You will go down as the best year of my life. In fact, I cannot possibly think of how any year in my future could possibly every surpass you. I feel as if I have lived a lifetime in this one year. Thinking back on my life 1 year ago versus today and the dramatic change is clear. Last year this time I had Katie's ring in my car and knew that I would propose to her on our trip to Beaver Creek. I was planning our New Years Eve outing with Will and Rusty and was loving watching the bowl games on my new TV. I worked out 5-6 times a week, cooked every day and was able to go out to dinner with my future wife and friends every weekend. Work was really starting to heat up and I felt after 10years in the business I was finally arriving. Katie and I had talked about getting married in the late summer or fall and wanted to start a family shortly there after. I was finally to the point in my life where I was ready to slow down and enjoy my life with the most wonderful woman that I have ever met. I knew it was going to be a great year but could not imagine just how truly great.
Well, 2011, you started with a bang by letting Katie and I take a trip out to Beaver Creek for a week of skiing and relaxing. It was a great trip filled with early morning runs (I was the 1st person on the lift a couple mornings), great lunches on the mountain and wonderful star filled nights. We got massages, Took a sleigh ride to dinner, visited the MinTurn salon and shopped at Vail. The highlight of the trip of course was the night that I asked Katie to be my wife. I had about 100 candles burning and had to cut the A/C off b/c it kept blowing out some of the candles. By the time Katie got to the room after her class (she was getting some CE credit while we were out there as well) the room felt like a sauna and I was sweating profusely. I swore it wasn't because I was nervous but I don't know if she believed me. She did say yes however and we began to make our plans....
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| My Beautiful Wife Katie Just After I Popped the Question in our Sauna/Room |
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| Note all the Candles |
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| First Night Out As An Engaged Couple |
2011, We knew we wanted to start trying to have a baby soon so we stopped with the birth control in late 2010 thinking it would take months for the medicine to cycle out. However, from our calculation it appears that we literally got pregnant within three weeks of stopping the BC. So, when we got back from Colorado Katie had some reasons to believe that a trip to the hospital may be in our near future. And, sure enough we were going to have a family. The thought that we were going to have a baby just lit us up. We were both so excited at the thought that we would soon be parents! We realized that we would have to speed things up in terms of the wedding and that people might say things that weren't really nice but we didn't care. We would soon be welcoming a beautiful baby Stegall/Fordham munckin. About the third week in Feb Katie got a call that would change our lives forever. I remember being at work when she called me and said that I had to meet her at the Hospital ASAP. Something wasn't right she said. "My Hormone levels are off the charts". Well, being that I have no medical experience at all I instantly began thinking the worst. Could it be a miscarrage ect... Katie however had an idea. She knew that elevated hormone levels usually meant multiples. Since there are twins on her mothers side we thought it was a possibility but when the Ultrasound tech said,"Well, its not twins, you guys are having Triplets" my knees buckled and my stomach dropped. Katie, as has been well documented, told the tech to "SHUT UP" and instantly burst into tears. To say we were shocked would not do it justice. We were floored with the news. I felt so blessed to be given this gift. We did not go through infertility treatments. This was truly a gift from God. He knew Katie and I could do this. He knew we would have a super family that could support us when times got tough. He knew there would be soooo much love for these children. He knew all these things and that is why he gave us this blessing. (As my stepfather Wills told me, this will define you. You will always be the father of the Fordham Triplets. And to be honest with you, I hope this does define me. I would love it. I am so so proud of my babies. )Anyway, back to the story. So, when we got the news a lot of things hit us. One of the biggest smack in the faces was the fact that we were going to need to get a bigger house. Not only were we going to need to get a bigger house but we were going to need to get a bigger house NOW!!! We would not be able to move with triplet babies and there was no way Katie was going to help moving when she got deeper into her pregnecy. So, what do you do when you need to sell a house and buy a house within a month in the worst housing market in the history of housing markets??? You call Tom Hall. Thats what! Now granted Katie's old house was in a great neighborhood and price accordingly but to have three full price offers the first weekend the house is on the market is unbelievable! Then, for Katie to find the best house in a great neighborhood for the kids was truly amazing. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that easy. Katie and I had our moments during the selling/buying process but we made it through and couldn't be happier with where we are now!!
