How we told the family

After Luke proposed we decided to walk and find somewhere to eat.  After walking around for a while we decided to stop in a bar and have a celebratory drink first.  We stopped in a small bar and I had a red sangria while Luke had a beer.  I wanted to call my mom right then but it was really loud and I decided would call her after we left.  While Luke and I were there we decided instead of sitting down for dinner we would bar hop and get one thing off the appetizer menu to share and drinks.

Our first stop…..The Oyster Bar!  I should have added in my “If you really knew me” post that I have a thing with texture when it comes to food.  Beans are a MAJOR texture no no in my book and I can’t eat anything with them in it.  If I can pick them out then I will eat the food but if not then I won’t touch it.  Right up there next to beans is anything sea food, including oysters.  Luke had been talking how he wanted to eat seafood in NYC since we were closer to the ocean and just knew it would taste better.  When we got there he asked me to have an oyster with him, being the trooper that I am I agreed, JUST ONE!  I couldn’t say no to him after he just made me the happiest girl in NYC!

 

 

So we each had an oyster. GAG!  I dowsed that thing in cocktail sauce and swallowed it like a shot, just straight down the chute.  Then Luke came up with this great idea of taking a picture of me eating the oyster with my ring in the picture and sending it to my mom to see if she noticed.  I was all on board but it meant I had to eat another oyster….

 

 

Here is the picture we sent to my mom with the caption, “Hey mom, this is me eating an oyster!  Does this picture surprise you?”

 

 

She responded with, “yes and did you like?”

I responded, “take a closer look.”

And then when she didn’t respond I told Luke she probably had to send it to my step dads phone because hers isn’t very good.  So I called her and my step dad answered the phone and my mother was screaming in the background with excitement!  And I was right they did have to send the picture to his phone.  Both my mom and step dad were very excited for us!

After we told my mom the exciting news Luke tried to call his parents but was unable to get a hold of them.  I called my dad to tell him thank you, Luke had told me how much he helped.

We then went to the next bar, The Irish Pub.

 

 

And after that we lived happily ever after….until we woke up the next morning with a slight head ache.

 

 

The following day Luke was able to tell his parents and siblings which were also very excited for us.

Then on Monday I was able to send the picture text to my grandparents and they were excited as well.

We have a lot of great family and friends that are all very excited for us. 

We are so blessed!

 

Luke’s Proposal Story

After Luke proposed and I said YES he then told me how it all came about.

Several months ago Luke and I went ring shopping around different stores so that he could get an idea of what I did and did not like.  It was a good thing we did this because what I thought I liked in pictures is not what I liked on my finger.  I picked out 2 mountings that I liked and left it up to him.

SEVERAL months passed by with nothing….I had began to give up hope.  Luke isn’t the best organized or planner.  I figured he had just forgotten about it or hadn’t put it on his priority list.
 

When he proposed on September 15^th, 2012

it was one of the biggest surprises of my life.

I was overjoyed with happiness!

Here is how it all happen…..

My father owns a jewelry store so he knew he was going to get my ring from him.  When Luke and I planned our NYC trip he knew this is how he wanted to propose.  However from the time we booked our trip to NYC and actually went to NYC were only a few weeks so he had to work fast.  Luke and my dad looked everywhere for a mounting like the ones I picked out in the stores but had no luck.  Luke then decided to buy the main diamond from my dad and the mounting from Helzberg’s where I picked it out.  My dad had a hard time finding the quality diamond that Luke wanted but then found the perfect one and had it shipped to him.  Luke went and looked at the diamond the Thursday before he left.  He saw the diamond and knew it was perfect.  He then went to Helzberg’s and bought the mounting and told them he needed the diamond set that day.  They told him it would take a week and he explained how he didn’t have a week.  They made it work and told him it would be done the next day.  However Luke was leaving the next day for NYC.  My dad told him he would pick up the ring and ship it to him in NYC.

When Luke left the jewelry store on Thursday all he could do was hope that it would be done on time and arrive on time.

My dad picked the ring up on Friday and over nighted it to Luke on Saturday at our hotel.

On Saturday when I called Luke and told him our flight had landed and I would get a cab and meet him at the hotel he was in panic mode.  He had to get from his current hotel to our hotel before I arrived and hope the ring was there.  He got to the hotel about 10 min before I got there.  He got the package and opened it and saw my ring.  Our room wasn’t ready so he had to put the ring in his pocket and walk around NYC all day with it.  He told me later he was so nervous he was going to lose it.  Once we got back to our room several hours later after walking around we settled in.

 

He asked if I wanted to go to a nice dinner and I said no because we had just got there and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money if not necessary.  He then said he wanted to go on a gondola ride but they were booked for the night and the horse carriage house did not answer the phone.  He was so nervous and wanted to get the ring out of his pocket.

