Extended Family

Inspirational Love, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

/ jesyisms / 3 Comments

There have been many times in my life, countless even, where I find myself reflecting in awe over the love my parents have for each other. I’m having one of those moments right now and thought I would share – how fitting on their anniversary?! Perhaps this is inspiration for you and your spouse or you have similar moments while observing your parents? I haven’t interviewed my parents nor do they know that I’m writing this blog post. These inspirational blurbs or moments I’m going to share have been based solely on my observation, which is cooler to have that perspective anyway, right?

IMG_0285When watching home videos of life when I was younger, specifically it was Christmas morning, Matt and I were coming into the living room to see the presents that Santa left for us. You could see the sparkle in my mom’s eyes as she looked back at the camera to my dad and you could hear him say {and if you know my dad you could literally hear this} “heyyyy babe-ahhh.” If I think about my current life and the stressful (yet joyous) moments that creep into the “everyday” with two kids, still having that flirtatious tone and to really see the love is cool.

Other moments captured on camera of the flirtatious Carol and John show include dad zooming in on mom’s butt {gross, but still} and making an “ow-ow” comment. Or zooming in on mom’s face and saying, “there’s my baby” {I’m sure you are even more grossed out, but still}. There were even moments when you could see their solidarity in being stern with my brothers and I {yes, this is caught on camera} then sort of chuckling to the camera together and really enjoying each other regardless of the stressful situation, ahem Halloween of 94. Or when they were holding baby Brian in the NICU the day that they were scheduled to take him home and the love and pride towards each other as they were being interviewed by the local news stations, really is inspiring!

As I think and type out these moments, it is cool to think they have all lead up to the unified team IMG_0282 (1)they are today. We’ve had some interesting life events and family scares recently (Dad’s cancer is an obvious one) and never have I ever seen my mom so worried about dad or my dad so thankful for my mom than the day of my dad’s surgery. It was like all the other moments they had lived through were prepping them for this next speed bump. To see a selfie sent from my dad {yes, he takes selfies} to my mom and then for my mom to respond with “I’m proud of you babe” brings me such joy! The love they share for each other is even more prevalent today {to me} than it was in the “early days” caught on camera.

My parent’s love for each other, respect for each other, support for each other and pride for each other is inspiring! I know that I’m lucky to have such great role models in my life.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, I love you very much.

 

They Say It’s Your Birthday, Happy Birthday To Abbey

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What joy when we saw Abbey’s face as she began her third year! She is {mostly} such a happy, thoughtful, caring, considerate, and FUNNY little girl. Watching her transition from baby to toddler to now a mini-little girl has been a fascinating journey to follow.

Crap, Abbey bdayNot sure about birthday celebrations in your family but our celebrations typically last about a week and this birthday is no different. The celebrations began on the Thursday before her birthday when George and I met at Abbey’s school to celebrate with her preschool classmates. Daddy showed up with donut holes, which are THE most popular item to bring into a classroom of three-year-olds. The teachers encourage it and the kiddos go bonkers for it but of course they have it RIGHT before they leave. Coincidence? I think not! Abbey was wearing the birthday hat and all her friends at school sang their special birthday song and made Ab her very own special birthday “cake” during the song. She was glowing and smiling ear-to-ear! It was great to also get to see her in action with her friends at school. Celebration #1

On her actual birthday, Ab woke up in a great mood and was quickly greeted by baby brother for some snuggle time in mommy and daddy’s bed, which they both love. She was of course so excited to see Jack and actually sang him the “HappyIMG_3944 Birthday” song! Daddy missed some of the snuggles but he had an important job, picking up the birthday donuts for the birthday girl to have at breakfast and for her to share at soccer. Again, donut holes are the best treat to share with little ones. When daddy got home there was some morning present opening to be had and of course a brand new pink soccer ball and Doc McStuffin water bottle were a big hit. Balloons were just icing on the cake. After she opened these little gifts she was so happy and thanked us right away for her “best birthday presents ever.” Thinking back, George and I could have stopped there but of course we had more treats up our sleeve…when will we learn that a cardboard box is just as much fun as the $50 toys you buy at the store? Celebration #2

