A Month of Thanks- Day 5

I am extremely thankful for my brother. He is so much more to me than just a brother, he is my best friend. Growing up, he taught me how to be tough (by knocking me around on the concrete when we were playing basketball), and then later he taught me how important family really is, by always being there for me. My first memory of college is being at the KA frat house when I was about 12 years old. Even though I was 8 years younger than him, he still let me spend the weekend with him when he was in college. I'm pretty sure I thought I was cool at that point ;). I don't know how I would have made it through the days after my dad died without Glen. He was always there to make me laugh when I needed it, or hug me when I needed to cry. Shortly after that, he moved to Milwaukee. I couldn't imagine life without him nearby. Lucky for me, he moved there and met Jon, which is how Jon and I ended up together. I will always owe him for that. To this day, when I have good news or bad, Glen is the first person I call. In fact, he's the first person who knew I was pregnant with Olivia.

Glen- I love you and you'll always be my best friend. Thank you for always being there, in good times and bad. You'll never know just how much you mean to me. I miss you SO much!

A Month of Thanks- Day 4

I am extremely thankful for my mom. I can't even begin to put into words what she means to me and all that she has done for me over the years. From the time I can remember, she has supported me in everything I have wanted. When I wanted to play basketball, softball, twirl, dance, and do gymnastics, she was right there to take me to all of them. When I decided which were most important to me, she supported that decision and became as involved as possible. She was my basketball coach from the time I was five, and she only missed a handful of my games through all 4 years of college. (And those handful were because she had back surgery!) She drove 3+ hours at least twice a week for 4 years. Since then, we have only grown closer. Now, I not only call her "mom", but also "friend". I can only hope to be half the mother to Olivia that my mom is to me.

I love you, Mom!!

A Month of Thanks- Day 3

I am so very thankful for Olivia. She has brought, and continues to bring, so much joy to my life. She is sweet, yet spunky at the same time. She can light up the room with her smile, and her laugh is contagious. I truly cannot imagine life without my little girl, and I'm thankful God chose me to be her mommy!

A Month of Thanks- Day 2

I'm so thankful for the husband that God hand-picked for me. Jon is my best friend, soulmate, and partner for life. He is such a great provider for our family, and I can't thank him enough for his hard work, so I am able to stay home with Olivia. He is also very helpful around the house. And, I couldn't possibly ask for a better father for Olivia. I am so blessed to call him my husband and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him.

Jon- If you're reading this, I love you more than you will ever know! Thank you for choosing me!

A Month of Thanks

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes 5:18


With it being November and the month of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be nice to (try to remember to) say something that I'm thankful for every day this month.

Day 1: I'm thankful for a loving, forgiving, and faithful God.

Halloween Parties

Olivia got to wear her kitty cat costume plenty of times this year! Our Halloween festivities began the week before Halloween. First up was a Halloween parade at St. Andrews that Olivia's friend, Adelina, invited us to. Then, we went to "A Monster Bash" at another friends house on the Monday before Halloween. On Wednesday, all of the kids at our regular playgroup dressed up, and on Friday, we attended Halloween Spooktacular for the stay-at-home moms group we're a part of. All of this was before Halloween! Here are some pictures from all of the events:


Holding hands with Adelina at the parade:

Trying to catch up with her friends Adelina and Riley:

Being pushed by Adelina:

Flirting with her boyfriend, Carter:

Happy Halloween!

Where's my candy?

With Gram:

With Mommy:

With Daddy: