Christmas 2011 Photo Collage

Here is a photo collage of our Christmas in Iowa.  I will write more about our trip once we make it back to New York.  Enjoy!

So happy to see her!



Adorable



Smiling nice for the camera



Matt is hamming it up for the camera



Having way too much fun.

He was a robot.

Posing with Daddy and Uncle Aaron

Soooooo happy to have my little brothers home!

Matt and I with me a couple of my high school classmates/friends; Katie & Jareb.  Katie's daughter, Aleeyah was in our wedding.

Fun times with Grandma

Our favorite little people. :-D

And the Third Trimester Begins! :-O

Today marks my 28th week of pregnancy (aka the start of the third trimester)!  I cannot believe that we are two thirds of the way through already.  It feels like I was just standing in my bathroom staring at that pregnancy test in disbelief.  For the most part I have been feeling pretty good, but I am starting to get some aches and pains.  My lower back has felt better, and though I have been fighting my chiropractor to get one of those belts that supports my belly I'm not sure I will be able to fight her much longer.  I'm excercising and attempting to stand as correctly as possible but after a long day all I want to do is curl up with my heat pad and nurse my poor back.  I guess I could feel worse, and there are always more prenatal massages to be had. hehe  Sleeping has also become a challenge.  I finally bought a body pillow yesterday because it was impossible to move surrounded by every pillow I could find, not to mention Matt had been banned to the far side of the bed due to my pillow wall.   I know the non-sleep is supposed to be practice for when the baby comes and all that, but it's just mean.  Shouldn't I be able to rest as much as possible before the baby comes? Naps and early bed times have become my friends, that's for sure.

28 Weeks!

Baby Cook has been moving around like crazy the past couple of weeks.  Sometimes I swear she's using every section of her body to hit me at once.  It's comical to watch my belly move when she's in one of her hyper fits though.  I blame Matt for her obvious hyper tendencies, because I certainly was not like that.  LOL  Thursday is my next follow-up but judging from how much she is moving and how my mid-section is growing I'd say she is doing just fine.  :-)

Matt and I are going to be preparing for our long drive to Iowa this week.  I cannot wait!  I hate the drive but getting the long break from work and spending time with my family makes it all worth it.  So the cleaning and packing has begun.  Making it through the work week is always the toughest because my mind is already in vacay mode but the reality is that I still have so much to do to prepare for my absence at work.  Here's hoping that this week goes quick! 

Other than that Matt and I are done with Christmas shopping, thank goodness.  Going to the mall yesterday was so much more enjoyable since we weren't scrambling to find last minute gifts for everyone.  So now all that's left to do is get back to Iowa and spend a wonderful Christmas with my family.  Update and pictures to follow after the holidays!  Merry Christmas Everyone! 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....?

Hello Again!  I hope you're all doing well.  Things continue to be busy busy in our neck of the woods.  We finally got a bit of snow on Wednesday, but with the exception of Red Hill Knolls the snow quickly melted away the very next day.  I am not a fan of the cold weather or the snow really, however, there is an exception to this dislike, Christmas.  I have a serious grip with Mother Nature because it definitely does not look like Christmas out there right now.  The ground is bare and the grass is still green!  I sure hope that we have snow for Christmas.  Without the snow it makes it hard to get into the spirit.  I have been trying though,  I have decorated at home and I decorated my branch at work.  I am currently listening to Christmas music in the hopes of fully getting myself into the Christmas mood. 

Today I went down to the library in the town that I live in.  Grahamsville has been spending a lot of time revamping their library the last few years and I had yet to check it out.  My mother-in-law, Susan needed to drop cookies off for the Holiday Tea Time they were hosting at the library, so she invited me to come with her to see what they have done to the library.  I will say, it was absolutely gorgeous in there.  When she showed me the children's section it made me excited to take Baby Cook there when she is finally old enough to go to the library and enjoy all of the things they offered.  Reading has always been one of my favorite things to do and I hope to pass my love of reading on to our little girl.  I can't wait to read all of the wonderful books there are for children to our daughter.  On a side note,  as I was standing in the area where they were preparing all of the many plates of cookies and goodies for the Tea Time the very pregnant and hungry me just wanted to grab one of each goodie.  One should not take a pregnant woman into a buffet of Christmas treats and not allow her to sample, it's just mean. ;-)

I finally got my butt in gear and wrote out the Christmas cards that I need to get out to the many people on my mailing list.  After a couple of hours and one very sore wrist later I am happy to report that I am almost done, with the exception of waiting for updated address on a couple of people.  Now, if only I could say that I had also completed my Christmas shopping.  I am going to do my best to complete that tomorrow though.  Since we spend Christmas in Iowa we have to ship most of the gifts we have to get so I am going to force myself to crack down tomorrow and finish that up so I can stop worrying and so I know that everything will be in Iowa before we get there.