Off to soccer we go! Ab was REALLY excited to put her new pink soccer ball to use and also to share it with her other little soccer friends. We immediately went on to the field to talk to CIMG_3955oach Nicole (great coach at Wall2Wall in Mason) and then started kicking the ball and sharing with a little boy whom we have never met, but hey! Then Grandma and Grandpa Bird (Herron) showed up. Then Uncle Matt, Aunt Jami and Bubby showed up. Then Neighbor (Sandy) showed up. Then Grandma and Grandpa Weazel (Wenstrup) showed up, what a crowd! Uncle Matt came onto the field RIGHT away and took over as Ab’s buddy, no surprises here! Aunt Jami made an appearance on the field and really gave George and I a break this time. After her “game” we hauled off to play and each at Chick-fil-a, our favorite Saturday post-game lunch. Uncle Matt, Aunt Jami and Bubby were all there to have a birthday lunch celebration… you guessed it, Celebration #3

Our FINAL celebration (Celebration #4) was with our friends and family back at the house, our spoiled little girl was excited to have everyone at the house for dinner, cake and ice cream and more presents. What a great way to ring in the third year of life…remember this kiddo when you ask for a sweet-16 birthday or even when you are 21 that a lunch date at Chick-fil-a and some donut holes were the favorite birthday treats back then. We love you Abbey Road, thank you for being such a sweet girl. 

MMMM…Motorboatin’

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All my poor dad wanted to do on Father’s day was to putz around Brookville lake on his new toy. As luck would have it, the boat needed some minor repair and wasn’t ready in time for this “perfect” day. No worries, we Wenstrup’s aren’t wired to handle the word “no” very well (family inside joke that NO actually means, not right now) and planned the perfect Father’s day just one week later.

As you can see, Abbey and Mason really enjoyed Papa’s boat!

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Great picture of the birthday boy (Happy Birthday Mattchew)! Oh boy, my hair looks a bit cray-cray!

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A few more pictures that sum up the pontoon coma that was induced on Abbey and George for the latter part of the day.

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Tough life for this little girl…

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Could not have asked for bigger smiles, more fun, better weather, louder giggles (and squeals), and an all around more amazing time than we had with each other yesterday. It was exactly what I imagined, except for me getting in the lake with Abbey (not my favorite part), for my dad’s Father’s day.

Girl’s Night Out

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Just two little girls enjoying a great night of toys and romping around in their diapers! I’m pretty sure that Abbey “needs” a ball pit now. Maybe this could be an addition at a grandparent’s house (ah-hem)?

In all seriousness I am finding that play dates are great for toddler and baby socialization. Abbey doesn’t go to daycare, she is with her 2-year-old cousin most Mondays and Fridays but misses out on some of the toy sharing and learning to play with other tots her age. It is also a great way for us moms to reach out and share insight with each other, I love learning about various tricks that other moms have up their sleeve.

Thanks to Beth and Lilian for sharing your house and great toys!PicMonkey Collage

Happy Fridays with Grandma

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My mom is probably among the top 5 happiest people in the world on Fridays because of these two kiddos right here, Mason and Abbey.

{CHEERS!} is what Mason says to Abbey and then they “clink” milk cups, awwww! I’m thankful that my girl is growing up surrounded by family that loves her so much.
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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

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For the past month (clearly I’m a procrastinator) we’ve been gearing up for this one day, December 25th. All the decorating, shopping, cooking, crafting and wrapping has led us to 24 hours of pure Christmas spirit. And this year George and I were able to watch it all unfold through the eyes of toddlers. Mason (2 year old nephew), Henry (1 year old nephew) and Abbey were so much fun to watch tear open presents and be giddy about what was inside but more importantly, they were giddy about the paper! There were so many presents and delicious food and oh so yummy wine but there was also so much laughter and love. I feel amazingly blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and caring family and three adorable little munchkins who brought so much joy to this holiday season. Mushy, mushy, mushy… I’ll move on!

Here are pictures of Abbey and her cousins enjoying Christmas day:

Toddler Christmas 2012

 

P.S. The ottoman’s in the top right picture (with Mason) and bottom left picture (with Henry) are ones that I made thanks to Pinterest and my mom. Mom and I worked on this all day last Sunday and it was a lot of fun learning to sew from my momma. Abbey also got an ottoman and I promise to post pictures of these beauties and instructions on how to make them very, very soon. And apparently I’m taking orders to make them as presents for my friend’s kids so just message me and I might just make one for you too!

P.P.S. Christmas was NOT ruined thanks to my in-law’s who got Abbey and Henry the Anywhere Chairs from Pottery Barn Kids. Check out my hectic rant from an earlier post when I lost my $100 Pottery Barn gift card.

P.P.P.S. The Pottery Barn gift card is still lost, boo!

Fools and their Diapers

/ George Herron / 2 Comments

Mmmmmm, delicious! Who wants chocolate?

Yesterday a diaper party was thrown in my honor.  A what you might ask?  As did I the first time I heard about it.  As a matter of fact here is a short list of things I thought it could be:

  • A party where strippers show up in nothing but diapers.  Clearly I was stretching on this one, but a man can dream.
  • A party where I had to wear a diaper the entire time while my friends made fun of me.  If you knew my friends and family, this was definitely on the table.
  • A party where several diapers are passed around with “concoctions” in them and I had to identify what exactly was in them.
  • A party where everyone had to wear a diaper and the first one to fill the diaper won….and lost.  I think we all knew John Wenstrup (father-in-law) would have won this game running away so it was decided not to bother.

Well, as it turns out it is none of those things.  A diaper party is like a mix between a bachelor party and a shower, but for a man.  On the day of your wife or significant other’s baby shower men will congregate at a designated location, drink beer, play cornhole, watch football and eat food.  Oh, and they have to bring a pack of diapers for the expectant father. It’s pretty ingenious to be honest.  I mean most of the men’s wives are going to be at the shower, so what else were they really going to do?  Sit around, watch football, eat food and maybe scratch themselves.  So instead of scratching they can get their “exercise” by playing cornhole, or losing in cornhole to anyone that played CJ and I yesterday, instead of scratching their unmentionables.  For my diaper party we even added a new wrinkle of playing a round of frisbee golf before the day of gluttony could begin.  It was a spectacular day.

Highlights of the day:

  • Paul throwing his frisbee into the woods on the first hole.  Then, after taking a do-over he did the exact same thing.
  • Beating Mark Hannah for the third straight time in frisbee golf.  He got me interested in the game and I used to never beat him and I would never hear the end of it.  So, it feels pretty good to kick his ass.
  • Jim Wenstrup didn’t show up until the 12th hole and on his first throw got his disc stuck in a tree that took 4 people 15 minutes to get un-stuck.  Talk about a momentum killer.
  • Watching John hit a tree that was maybe ten feet in front of him was pretty funny.  But watching CJ hit the exact same tree not 2 minutes later was hysterical!
  • CJ and I owning fools in cornhole all day long.  We lost once, maybe our second game, but after that we tore through anyone that was willing to take us on.  We went through teams like Charlie Sheen goes through stripper girlfriends, WINNING!
  • All the food was gluten-free and delicious, which was awesome.  A special thanks to my mother-in-law, Carol Wenstrup, and Jami White for all the preparation.
  • Golf cart rides around Matt’s neighborhood.  Specifically with Corey and his Captain America sweatshirt on (with the mask on mind you).  We got some pretty strange looks, but there was a neighbor in particular that just glared at us, he might have been a Nazi?
  • Thanking Corey at the end of the party for sticking around the entire time, knowing that he had a long drive back up to Dayton, only to realize that I was his ride back to my house where his car was!  I felt like an ass!

A couple fires, a golf cart with rims, bs-ing with my dudes. It was a damn good day.