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| Foggy Morning Outside Our New House |
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| New Living Room |
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| Dining Room |
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| Where The Magic WON'T Happen For 18 or So Years :) |
Now, 2011, you also gave me the 2nd greatest memory of my life this year. On a warm April afternoon in WaterColor Resort FL you gave me a wife. And not just any wife at that. You gave me an amazing woman. She has the work ethic of a CEO, the brains of a Surgeon, the apperance of a Model, the motherly care of Princess Diana, the Integrity of a Supreme Court Judge and the stubborness of a mule (well, you cant have everything J/K - Actually, She has just enough patience to deal with MY stubborn ass!!!) Katie has been wonderful. I love her with all my heart. I am soo happy that she said yes and I was able to cry all the way down the Aisle. Now, since we had some serious life changes in the early part of the year we had to put together a destination wedding in about 3 months. Thanks to all the hard work of our mothers, Kristin and Lauren we were able to have a wonderful wedding in a beautiful place with beautiful weather. I will never forget turning to look at my beautiful bride to be for the first time as she took that first step down the aisle. She looked so stunning and the sun was just right. The week and following honeymoon week at the beach was exactly what we needed. It was a great time to just breath, relax and do our best to get mentally prepared for what was coming.
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| Introducing Mr and Mrs Benjamin Richard Fordham |
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| Beautiful Ceremony! |
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| Some Beach Pics |
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| Hey Hot Mama |
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| Me and My Throne |
2011, you also gave me the best day of my life. It is a day that I will never forget and truly a miracle. At 7:58, 7:59, and 8:00 AM on July 26th Christopher Larkin, Margaret Lyn and Benjamin Kade Fordham were born. The delivery room was a mad house. over 20 people all there just to make sure our babies made it ok. Katie did so so good to get them to 31 weeks and they were born without issue. I remember Katie trembling like a leaf in the wind asking if there were there yet. I remember Kade crying out and not a minute later peeing on the preemie team. I remember all my family in the waiting room with grins from ear to ear just waiting to get the word that everything was ok. I remember holding my baby girl for the first time and just welling up with love. I remember getting to my knees and thanking God that all, including Mom, were ok. I remember bringing Katie up for the first time to truly see her babies. The heartbeats and flying elbows and knees that had been growing in her belly for the past 7.5 months now had names and faces. She was so excited to meet them. I will never forget the look in her eye as she looked at her babies for the first time. I will never forget, Dale and Jean and Mom and Wills and Peggy and Todd and Dad and Beverly as well as Rusty and Will and Kristin and Lauren and Andy and everyone else that was so excited for us. I never knew I was capable of something so good. I know though without Katie none of it was possible. She took such care making sure they had no issues and it paid off.
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| Mamma's First Look |
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| Happy Family |
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| Mamma and One of Her Boys |
2011, for the past 5 months you have given my the greatest gift a man could ever want. Fatherhood. My babies are doing great. Every day they get bigger. Every day the grow stronger. Every day the get smarter. Every day my love for them grows. I am loving every second of being "Dad" and cannot wait for all the good times to come.
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| 5 Months Old |
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| Hey Sweet Maggie |
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| Kade |
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| BB Aka Larkin |
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| The next 15 or so pics were taken in succession. Enjoy! |
2011, yes you have been a great year. You will not soon be forgotten. I will cherish you for as long as I live. You will always be my greatest year! I want to thank you for every day, every memory, every smell, every taste, every sight, every sound and every feeling I had while in your embrace....
However, its time to move on now. To make new memories. To tackle new challenges. To feel new feelings and see new things. Heres to 2012! May it be as full of excitement and laughter and love as 2011
Rhett
