Just Some Pretty Pictures

Ok, I'm just killing some time (figuring Ian will be waking up soon) so I'm going thru some pics that I have on my computer...thought I'd share a few that I enjoy looking at over and over again :)

Roses that Gary sent me before our wedding


My boquet of flowers from our wedding


The view from the airplane on our way to the Dominican Republic...this was my first time on an airplane so it was kind of a big deal



Ocean in the Dominican Republic...it really is THAT BLUE


I want to go back here :) Ocean Blue Resort, Dominican Republic

Brothers, Inlaws and Cousins...Oh My

Gary and I are blessed with wonderful families!! We each have one brother and combined have 5 nieces....which I am looking forward to spoiling more and more as they get older. Here are some pics of their happy families...

Gary's brother Tim and his wife Kim (I wish they lived closer)


Their wonderful girls:

Kaitlyn

The triplets: Morgan, Megan, and Madison



My brother, Jason and his girlfriend, Brandi


Their little girl, Elle Louise (I call her peanut)

MY POOR LITTLE IAN

Today was Ian's two month check at the Dr.'s. The good news is that he's happy, healthy and growing like a weed. He weighed 12 pounds even and is 24 inches long! The bad news was that there were shots involved...5 of them...3 in his left leg and 2 in his right leg. Ian handled the shots like a trooper...only cried for a few minutes then smiled when we were getting him dressed and ready to leave. He fell asleep in the car and slept all afternoon...until about 5:30pm. My evening then turned to hell. He screamed and screamed and screamed! Unfortunately Gary had to be at work at 7pm...so I called mom and said "HELP!!" Of course she came to my rescue. Apparently the tylenol I had given him wasn't working. So off to the store I went to get some motrin. After some relaxing time in his swing and a nice warm bath and some motrin he seemed to have calmed down. It helps that the child loves to be naked :) Usually by now he's in bed, but not tonight. He's fighting sleep like crazy and the poor little guy is exhausted. His little eyes are all red and puffy from crying all evening. He was just playing in his crib but now he's fussing again. ahh..the joys of motherhood.

A MUST READ

THE LAST LECTURE
by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

Publisher: Hyperion Bks/Imp of Buena Vista Books
Publication Date: April, 2008

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: (from doubleday book club)
If you were going to die, and had one last lecture, what would you say to your students?
This question is the premise of an academic tradition called the “Last Lecture,” which allows professors to share their wisdom with their students. But for Professor Randy Pausch, it wasn’t a hypothetical scenario. Diagnosed with cancer, he only had months to live when he gave his Last Lecture this past September. It was the lecture of a lifetime. Titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” it encouraged people to dream big, to be strong in the face of adversity, to never lose the wonder and to help others achieve their own dreams. Wise, witty and incredibly moving, it became a global phenomenon: viewed online by millions, featured on numerous TV programs and linked to by legions of Websites.

Now, by popular request, Randy expands on his lecture, elaborating on his message and sharing how he learned each of the lessons outlined in his talk. As he says, “It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.”

MY THOUGHTS:
WOW!! This book is probably one of the best I've read in a long time. The fact that it is one man's true story about facing death head on with a positive attitude was enough to keep it a page turner. It's not really a story as much as it is a forceful way to make you evaluate your own life. For example: do you want to be an eeyore or a tigger? (if you don't understand this, you should read the book) The author states that he's thankful to have had warning about dying...but I feel that we all know that we're going to go sometime or another...so we all (in a way) have warning. To borrow a line from a coworker: "no one is promised tomorrow."

Has this book made me think? Absolutely. The main thing I think about is what my boys would remember about me if tomorrow was taken away. I've decided that I'm going to start writing "letters" to each of my boys. How often? I don't know yet. Maybe once a month. I'm going to make each of them a binder so that when they are older they will have all of these thoughts from their mom to page thru.

My final thoughts from this book...I hope I can live my life to be remembered as a tigger...I hope my boys do too.

I'm definitely going to read this book again...I'm sure there were things that I missed. I also plan on watching the author's "last lecture" online. (http://www.thelastlecture.com/) I think that everyone should read this book and see what kind of insight you can draw from it.

MEET ME AND MY FAMILY

I'm sure you've figured out already that I am a wife and a mom and I love every minute of it! My life truely revolves around my husband and two boys and I wouldn't have it any other way. I work full time as a certified pharmacy technician with the dream of eventually being a stay at home mom. Here are some pictures of my pride and joy (my family) and our story...

MY HUSBAND GARY..

Gary and I met at work...I never thought I'd end up marrying him; but fate had other ideas. He is the sweetest, most caring, unselfish man I've ever met. I will always remember our first "real date"...he picked me up to take me out to dinner and go ice skating and brought toys for my son. That was it...I was hooked. We dated off and on for awhile and eventually figured out that it was time to move forward. We bought our house in January of 2006 and were engaged on the same day that we settled. We were then married on August 4th, 2007. He's far from perfect...but he's my prince charming :)

our wedding day


OUR OLDEST: TYLER...



Tyler is our 10 year old. He is sweet, witty, intelligent and athletic. Ty does great with his academics, is involved in volunteer opportunities at school, and plays the trumpet. He also lives to play soccer!...I think he would play year round if we'd let him. Right now he plays in the spring and the fall. On his last report card his teacher summed him up by saying that "Tyler is a model for others to follow. I (the teacher) can always rely on Tyler to make wise choices and treat his classmates with respect." I guess somewhere along the way we did something right with him.

OUR BABY BOY: IAN...


Ian is our precious little one. He was born on February 25, 2008. I can't believe how this little boy has changed my life. He is so happy, sweet and innocent. When I hold him, watch him sleep, or play with him...all of my worries and cares are gone.



Both of my boys have a special place in my heart. They are my greatest blessings in life. I can't imagine my life without them.

THE FAMILY DOG: ZOE

Zoe is a 3 year old mix of a jack russell terrier and a toy poodle. Yes, she has a ton of energy. Most of the time she frustrates me but every now and again she makes me smile. What I love about her is that when I'm having a bad day she senses it and will just come sit on my lap and want to be loved. She has her moments but she's a sweet dog. She's as much a part of the family as our boys.



So that's us. I plan on using this blog as a sort of journal for myself. I'm really bad at scrapbooking (have 3 I started and haven't finished one) and organizing photos (still have film from when Ty was little that hasn't been developed) so this will be my little keepsake and a way for me to tell our story.


Like what you see? My wonderful sister in law (Kim) created this blog page for me. Her and her husband (Tim) have started a business designing blog sites. Click on the "spiced up" link to see their work...and maybe get a blog site of your own :)
ta ta for now...