Lowlights of the day:

  • Not winning frisbee golf at my own party.  Jared won with an impressive -20.  No one could touch that.  I was closest with a -14.  Thanks a-hole, no more frisbee golf invites for you.
  • After having to listen to Brian talk smack all day about how good he was in a game called “washers” I decided to play him to shut him up.  I wanted to destroy him, just to put him in his place.  I lost.  Now he can talk smack all day long and it is completely justified.  I made a bad situation WAY worse.
  • Jimmy Baur showing up sans diapers.  Talk about a party foul.
  • Not only did I lose in fantasy football this week, I got crushed.  I got crushed by someone who was starting two players on byes.  Oh and I lost my best running back in the first quarter of the Raiders game and probably for a couple more weeks after.

It was a great day and something I recommend for every father to be.  Not only does it give you an opportunity to hang out with all your dudes one last time before a baby consumes your life, it’s a great way to stockpile diapers for the months and years to come.  Diapers are expensive and this is just one less cost and worry that new parents stress over.  I can’t thank my brother-in-law, Matt, enough for putting this together for me, just an awesome day, with awesome people, and Paul.

And a last special thanks to the Eskimo brothers, Rick and Corey for stopping at my house after the party and helping unload the metric ton of stuff that Jesy brought back from her last shower.  I would still be unloading all that stuff right now if not for your help.  You guys are coming back when I have to move it all back upstairs right?

Challenger Weekend

/ George Herron / 9 Comments

2011 State Tournament

As most people know, Jesy and I coach a baseball team of kids with special needs in the Butler County Challenger League.  Jesy has been coaching for 4 years, but has been involved with this league for close to 15 years because of Brian playing as well and John and Carol coaching.  I have only been involved for the last couple years.

You see, it was a little bit more of a transition for me. I had not grown up around kids with special needs, except for Brian and that was only when I started dating Jesy when I was 21 years old.  And you  know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks.  It was very tough for me to get comfortable around the kids.  So when John and Carol asked Jesy and I to coach a team 4 years ago, I couldn’t do it.  Jesy accepted and asked Matt to help.  I stayed away for the first year completely.  The second year I went to a couple games here and there.  And finally in year three I went to just about every game and started to help out.  This year I have even gone to coach meetings and tried to push myself to be even more involved because I was really starting to enjoy watching the kids play.

So what kept me away?  Fear, believe it or not.  I was afraid of interacting with the kids.  What do I say to them?  What do I talk to them about?  If they misbehave what do I do?  What if I can’t understand them when they talk to me?  I let all those obstacles paralyze me around the kids.

But over the course of a couple years the kids have warmed my heart so much that I don’t have the fears that I used to have.  Am I as good with the kids as Jesy and Matt?  No, but I’m much better and much less “scared” of the kids than I used to once be.  I was so excited after the tournament this year that I was already talking about next year this morning with Jesy while we were getting ready for work!

But before we can plan for next year I would love to share some moments from this past weekend at the 2011 Challenger State Tournament in Barberton, Ohio.  This was my second year at tournament and I had a little bit better idea of what to expect and how this was going to go.  It was a blast, not just for the kids, but for the coaches too.  I can’t explain how awesome it is to see the kids have the time of their lives and not just on the field, but running around the hotel with other kids that are in the same boat as they are.  There is no judging, no making fun of, just kids running around having fun…all weekend.

This is what happens when you try to organize 10 kids with special needs for a picture!

