seven years ago today

jim and i went on our first date. he took me to a baseball game. we had a blast, we chatted and laughed more than we watched the game! such an great first date, with great memories. we have always considered april 28 "our anniversary" even though we were married in october.
here we are years later. still sharing time, gaining knowledge, keeping our love fresh and alive. being together, thankful for all we have and all to come.

ottawa cananda 1999


aruba 2001

he's a handful, this one

he probably thinks we're a handful, too.

since greyson has turned fifteen months life around our house has become interesting to say the least. it seems overnight he has become willful, frustrates easily, and tries to assert himself in every situation. all of this i read are signs of growing up and are quite common among toddler boys. please don't get me wrong, i want nothing more than to raise an independent secure child. however, it's just tough when everything turns into a daily battle. everything.
diaper changes, carseats, getting dressed, when it's time to come inside, shopping carts, you get the picture. as soon as he feels pressured or rushed from us -he digs his heels in. the minute i insist, he resist.

at times like these i am so thankful and blessed to be a christian. i know that greyson will still test boundaries but through prayer, God will give us the direction and words that greyson needs. this is the biggest responsibility we have ever been given, but we are encouraged by the fact that God has chosen us as greyson's parents. i'm humbled that out of all the wonderful parents out there, he hand picked us to guide this remarkable little boy through life. the journey is bound to have challenges, but we're ready.
a friend also suggested this book by author jane nelson yesterday. has anyone ever read this one? barnes and noble is on my list of 10,000 things to do today. :)

thursday.... then & now

finally did another one of these!! i love looking back and seeing how our baby boy has changed in just one short year! looks like the Easter bunny changed a bit too, huh? :)

greyson's 2nd Easter

hope everyone had a lovely, blessed Easter! friday afternoon greyson had some friends over and we (the mommy's) colored Easter eggs. i love the memories of coloring eggs! saturday we had a super fun morning at church for the yearly Easter egg hunt. there was also pony rides, a bounce house, face painting, a cotton candy machine, and more! sunday morning the easter bunny left greyson a basket and a little tykes sand/water table out on the deck. it was a gorgeous day here in maryland! later that morning we went to church, followed by dinner at my grandparents and we finished the evening grilling out at my dad's. greyson had a little egg hunt on the farm. i think his favorite part was seeing the animals especially the cows and geese.
i just can't believe we just celebrated his second Easter!! where does the time go?

greyson didn't "get" the whole put the eggs in your basket in the beginning of the egg hunt... he was more interested in playing on the playground equipment. finally towards the end, he figured out what was going on!!
the first thing greyson reached for in his basket was the chocolate bunny... that's my boy! :)
Sunday morning after church.

we think because greyson is so use to our 140 lb. great dane, that is why is actually wanted to PET the 900 lb. steer! that boy is fearless with a capital F!!!

april is autism awareness month

autism.

a word i can't imagine being part of my everyday life.

a word that brings saddness and fear in the very same breath.

for reasons i don't understand and can't explain... i am captivated with learning more about this complex disability.

there are lots of different controversies surrounding causes, treatments, etc of autism. it seems many of them can be overwhelming, confusing, and downright frustrating for the families affected.

my goal is to simply bring awareness.
please take a second of your time and watch this. the photographs of those children will touch your heart and grab your soul. atleast it did mine.

knowledge, may one day lead to a cure. i pray.