Baby Love

In under a month my sister and Cooper will fly in for a visit! I cannot wait to see them!!! They arrive Wednesday night and my mom is then coming on Saturday. Julie and Cooper are staying through Monday and my mom will be here for a week! I can't begin to explain how excited I am! I know I am missing out on so much with Cooper and it is hard. He is sitting up on his own and wanting to stand all the time. He's a big boy that chatters away whenever I'm on the phone with Julie. He has a smile that everyone says just lights up the room. Strangers come over to comment on how friendly and happy he seems. Julie sent the pics below recently and I might be a bit biased, but I think he is absolutely beautiful. Did I mention....I can't wait to get my hands on that baby??!! All 22 lbs of him!

I got a text this morning and his first tooth is poking through. I know we'll have a great visit and the time will go by way too fast! Thankfully this teacher has the summer off and I plan to spend some of it in Michigan. :) Enjoy the pics...he still is pretty bald, but does have some blonde wisps. He's just like we were!

I love this sweater!




Love that smile!

Rest and Relaxation

I've been meaning to post some pictures for over a week now and just haven't found the time to go through them and decide which ones to post. In the four days we were in Florida, I took about 500 pictures. I may not be a pro, but I love taking pictures! I want to capture these moments so I can look at them years down the road and remember just what I was thinking and feeling.
We had the most amazing time on our mini-moon! It was totally relaxing and wonderful to just spend time with Barry and enjoy that time together. We had an incredible time. Our accomodations were incredible as well. The view from our deck was indescribable! Pictures just don't do it justice! I'll attach some anyway. Enjoy them! Just looking through them made me wish I was back there!

Panama City off in the distance

Enjoying the sunset

Seaside Beach (Poor Barry is squinting because he forgot his sunglasses)

One view from our condo deck.

Another view from our deck

Confessions

I have a confession....I love reading blogs. I have some blogs that I read faithfully....I check them each night. There are some that have really touched my heart. One such amazing blog that I have been following for several weeks nowis... Confessions of a CF Husband

Nathan's blog is all about his incredible journey with his wife Tricia who has Cystic Fibrosis. Tricia gave birth to their daughter Gwyneth 15+ weeks early and through the Grace of God she is alive and progressing everyday. Tricia has been through a lot as well...the good news is that she is finally out of ICU and gaining strength everyday. Their ultimate goal is for Tricia to be well enough to be placed on the double lung transplant list and receive a transplant. Of course they're also praying to bring home that sweet baby girl home too. If you haven't been to their website (I know I've emailed many of you), please check it out. It is a wonderful story about the power of prayer and love. It is sad at times, but I think that more than saddness is the love that shines through between these two wonderful people and also their love for God.

Of course while your at their blog, you must check out the pictures of Gwyneth. She is BEAUTIFUL!
Thanks!

I'll post some pictures from our trip soon! I must say....IT WAS AMAZING!! :)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We leave Thursday morning to go here. We received the trip as a wedding present/Christmas gift from Barry's brother, Jay and his wife, Amy. The weather might be a bit cool, but we don't care! We are just looking forward to spending some time together and RELAXING!! We haven't done much of that (relaxing) since we got married....two months ago today as a matter of fact! Wooohoo!! I am the luckiest girl!

This is what we'll get to look at from our beach front balcony this week!
Have a great week everyone!

Thankful Thursday

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virutes.
Marcus Tullius Cicero


~I have so many things to be thankful for, but the one that stands out every week is my amazing husband!! He is the most wonderful man. I was home with a migraine on Monday and he took care of me all day...when I wasn't sleeping. :) He made sure I didn't have to worry about Sam or anything else. He is the dearest man I know.

~I've mentioned them before, but my in-laws are truly wonderful. They hosted a reception for us Saturday to celebrate our wedding. It was perfect. Linda had the house decorated beautifully and everything was darling. We had a great time with friends and family. Thank you, Joe and Linda for a wonderful evening. I love you both. Here's a pic from the weekend....it's not that great, but it gives you an idea. I'll post more when I have time

~ I'm extremely thankful all of the tests my sister has had run over the past several moths are coming back ok. Hopefully, after this last one, she'll get the all clear. It may take her a while to feel better, but at least we will know it's not anything life threatening. She is such an amazing mom and I am so thankful for her and her love for Cooper. He was 6 months old this week. How time truly does fly. Oh how I miss him since our visit home in December.

~I talked to my mom tonight. Have I mentioned how truly blessed I am to have my mom as my friend?!! She knows just what to say at just the right time. I am thankful that my cell phone company has free nights and weekends! ha! Otherwise I'd spend a fortune in phone calls. We talk just about everyday...and sometimes more than once a day. Thanks for being my mom and my friend! I love you!

~I'm thankful tomorrow is Friday!! Did I mention that already? Ha! It's been a long week. We are getting together with some friends tomorrow night so that should be fun.

~Barry's brother Jay and his wife Amy have given us the most wonderful wedding/Christmas gift. A trip to Florida!! We leave next Thursday morning!!! We just can't wait to get away and spend some time together. It's seems as if we have been on the go since we got married. The holidays were all wonderful, but very busy. This will be a nice chance for us to spend some time alone relaxing. We are truly looking forward to it. Thank you sooooo very much, Jay and Amy. We love you guys and can't wait to show you lots of pictures.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy New Year!!!

Ok...ok...so I'm a bit late! It's been ages since I posted. Christmas in Michigan was wonderful, but sooooo busy! Most of my time was spent with my family...especially that sweet baby, Cooper! He is a chunk! Julie had him to my mom's office yesterday and they weighed him. He is now over 21 lbs. He will be 6 months old on Jan. 16th. I'll post some Christmas pics at the end of the post. We drove straight through on our return trip home. It's just under 18 hours and was certainly a long day, but we just wanted to sleep in our own beds. I'm sure most of you can relate. There's just no bed like your own bed. We made it home in time to celebrate our first New Year together. We had planned to stay home for NYE, but ended up going to a party some of Barry's friends hosted. It was memorable! I'll leave it at that. :)

I started back to school on the 2nd and have been busy since then. We are benchmark testing this week. UGH!! That's all for tonight. I am sooo sleepy. I think I need a vacation from my vacation. Enjoy the pics...you'll notice most of them are of a darling baby boy! I went though about 180pictures when I got home and MOST were of Cooper.

We are on our way...this is how Sam liked to ride.

Barry looks almost as tired as Sam

This was Christmas Eve. Cooper went to sleep early so Santa would come visit him.

My handsome husband!

Cooper seems to have a surplus of drool. That boy can

soak through a bib as fast as you put it on him.

Barry and Jen on Christmas morning

Our Christmas Elf

Looking through all my picutes trying to decide which to choose make me miss that sweet baby boy!! I love my life right now, but I sure do miss being a part of his on a daily basis.

True Love

I not only have found my true love, but he really is my best friend. I used to wonder how people would say that about their spouse....until I met Barry...now I know!!

I don't love a lot of country music, but I do like Rascal Flatts. The song Bless the Broken Road really hits home for me. I feel like Barry and I both went through all the things we did to find one another. It may sound dorky, but I just really connect to the lyrics of this song. I've even cried while listening to it while driving down the road...ha! That's not tough for a sensitive girl like me. I thank God everyday for bringing Barry into my life!!!

Bless the Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.