2016-A year in our lives!

January 2017 has arrived, and I can't wait to see what this year will bring, but first to reflect on our 2016!

Jan 2016
The boys got a total room remodel-and decided they wanted to share a room after all! My dad started his first round of Chemo and handled it like a champ...

  

Feb 2016

Ella officially turned 7 and celebrated at the spa with her friends. Bill turned 35 and we partied at home. There were concerns that Liam had a hole in his heart, so to the Cardiologist we went. 

March 2016

This month started our wedding season for the year, with not one but two weddings. My roommate from college surprised everyone by saying they were going to get married in private, but then actually getting married during the reception! Then Bill's cousin Matt married Amber on Easter weekend. We followed the second wedding spending Easter in Toledo!

April 2016

April brought an unexpected trip to Atlanta to celebrate my brother in law's wedding shower. We hadn't planned it, but sometimes those trips are the most fun! It was also warm enough out to have a bon fire and cook smores! Another trip to Sandusky to celebrate my best friend's daughter's b-day and a hail storm to boot!

May 2016

May was a busy month. Brendan, Billy's brother, was getting MARRIED!!! So to Florida we went. We spent time at the beach, celebrated a beautiful wedding (with the most handsome ring bearers and beautiful flower girl I have ever been witness too) and rounded out the trip by surprising the kiddos with a day at Disney. Ella had her last day of 1st grade and was excited for summer to start. 

We ended the month by having a HUGE surprise party for my dad's 70th birthday. Almost a 100 people came to celebrate him and his day. 

June 2016

Bring on SUMMER!!! Ella danced her way through her second dance recital. We spent time at the pool and splash park. Celebrated my best friends baby girl's 1st birthday by recreating some memories from times past. I helped host and attended my third OFMOTC convention. It was a WICKED good time! 

July 2016

We went on another trip, this time to Amish country and the kiddos had a blast! Several police were killed, and to let our local police know we supported them cookies were baked and delivered to our local PD. Ella decided after this just wasn't enough, and the planning for Ella's 1st Responder Dinner began. We rounded out the month with a family hike, and Aiden getting some new accessories to wear! 

August 2016

The boys turned 4 and we partied hard with friends. For their actual birthday we went to the Aquarium, one of their favorite places to go. Bill and I got to getaway for a weekend with some friends to put-n-bay. On the boat ride up the skies opened and it was a bit of a ride, but it eventually calmed down and we had a blast camping. Ella got a letter from the Atty General regarding her dinner and was very excited. She also started her 1st day of 2nd grade at a new school. Bill and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary by going to a DMOTC swim event. The kids were seen for well checks and there was some concern for Aiden's growth. X-Rays were taken, and all is well. Liam also decided that he would be the only kid to fall off a bike that he was just sitting on, into a fire hydrant, which led to 14 stitches and a fun ride in the ambulance. Sigh. 

September 2016

I turned 34 and Bill surprised me with tickets to see Andy Grammer and Gavin DeGraw at the Fraze. It was a beautiful night and a great date. Liam and Aiden started their first day of pre-school. They were so excited! We spent a day at the Ohio Village, which is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. I got to meet family from my dad's side that I never new existed and the kids met their cousins. The end of the month was Ella's 1st Responder Dinner. We had over 100 police and fire from our area attend this event, and can't wait to see it grow next year. 

October 2016

A busy month this was. We went to the zoo, went on a hike, had some awesome pics taken, Bill and I went on a date and we had a fun Halloween...oh and fall was here!

November 2016

We went to the DMOTC fall harvest party, went on a train ride, the lights at the zoo and celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and a big surprise we just weren't expecting!

(A new baby on the way, who knew!)

December 2016

A trip to Nebraska and Christmas came and went. We spent two weeks off of work, just loving on our kids. It was the best two weeks ever!

We can't wait to see what 2017 will bring. Ella will soon turn 8, the boys 5 and a new baby on the way. Life is moving at such a fast pace, so I'm just trying to soak it all in day by day. Happy New Year and much love from our family to yours!

We didn't see this coming....

We're pregnant-----and I just didn't see this coming. For those who know me well, they know my path to being a mommy was filled with years of disappointment, test, anxiety, lots of drugs, doctors being in places they just shouldn't be, and two very weary pregnancies that I never thought would happen. Infertility, fertility docs/drugs, IUI, etc....this were all normal conversation pieces that would be spoke about in my family. So when I took a pregnancy test so that I could re-start some medications I need to take, I never in a million years thought it would be positive. 

Shock, joy, fear it was wrong, more shock, etc. This wasn't supposed to happen. We weren't trying to get pregnant....there were no doctors, needles, test. While I'm so excited about that, I don't know how to be a "normal" pregnant person. I'm used to seeing my doc every two weeks till week 15. Then having scans frequently after 20 weeks. 

Life for us is about to change, and I can't wait. The kids are beyond excited and so are we. This little one is a blessing we weren't expecting, but now that we know I can't imagine life without him or her!

