We're Back!!

So Saturday @ 5:30am we pulled in our driveway... after a 9 hr drive. It was nice to be home!
We shared a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home with my in laws. ( My mother in law/ 2 sister in laws/ Nephew Billy ( who is 3 months younger than me) & niece Gemma)
Now the vacation started out a little rough with a few issues with the house..... door knob fell off bathroom door/ none of the out side lights worked and one tub took for ever to drain and the other would not hold the water( we tried everything) it took 3 1/2 days for some one to come fix this all. Then I get home to a message that said we left a stain on the rug.... Bull Pucky! that spot was there when we got there. and the would be talking to us about payment. Needless to say I can be a B***h... when needed. I called & of course got through to no one ..... So I left a message telling them about the issues we had that they were aware of during our stay & also about how the stain was there. And that if anyone deserved money it was us. We had to leave my mother in law behind the 1st day we were there for no one to show up..... But no call back so ... to be continued.

Other than that the house was great. In laws were not to bad. We had fun playing scattagories, cards or serades every night. I have some stories about the serades but its a little late and I am a little tired but tomorrow I will write about it... FUN TIMES!

Jacob was all about his dad on the trip. I felt like the in laws thought I beat Jacob ( never would)or something since all he wanted was his dad. But Michael works long hours so I think really he just wanted his daddy. I was a little broken hearted but at the same time happy cause now Michael got to see why sometimes its hard for me after 40 hours of work and all to get every little thing done or why I am frazzled when he gets home...... Men! If they only knew how hard it can be......

Our niece Gemma came with us. I was SO happy she decided to come. She is fighting her 2nd battle with ovarian cancer and unfortunately treatment is not working as well as they hoped. We are looking into other care and she should be starting a new experimental treatment soon. So please keep her in your prayers. Our fundraiser that I have been working on is Sunday & i hope we raise alot of money for her. She has been through alot. And being & seeing her on vacation really opened my eyes. She is having a rough time getting around and eating and sleeps alot.
It was nice on vacation to just talk to her... learn about her boyfriend, her doggy, & just her likes & dislikes. She is a very sweet girl.

I also got to know my nephew on Michael's side Billie.....
I love him... what a hoot & a half... Funny!
I am not a big drinker but we made some mixers.... Pina colodas, Mud slides, and others.
We were liquoring up the old ladies!! They were funny to.
I had a few drinks. My yearly max is normally 1 drink per year .. I have exceeded that for this year... but nothing to out there.... 2 mudslides & a pina colada & another mudslide.... ( not all on the same night)
Him & I went to the beach & pool a few times our selves. We had a blast!


But anyway I better go...
here's some pic's

Josh Gillham--caring bridge site

This site is dedicated to Josh Gillham. I grew up with his wife Cathy Morgan- Gillham through grade school & some of junior high until they moved to Illinois. He sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns over approximately one third of his body, following an explosion at his employer in Smithton, IL. Josh is 27 years old and lives in Belleville, IL, he has a 2 1/2 year old daughter, Morgan, many friends and family who are praying for his recovery.

Please go on ...read, watch, & donate to help families in need. Thanks

Article:
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/438905.html

Site:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshgillham

New channel Report:
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=7239656


Please pray for him & his family......

Vacation Here We Come.......

Finally our vacation is here . I really need one. If I do not get away soon I may loose it!
Selling house, trying to bid on house, work, keeping home clean for sale of house ( they looked at it 3 times), waiting for hopeful good out come of home inspection (knock on wood), our Mid size SUV need 4 new tires 500.00 ( its CRAZY!!!)Anyway so we will be leaving here in a few days & I will not have much time to write.
Our niece who is seriously ill. ( we are doing fundraiser for her) is coming with us. I am very excited she is coming. She is Jacob's god mother & I really want him to get to know her better. Yes I know he is 2. I will take lots of pic's. Anyway I want her to have the best time ever. Also Michael mom, 2 sisters, and nephew... Well I got a lot to pack plus some laundry to fold ... better go.