Finally we decided to go walking and find somewhere to eat.  I was digging in my purse and trying to make sure I had everything when he grabbed my hand, turned me around and said “before we go I want to give you something.” He then reached in his pocket, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I then began crying and of course said YES!!!

 

 

Tomorrow— How we told my family

 

Going to get married--The Proposal!!

I am FINALLY back from New York City and boy do I have some news!!  Luke proposed and of course I said YES!!

Luke arrived in NYC on Friday morning for a fun work trip.  Him a few of his co workers got to go to a home Yankees game in an executive suite and watch the game with all food and drinks provided.  I flew up on Saturday morning to meet him.

I got into NYC around 11am, called Luke and told him I would meet him at the hotel.  The traffic was surprisingly not bad at all and I was to the hotel around 11:30am.  Luke was there waiting for me and for some reason I had butterflies in my stomach, I was so excited to see him and get to spend the next few days together in NYC.  Our hotel room was not ready so we had to leave our bags and walk around the city until after 3pm.

We walked the city and rode the bus and got back to our hotel around 5pm.  We got settled and rested for a bit.  Then Luke asked me if I wanted to go to a nice restaurant and eat dinner.  I of course not having any clue what could happen said no.  We had just got in town and we spent money to get there and still had 3 days ahead of us.  I told him let’s not spend the money and go walk and find somewhere to eat.  He then said he wanted to take me on a gondola ride through Central park but needed to call and see if that was something we had to reserve.  He called and they were booked for the night, he then called the horse house about renting a carriage but they did not pick up.

As we laid on the bed trying to figure out what we were going to do he told me how much he loved me and what a great mother I was to our daughter.

After not coming up with a plan we decided to go walking and find something to eat.  I was digging in my purse and trying to make sure I had everything when he grabbed my hand, turned me around and said “before we go I want to give you something.”  He then reached in his pocket, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I then began crying and of course said YES!!!

 

 

So no, he didn’t propose on top of the Empire State building or do anything overly romantic but if he had then I may have suspected something.  This way I never in a million years thought he would propose to me.  After 9 years of hoping you quit because you just get let down and it’s easier to not get your hopes up in the first place.

I think some people would be disappointed with not having the candles, flowers and fancy dinner but not me.  He did it his way and I love that.  He does a better job of telling me how much he loves me on a daily basis then buying me flowers and although sometimes I love the flowers, this time I loved the I love you.

 

 

Tomorrow I am going to tell Luke’s side of the proposal story!

 

 

Go KU!

I am currently in NYC and the Kansas Jayhawks play today so I felt like I needed to give them some hometown loving while I was in New York.  I can’t wait to post all my NYC pictures when I get back so be on the lookout for them!  We get back Tuesday night so hopefully I can get them all up within a few days after.

In the mean time here is the cutest little KU fan around! 

Rock Chalk !!

To the Park We Went

Last weekend we took Lakelyn to the park for the first time.  This is really sad but not only was it Lakelyn’s first time being at the park, it was my first as well.  I have lived here for over 10 years and never had a reason to go to the park.  I was amazed at how much stuff it had.  My hometown doesn’t have any parks that could even come close to how much our park had.  This will definitely become a regular spot for us on beautiful days. 

Our park is right across from the Zoo so it has an animal theme.

 

So first up was the swing!  Weeeeeee!

 

 

Next was the bouncing plane

 

Rhinos!

 

 

Lakelyn sitting in the mama Kangaroo pouch. 

In this picture it looks like a dinosaur but it was a kangaroo.

 

Turtle, Turtle

 

Not so sure of the elephant!

 

Of all things she cried at the anchor but Daddy made it better.

 

Lakelyn size table

 

Daddy and Lakelyn

 

Slide!

 

Mommy swing time

(wish my head wasnt cut off!)

 

Xoxo Daddy!

 

Where were you on 9/11?

Today is September 11th, a day I hope no one ever forgets.  It was a horrific day that has forever changed everyone's lives.
 

 

 

Do you remember where you were on that day?

I was a sophomore in high school.  I was sitting in psychology class working on a project with a partner.  We had TV’s in all our classrooms and while we were working the teacher turned on the TV.  He must have heard about it because he turned on the TV right before the second tower got hit.  Our whole class witnessed the second tower getting hit on TV.  I personally did not know anyone in NY but had several class mates that were visually shaken.  Class was soon over and I went about my day.

I remember driving home from school and watching the coverage on the news. I also remember the gas stations being packed with everyone topping off their gas tanks. I cannot imagine living in New York City on that day. It makes me tear up thinking about it. Emotions people must have felt and still fell to this day not just on September 11^thbut every day.
 

 

 

I am beyond thankful to everyone across our country who has served and continues to serve to protect our freedom each and every day.

Show and Tell: Let’s talk Babies!



I am linking up with Becky from From Mrs. to Mama this week for Show and Tell: Let’s Talk Babies

 

Tell us your favorite baby names?

