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Sunday, August 31, 2008

6 Years Ago Today


6 years ago today, I married my best friend and became his wife. We had been together for 10 years (we could almost say we had a common law marriage) and after a looooong engagement, we decided to make it official.

Our wedding was perfect! Just the way WE wanted it. We planned it in 6 short weeks and we couldn't have asked for anything to have been different. Small, intimate and simple. 40 of our immediate family and closest friends were there to witness our vows and help us celebrate our special day!



Other than the days that our children were born, it was the BEST day of my life.

Happy Anniversary, Tim! I love you more than words can say!!!

Friday, August 29, 2008

A New Look!

Please make note of my new blog header. Thanks to my wonderful, online Mom's Group friend, Amanda, I have a new header! Amanda is so creative and has actually created a site called BLOG SAVY , you can check out all of her "handy work" there and also check out her own personal blog called Hot Dogs For Dinner in the list of Bloggers that I like to follow.

Thanks so much, Amanda! You are the best!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Once In A Blue Moon

This past weekend we celebrated my Grandmother's 90th birthday. Affectionately called Mimi, she claims rights to 2 daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Family from New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, New York and South Carolina joined together in St. Louis for a big bash to mark the ocassion.

My cousin Shaw put together a slideshow on her laptop of photos since Mimi was born (and some before) thanks to the great geneology research by my Mom! Tons of great photos, showing Mimi's past 90 years and all of her family and friends. A special moment near the end of the slideshow was a picture of Sophie (the newest member of our family) who will be joining us from Vietnam before the end of the year!

Here's an online version of the slideshow if you'd like to see it:



The last time that we ALL were together as a family was 10 years ago in New Jersey, so this was one of those ONCE IN A BLUE MOON occasions. Below are a couple of photos from the weekend. We all had a great time and it was great to have everyone in town for the weekend - even though it was way to short!

Mimi and her whole family together to celebrate

A RARE family photo of my Mom AND Pop with my sister, brother and I with ALL of our children (including Sophie).

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Gearing Up

We've got a pretty big weekend ahead of us full of all sorts of "Family Fun". My Grandmother turns 90 on 8/25, so to celebrate, we're throwing her a birthday party this weekend. My sister, her husband and 4 children are coming in from New Jersey and my Mom and her husband are headed to St. Louis from South Carolina.

Saturday morning we have a "Family Photo Op" with Renee McMahon to catch all of us in the same zip code at the same time (should be interesting) and then Saturday evening is the MAIN EVENT!

We'll be headed over to my Aunt Sallie's for the birthday bash with her 4 girls who are all coming in town from their respective places of residence throughout the country along with a few other close family and friends of my Grandmother. Nothing too fancy planned from what I understand, just a party to help the Matriarch of our family ring in a new decade (you only turn 90 once right). Again, it will be a "Family Photo Op" as she will have her 2 Daughers, 7 Grandchildren and 7 Great-Grandchildren all togehter at the same time. The last time we were able to do this was when my Grandfather was alive and we all congregated at my sister's in New Jersey for his 80th birthday.

Along with pictures and a party, we'll be visiting the Zoo and just trying to cram in as much family togetherness as we can in 2 short days. Should be an interesting weekend to say the least.

Someday I'm Going To Miss This......

This past weekend was just a weekend of STUFF. Tim had to work due to a tight deadline at his current client site so it was up to me to keep the boys occupied. Because of the beautiful August weather that we are being blessed with, the boys and I decided to venture out to the St. Louis Zoo to see what was new.
We've been by ourselves enough that we have it down to a science now. Important stops for the boys are the elephants, the hippos, the anteaters (not sure why....but we stop to see them), the bears, the penguins, the chimpanzees, the giraffes, the zebras, the sea lions and then a few other random animals along the way. We can to the whole lot and eat lunch in 3 hours - which is PLENTY of Zoo time for all three of us.
We didn't ride the train though. Jack's waiting for his cousin, Jack Hogan, to come into town and then he said he'll ride it (I think he's not keen on the tunnels but I wasn't as a kid either).

Saturday night we headed to Kirkwood Park to play on the new playground. Tim had a double header softball game, so we took the boys to dinner and then played at the park until it was game time. The boys and I headed home for bed while Tim played ball. Slides, swings, and sand! What more would a little boy need?



Nothing fancy, nothing too special....just a fun day with my boys! Special time with just the two of them and me. One day I'll miss being able to do that with them so for now, I get it in as much as I can and soak in every minute of it.

Monday, August 11, 2008

A Night With "Northern Chaos"

This past Saturday night we had a get together with friends Betsy and Kevin, their daughter Schuyler and Kerry and Storm and their boys Nick, Alex and Max ( Northern Chaos in my favorite blogs links). Kerry and Storm have been in town for the past week from Eagle River, AK for family reunions and the what not and we were able to snag them for a night to catch up!

We had a blast! The kids (5 boys and one girl, ranging in age from 7 to 2) had such a great time playing together, jumping on the trampoline and toasting marshmallows on the firepit and Betsy, Kerry and I spent time catching up while the guys talked about god knows what.

A little shy at first but it didn't take them long to come off the steps and blend into the fun!

Poor Max! Bumped his head on a table but didn't let it phase him ONE BIT! He told Storm that he didn't cry and just said "Ouch!"

Roasting marshmallows in August (who would think that was possible in St. Louis?)

L to R - Max (3), Alex (5), Nick (7), Schuyler (6), Mason (2) & Jack (3 1/2)

Good friends, Imo's Pizza, a little wine and beer, and awesome weather equated to a WONDERFUL time for all of us. Kerry & Storm, thanks for making time for us in your busy schedule so that we could see you guys and Bets & Kevin, thanks for letting us invade your house, it was fun!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

"I'm Going To Be An Honorable Fireman!"


Well, he's almost right! Jack is being made an honorary fireman by his Uncle Chris and the rest of the Volunteer Firefighter/Paramedics at Atlantic Ambulance in Chatham Township, NJ. Chris left Jack the message below on my "Who is YOUR Hero?" post and we were all was SOOOO excited when we read it (what 3 1/2 year old wouldn't be?).

Jack Henry,

I have a question...do you think it's ok for a hero to cry? The reason I ask you this is because when Aunt Diehnee told me what you said in class I was so proud that it brought tears to my eyes. I talked to the guys in my firehouse and told them what you said, they all decided to make you an honorary Fireman.

I can’t wait to see you, Mason, your mom and dad in a few weeks. Thank you again for making me so proud

Your Uncle Chris



The other night we were sitting at dinner and out of no where, Jack says "I'm going to be an HONORABLE fireman! Uncle Chris is going to teach me how to be a fireman! I hope when Mason's 3 1/2 Uncle Chris makes HIM an honorable fireman too!". We were so surprised that he was able to get out that whole thought in one breath - it was amazing and very touching for Tim and I to hear the excitement in his voice.

We're anxiously awaiting August 22nd when my sister Diehnee, Uncle Chris and the rest of their crew arrives in St. Louis for a celebration weekend. Jack will get to see his HERO - Uncle Chris!