How it all began

Ralph and I have been together since the summer of 2008 but it all began in 1992. Ralph's sister, Colleen and I have been best friends since 6th grade and we grew up at each other's houses throughout the years. Ralph was always around but being the younger brother was forbidden to be around us (not that he wanted to make up dances with us). We said hi during high school and when I needed a jersey to wear to school on Fridays, Ralph was nice enough to let me wear his. He visited Kent State while I was there once to look at the football team and campus but decided against attending. He joined the Marine Corps and we spoke through emails every now and then just to see how the other was doing. Life went on and our paths finally crossed again in 2008 when Colleen invited me to their families yearly 4th of July party. Ralph was home on leave from Iraq and I just moved back to Cincinnati. This time when we saw each other things seemed a little different and the rest is history. In December 2011 we were engaged, July 2012 we were married, April 2013 we bought our first house and March 2014 we had our first child, Braxten! Each year has been more blessed than the last and we are so excited to see where our future takes us!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

OSU vs Penn State

 Dropped the kids off at Missi and Pop's house for the night and we headed to Columbus for the first ever "Black Out" against Penn State. It was an amazing night! We were able to meet up with friends before the game and then be a part of an eery night at the stadium as we celebrated a 38-10 victory. Cheerleaders came to our section and I joined them for a picture with my finger pompoms. We have some of the best seats in the house once a year, already looking forward to next year! Go Bucks!





Pumpkin Farm Oct 12th

Family trip to Shaw Farms! This is one outing that never disappoints. They have a huge selection of pumpkins, animals you can pet, themed areas for pictures, hay rides, corn mazes and lots of room to run! Kane loved watching all of the people while Braxten ran around touching all of the decorations. Next year we figure he will be afraid of Little Red Riding Hoods wolf but he liked it this year. There was a spotted horse that he instantly started mooing to, pigs he was snorting at, bridges he ran across and small pumpkins he wanted to throw. Another great family adventure!


























Swim Classes

It's time for Braxten to learn how to swim, or at least be safe in the water! A wonderful little place opened a few minutes from the house and we started right away. He loves it! He has not been a kid that wants to be in the pool right away over the summer but now he can't wait for class to start. He has learned to blow bubbles, go all the way under, glide under the water (with a push) towards the wall and pull himself up, turn to his back after being on his belly and trust floating on his back. All of these tasks with help of course, but he is getting much more comfortable in the water. Miss Jo loves him and he gets super excited when he sees her! We call him "lazy legs" because he refuses to kick as he floats but hopefully that will come soon. He does a great job although he is normally yawning throughout the class. He sleeps great on Thursday nights. Can't wait to see everything he learns before the summer!!! We are proud of you B!







Braxten's Faces & Kane's New Shoes

Braxten is a child of many facial expressions, we pray he can grow up hiding his thoughts better than Daddy and Mommy but it doesn't look promising. He can change emotions in a split second and have you angry to laughing before you know it. He is one entertaining little monster. 

Kane was given the cutest new shoes and, of course, we made a photo session out of it. She is just so happy and a great shoe model so we kept taking pictures. 











Love this sweet picture!








Watching the World Go By


Sometimes we just sit and watch the world go by, well actually we sit at the front of the neighborhood and watch the cars go by. We chose which ones to wave to and which to stare down. Either way, it is peaceful in our afternoons of sitting in the grass and
 enjoying a few seconds of relaxation. 

Friday, October 30, 2015

T-shirt trouble

We all wear our t-shirts like this right?! We haven't quite learned how to take it all the way off 
but at least it is entertaining for the rest of us!




Stalking the Taylors

While Kane naps Braxten and I go outside. He always heads straight to our neighbors house, the Taylors. He loves playing in their front yard, trying to open their front door and stalking them through the window. At least he is cutting their grass while we play there and sit in their driveway looking at airplanes. Thank goodness for amazing neighbors that love our kiddos like family!