Happy Anniversary to US! (LATE)

Here are some pictures from through out the years... our wedding day...couple Christmas, family vacation, And our engagement picture... (My hair was platinum blond & I was to SKINNY)

On Aug 3 Michael & I have been married 6 years...Wow & to top it on august 8 we have been together as a couple 10 years...WOW~

I was very young when I got married at age 22. And to an older man (17yrs older) I know what your all are thinking WOW… I thought so to at first. How did we meet? We met at a wedding reception I was 18. He ask me to dance I said NO.. Then I turned around and on the last dance I asked him. He offer his ph# if I was ever interested in buying a phone. And I said or I can call you to go to the movies… God I was brave! ( he was never married, once engaged but was mutually ended, no kids)But we talk for hours on the phone for months(4months) before we actually met & went out. When we did meet after all our talks I knew he was the one despite the age. We just clicked…

He is TRULY the LOVE of my LIFE... My SOUL MATE!

I'm Still Here.....

Well we have been insanely busy. We received a bid on our house & they had some to see it 3 times in the last 4 days. Lets just say it was crazy keeping everything IMMACULATE with a 22 month old who is obviously starting to a touch of the Terrible 2 syndrome I hear so much about.
Anyway we excepted & now we wait for inspection..... Keep you fingers crossed all moves well. Than to find us a house. We are nervous. We have no house in mind they all sold while we waited to sell ours. We did look at one the other day but it had a Sub pump ( not sure if that's what its called) anyway.... alot of the house we looked at either have that or a minor moisture issue or the ceiling is low in the basement or a dirt floor. Some of the homes are over 100 years old. So do we over look that..... I do not know! Any advice would be appreciated!

On top of that Jacobs cold, I am coordinating the donation part of my nieces fundraiser with the help of a wonderful lady Tanya. Between calls, letters, stopping at stores, walking all through the mall shops... I am beat!

Anyway much to do...bye

Nikon D40 addiction

Loving my camera..... I have a tendency to take it every where. I have been trying new things. Trying to do more pictures like a real photographer would do.

Far from being a photographer but would love to take some classes... hard between work & all. I refuse to be away from Jacob more than my job already makes me.

Anyway enjoy the pic's let me know what you all think.....

Out on the Town

The other weekend we went to a local church festival. We had alot of fun and really spent hardly any money. A whole whopping $3.50. Now we are broke... Just joking!

Anyway Jacob rode the train we daddy then mommy. Got a free balloon hat. And then we splurged on a teddy bear tattoo. We wanted to get the flaming dice.... but the little guys arms & legs were to small to fit it. And if we are paying for it... I want it visible! But the teddy bear showed his softer side. And the girls loved it!

Off to the ducky pond we went. He won a whistle and sea horse squirter. Which I ended up playing with both. Yes I know.... Grow up!

Anyway we all had a ball... Next year he will be able to do the moon walk.... ( a big enclosed jumpy blown up thing) Can't wait!

To Go or Not to Go... That is the Question?

Our doctor always tells us to give a cold 3-4days to run its course. And usually he is right. But this time we did what the doctor ALWAYS tell us to do... we waited 3 days for Jacobs little morning & evening cough/ runny nose to work itself through his system instead of taking him to the doctor immediately and then a horrible rash appeared.... Yes another rash. I have had it up to here (you know) with rashes. He has only had 2 and that is enough. Ok so back to the story...called the doctor they could not see him till 5 which meant 6pm since you must wait & with school coming back in I completely understand.... doctors office tend to be very busy then.

The normal questions

Fever? No

eating? Nit picking

drinking? yes...

Cough? morning & night

runny nose? yes

sleeping good? yes



nothing really different...just cough/ runny nose and the rash that appeared the night before.