Yesterday I spent a wonderfully relaxing day with my fellow preggo lady/friend, Colleen.  We enjoyed lunch out.  (Colleen, I agree, it is nice to share a meal with someone who is as equally hungry as I am without judgement.)  After lunch Colleen and I did a little bit of shopping.  I did break down and buy a couple of things for Baby Cook.  Until then I had been holding off as I know that we will receive more than enough clothes, but I couldn't help but purchase a couple of outfits.  They were too cute to pass up.

I couldn't resist :-)

After our shopping trip Colleen and I ended the day by enjoying prenatal massages.  How a pregnant woman survives without getting at least one prenatal massage I do not know.  It was just what my over worked muscles needed, especially after my busy week.  There definitely needs to be a trip or two back to the spa before baby is here.  The entire day was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday.  Thank you Colleen for suggesting and inviting me. :-)  Colleen is looking great and carrying her pregnancy beautifully.

In baby news, I am officially in my final week of the second trimester.  This week I found out I had gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks.  That makes perfect sense as my appetite seems to have graduated to that of a teenage boy's.  I can't seem to eat enough food to keep baby happy.  Along with the extra poundage my members and co-workers were kind enough to point out that my mid-section has grown to account for those pounds.  I have no problem with the growing belly, I was a bit taken back by the fact that people are so open in voicing how big you are when you are pregnant.  I know that most people do not mean it in a mean way, however, a little tact when dealing with a hormonal woman, who is growing a human being is probably a good idea.  I actually had a member ask me if I thought I was going to be able to work up to my due date as I was already so big.  I don't care who you are, that stings a bit. Lol  Aside from the somewhat insensitive comments everyone has been quite wonderful and I have been feeling great.  I really have been incredibly lucky.  I haven't really felt sick, my hair and skin looks great, and Matt has been wonderful about giving me mini massages at the end of the day to help relieve any tension.  What more could a girl ask for?

27 Weeks!

Thanks to Kate!

Irish Love from Matt's Mom

The Holidays Have Arrived!

Hello All!!!  Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Matt and I spent a wonderful day with Matt's family.  We all ate way too much, laughed a lot, and enjoyed great company.  Matt's cousin, Tara, was fascinated with my ever present bump.  She really wanted to feel her little cousin kick but unfortunately our little girl was quite subdued by all of the food I had fed myself and her.  I'm sure that she will get the opportunity to feel her kick at Christmas time. 

Since Thanksgiving Matt and I have been quite busy running from one place to the next.  We spent one weekend day in Albany registering for the baby.  It was so overwhelming to see all of the choices.  I thought I was prepared but Matt and I still left there feeling a bit frazzled.  By the end of the experience we were ready for a nap.  We survived the trip though and have successfully registered at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby.  There are still small things that need to be added but I have been adding to it as I've had the time and am almost done.  I might actually complete it by the time Baby Cook arrives.

The Christmas spirit is everywhere now and I am so excited.  Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I have put up some decorations at home but I must say that no one rivals my mom.  I look forward to going home every Christmas because as soon as I walk in my parent's house I am transported into the magic and excitement of Christmas.  This year is extra special because my little brothers are both safely back in the States.  I'm so excited to spend the holiday with my family.

In Baby Cook news, I am now 2 weeks from entering the 3rd and final trimester.  I cannot believe that it is here already.  I grow more and more anxious to meet our little angel, but admittedly have moments of "Oh gosh, we still have so much to do!".  But I just take a breath and try to enjoy every moment of this wonderful experience, even the moments of sleeplessness, aches, and being unable to bend over. Haha

26 Weeks!

The only thing we've completed in the nursery. :-)

Reflections

I'm writing this blog tonight because I have a dear friend who is going through a very personal and very painful time right now.  Her struggle has made me think about how easily we can let something trivial bring us down and make us forget just how blessed we are. 

I've been stressed and I've had those days where I feel like nothing is going right, and admittedly those times have made me forget the things I am blessed with.  I forget there are soldiers that won't be returning home to their families, there are parent's who have to choose between paying the bills or feeding their children, there are children who spend their days in the hospital because they have cancer instead of playing outside, and I forget my blessings.  I forget that I have a roof over my head, a steady job, a husband that never ceases to amaze me with how much he loves and cares for me, amazing friends and family, and that Matt and I have been blessed with the opportunity to become parents.  My friend's ordeal has made me refocus.  I wish I could take my friends pain away, but unfortunately I can't do that.  What I can do, and what we can all do, is make sure we never forget the blessings in our lives. 

