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June 25, 2006

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize...

In this case, it should be, "Keep your eyes on the prizes", as we all headed to the Keystone State to celebrate at Brendan and Jessica's wedding shower! Of course, there were several prizes here, the soon to be celebrated marriage between these two wonderful people, the prizes in the form of the gifts they got, the really, really, really, really, seriously, awfully cute kids they had running around, the fantastic food, and the awesome family and friends who surrounded us. Before the weekend kicked into high gear, Caroline celebrated her first birthday!

When Megan, Jonah and I arrived on Friday evening, all Caroline wanted to do was hug Jonah. All Jonah wanted to do was run away.

Then, Jonah and his cousin enjoyed the balloons...

Abby and her sister Megan decided that a Hawaiian or tropical theme would be the best setting for the party. Hence the Hawaiian shirts, lei's and other tropical goodies you'll see throughout these pictures. Here, Megan is preparing the table for the feast...

The deck out back was decked out as well...

While the adults (most of them) were outside enjoying the weather, most of the kids were inside. If you look carefully, you can see my son (in the green shirt) getting ready to destroy the surround sound speakers...(Thankfully, he was not successful...)

Larry spent his morning unwrapping the badminton net. It took a while, because somehow, between the time he used it last, and now, the net got wrapped around the poles. It reminded me of Christmas lights that get all knotted up by themselves. However, the puzzle was solved, and the net went up without too much difficulty...

Game on!

Here is Jessica's Dad, Fred, and MaryAnn...

Abby, always ready when the camera is nearby, enjoys some wine with Deb...

The deck is filling up with guests, and Brendan is ready to open presents!

And there they are, the gifts, just waiting patiently to be ripped open and enjoyed!

One of the gifts came with its own handmade wrapping paper! (Jessica was very careful not to tear it up, so she could save it...)

Awww......

Happy Birthday Cutie!!!

Look up, have fun!

Awww......(Again!)

The boy and his Dad...

Our gracious and generous hosts for the weekend, Larry and Deb...

Prepare to smooch...

SMOOCH!

Getting ready to open something big and heavy...(which usually make excellent gifts!)

So? Tell us! What is it?

Oh, now I know what it is! A pizza stone!

Presents have been opened, wine has been consumed, and clothes have been removed. From a little boy, that is. And that can only mean one thing; nite-nite time. Kisses for everyone!

G'nite Grandma...

G'Nite Aunt Abby...

G'Nite Grandpa...

G'Nite Aunt Jen...

G'Nite Uncle Keir...(Here is a really lousy, out of focus shot of the boy saying goodnight to Uncle Keir. (all right, it's actually a shot of Uncle Keir giving a goodnight zerbert... (sp?)

And what wedding shower would be complete without Abby modeling her dress?

Abby and Megan did a fantastic job setting up and throwing the party. Congratulations Jessica and Brendan! Hopefully we will see you in October!

Posted by Jon at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2006

Cute!

Just Because...

Posted by Jon at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2006

And Then There Were Four...Or Five? Or Six?

Today was a big day for Jonah, his Mommy and me. Since we found out that Megan was pregnant, we naturally figured that Jonah would be a big brother. But to whom? To how many? Today was the day that Megan had an ultrasound to determine if Jonah's kin will wear hand me downs, or would need new girly clothes.

See if you can tell...

In the first pic, Josh is face down, head on the left, with his spine up...

So guess what? Joshua is as stubborn as his brother, his Father and his Mother. The new boy would not turn over, but if you look close enough, he is giving us a high five...

So, since he refused to turn over during the ultrasound, the tech had a hard time finding his "boy parts", but assured us using the next pic, that Joshua is indeed a Joshua. We can't see it, but the word "BOY" superimposed on the pic is apparently what gives it away.