Here we come to find out he has STREP Throat....
Can you believe it.... I felt like the most horrible mom...
But he is taking his medicine & mommy is giving him some more TLC..if that is possible

Keep him away from children for 24 - 48 hours ... So he does not share it they say....mean while in the waiting room he played with 7 different kids.... So I wait at the desk to pay & I am thinking hope no one heard the doctor say he has strep cause I might get the evil eye from some other mom's.

How was I to know! He was playing & running around like normal..... nothing different. I have to say I did feel bad & hope he did not share with any of them!



But I got to go ... I am beat and I need a bath.... I was cleaning the house like a mad woman & it was suppose to be cooler today but was still hot....

Catch up!!

Well it's been a while since I have done an update...actually to long.

Jacob is now just 11 days shy of 22months... He has really started to grow into his own little person. I love it & also think where did my baby go?

You can slowly see the baby face leaving and I guess you would call it the toddler look.But he is still the most cutest handsome little guy I know. (yeah I know ...I am his mom) Anyway he is starting to like new things and seems to be picking more & more words.

Vocab: Moon, window, baseball, Bob, Mommy, daddy, Shadow ( my moms doggy), pappy, gram ma, ba ba (bottle.... yes still not willing to give up completely..but we are getting there), bus (everything bigger than a car is a bus), whats that?, please, cheese, teeth, meatball, Ashley, Steve, Mary Kay, no, yes, sit, tree, see, Me know, Ann

Ok I am drawing a blank there are several more but its 10 pm...give me a break

Likes: coloring, outside, his wagon--pulling it, His dads golf clubs, pretend driving his dads car, walks, playing with other children of any age, and the life guard girls at the pool, builder bob, dancing to any music that comes on,

Dislikes: being told NO... that all I can think of

Food: loves everything pretty much and willing to try anything...fav's cheese, soft pretzel w/ cheese, hot dogs, strawberries, bananas, steam peas & corn, corn on cob, pickles, potatoes

Popsicle's ( which is getting out of hand... he had 4 all natural pops but that's all he will want)

apples, yogurt, rice pudding, turkey burger

Tid bits: dances to any song... no matter where we are at

took him riding on a pony at a festival & every pony he rode he would first pet its neck & say is the smallest cutest voice HI!

Love his pappy first thing in the morning he yells Pappy..cause my dad babysits while I work. And he comes to my house ( I know I am very lucky- I thank god every day for a dad like him)

He will pull your hand if your sitting on couch ... & when you walk with him he takes you either to the fridge for a Popsicle or side door to go out side.

He still has a thing about having to hold your sleeve when he falls a sleep for a nap.

Loves the ladies.... at the pool he works the life guards... they bring him extra cheese for his pretzel, gets him napkins, and has a Popsicle ready when he gets there...... what a stinker!

Loves Bob the Builder..... for now. He goes through phases. 1st was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, then Little Einstein on Disney channel and now Bob builder

Loves to sleep.... Sleeps from 9:30 - 8am on week days and weekend 9:30- 9am...LOVE IT!

loves to go outside at night to find the moon... its so cute he points and yells...MOOOOOOON!

Well I could go on forever how great his is but I got to get laundry out and I am tired!!

Going to a picnic tomorrow & then Sunday is our anniversary.....6years!!! So we are to go out to see the new batman movie & dinner.

August 8th we will have been together 10 years. (when we started dating)

Check out the pic's the 1st one if you click and enlarge its the 1st picture I got where his beautiful eye lashes really show ( love my Nikon d40)

the others are us in the yard ... getting artsy... I love photography

The letter I hope helps!

ok so here is the letter I wrtoe hoping to help for the picnic fundraiser we are having for our neice. I have been insanely busy contacting bussiness in our area. Unfortunately not any monetary donations but stuff ( gift cards, items) for our raffle baskets. So Hopefully we can raise some money. its 10.00 to get in beer, pig roast, hot dogs, burgs, pasta salads, swimming (lake) & fishing..... MUSic
anyway I edit it a little I am still weird about anyone knowing where I live..... except PA......
Maybe some large corperate place will see and donate... email me!! or leave comments