New Year 2015

It's been almost a year since my last post. Time gets away when you are a busy working mom I guess, but part of my New Year is ensuring this blog is well written. Not for me, but for my kiddos to have a basic record of our year, of our lives. This year has been full of ups and downs. We faced financial struggles, and the joy of a new job for Bill that he seems to really enjoy. Our car had major issues and needed major repairs. Aiden had surgery (ear tubes) and Liam faced his toe being 2/3 amputated by a baby gate....both however healed quickly and did way better than Bill or I would have done in recovery. We have been blessed with an amazing start to school as Ella has thrived and loves school. She has to learn 25 words in Kindergarten....she is only half way through the year and has learned 85 sight words. She surpassed her math expectations as well. She is well behaved and we couldn't be more proud of her grace in school.She is taking tap this year as well and I love watching how graceful she is. She has such a heart for her God and says the sweetest of prayers. How she will soon be six is a mystery to me. She is articulate and loves with her whole heart. She loves her brothers so and is an amazing big sister. She is also very dramatic (I have no idea who she got that from of course!)  Aiden has gone from not walking and barely saying a word, to running and talking non-stop. I love hearing his little voice say "you too" which means "love you too." He is the most loving of the three. He will run and hug you for no reason. He grabs your face and will kiss you over and over and over. Each night he tucks Liam into his bed and kisses him nigh night. He is small, but oh so mighty and doesn't back down to Ella or Liam. Liam is stubborn, but a riot. That boy never fails to find a way to make me laugh hysterically. He speaks so well and sings (in tune non the less!.) He loves trains and music. He loves to dance and play with jake and the neverland pirates toys. Both boys love to pray before meals and loudly proclaim "AMEN" at the end. He is a very picky eater, but loves blueberries and mac n cheese. Even with all the struggles we have faced this past year we have been so very blessed. So goodbye 2014....you weren't the best....and Hello 2015! We can't wait to see what you have in store for us!

My baby is 5...when did that happen.

On February 3rd, 2009 after 41 weeks of pregnancy, several hours of induction it was finally decided that my first little baby would come by c-section. If I'd only know how my life would have changed back then I would have made sure to stop and take a breath before she arrived. These past five years have flown by, and with each that little girl has wrapped her daddy and I tighter around her little fingers. Ella is anything but quiet. She is energetic and outgoing. She knows no stranger and tells everyone we meet her full name and age. She sings, all the time, no really 24/7. It is horribly off key and loud, but I love listening to every minute of it (ok maybe not every minute, but I do love it, really!) Ella has taken on the role of big sister very seriously. She sometimes forgets mommy and daddy are in the room and she tries to "help" her brothers out. Sometimes they appreciate it, other times not so much. Ella loves to dance and play soccer. She is so bright and sometimes I forget she is only 5. With her birthday brings great change. My little girl will soon be headed to Kindergarten and a knew era will start in our lives. I can't wait for school plays, and being the classroom mom. I can't wait to see who she befriends and hear about all she learns. I prayed so hard to be a mom and when God answered those prayers he sent the best angel to fulfill them!

A time of THANKS and contentment....

The Holidays felt different this year. Not bad different, just different. As I sat down one night watching my kids chase each other around the house I realized something....our lives this past year have been the most joyful and stressful in all of my 31 years of life. We had just settled in to our lives as new parents with twins, me having surgery, juggling baby snuggling with playing silly games with Ella when the unexpected happened. Bill got laid off. We didn't see it coming, and I'm not sure things would have gone any differently then they had if we had known. Again my world stopped and the fear of the unknown set in. We celebrated my son's first birthday, then lost my Grandma. Then just when we got used to Bill being home 24/7 with the kids, and adjusting to that world, he finally finds a new job. This was such a huge relief and a blessing to us, but then came the fear of who will baby-sit, who will care for my babies who are my world when we are at work. Again that all worked out. At times this past year when we hit the lowest of lows it seems as though a Guardian Angle was watching out for us to make sure that although we struggled to get by things were never too horrible. We have healthy, beautiful children that know exactly how to push every button we have. The boys are thriving. Liam runs....he no longer wishes to walk as that is just not fast enough. Aiden has started taking steps and walks more and more everyday, and boy can he climb. Liam loves music....he will sing, dance, keep a beat, etc. Aiden is so methodical and must know how everything works/is put together. Oh and Ella...she is my child 100% and there is no doubt in my mind that she was sent as a gift from my mom to remind me how I was as a small child. She is the most frustrating little person at times, but I love her so much I want to burst every time I see her.

With that said...I can't WAIT for 2014. I can't WAIT to see what it has in store for us and how our kiddos continue to grow and change right before our eyes. I can't WAIT to spend time hugging and squeezing them, traveling with my family to show the kids new things/places, I can't WAIT to have quiet summer nights spent outside by a fire laughing, playing, and spending time with my husband who I love more and more everyday. We have so many things to be thankful for, and so many things to look forward to. So goodbye stress of 2013, and welcome to the New Year!

 Happy New Year and May God Bless All of you!

Aiden 16 mths

Aiden-Christmas 2013

Ella ready for her daddy/daughter dance

Halloween 2013

Aiden

Liam

Liam-16 mths

Liam-Christmas 2013