Everyone has a bad day, and sometimes those bad days can stretch out longer than we would like but the next time I come home complaining about someone who gave me attitude or I feel sorry for myself because "nothing is going right", I am going to do my best to just take a breath and remember all of the wonderful things that ARE going right in my life.  Once you do that, everything else is put into perspective and it will help you realize that you probably don't have it all that bad.  And should you be going through a rough patch, and you feel like there is no end to that rough patch, focus on your blessings and know that eventually everything will be ok. 

Have a wonderful evening! :-)

Lion King, Snow & Beautiful Fall Days



Me & My Love

Hello Again!  I hope this blog finds everyone doing well.  Things have been busy for us.  Matt and I celebrated my birthday/finding out that we were having a girl with a day in the City.  Matt got me tickets to see Lion King on Broadway.  The day definitely didn't end up quite as we had planned.  We got to the City ok.  When we arrived it was raining in the City.  Not fun but tolerable.  We met up with Matt's friend, JP for lunch.  We had a wonderful lunch, catching up and enjoying good food.  However, we got quite the surprise while eating lunch, it was snowing in the City!  Now, it does snow in the City, however not usually this early.  It quickly turned into a slushy mess.  We finished lunch and heading to a bar around the corner so we could have a quick drink before Lion King.  Water for me of course.  After we said our goodbye's to JP and his girlfriend we took a slippery taxi ride to Broadway.  I had a great time at the show.  The music and effects were amazing.  Definitely a wonderful way to celebrate.  After the show we quickly found a taxi and took one very long train ride back to where our car was.  Because of the very early and heavy snowfall the train kept having to stop.  The car ride was even slower but we finally made it home.  Though the weather made things a bit difficult it was still a wonderful day in the City with my wonderful husband. 

Halloween!!!!

Every year where I work encourages everyone to dress up for Halloween.  Each branch decorates and we all dress up.  The managers go around and vote on the best branch and the best costume, overall.  We ask our members to vote for their favorite costume and donate the funds we collect from votes to St. Judes.  It's a fun was to raise money for a great cause and have a fun-filled day at work.  It's also a great way to kick off the Holiday season.  :-)

The rest of the week went by fairly uneventfully.  I did return to my yoga routine for the first time in a month and half.  First, I will say, if you're going to work out during your pregnancy, don't take an extended break.  When you return your now present belly will prove to make working out difficult while you adjust to how to move with your new addition.  Second, returning to a workout routine while still pregnant is even less fun than returning after a normal hiatus. 

Friday night we had dinner and hung out with my friend, Latisha and her family and some friends.  I can definitely say that I have not laughed as hard as I did that night in a long time.  By the end of the night my stomach muscles were achy from laughing so hard.  Partly because I was actually the only sober individual at the shindig.  Sometimes that can make for a very boring even, but in this case it kept me endlessly entertained.

The rest of the beautiful Fall weekend was spent doing some chores, running some quick errands and relaxing as much as I possibly could.  We have almost cleared all of the stuff out of the soon to be nursery so that we can start preparing the room for baby.  I have definitely found that I need a few more breaks between chores than I did before, but they all get done AND I'm getting more down time than I usually allow myself. 

Our baby girl loves moving and kicking around in there.  She makes it very clear when she feels too crowded and will kick whatever, or whoever is doing the crowding.  Matt loves to rub my belly and talk to her.  Every day is a new experience and we are enjoying every moment of it. 

I hope that you all have a great week!  Until next time.  XO

IT'S A.......

Hello!!!!  Sorry I've made you all wait so long for this news.  The doctors appointment took longer than we anticipated.  First, they were 45 minutes late getting me in, which can I just say was not pleasant for me and my incredibly full bladder.  When I finally got in the Ultrasound Tech took a lot of the necessary "anatomy" pictures that were necessary for the doctor.  Baby Cook continuously kicked at the ultrasound wand each time the tech would push down to get a better picture.  Guess he/she wasn't digging the invasion of their space. ;-)

Then, after 30 minutes of taking many many pictures, the Ultrasound tech told us that she was 80% sure of what we were having but she wanted to be more sure so she needed me to go walk around for 15-20 minutes and eat something sweet.  She needed the baby to move so she could get a more definite look.
So, Matt and I went to the supermarket and got me a candy bar and walked around for a bit.  Then we returned to finally get the answer of who we had growing in there, our little boy or our little girl.

Initially the baby hadn't budged one bit from the position they were in when we left.  I was not about to have come that far and waited that long only to have to schedule another appointment becuase there wasn't a clear enough view.  So I coughed and the tech moved the wanded rapidly around on my belly to get our little one to corroperate.  Thankfully, Baby Cook finally budged and the tech was able to finish her pictures and FINALLY reveal to us what we were having.  It's a girl!!!!!