To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to you with the deepest sadness. Our family has been faced with something no one could predict. Gemma ...Our daughter, granddaughter, aunt, sister, niece, cousin, godmother, and friend has recently fought and beat the battle against ovarian cancer. During this time sadly her father passed away suddenly in November 2007 leaving the family to pull together the pieces.
In May 2008 at 20 years old she was re-diagnosed with cancer and again faced treatment. After several months of treatment our family was informed that her cancer was not treatable and we would need to begin to look into hospice care & pain management. As a family we refused to take this as the final word and have looked into alternative care through other doctors, hospitals and even holistic care providers. Unfortunately the cost of some of this is more than our family can bare.
On Sept 6, 2008 we are having a picnic in honor of her to help raise money for her & her family. This money will go towards the cost of treatment, travel, and other bills collected due to her cancer treatments. The picnic will be held at the ******************************************************. We are still working on the final decisions and arrangements. But we are hoping that our community & local business will pitch together and help us out in our time of need. Any & all donations will go towards her care. If any items are donated we will use them in the raffle, picnic or to help pay for her care. Our family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts!
Sincerely
Our Family



Thanks!

God Hear my prayer

Well its been a while since I have posted. I have been VERY busy! swimming, working, playing, fire works, picnics, dinners with our families...... lots of stuff going on. And I wanted to post this weekend...but we had received news that our 20 yr old neice..Jacob's god mother... was not given a very good outcome concerning her 2nd round of cancer treatments. I do not like to get into details. But it ripped my heart out. So I have had NO WORDS... Blogging seem not so important.I spent hours looking up hospitals...st judes, md anderson, cancer centers on america.... I lay at night thinking of what can I do...

I will admit I do not know her as much as I would like. But for all the times I have shared with her... she is a Great Girl. Very sweet, shy, beautiful & LOVES Jacob and he Loves her. I beg all of you to take a moment & pray for her. We have been seeking diffrent information on treatments and other alternative care... if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks!!



We Love you Gemma!

Not much to say..

The theory is that you will learn a lot of little
things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:50
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Juno
4. What is your favourite TV show? Brothers & Sisters
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Life Cereal
6. What is your middle name? Marie
7. What food do you dislike? Red meat
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I love music so this is tough but favorite group I listen to most is Nickleback
9. What kind of car do you drive? 2006 Grand Vitara Suzuki
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey w/ cheese heavy pickle, lettuce & italian dressing from subway :)
11. What characteristic do you despise? LIARS & those who think their poo don't stink
12. Favorite item of clothing? Any PJ's... Hey I work from home what do you expect!
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you
go? I always though it would be Hawaii...but no0w I am thinking some where like Bora Bora or Paris... After going to Vietnam it mase me relax more about international traveling
14. Favorite Color? Yellow
15. Where would you retire to? Hilton Head , SC
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Last year... cause I finally got what I wished for every other b-day when i blew out the candles... Jacob My hero my son
17. Favorite sport to watch? I am not a watcher... I like to PLAY... but I guess Baseball
18. Furthest place you have been from home? Vietnam
19. When is your birthday? August
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? NiGHT..... always have been
21. What is your shoe size ? 8 1/2 - 9 depends on shoe
22. Pets? dog
23. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Not really
26. What did you want to be when you were little? astronaunt... I had BIG Dreams!
27. How are you today? Well rested
28. What is your favorite flower? Gazanias
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Augst vacation
30. What are you listening to right now? Nothing...
31 What was the last thing you ate? Nutty buddy
32. Do you wish on stars? Yes, how do you think I got Jacob.... Hee hee
33 Last person you spoke to on the phone? mom
34 Favourite soft drink? Diet coke
35. Favourite Restaurant? Smokey Bones or Olive Garden
36. Hair Colour? blondish brown
37 What was your favourite toy as a child? Barbies & my little ponies
38. Summer or winter? Summer..... I hate cold
39.Hugs or kisses? Both!!!
40. Chocolate or vanilla? both
41What is under your bed? NOTHING!!! And I mean it... I am a neat freak
42. What did you do last night? went swimming then saw fire works at community days
43. What are you afraid of? Spiders
44. Salty or sweet? both, again!!!
45. How many keys on your key ring? 2
46 How many years at your current job? 8yrs (this november)
47 what are you thinking right now? I should go peak on my little guy ... cause I bet he looks cute sound a sleep


