A year of my sweet baby boy...

I realized I never Blogged this video I put together when LC turned 1. He's now 16 months old, and I wanted to share his first year with you all. There truly has never been a better year of my life!



With Love,

Floating around a sea of possibilities

We at the height are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

-William Shakespeare

As we grow up, we change with what happens in life. We become new people, people with morals, people with hopes and dreams, people with anticipations of the future. Everyday we encounter something new that shapes who we are whether it be something as small as letting someone cut you in the grocery line or something as life altering as the birth of a child. All of these opportunities becomes a part of us, who we are, but most of all, they are the stepping stones of who we will become.

Becoming a mother has changed me. It has changed me in ways I never thought I could be changed into. It has turned my heart into something outside of my body so strong, so rare, that I never even thought it would be possible to feel. Being a mother has changed me into a person I am proud of. A person I admire and better and stronger. A person who means so much more to one small human being than anything else. Being a mother is the best and most rewarding feeling in the world.

Everyday I wake up, and sometimes I wonder, "How did I get here?" I look at all of the obstacles I crossed, friends I met, tragedies I experienced and I asked myself "What did I ever do to deserve a life like this?" Then I look down to the smiling face tugging at my feet and I realize, everyone deserves to experience this. Everyone deserves to experice a miracle like this and a love so strong that you never know what you're missing until it's right in front of you and a part of who you are. Then I realize to myself how blessed I am to have changed. How truly lucky I am to have found myself in such an amazing place in my life. I realize that change isn't always a bad thing, and I am blessed to have made this change with an amazing husband and son who I adore.

I wouldn't have it any other way

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe

I believe people have to make mistakes. We have to be able to learn and evolve into our future. Everything happens for a reason... everything. People fail. People lie. People cheat. People love. People care. People believe. It's all a part of life. We go through life with different persectives. We start out putting our entire lives and trust into our mothers and our fathers. Then we become more independant, we want to learn things for ourselves. And as we get older, we become even more independant and make our decisions. Then we meet new people and they change us. They shape who we are. Our relationships make us into the people we will become. Then it's like it starts all over again, because you meet the person you love and all of a sudden, you're putting your life into someone else's hands again. You learn to trust, to forgive, to love.

Well knowing at the point in life where I am right now and I have this person putting his whole life, his future into my hands is the strongest thing I have ever felt. Being a parent puts a whole new perspective on things. New priorities come to the top of my list. It's not important anymore where my friends are or what they think. Nothing else is as important as my family, and knowing I have this person who counts on me gives me a strong sense of love and comfort that I have never known.

This is the time to live my life. To take advantage of the slowness instead of running through each day like tomorrow is another day, another chance. Now is the time to sit back and take advantage of all life's blessings God has given me. It's my time to live, to love, and to appreciate everything I have. I look back at the person I have grown into, the things I have experienced, and even though they were not all good experiences, I learned from them all and they have shaped me into the mother, the wife, and the person that I am today.... I can't wait to watch as Landyn goes through life with the same experiences and opportunities and turns them into the bright, rewarding future I hope to give him.

With Love,

Platinum First Birthday's??

So I FINALLY have a free moment to share some memories from Landyn's 1st Birthday Bash! Friends and family joked it should be on "Platinum First Birthdays!" Although I'm no Tori Spelling (she does Hansen's cakes, we do Nona's Sweets! ;)), I tried to create some lifelong memories using some "going all out tips" from A List celebs. If there isn't a show on TLC, WE, or any other network... I have some video footage to be your first episode!! ;)

Landyn showed us what a big boy he truly is, and instead of crying, throwing a fit, or hanging on for dear life, he jumped for joy when Elmo came into the room! It was truly a first birthday to remember...

I want to thank all of the special people in his life (and mine!) who were there to share our special day. Please know how important you all are to us and how thankful and blessed we are to have all of you in our lives!

And a special thank you to Wish Upon a Star children's parties for making the kids so happy that day, to Romp N' Roll in Harrisburg for throwing such a great bash, Nona's Sweet's for making the most delicious cakes, and Bum Bum & Button (whimsical parties for children) for making Landyn's First Birthday unforgettable!







With love,

Oh what a beautiful morning!

The weather here has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! We are LOVING it!!! Landyn and I have been spending lots of time outdoors and with the windows open! We have been enjoying Cooper's company too! Landyn watches him on the baby video monitor and looks around for him when he's not here!

Yesterday, I tried out my new double stroller! I have been too excited to try this out, and the boys had a blast! Landyn held Cooper's hand the whole way... even towards the end when Cooper started to fuss, because he was tried.

On a stroll we go.....




With love,

Hangin with Mr. Cooper!

As we embark Landyn's last few weeks of babyhood, Mommy has gotten some serious baby fever all over again!! We started watching Cooper in our house this week and we all enjoyed having him around!!

Landyn was obsessed with watching him on the video monitor, and loved holding his hand. He wanted to be wherever Cooper was! We have enjoyed having this sweet little man around, that's for sure!!





With Love,