I have to admit, Matt and I were a bit shocked. lol  We had convinced ourselves that it was a boy so when the tech said it was a girl we were speechless.  However, Matt and I recovered quickly and we cannot wait for our little girl to be here with us. We already know that she is quite spunky, from the kicks to the ultrasound wand and quite stubborn, since she needed some convincing to get her to move enough to reveal to us who she was. 

So, the planning and shopping begins!!!! 

New Season, New Trimester, and New Adventures

I am horrible about keeping everyone updated through the blog.  Since my last post a lot has happened.  Every day life wise Matt and I have had the pleasure of enjoying our friend, James' band perform, we celebrated our friend's Abby and Joe's little boy, Joey's 5th birthday party, Matt and I have celebrated our 29th and 27th birthdays, and heard the exciting news that two of our closest couple friends are expecting!  It has certainly been a busy month.

I spent my long birthday weekend in a cleaning frenzy, not exactly the ideal birthday weekend but we were blessed with 3 of the only warm/beautiful Fall days we have had so I had to take advantage.  I definitely took advantage of doing some "Spring Cleaning" in the Fall.  I think a bit of the nesting bug bit me that weekend.  I certainly learned my lesson in the necessity of taking it easy while pregnant, as I was incredibly sore after all of that cleaning.  I guess I'll just have to have Matt do most of it for the rest of my pregnancy. ;-) 

Though I had everything I could ask for in being blessed with our expanding family, Matt also got me a wonderful gift of tickets to Lion King on Broadway!  I have wanted to see it since we moved here and we finally will this weekend.  I am so excited!  I can't wait to blog about our fun afternoon/evening in the City. 

We celebrated little Joey's 5th birthday on the 16th.  It seems crazy to me that he is 5 already!  It really feels like it was just yesterday that he was that chunky cheeked, curly haired little 1 year old we met 4 1/2 years ago.  It definitely makes you realize just how fast time can go.  It has been great to share in watching him grow from a toddler into a little man. 

Matt celebrated his birthday weekend by going out for opening day of bow season.  For those of you who don't know, hunting season starts in October and doesn't stop until Summer starts.  Not only does Matt live and breath hunting season for the next several months, I do too.  Not by choice however...haha.  Unfortunately, Matt has not had too many occassions to get out and hunt.  I'm sure he will do all he can to make up for that dilemma though.  As long as I don't keep him too busy with all of my "To Dos".  I did get Matt a Scentlock tub since I'm asking him to move all of his hunting gear out to our shed.  Can't be spooking those deer with any scents...lol

Matt and I were also very excited to hear that our friends John and Colleen, and two other friends (who will remain unnamed for the moment as I don't think they have shared their news with everyone yet) are expecting!  We could not be more excited for our 4 friends.  We have known John and Colleen since before they met and became a couple and we have been blessed to join them on their journey from a budding couple, to newlyweds, and now parent's-to-be!  Colleen has a very comical picture of me as I got the news that they were expecting.  She had gotten me a shirt that said "Due in March".  I was saying how cute it was to Matt and Colleen asked me if I liked her shirt, as she unzipped her coat and showed me her matching shirt with "Due in April" on it.  To say I was shocked and thrilled is an understatement.  Matt and I are thrilled to be sharing this journey with Colleen and John.  Congrats you two!

Our other couple friends are due in May and I am so excited to also be sharing this journey with my girlfriend.  We had joked that we thought it would be fun to be pregnant together; side note, we did not plan to be...lol  We are definitely thrilled that it turned out that we will be pregnant together.  She has been with me since Matt and I started our Trying to Conceive journey and has experienced all of our trials and tribulations and ultimate joy when we finally discovered that we were expecting.  She has been a life saver and definitely my go-to girl for advice, as she has two other children, so she knows what to expect.  Matt and I cannot wait for their new bundle of joy.

As for Matt and I and our lil munchkin, I am now 20 weeks!  Half way there!  Where does the time go, and more importantly, how will I get everything done?! lol  Since my last post I have felt the baby move for the first time, at 17 weeks.  I remember feeling a little poke and being so uncertain that it was anything other than a little muscle twitch and then ultimately realizing that it was our little one moving around in there!  It is such a magical feeling.  Next to starting to show, feeling our baby move for the first time just made the reality that we are actually going to have a baby so much more real.  I have enjoyed every little punch and twitch as they have gotten more frequent and stronger.  Last night Matt was finally able to feel the baby move.  It was such a magical moment to see how excited he was when he finally felt that little punch or kick.  He loves talking to my belly and now, trying to feel for movement.  He is such a proud papa already.  :-) 

Tomorrow we FINALLY find out whether we will be having a little boy or a little girl.  We cannot wait!  This will be the first time Matt has seen the baby since our first ultrasound and the first time he will hear the heartbeat!  Schedule wise it just didn't work for Matt to be there, so we can't wait for him to be able to share in the joy of seeing our little one.  And of course finding out who is in there. No worries, I will definitely be sure to update a post with what we will be having, I promise! 