Ok so i had not much to write and someone sent me this....So I figured you could get to know me a little.
Good night.. Hope you are all well...

Happy 4th of JULY

OK so I am late... Like usual....

Well we had a nice 4th of July I guess..... except for we got stood up on a house viewing on the actual 4th of July. Yeah some one asked to see the house on July 4th. Matter of fact the called the 3rd @ 9:30 pm and requested they were going to be leaving on the 5th. So if you want to sell you do it right! So I stayed up till 12:30 mopping floors, sweeping carpets, touching up windows, and glass. Go to sleep and am awaken by the dog freaking out barking... yelled at him... come to find out he is doing his job. Baby is a wake screaming Michael's holding him. I come to check on the dog here the new neighbor girl who bought a house behind us was fighting with her boyfriend telling him to get the *** out and all that. SO I flicked the flood lights on let the dog out and that solved that. He left!

In the morning we took Jacob to the parade which was to be 3 hrs long we stayed 1 1/2 hours he was loving it.... But we had to pull him away for the showing. I felt horrible doing it. We could have left him with my parents but then its a 35 min drive & gas prices are INSANE.... need I say more. To e stood up I called them after 45 mins thinking they ran late in another house ... here they found the house they liked.... and instead of being respectful and calling they just figured heck I will 1 1/2hrs and then call them. RUDE!

Never again on a holiday! Anyway we had our annual 4th July party which we threw in a surprise B-day cake for our moms since they share the same b-day. It turned out nice... My Aunt & Unc came from Erie... always nice to see them. Our friends and neighbors. But it was cut short by rain...which was not in the forecast. Got to love the over paid weatherman. Well her are some pic's.

Erie Pic's

More pic's from our trip to Erie... A sad bye to my cousins as they prepare to move to Washington DC. Yes it is not a far car ride but long enough. But we will have to definitely take a trip down there.... Never been there! I am SO not a history lover or into politics but would love to see the white house and everything else.

Rashes, Er visits, and life

We have been busy!! That's all I can say.. Jacob is allergic to something...breaking out in a rash. At our doctor appt they said it was a reaction to food or something. Not to worry it would clear in few days no need to give med's unless itching. 2 nights later in the ER his rash was RED.. and forehead was swollen. We were terrified. Dose of bendryl, prednisone, and eppi later we were on our way home. They said not nuts, chocolate, strawberries, eggs... etc everything he has already ate and was fine. But we listened. $ days go by on meds. still there make a appt today 6 days... and i9t goes almost all away.. ( knock on wood) See pics of rash above & below.


On top of all this he goes to the dentist cause his 2 front teeth have not looked right since they came in. And our pediatrician said it was nothing but I had to take him. They are saying to pull the m or to do a root canal on both and cap. They believe maybe the mom had scarlet fever, took an antibiotic she should not have, or he had injury to his mouth. All his teeth are beautiful except them. But you can hardly see them since they did not really fully come in. Its hard to know what happen since the first 5 months he was in an orphanage & god only knows who his BIO mom was. But she did the best she could. So no had feelings... we just want to take the best care of him... He is our most valuable everything!
So any thoughts on teeth pull or root canal? Please leave comments so undecided

Anyway I got to go... need to do the check book.... Yeah...I hate money! or the lack of.....