my spoon. Girlfriend only had one bite from me and then quicker than I could catch her she was out of her highchair, unused spoon in hand, digging into the monstrosity that sat before us. She was hilarious going after all she could fighting her way in there with her big brother and sister trying to scarf down what they could. We were all laughing and Liv could not understand why...but then she did...and she put on a show for those all around her. It was such a fun night! Cory ended his night early and came home to hang with us. It was perfect.

I thought I'd update on all the kids today.

Holden is very busy with hockey, golf, and baseball. Throw a little of swimming and a lot of time with friends and there you go! He is finishing his last week of hockey camp. So far he has had lots of fun. Chris Vandevelde came for one day to teach them some skills. He is a NHL player right now. As well as Matt Cullen from the MN Wild and Brian Lee...superstars hailing from Moorhead. So it is pretty exciting. He broke his first stick at practice. His version is he was going for a puck and this kid came from behind and nailed him from behind and his stick went into his gut and the blade into the wall. He lost his breath and layed on the ice for some time. I know it was not quite that dramatic of a story (eye witnesses;) but he feels a bit tougher now.

He is growing so fast. He is getting tall and broad. We put our feet together the other night and he is only slightly smaller than I am! I can't keep him satisfied either. He is always hungry. I get it now why my mom seemed to get exasperated whenever we'd be hungry 10 minutes after a meal.

I just love him so much. He is sensitive and kind. A really cuddly kid. He is fun to joke with. I love watching him interact with Liv. It is so special. I know that he is even more in love because of what he experienced when his brother died. One thing Liv loves to do is after she gets dressed for the day she likes to show off her outfits to the kids. They always ohh and ahh for her. Just yesterday she has a dress on and a pair of sunglasses. He scooped her up and squeezed her and said "Liv you are so darn cute, I just want to eat you up!"
Grace is doing really good. We are working on the bathroom thing. Some days are better than others but she seems to be less defiant. We are hoping this resolves sooner rather than later. My goal for this to be resolved by the end of the summer. I am concerned about school next year and how this could effect her socially.

Grace is in golf lessons and she loves it. In the rest of her spare time she choreographs dances, sings, loves to go to the pool. She is becoming less of a quiet trouble maker, which is a huge relief:) The only thing I really need to look out for now is her getting into my make-up and hair stuff. Why is it that you can buy them their own stuff, but they still go for my more expensive version?

And Liv...well there is so much to say about her! Her personality is bubbling over at this point. She is still not saying much for understandable words but she is getting there. She can say da, da da (Holden, i think), mama, ouch, uh oh, off, ya, grandpa, hmmph.

The girl loves to dance but she is pretty particular in her choice of music. She is definitely more of a pop song/rap type of girl. She is almost always got her hands up in the air and bopping her head to the beat when she is in her car seat.

She is always looking for attention. She loves to make people laugh. She is especially good at lifting up her shirt and showing people her belly button.

She is a dare devil. She will climb anything and everything! Sitting in a cart at any store will not happen unless there is a very tasty treat to snack upon. We find the popcorn combo at Target to work well...for 15 minutes;) She enjoys taking off and running as fast as she can and pulling anything she can reach off the shelf. We were at Sams' Club the other day and she had a death grip on a barrel of cheese balls! She quickly ripped off the plastic seal...so we now are proud owners of a gigantic barrel of cheese balls. She definitely keeps me busy and utterly worn out by the end of the day. I can't wait until nap time...every.single.day! Then I get antsy for her to wake up so I can get those sleepy snuggles (once a week...b/c usually she is jumping up and down in her bed). Then about 15 minutes after she gets out of bed I wonder why I was so excited to chase her around and pull her off everything in her path! This will pass right???

I am so thankful to have my kids and their health!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July! We can't wait to hang with our family!!

10 years...

Ten years ago today, Cory and I were married and announced to all our guests by the priest..."And now I introduce you to Mr and Mrs Klinkert! Oops, I guess all that time we spent with the priest pre-wedding, he forgot to memorize our name. Or maybe it was payback for me for all of the disagreements we tended to get into in the planning and pre-marriage counseling sessions. "To honor and obey thy husband"...ahhh NO! Marriage is a two way street in my opinion and it has worked so far:)

We have had 10 great years so far. Of course we have had our learning experiences along the way, but it has only helped us understand each other better. Obviously, the biggest challenge thus far was grieving Beckett. THAT WAS HARD! I would sometimes have to bolt up to our closet and scream and sob into one of my sweatshirts. Not because he was doing anything bad, but because I may have been having a "silent moment of despair" and he was having a "moment of happiness" at the same time. It was trying and absolutely painful at times. It was ridiculously hard to not get mad at him and vice versa. It was hard to understand, connect, be empathetic, and forgiving.

However, we overcame all that with the support and help from lots of great people. Our love and admiration for one another shined through too. We are a much stronger and united couple since that tragedy.

That first week of fumbling through Beck's death were some of the most tender moments we have ever shared together. Some of the most raw and unfiltered. We were the only two people who understood the gut wrenching, heart crushing pain. That pain and experience bound us so tightly.

There have been plenty of wonderfully fun and deliriously happy moments as well. Obviously the birth of our three living children rank up there in the top. As well as the trips we have taken together. And just everyday things...we are a good match. I am so happy that he is in my life. And I hope there are many more great years in front of us.