20 Weeks!

Half Way There!

 Ok, so until tomorrow!  Good night all! XOXO

Never Give Up Hope

Happy Sunday!!!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was blissfully uneventful.  As you all know, this week marked Matt & I finally sharing our exciting news that we are expecting!  This blog post could get ridiculously out of control with what has been happening since we found out in July but I will condense it for mine and everyone else's sanity. 

After my surgery I did in fact meet with my fertility doctor in June.  Everything fell perfectly into place.  My next cycle was set to start a couple of days after my visit with the doctor which meant we were all set to go to start the IUI cycle.  So we anxiously started the process of the shots and endless ultrasounds and blood work.  All together it was about a 12 day process.  All that was left at the end of it was to wait.  Now we had been waiting for 3 years already to have a baby, so you would think that 2 weeks would be a piece of cake to me.  That was not the case...lol  By the time I got about 3 days away from my "am I pregnant or not" blood work I couldn't handle it anymore.  I had been on the Internet non-stop, and I knew that there was a risk of getting a false positive if I tested before my blood work but I just couldn't wait any longer.  On June 29th I woke up and decided that I was going to take a pregnancy test.  I fully expected it to be negative so when I took the test I went about my morning routine and then returned a little while later.  What I saw froze me in disbelief.  I just stood there staring down at the test and then up at my reflection in the mirror, not knowing if I should be excited or beating myself up for possibly just causing myself the biggest disappointment yet. 

It's amazing how two lines can make you happier than you've ever been.

Folks, I took 7 pregnancy tests over the next few days.  That's right, since the lab had messed up getting my blood test results to my doctor before the long 4th of July weekend I tested every day until that Tuesday when the nurse uttered the words I had been waiting to hear for so very long, "You're pregnant".  So on July 5th, almost 3 years exactly from the day we began trying Matt and I finally got the news that we were going to be parents.  In that one moment, all of the pain, frustration and tears suddenly disappeared.  Matt was there with me for the baby's first ultrasound and at that time it didn't even look like a baby, but that little blob was the greatest picture ever. 

Words cannot express what this picture meant to us.

The next few months have been a whirlwind.  The first time I heard the heartbeat I started crying.  I could listen to that sound all day.  Matt and I also made the decision to not tell everyone that we were expecting until I was through the first trimester.  We did make some exceptions and told our parent's and siblings and our two closest friends, Abby and Joe.  Even with giving ourselves permission to share with some it was so hard to contain our excitement and not tell everyone we saw.  Though some of our family didn't exactly follow the rule and shared anyway. ;-)  So, when I finally reached the Second Trimester we couldn't tell everyone fast enough.  Though it was hard to keep it in for so long it just extended the excitement for us by waiting to tell everyone. 

Now we move into the second trimester and all that it brings, including me having to wear a belly band so I can still wear my old pants...lol  Matt and I feel so blessed and though it took us a long time to get here, all that matters to us now is that we are finally to this point, and we couldn't be happier.

Where has the Summer gone?

The Mighty Mississippi

Happy September!  Can you believe that we're in September already?  It seems like Summer was just beginning and now we're already winding it down.  I will say, we have been winding it down successfully though.

The beginning of August marked Matt and I's 4 year anniversary, as well as, his parent's and my parent's anniversaries.  Matt and I were able to celebrate his parent's and our anniversaries together with a lovely dinner a Momiji's in Stone Ridge.  We had a wonderful dinner and just sat and celebrated.  Afterwards we returned to Sue and Erwin's for desert and more visiting. 

The next day was Matt and I's anniversary and the day we left for Iowa.  So unfortunately we spent our anniversary on the road, but that was ok by me.  On the road, out to a nice dinner, or at home in our pajama's curled up on the couch; all that mattered was that I was with Matt.  Matt has made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world and I'm looking forward to the many more years we will spend together, growing and having adventures.  I love you babe.