Some highlights include:

  • One of our players’ parents, Dale, emptying two of the ice machines in the hotel.  The other two were broken.  Dirty move sir.
  • Conner Fenton taking his job as the pitcher quite seriously.  Also discovering that Conner is a big Star Wars fan.  We actually got yelled at by Bev Fenton, Conner’s mom, for chit-chatting about Star Wars like two little school girls instead of paying attention to the game.
  • Perry Sizemore playing the “roaming fielder” position.  What is that you ask?  Well, in one inning I saw Perry at third, short stop, pitcher, outfield, first base and my personal favorite was when he sat in a chair on the sidelines, but once the ball was hit he ran on to the field and chased after it.
  • I saw Ethan Fullmer run.  I just wish I had a camera to prove that I saw it, because I doubt that anyone would believe me.
  • Jack Wojno getting to see the Purple Firetrucks of Barberton.  Also, I love watching Jack’s twirling swing.  It’s like he coils himself up and then when he goes to swing he unleashes a spinning attack that almost spins himself into the ground!  But when he makes contact, watch out!
  • Sara Reatherford having almost made the catch of the year.  She was playing first base and a line drive was hit right at her.  She held her glove up in more self defense than anything else and the ball landed squarely in the mit.  But Sara didn’t squeeze, except maybe her butt cheeks, and the ball fell out.  Even though she didn’t catch it, it was a spectacular play!
  • Also noteworthy: when pressured, Sara cracked and admitted to having a little crush on me.  The poor girl, I gave her hell about it all weekend!  The crush is either now over or twice as bad.  You would have to ask Sara to be sure, but I guarantee after this past weekend she will tell you she hates me now!

  • Logan doing his best John Kruk impression!

    I got more hugs from Logan Cox than I got hours of sleep over the weekend.  Logan  is new to the team this year, as well as tournament and man are we glad we nabbed him up!  I have never met a more affectionate kid other than perhaps Jessica Fritts.  Landon is always smiling and loves to give hugs, so if you are ever having a bad day, just hang out with him for 5 minutes.

  • Landon making his unprecedented 4th straight tournament.  Landon is the only player on our team to make it every year Jesy has been a coach.   Landon is always the team leader in unintentional bunts, he just kind of holds the bat out there and waits for the ball to hit it.  Not a lot of power, but they have yet to get him out at first!
  • Watching Bailey do her reverse upper-cut swing.  Have you ever watched baseball and noticed that there are some guys that have an upper-cut swing, where it looks like they are trying to golf the baseball out of the park?  Well Bailey is the exact opposite.  She starts her swing high and cuts right down to the ground.  It’s like she is mad at the ball and wants to hit it as hard as she can into the ground.  A bizarre tactic for sure, but Bailey makes it work.

Boyfriend and Girlfriend - Landon and Bailey

Overall, this year was heartwarming, fun and a reminder that despite all our differences we can always come together to celebrate these individuals that have over come so much in their young lives and deserve to have the kind of fun that I know they all had this weekend.

So let me speak for all the coaches and say THANK YOU to all the kids we coached this year.  You do just as much for us and maybe more than we could ever possibly do for you guys!  Keep having fun and reminding us that nothing is impossible and that everything is better when you’re playing baseball!

Monty: A Tribute.

/ George Herron / 8 Comments

Monty and a young Carson. Monty was not pleased with this new annoyance!

Monday June 6th, one of my oldest friends passed away.  Monty, as true of a friend as you will ever find.

Monty and I have known each other since college.  The time in my life when I really began to figure out what kind of a man I would be.  He has been with me through heart break, true love, marriage, six different residences and countless number of nights when he was the only one that would listen.

Monty was a dog.  My dog, my first dog.  He was originally purchased, slightly reluctantly, by three housemates in college.  Myself, my co-writer at BattleForOhio.com,  Andy, and a mutual friend Jay.  The dog quickly became mine and Andy’s as Jay just didn’t quite have the patience for the destruction one puppy can cause.  Losing the deposit on the house after our senior year didn’t help matters either.  And after senior year Andy and I decided that it would be best for me to take Monty, so he became solely mine. Although he had been sleeping in my room, and going to the bathroom in my room, and destroying things in my room since we got him.

This would establish two things, I would be the primary care giver and that he would have to sleep in the bedroom.  Even later when he spent all his time at my parents he preferred to sleep next to the bed.  Sometimes even when the pain in his back legs was so great that he would stay on the same floor in the house all day, he would still struggle to climb those stairs at bed time so he could sleep next to the bed.