So, Jonah will be a big brother to his little brother. He was with us during the ultrasound, but couldn't care less. Mom and Dad cared, though. While we won't be getting any more ultrasound pics, we wanted everyone to know that our new little guy is a little guy. He is doing well, has a strong heartbeat, and is developing as he should be.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Posted by Jon at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2006

Race For The Cure 2006

This past weekend (June 10th, actually), Megan, Jonah, our child-in-waiting and I participated in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Race For The Cure. The Race is something that is near and dear to our hearts, since Megan's Mom and Aunt both had breast cancer. We have raced in our hometown, and in Megan's childhood home in Pennsylvania. We take part in the Race every year, because we don't want to see any more suffering thanks to breast cancer. I never got the chance to meet Megan's Mom, or her Aunt, but through stories, I really feel as if I have known them as long as I have known Megan. Megan's Mom Nancy sounds like the kind of Mom that Megan is turning into. Somewhat of a free spirit, but not a loose cannon; a loving and devoted person, but willing to give space when needed. Loyal and independent, kind and generous, open-hearted and sensitive. Aunt Betty sounds like everybody's Aunt, and if the stories I have heard about Aunt Betty are accurate, then Abby had a great Aunt to learn from. From what I can gather, Aunt Betty was always ready to take over when Mom needed a rest, always there to be close to her sisters, (and in Abby's case) Megan, their brother Keir, and their families. Ready to spoil our kids endlessly, and keep them in sugar and candy when Mom and Dad won't allow it.

I wish I had gotten the chance to meet Mom and Aunt Betty. It is for them that this post is dedicated, and to their memories. There are tons of good memories, and I look forward to hearing more as Megan, Jonah and our newest travel through life together.

So, here are some pics from the race...

Before the race, several companies that donate products or services set up tents, and hand out goodies. We got a lot of goodies, like key chains, Sunchips, towels, bagels, water, animal crackers and so on, and so on, and so on. No, the free stuff isn't really why we take part in the Race For The Cure, but it doesn't hurt!

So we wandered around collecting stuff, waiting for the race to start. Jonah, trapped in his stroller, began to melt down, so I snapped a couple of photos before we let him out of his stroller to do his own wandering...

After a while, we started to look for members of Megan's team. These are folks who she works with who also participated in the race. But we didn't see much of them, as most of our time was spent chasing our son down, who we let out of his stroller. (Notice the child-in-waiting poking out...)

This chasing thing went on right up until the time Megan and I had had enough. So, ever resourceful, we gave the boy a bottle of water to drink...

And of course, the water didn't end up IN the boy, it ended up ON the boy, and in a most unfortunate place. The sad thing is, this makes us look like bad parents on many different levels. First, who the heck gives a 17 month old a bottle of water to play with? Second, it looks as if we haven't changed his diaper in weeks. But in the end, it's still super cute, and Megan accurately pointed out that it would dry quickly. And it did. (Of course, no one stopped him...I was too busy laughing and taking pictures!

So we cleaned him up as best as we could, strapped him back in, and headed over to the starting line for the start of the 10th Annual Race For The Cure!

At this particular event, there are several races. There is a one mile walk, a fun run, a competitive 5K run, and of course, the 5K walk. It's called The Race For The Cure, even though Megan and I don't really race. We do it because we want to find a cure for cancer quickly. So, while Megan and I were Racing For The Cure, Jonah was Relaxing For The Cure...

Okay, so he was Flopping For The Cure, but soon after, he righted himself and relaxed for the rest of the Race...

All along the race route, neighbors come out to support the Racers. This group sang to us as we walked by...

And some more super friendly folks provided support in the form of a sign urging us on...

And providing the Racers with misters, to keep us cool along the way. This Race is 5 kilometers, or 3.2 miles. Not a huge distance, but it can take its toll, so the misters, squirt guns and cups of water are greatly appreciated ...

And lets not forget the sacrifices made by these neighbors. They cannot park on the street like they are used to. They cannot hold yard sales on a beautiful Saturday morning. Some would get angry, but most take it in stride, knowing that this happens just once a year. To all the neighbors and supporters along the way, thank you for playing music, handing out water, singing to us, and keeping us motivated!

All along the Race course, pink ribbons like this one were everywhere!

And since we took our time, I cannot report how long it took us to walk the course. Trust me, it was a long, long time. But it was fun, and I look forward to walking next year, with an even bigger family!

When you register for the Race, you get a t-shirt. It looks like this from the front...

And like this from the back...

But this year, Megan and I decided to do something a little different with our shirts. This year, we had her Mom's name and her Aunt's name embroidered on the sleeves. It was our little way of saying that they are not, and will not ever be forgotten.

And, fittingly, at the end of the Race, I took a picture of this sign. It says it all...

If you would like more information on the Race For The Cure, or if you want to help raise money for this very worthy cause, please go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's website at: www.komen.org

Posted by Jon at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)