Life as a Leach

F -Fourteen years seems like both a lifetime and just yesterday. O -Oh, were we so young on our wedding day! U -Understandably, we had no idea what we were getting into. R -Reality set in, but our love stayed strong. T -Then having Caleb rocked our world (in a good way!) E -Everything changed again when we had Abby! E -Even though this life isn't easy, I'm glad we are facing it together. N -Never could I picture myself with anyone else. I love you, Matty!  Happy 14th Anniversary!

Happy anniversary to this guy!  12 years ago, we had no idea what we were getting into!  While life isn't always easy and I know my nagging and worrying drive you crazy, we are better together.  I love you!

We chose a cold, cold day to visit the battlefields!  As much as I had planned to walk around and enjoy the scenery, it ended up being where we just drove from one spot to another, got out and took a picture, and drove to the next spot.  We will make sure it is warmer the next time we go! I climbed 14 flights of stairs, braved the wind and cold, and suffered an asthma attack for these shots!  Cold bursts of air and my lungs do not mix.  (But they're pretty pictures!)

13 years ago today, on the beach in front of 72nd Street in Ocean City, I said yes to becoming this man's wife. We were young and ignorant, but we were in love!  We will be married 12 years on April 3rd, and the years have flown by.  I love you, Matt...even more than 13 years ago today!

I don't say nearly enough how much I love this man.  He is so sweet to me, even when I'm stressed and nag him all of the time!  He's a great guy.  :)

Oh my.  I've been neglecting my blog recently.  Between illnesses (and therefore going to bed very early), attempting to work out on a regular basis, and working on a project for work after the kids go to bed, there hasn't been much time.  I don't blog while the kids are awake, and those precious few hours have been spent doing other things! So what's new?!  *  Caleb turned 8!  We had a fun laser tag party the day after his birthday.  He loved having some of his close friends and cousins with him.  I only questioned my sanity a few times!  :)  No, it really was fun.  Pictures are coming--promise!  Favorite gifts include some new Lego sets, lots and lots of books, several Amazon gift cards for his Kindle, and an awesome microscope and slide set.  He is a happy kid! *  Abby's pancreas and liver issues appear to have subsided. Her blood work is back to normal and the new reflux medicine has finally allowed her to k...

Lol! Matt won't be walking around in flip flops for a while, but he is certainly a dad who will do anything to make his kids smile!

Happy Birthday to my awesome husband!  Welcome to your late 30s!  :) In all seriousness, I am blessed by this man.  He is a fabulous husband and father.  Thank you for loving us!!

We love you, Daddy!

Here comes Miss Personality! She swears these are Daddy's shoes.  She was walking around the kitchen with her pom pom cheering, "Daddy's shoes!  Daddy's shoes!  Daddy's shoes!"  When I told her they were mine, she looked me in the eye and said, "No they not!  They daddy's shoes!  I wear them!"

I am exercising...like, on a regular basis.  Like, getting up early, sweating, and willingly causing myself to ache all day.  Yeah, I know!  Crazy! Matt and I both have started going down to the basement in the morning before the kids wake up.  We do different things and share the bike, but we figure that at least we are doing something  on a regular basis to lose weight and get in shape.  (Side note:  Matt went on the "stomach bug" diet last weekend and lost 10 pounds!!  I'm not sure he would recommend that one though...) I bought this video over the weekend because I liked the idea that it's just a 20 minute workout.  Even though I knew it would be intense (That's Jillian Michaels' middle name!), I figured that I could do it for 20 minutes.  Huh!  It is rough!!!  I'm doing it though! There are 3 different workouts that all are good cardio workouts, but each have a different focus (upper body, lower body, and abs). ...

Matt and I love scenic drives, so we didn't mind paying the car fee for Skyline Drive.  We soon knew we would get our money's worth when we realized just how much Caleb (and Abby, somewhat) loved climbing the rocks!! Our first day on Skyline drive, we just drove and stopped at a bunch of scenic overlooks.  We had planned to take a little hike, but rainy, cold weather prevented that.  I checked the weather the night before and it said 60s and sunny...but that was in Harrisonburg. It's amazing how different the weather can be high in the mountains, even though it really isn't very far away!  It didn't seem to matter that we didn't hike--the kids had a blast on the rocks anyway! Caleb even took a few pictures of us!  Of course, Abby had to photo bomb one... The second time we went on Skyline Drive, the weather was much nicer.  We asked a ranger about a good family hike (read:  one which won't involve carrying whi...

Matt and I have been married for 9 years today.  9 years.  Wow! If you knew me in college, you understand why it was nothing short of a miracle that Matt was able to even get a date out of me.  Two bad break-ups are enough to make a girl throw a huge Anti-Valentine's Day party for her residents (I was a Resident Assistant), complete with a man-hater dart board and a man pinata.  (This may or may not have intrigued my male friends who worked at the University Police, and they may or may not have come up to our floor in uniform  just in time for the pinata's legs to come flying off and landing at their feet.) So yes, it was pretty remarkable that Matt was able to convince me to go out with him.  But I did!  I figured I didn't have anything to lose, and I'd known him for 10 years...so it was less going out on a date and more going out with a good friend.  Little did I know... On the way home from our date, Matt was in a very serious car accide...