So as a special tribute to my old friend.  A friend that has known me longer than my wife even, I would like to share some special Monty memories.

  • Any of the times that Monty would crap in the house my senior year on Bell Street.  I almost always had to clean it up, but it was worth it to hear Jay yell and bitch and almost throw up because of it.
  • The time that Monty ran into the kitchen in the house on Bell Street and couldn’t stop on the tile floor and slid right into the oven and banged his butt.  He wouldn’t go back in there for weeks, so I had to move his food to a different room.  This also is what stems his fear of floors that have any slick surface.  If it wasn’t carpeted he hated walking on it.
  • The time Jay tried to ride Monty while he was intoxicated.  Monty, who wasn’t amused, simply sat down and Jay fell off and about halfway down the stairs as well.  Hilarious to everyone except Jay.
  • Seeing my in-laws faces the first time they saw Monty, it was like a mix of frightened, bewildered and amused.  Like, what is this magical slobbering beast?

Monty after a romp in the snow.

  • Watching Huckle, my in-laws previous dog, and Monty interact.  Huckle was generally smaller than one of Monty’s turds, so watching Huckle try to scamper around and get sniffs of Monty was quite amusing.  Watching Monty grunt and growl when Huckle got too close while Monty was laying down and susceptible to sniffing.  I think he even gave Huckle a seizure one time.
  • Seeing how scared a giant dog like Monty could get during a lighting storm.  His favorite place in the world was my parents bathroom on the lower level of the house.  Somehow it made him feel safe during the storms.
  • Anytime it snowed.  Monty loved playing in the snow, jumping around in it, burrowing in the snow and flinging it up in the air.
  • Lying to two different apartment complexes and telling them that Monty was simply a lab mix to make sure we could still get the apartment.  Well, I guess that isn’t a lie, I just omitted the fact that he is mixed with Newfoundland, which made him a HUGE lab.
  • Watching Monty get more action than I was getting on my first date with Jesy.
  • Watching a 5 year old Monty who had never had to share a house with another dog try to adjust to a rambunctious puppy named Carson.

    Turner and Hooch or George Sr. and Monty?

He was a 100 pound gentle giant.  The only thing that was really scary about Monty was his boisterous bark.  He was only really grouchy with my mom, which was both funny and confusing.  Rub his ears or his belly and he was your best friend, except for maybe my dad.  Nobody was above my dad as far as Monty was concerned.  Mainly because my dad did what any grandparent does, he spoiled Monty rotten. And he was pretty open and blatant about it.  They might as well have been Riggs and Murtaugh or I guess more appropriately, Turner and Hooch.

If you had stock in Bounty, I would sell it right now.  Monty and his never ending stream of drool have kept paper towels at a premium in the Herron household for ten years.

I loved Monty like a pet, like a dog, like a friend, like a brother, and like a son.  He will be missed.

Monty, you will get along great with Sam in Heaven’s dog park, but please be patient with Batman.  You remember how annoying Carson was?  Batman is similar, but he is a pretty dog, so he will be good with picking up the ladies, so you will have that going for you up there!  Good luck pal, I can’t wait to see you again.

Monty’s ashes will be spread in my parent’s backyard, a place that Monty loved to run around and chase anything from tennis balls to deer.  A backyard that must have seen 2 tons worth of dog crap and hundreds of gallons of dog pee.  A backyard that he called home.

There will also be two trees and a little stone memorial with Monty’s name on it in the front yard of my parents house.  Because death always gives way to new life and it was important to celebrate the life of a great dog and a loyal friend.

Happy Rainy, Busy & Clumsy Easter!

/ jesyisms / 3 Comments

{The Rainy}

Easter was fashionably late this year which would make one believe that we would have gorgeous weather. Sun, heat, blue skies, green and dry grass and lots of flowers. Not in Cincinnati! It has been a never ending rainy April and Easter Sunday was no exception. Luckily there was a break in the weather that was long enough for the little kids of the Ottopal family to collect Easter eggs. But then the rain picked right back up and it continued to pour from late afternoon all through the night. Oh and guess what, there was rain again this morning….awesome!

