Sand in the City 2010

I participated in Sand in the City- Omaha again this year!! I LOVE this event. It is so much fun and challenging to design a sculpture based on the team's ideas. This year I was again teamed up with ConAgra. They were a great team to work with last year so I was thrilled to get to work with them again this year. They are encouraging family time to their employees and one idea they have been suggesting is Family Movie Night so that is where we started. We decided to have Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story and their family of spuds as our characters. Here are a few pictures from the build day. You can see more images from the Omaha Camera Club here.

One more month.......

How can it be........

There is no way it's possible..........

My baby is one month away from being 1 year old..........

At 11 months you..........

giggle at yourself,

play in your garden,

explore everything,

love to climb,

have enough hair for a ponytail,

can't get enough of your buggy car,

would rather be outside than inside,

talk all the time,

say mama and dada,

mimic our actions and try to mimic our words,

love your puppies (sometimes more than they can handle),

have 5 teeth,

insist on playing with any sort of electronics,

and.........

have moved from crawling to walking!!!

Guess who's walking!!

My mom came in town this weekend to help out while I was volunteering for Sand in the City.  She spent Friday watching Alivia.  Well, some how Alivia convinced Masue to let her hold a finger to walk up and down the hall.....all day long.  So, by the time Tom and I got home that evening she was fully confident to walk up and down all by herself.  She hasn't stopped since.  We have a walker!!

 Video to follow....as soon as she lets us!

Finding the Joy {Week 1 - People}

I am taking a online e-course with Willette {classic children's portraiture} on how to photograph kids.  This e-journey has six weeks of inspiration, ideas, tutorials and assignments to help encourage capturing great photos!  I am so excited about this class and it couldn't have started at a more perfect time.  We spent time with both our families over the last week giving me the perfect opportunity to get some fun pictures!  I'll be posting the photos from each weeks assignment.  The theme for this week was "People".  Our goal this week was to capture our children in relationships.  Our inspiration was to think about the following questions. 

 Who was important in your own life and in your childhood?  Who is important in your child’s/grandchild’s life? What makes this person special to your child?  How can you best capture their relationship in photos?What similar traits or interests does this person share with your child?  Imagine that aliens abduct this person who is important to your child….what about the relationship between this person and your child would you like to have captured in photos?  Who do you wish you had a photo of from your childhood with you? 

So this is where I ended!  Enjoy!!

5 years..........

We celebrated our 5th anniversary this weekend!!

Remember this post.....

Happy 4 Year Anniversary

Today, I thank God for.........

• Meeting a handsome, fun, wonderful man in 2001 at the "Peach Pit" aka Main Street
• going home that night to tell my mom I had met the man I would marry!!
• Countless theme parties and socials with the Theta's and SAE's
• A "Paddy Murphy" wedding in 2002
• A lakeside proposal in June of 2004
• our first Home in December of 2004 in time for Christmas
• the wedding of our dreams in 2005 (with a couple of funny hitches)
• a fabulous week in Jamaica
• starting our married life in Omaha
• graduating with one degree as a Wilson and with my second as an Ahern
• Many fun Vacations - short and long
• All the Good, Bad, Happy, and Sad always resulting in a stronger Us
• Triumphing many of life's hard challenges
• Building our Faith
• Our family of 4 (can't forget Rascal and Pixie) soon to be a family of 5
• that I still smile when I see you, hear your voice, or think of you
• our love growing stronger each and every day
• knowing that we can do anything together!!
• All the love, patience, understanding, humor, creativity, dedication, and fun you bring to our marriage
• 4 wonderful years of marriage with you - the man of my heart, my soul mate Tom!!

Happy Anniversary Tommy!! I can't wait to see where the next 4 years and beyond take us!!

I can only say that I am still so grateful for all of that and so much more!!  We have an amazing daughter, a successful new business and many more things to add to the list!!  Five years of marriage to my best friend has been more than amazing!!  Here's to the next five!!

My........

fun

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loving

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smart

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beautiful

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goofy

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favorite niece

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AYLA ROSE

Wanna ride???

Ethan:  Hey Livi, check out my new four wheeler!!

Alivia:  Wow, that looks like fun!! 

Alivia: I want on!!

Ethan:  Ok, I guess.

Alivia:  You didn't have to get off, I don't know how to drive this thing.

Alivia:  What?!?!  I just wanted a ride!

Grateful....

Today, I am grateful..........
I am grateful to have been blessed with the chance to be a mom.

I am grateful to have carried a sweet baby girl.

I am grateful to have labored and birthed that sweet baby girl.

I am grateful for many sleepless nights.

I am grateful for a first smile and the many that have followed.

I am grateful for the ability to sooth her cries. I am grateful for the excitement of all her firsts. I am grateful for the gazes that simply said "you are my mommy".I am grateful for the chance to be a mom.......a mom to this sweet little girl.I am grateful that God chose me................ to be Alivia's mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today.........(Caution - Raw Emotion)

Today, I'm taking time to remember, to feel, and to be grateful.


I remember a man, a son, a husband, and a father.......my father.

I love........love my Papa Dean, love the time we shared and the way he raised us to put family first.

I'm sad.........sad that it has been 12 years since I have seen his smiling face, sad that he didn't get to meet the man I chose to marry, and sad that he doesn't get to be the amazing grandfather I know he would have been.

I miss him........I miss they way he helped me with my "little" projects, I miss the way he supported me in everything I did, I miss the way he smiled and laughed, and I miss him, just him.



I am grateful.........for 18 years and the memories we will always cherish, when life gives me little reminders, when my daughter smiles and I see him, and knowing that my children with "know" their Papa Dean.


I know.........I know my dad went Home 12 years ago, I know he is fulfilling God's Will, I know we will one day see each other again, I know he watches over us and protects us..........I know he loves me, just as we will always love him.