Always Able

We received some bad news yesterday. Mark Fitzgibbons, one of the guys Ryan deployed with from the 173rd, passed away. He has always been described as someone who could make people smile and laugh with his jokes and sarcasm. Ryan could probably go into much more detail about the type of person that he was and the things that they liked to do, such as playing football. All I know is that the year that they spent together, protecting each other and fighting for their country, is something that can never be described. They all had a special bond that can never be broken.

Mark had been out of the Army for a while and living in Austin, Texas. Ryan is lucky enough to be able to drive there (6 hour drive) and attend the funeral services with some of the other guys from the 173rd. Many things can be said about guys in the Army, but I think that it speaks volumes when they drop everything to travel from all parts of the US to pay respects to a fallen brother.

Sometimes there are things in life we can't explain. Things in life that may seem unfair. However, there is no doubt that people are placed in our lives for specific reasons. I know that Mark "Fitz" had a very special place and purpose in Ryan's life. That is something that will never be forgotten. Always Able and MJ4L!!!

7 Months and Skyping

Our little Blake is 7 months old today!! Seriously can't believe that he is growing so quickly!!! We relaxed most of the day today because Blake is still getting over a little stuffy nose that he has. So, we decided to Skype daddy and show him all of our new tricks. First of all, Blake LOVES skyping Ryan. He gets so still and just watches him. Occasionally he will try to talk too. He always tries to reach for the computer and press buttons. Blake got to show Ryan his 2 new teeth that are coming in. Ouch! He also showed off his little Army crawl that he has going on. He tends to reach and then pull himself. Lots of times he will get on all fours and rock, but he is still getting up the courage to place one leg in front of the other. After much encouragement Blake also said a little "Da-Da" for Ryan!!! Yes, he has said his first word. :) Now we are just waiting for him to understand what that word means and say it on demand. Here are some other 7 month updates...

• He loves to eat apples, carrots, squash, and pears
• He is not a fan of peas or peaches
• He HATES having his faced wiped after dinner
• He still bounces his little heart out
• Sometimes he is a chatter box...now saying "da-da"
• He still loves to smile
• Sleeping is getting a little better - now only waking up once or twice
• He loves going to Ms. Dawn's during the day
• He loves riding in his stroller and shopping carts
• His favorite TV shows are Backyardigans and The Fresh Beat Band :)
• He can Army crawl and twist all the way around.
• He has fought off his first head cold
• He has 2 teeth coming in

I'll Go Where You Go

Blake has become very mobile recently...

 

He is SO close to crawling. He can get his hands and legs underneath him, but he usually collapses before he goes anywhere. Sometimes he starts rocking on all fours. And he has mastered the backwards push!! He will get the forward motion soon!

 

 

He can now sit up pretty securely on his own. So, we figured that it is time to retire the old car seat in the store carts. Now we have this super cute cart cover that he can sit in!

 

 

He is also still small enough to fit in a box, so he is shippable too! Haha. If only we could send him to see Ryan in Louisiana. He is ready...toys and all! :) 

Our Big Day

This week was a big week for Blake and I. It was my first week back at Wake Forest Rolesville High School and Blake's first week at Ms. Dawn's house. Here is a picture taken on the first morning. :)

Comic Relief

These past few weeks have been hard on the Larsen family. You know the saying, "When it rains, it pours?" Well, that has been the theme for our past few weeks. Being separated has always been hard, and we are both facing our little challenges in our individual realities. Luckily, our little family does great at being strong for each other.

So, I thought I could share some comic relief to get  away from some of the stress that we have from jobs and such. I forgot how it came up, but my family was discussing most embarrassing moments. They asked me what mine was and I just laughed. Easy! And of course it is a story about Ryan and I.

When Ryan and I FIRST met, we went to the pool. Of course we were trying to be flirty - splashing and all that cute puppy love stuff. ;) Well, Ryan decided that he was going to dunk me under the water. Isn't that like every guys goal to do to a girl in the pool?! Haha. He succeed and I went under. I came up out of the water laughing and splashing and being a good sport about it all. Ryan laughed too, until he got this somewhat funny look on his face. I was thinking that he was about to say something super romantic and kiss me...awww. But, no. Instead he said, "Um, you have some snot coming out of your nose." Yep, super attractive! Massive wet snot hanging from my nose on the first day together. Could this get any worse?!!? Luckily he wasn't too turned off and my charming personality must have recovered it because I got him in the end. ;)

Laughter heals all ills. Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed in day to day things or hate being away from Ryan, I think about our funny moments and all is well again.

"Don't take life too seriously, you'll never make it out alive"

Blake at 6 Months

Happy half birthday to Blake!!! We can't believe he is 6 months old. Where does the time go!? He had his check up yesterday and he is 19 pounds and 27 inches long. WOW! It is crazy to think that in his first month of life he was only in the 7th percentile of babies his age. Now he is in the 76th percentile. Talk about growth spurt! He is our little happy and healthy boy. He had to get his last rounds of shots and that is NO fun. The poor little guy always has such sore legs. Now that he is older and using those legs a lot more, it makes for a miserable recovery day. Anyway, lets see what he is up to these days...

• He LOVES to bounce in his bouncing chairs.
• He laughs and talks sometimes
• He loves cell phones... isnt it a little early for that?!
• He will tell you if he doesnt like something. More like screams.
• He is not very patient...working on it. lol.
• He has traveled across county - including crossing the Mississippi River!
• He loves dogs!
• He sleeps on his tummy with his legs tucked under and his little bum in the air. Adorable.
• He has started to eat baby food. We went with the green beans first. Post coming soon!
• No improvements on sleep. We are working on this too. Maybe next month will be different?!
• He met his babysitter - Ms. Dawn. He will start to stay with her in a few weeks. :)
• He still loves watching TV with daddy. So calm when they do that.
• We are officially in 6-9 month clothes! Whoop.

Frankies Day Date

We have been having a blast in NC, but of course, all things must come to an end. Ryan had to leave to go back to Louisiana for Army work. Before he left, we went on a fun day date. Man, its awesome to have grandparents who always want to babysit! :)

We decided to go to Frankies Fun Park and play some putt putt. Go figure, Ryan beat me. It's going to be my new life goal to beat him at putt putt! Haha. We then tried some hitting at the batting cages. Ryan and I both have played baseball/softball before, but we haven't played in forrrrrever!! It was super fun! I can't say that we were both pros at it, but we still have some of it. We totally want to join an adult league at some point. Maybe next summer!





We had a blast, just like always do on our dates. Sadly it will be another month or so before we go on another one. Our long distance family period starts now. Sigh... We've got this!

On a happier note - Blake is 6 months old today!!! I am gonna save all the updates on him until Monday...when he has his 6 month check up!