{The Busy}

My family is the kind of family that gets together (I mean ALL together) all the time. Its great, its what I grew up with and of course all that I’m pretty much used to. George also comes from a family that gets together a lot so he is used to the busy holidays too. Every holiday George and I are rushing around from one side of the family to the next but at Easter it is a bit more hectic. Why? Because my mom’s side of the family likes to get together two times in one day. We have breakfast at my Grandma’s house at 10:30am where we all stuff our face with bacon (6lbs were made this year), eggs, sausage, biscuits & gravy, Grandma’s famous coffee cakes (I think I counted 4 flavors), fruit, and breakfast pizza. Am I missing anything? There is also orange juice and then mimosas for those who need to a little bit of alcohol to get through the madness (I’m in that category).

Go CHALLENGER Cardinals!

Then George and I left Grandma’s house to head home for literally 30 minutes to let the pups out and take a minor breather, this is a marathon NOT a race. Next we got back in the car and headed to George’s Aunt and Uncle’s house for snacks and a visit before heading off to our final destination for the day. Hanging out with the Kiesewetter family is so nice. There is no yelling across the room for one particular person, no hustle and bustle of everyone scurrying around each other because there were only 7 of us total. The visit was a few hours long which included great conversation and yummy snacks.

We got back in the car around 4:15pm and headed out to my Uncle Scrooge’s house for our dinner, did I mention we had to go to the West side? George and I arrived at Scrooge’s early so we could relax and hang out on the couch talking with Scrooge before the masses started to arrive. God love my family, we are LOUD and crazy! I’d love to be a fly on the wall actually watching all the interactions and conversations unfolding. The little kids normally hang out in one room and every now and then you will hear one of them come out crying but for the most part they are pretty good about hanging out with themselves. Shortage of food is NEVER a problem and Easter dinner was just as filling as Easter breakfast only a short 7 hours earlier.

My mother had of course spoiled all of us kids rotten and Matt, Jami, Mason, Brian, George and I all had these enormous baskets FILLED with spring goodies. Aunt Jesy and Unlce George gave Mason a Cardinals hat and socks to help root on the Butler County Challenger Cardinals – NOT MLB Cardinals – for our upcoming season. He looked ADORABLE in the hat and the guy holding him is super cute too! {Side note: Mason is becoming the cutest little boy with all the smiling he does with EVERYONE. He goes to anybody without fussing and smiles so much that you can’t help but constantly have a smile on your face the entire time you are around him. I love being his Aunt Jes}

Mom through out a little tear jerker yesterday when I opened a little wind chime she bought for both Jami and myself. Jami’s was a tiered wind chime with pretty spring colors and mine had the letters H-O-P-E hanging vertically. I was slightly dense at first but mom recalled when she made the purchase and it was the day that I called her to tell her George and I created our bear with Baby Herron’s heartbeat and that we named the bear Hope. Mom said that the wind chime was at that store and she was looking at it when I called her…yep, that started the tears! I love my momma!

{The Clumsy}

Sorry Jami (these are her pants!)

If you know me pretty well then you know I’m some what of a clutz. I’m quite shocked that I can chew gum and walk at the same time without tripping over myself. I am constantly tripping and yesterday I really scared myself and George when I tripped in my Uncle’s driveway in the pouring down rain as we were leaving his house. It sucked! I started to trip and because my hands were full I could not regain my balance causing me to fall smack down on my right knee and skidding my toes on the concrete. There went the pants and the pedicure! Big hole in the knee and I was a bleeder, so now I’m going to have this wonderful-looking scab to show my battle scars with the driveway. I wasn’t the only casualty of the driveway, apparently my little cousin took a fall and skinned up her knees and also got holes in her Easter tights.

Needless to say I’m absolutely exhausted from yesterday but I’m so glad we had lots of time with family, next year will be different because George and I will be in Florida. Hopefully it will be a sunny Easter!