Matt and I decided to break with the routine of making the trek to Iowa in one days drive and we split it up going out there.  Though we were still tired by the time we made it to Iowa on Friday, we were much more energized than if we had done it in one day.  Breaking the trip up allowed us to enjoy most of Friday night with my parent's and for us to finally welcome my brother, Dustin home!  We also, very happily met our niece Hayden and got to see Hunter and Megan again. I was so excited to see my family.   We enjoyed a nice dinner along the Mississippi with my parent's.  We then zipped out to Dustin and Megan's and visited with them for the rest of the evening.  Admittedly I gave Dustin a very long and much overdue hug, which I'm sure he was glad there were not many people there to witness...lol  We also got to meet Hayden, who is even more adorable in person.  Dustin and Megan asked Matt to be Hayden's Godfather and he was/is so honored.  Hayden is definitely a fan of Uncle Matt and enjoyed hanging out with him while we were there.  Matt was equally as smitten with her and loves to brag about her to our friends. 

Brother's from another mother

Soooo happy to see my little brother again.



Now he's ready to play outside.

I do not get to see this girl enough.
The next day Matt and I spent more time hanging out with everyone.  We met my sister, Erica and brother-in-law, Steed for lunch in Davenport.  We caught up and then spent some time wandering around the mall.  I even got some Whitey's Ice Cream, my favorite.  We had dinner with my parents and then headed out to Dustin and Megan's for a bbq.  We were able to see Megan's parent's, Laura and Denny and to visit with some of their friends.  I also got in lots of snuggles and kisses with Hunter.  It amazes me, every time I see him how much he has grown.  I treasure every moment I get with him, and now Hayden, when we are able to go home.  After the bbq Matt and I went to Kalmes, a local bar/restaurant, with Dustin, Megan and some of their friends.  It was great to just hang out and I love watching Dustin and Matt interact.  The two of them together crack me up. I'm so glad that my brother's love Matt so much.  He definitely fits in with our family quite well.   

Uncle Matt & Hayden rockin' their shades.

 Sunday afternoon Aly arrived at my parent's house to join us for a little bbq.  Don't let Matt fool ya, he was really excited to see his little sister. Dustin and Megan came with the kids and my Uncle Dan and cousin Brian even made a surprise visit.  We sat around and visited, catching up and just enjoying each others company.  Hunter even tricked the newbie (aka Aly) into taking him into the house so he could play with his toys that were in there.  In Aly's defense he was pretty hard to resist.  He walked up to her and asked her if she would come with him (in a sad little voice) as he took her hand and led her to the house.  Now how can you resist that...lol  I was just so happy to have my family together.  I feel like I miss so many of those moments so when Matt and I can be a part of the family time I cherish every moment.  If I could change anything, having our two families closer together is definitely at the top of my list.  Though it was much too short of a trip, I was so glad that we were able to go home and see everyone.  I definitely cannot wait to head back for Christmas.  Aaron will be home then so I'll be reunited with both of my little brothers.  I can't wait!


The next day Matt and I also enjoyed a lovely lunch, that turned into an evening visit with our friends Abby and Derrick.  We hung out and just joked and laughed.  We also got to spend time with their daughter, Alexandra, who is so adorable.  It's always wonderful to see and hangout with Abby and Derrick and we have such a great time.

The next day Hurricane Irene hit.  We had lost power, which we expected.  The wind and the rain were just crazy, but little did we know the turmoil the storm was creating just at the bottom of the mountain.  After all was said and done, we had no power or phone and all ways off of the mountain were blocked.  Lucky for us the road crews were able to clear at least one way off the mountain so I was able to get to work the next day.  I could not believe the devastation of what the storm had done.  The little league field, that Matt grew up playing on, was destroyed.  Claryville, the town below us looked like it had narrowly missed being washed away and the news spoke of towns being evacuated and people being forced to leave their homes.  A week of no power and a lot of clean-up later the effects of Irene are still being felt.  I complained because we didn't have power or phone but when I saw what other people had to go through suddenly no power didn't seem like such a big deal.  People will be cleaning up and recovering from Irene for some time to come.  It definitely made me count my blessings.  We were lucky enough to escape with no damage and no after effects, save not having power or phone for a while.  We were blessed that Abby and Derrick offered their hospitality to us for a couple of nights.  The storm actually gave us the opportunity to have some great times with Abby and Derrick.  We had a great time hanging out with them each night, having dinner and playing with Alex.  Matt and Alex are best buds now...lol  We truly were very lucky compared to others.

This weekend Matt, Sue, Erwin and I went to Hooley on the Hudson in Kingston.  Hooley is a half way to St. Patty's Day celebration.  There are vendors, dancers and bands and lots and lots of very bad for you food.  We had a very good time, though we did have to escape to the refuge of an air conditioned restaurant a couple of times as it was very hot and humid. We made the most of it though and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  The bands were probably my favorite.  Hooley is always a good time. 

So, as August has come and gone and we have officially moved into September, Fall is quickly approaching.  The Summer visitors will be mostly gone soon (thank goodness!), schools are back in session, and as I took my walk today I realized that the trees up here are already starting to change.  It is hard to believe that in a few short weeks a new season will be upon us.  So, we will enjoy what time we have left of Summer and then welcome Fall and all that it has to offer.  I hope you all have a good week!!!   

Back Again

Hey All!  I'm sorry for the much to long lapse between posts.  I could blame it on being busy, which we have been, but sometimes it was just me not wanting to do anything but lie on the couch and do nothing.  Next thing I know, almost 2 months have flown by.  My bad.

So, what have we been up to?  July marked Fourth of July celebrations, a concert, and family get togethers.  Fourth of July was wonderfully relaxing this year.  We spent the weekend at a water hole with Joe and his son Joey.  It was so funny listening to Joey mimic his dad whenever he set foot in the water.  The water around here is extremely cold, I honestly do not know how anyone swims in that stuff.  So Joey and I spent the afternoon walking up and down the water and watching Matt and Joe jump in and yell about how cold the water was.  It was so nice to spend a leisurely day relaxing by the water.  After that we spent the rest of the afternoon with Matt's parents and his Aunt and Uncle.  That night we watched the fireworks.  Overall, a much needed, relaxing holiday weekend.

A couple of weeks later we went to the Tim McGraw concert at Bethel Woods with some friends.  There were so many people there and it was great to enjoy the music and good friends.  Getting out of the parking lot after the show was not so enjoyable but we survived, and I even took the following Monday off in preparation for needing some extra sleep. 

We spent the last weekend in July with Matt's family.  It is hard for all of Matt's family to get together so we all took advantage of the fact that his Aunt Jeanie, Uncle Brent, and Cousin Christina were up from Florida.  We all met at Torches for lunch, and then Matt's cousin Kevin was nice enough to take us and Matt's cousin's out on his new boat.  It was great seeing everyone and catching up. 

We also celebrated Erwin's birthday with a very nice dinner.  The canoodles were my favorite.  We finished dinner with the Black Forest Cake that Matt made.  Matt makes his Black Forest Cake topped with alcohol soaked cherries.  I'm not a fan of those but the rest of the cake is very good. :)

This coming weekend Matt and I will be making the trek out to Iowa to finally see my family.  We haven't been out there since Christmas, so I am much overdue for some Iowa time with my fam.  I can't wait to see everyone, especially Dustin and our new niece, Hayden.  It is going to be a quick trip, but any visit to Iowa is a much welcomed one by me.  Aly will be making the drive back with us to New York.  I am excited for all of the family time coming up. :)

Well, I think that about catches us up.  Sorry again for the long lapse and I will do my best to keep you all more up- to- date with the going-ons with us.  Have a good Week!

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy's Girl Always

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!  A special Happy Father's Day goes out to my Dad and my brother, Dustin.  My Dad taught me how to camp, fish, hike, shoot a gun (yes folks, I used to do all of these things) and mostly how to go for your dreams.  I am very lucky to have him in my life.  I also want to send a Happy Father's Day wish out to my little brother, Dustin.  I have to admit, when I heard that he was becoming a father it was strange for me.  I grew up with him so the idea of my little brother becoming a daddy was foreign to me.  Dustin happily surprised me though with what a great Daddy he is.  So today and always, I hope the two special dad's in my life know just how much they're loved.

How is everyone doing?  Things have been great in our neck of the woods.  Last weekend was spent with a much overdue visit with our friends, James and Nicole, and their two wonderful children, Ruby and Wyatt.  We sat and caught up about what we have all been up to.  Matt and I learned just what it means to divide and conquer when it comes to kids.  Ruby and Wyatt love talking and showing all of their neat artwork and throwing skills.  They are truly a joy.  After an afternoon of visiting we all went to New Paltz to check out the new Grimaldi's.  For those of you who are unaware of what Grimaldi's is, it is quite possibly the best pizza I have ever had, and until recently the only way to satisfy a Grimaldi's fix was to go to Brooklyn, NY.  Grimaldi's is great in so many ways; the fact that you will inevitably have to stand outside and wait in line to get a table and you won't care, that you are squeezed in so tight you feel like you are sitting at the same table as everyone else, the Brick Oven that the pizza is made in, and the amazingly fresh ingredients they use on their pizzas (i.e. fresh mozzarella, basil, etc).  It is heaven in a pizza.  So naturally Matt and I were pumped to hear that a Grimaldi's had traveled to New Paltz, a much quicker trip than going all the way to Brooklyn.  We didn't have to stand in line and we weren't squeezed in next to the rest of the patrons but the pizza was still pretty darn good.  Ruby and Wyatt LOVED the fact that they got to watch the pizza dough being made.  As they ate their pizza they watched and squealed in amazement each time one of the chefs would toss the dough into the air.  There is nothing better than catching up with friends over some great food.

Yesterday Matt and I spent the afternoon fishing.  Matt generally realizes right away why he does not ask me to go with him very often.  I enjoy catching the fish, after that I'm pretty useless.  Once I reel the fish in Matt has to release the fish, because I can't bring myself to touch them.  Matt is also responsible for any fishing rod malfunction I may have.  This translates into, Matt doesn't get to fish much.  We still had a great time though.  It was nice to sit on the boat and feel the breeze as we leisurely cast out and occasionally caught some fish. 

That's a prize winning fish right there.

I think mine is a little bigger. ;-)

 Just a side note, even SPF 50 every 30 min didn't keep me from burning a little.  lol

He's so happy. :-)

Not a bad place to spend a Saturday Afternoon.

After our wonderful afternoon fishing and relaxing we went home and relaxed for the rest of the day.





I love this guy.

Today was the usual.  The sun is shining and all is calm.  Luke and I took a much needed walk after the rainy week, I cleaned and now intend to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and finally reading the new book I got.  Tonight we are having dinner with Matt's parents to celebrate Father's Day with Erwin.  It doesn't get much better than that. 

                                 This is a rough life our animals live.  Have a Great Week!!!

Ready, Set, Barbeque!

Hello!  I hope you're all doing well since the last time I posted.  The past few weeks have been busy for us.  The first couple of weeks after my surgery I spent trying to get my body back into the swing of things.  The first week back to work was a little rough, as my body was still using most of it's energy to repair itself.  After about two weeks of taking it easy I decided that I was going to try and get back into my workout routine.  It is amazing what two weeks of inactivity can do for a workout routine.  I felt like I hadn't worked out in months!  Slowly I was able to get back into the swing of things and am now moving around as normal.  My doctor said that I have healed nicely and I am feeling great! 

We've had a couple of decent storms around here in May as well.  One that took a tree down across the road to get off our mountain and knocked out the power in the town that I work in.  I had caught a pretty bad cold so the Nyquil successfully helped me sleep through the entire thing.  I didn't even realize we had a storm until I tried to get down the mountain for work and met the fallen tree.  Memorial Day Weekend we also got a Thunderstorm.  I love thunderstorms and the ones here in New York aren't as good as the one's in Iowa so it was nice to hear a good one for a change.  Odd I know, but thunderstorms are calming to me.

Matt and I had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  It was spent eating a lot of barbeque food.  We had a nice time at a friend, Joe's barbeque and he kindly let us crash at his house for the night.  The next day we invited Joe and his girlfriend up for a barbeque.  Matt got the fire pit going and we sat around it all afternoon/night visiting and eating great food.  The next morning I made breakfast for everyone.  And Luke and his friend Mason had a great time running around and swimming in the pond.  On the last day of the weekend we went to Joe's parent's house for a small barbeque.  We sat on their porch, visited and had a relaxing end to a great weekend. 

I just have to say, even though Memorial Day Weekend is usually marked as the unofficial start to Summer and most people spend the weekend at barbeques and getting together with friends I hope that we all remember the true meaning of Memorial Day.  As the sister of two military men I find it important to make sure that no one forgets just how much our soldiers sacrifice, some making the ultimate sacrifice.  Their selflessness keeps our freedoms safe and gives us the luxuries we all enjoy.  Always remember the importance of our military men and women.  I love you Duddy and Aaron!

This weekend Matt and I had our friend's Abby and Derrick, and their little girl Alex up for a barbeque.  Just a side note, Spring and Summer are Matt's seasons.  He loves to barbeque and the man can barbeque.  Again, we sat around the fire pit, visiting and eating LOTS of great food.  Matt makes some amazing chicken wings and ribs.  I've eaten so much food the last couple of weekends it's amazing I still have room for food.  It was a relaxing Saturday spent with friends.  Alex was just amazed and thrilled to see our pets.  She was just in love with all of them and got so excited when she saw the cats or the dog.  It was fun to watch her reaction to all of them.   Derrick tried to convince Abby that they should move up here, which she quickly said she would never do.  It's peaceful, but I don't blame her. ;-)

Matt and I are looking forward to many more barbeque's and great times with friends this Summer!  I love this time of year. :-)

Today Luke and I took a leisurely walk and I did some gardening while he ran around.  A perfect end to a great weekend.  I hope that you all had a great weekend and have a great week!  Until next time!

These are my favorite flowers in the garden.



Me and my Love



These smell great!









Matt found this little guy in the shed.

We love watching him fly around our yard.