I like unique names if you can’t tell by my daughter’s name, Lakelyn. A few of my favorites were:
Girl: Maylee, Adele, Oliva
Boy: Braxton, Rory, Raley

Show me your "dream" nursery

I love bright colors for a baby’s room. We did Lakelyn's room in pink, black and green. I also love the mix of patterns so we did polka dots and zebra.  My grandma made the crib bedding and I took the extra fabric to make the hoops around her name.

My dream room would be to paint the walls. My boyfriend loves plain white walls so nothing in our house is painted, except the basement which is a very light tan. I love Chevron right now so this nursery would be a dream!

 

How many children would you like to have? How far apart?

I would like to have at least a boy and a girl. I have a girl now and would love for the next one to be a boy so I can be done. If not I will try one more time but then I am done no matter if it’s a girl or not. I would like for them to be 2-3 years apart.

Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?

I think the importance of parenting is consistency. I believe consistency allows your children to learn how to trust and understand what is expected from them. I believe parents have to treat their children the way they want their children to treat others.

Show us your favorite newborn photo

These are my two favorite ones from her newborn session done when she was 2 weeks old.

 

Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent

- I will not allow my children scream for no reason.  I hate being around people who are deaf to their own children screaming.

- I will never let my child sleep in my bed.  I think this will be harder then I think.  I just don’t want to be one of those people who sleeps like crap because of a kid in the bed.

- I will never allow my baby to cry it out.  I did this at 5 months because Lakelyn would cry in my arms every time we tried to put her down.  Finally we put her in her bed an after 15 min of fussing she put herself to sleep.  Best thing we ever did!

- I will never call my children stupid, ugly, fat or anything that could hurt their self esteem.

- I will never make them feel like my problems are there fault.

- I will never walk around inappropriate in front of my kids

- Never thought I would wipe off a boogie or snot with my bare hand, I’ve done it.

 

If you really knew me...

One of my favorite blogs to read is Mama Laughlin.  I love her witty attitude and realness.  She did a post today about if you really knew her and I got inspired to do my own.

If you really knew me….

-          You’d know I hate, hate, hate mayonnaise.  The smell and especially if it’s dried on the kitchen sick from being on the knife.

-          You’d know I have started a diet 1 million times.

-          You’d know I don’t start a diet unless it’s Monday.

-          You’d know I never ever work out on a Friday.  Who works out on the start of their weekend!

-          You’d know I am deathly afraid of June bugs.

-          You’d know I never not have my toes painted.

-          You’d know I post pictures of my daughter on Facebook at least twice a week.  Before I had a baby I hated people who did that and de friended them.  I figure my friends will do the same if they feel the same.

-          You’d know I am OCD about my house being clean and picked up.  Yes, I put all the toys away when Lakelyn goes to bed.  First thing in the morning when she is awake they are everywhere again.  I guess I want my house to be clean in case we get robbed in the middle of the night!

-          You’d know I laugh when people get hurt.  Not if they were shot or something serious but if someone falls on the ice I laugh and I CAN NOT help it.

-          You’d know I have a lot of regrets.

-          You’d know I don’t like icing on cake.

-          You’d know I hate to read but read and LOVED 50 Shades of Grey!

-          You’d know I wish I could be a stay at home mom

-          You’d know I hate being in unorganized crowded places.  Such as a concert with no assigned seating.

-          You’d know if I could sleep all day and not feel bad about it I would

-          You’d know I am horrible at grammar and spelling.

-          You’d know I love to cook but only desserts!
 

 

Have a great day!

Labor Day Weekend

Friday night Lakelyn was up every 2-3 hours not feeling good.  She is an awesome sleeper so I knew if she was up its cause she didn’t feel good.  She would wake up and fuss a few minutes and then go back to sleep.  Around 3am she didn’t go back to sleep.  I rubbed her down with some baby Vicks and feed her a warm bottle and put her in something cooler.  She was very hot and had a fever so I gave her a little Tylenol with her bottle and she was a happy camper.  She went right back to sleep.  Woke up at 7 and then took a nap from 9:15-11:45!

Luke made Lakelyn a hat out of the news paper ads.

Then Lakelyn did a little reading.

My mom, step dad, older brother and his girlfriend showed up around noon on Saturday.  Luke grilled burgers and then we hung around the house the rest of the day playing with Lakelyn who was a trooper.  You could tell she was tired by looking at her but her spirits were high!

When I wasn’t looking Grandma put Lakelyn in an MU outfit!  Luke and I aren’t big sports people but when we do support its KU.  Lakelyn’s Uncle Nick however is an MU fan so we had to take a few picks.  My grandma, Lakelyn’s great grandma made her these cute bloomers!  Oh, and the KU ones are in the mail on their way to replace the MU ones.

Sunday we woke up and got the boat ready for the Lake.  We got on the lake a little before noon and spent the afternoon on the lake floating and watching Luke wakeboard.

When we got home we ate dinner and relaxed  more.

Everyone went home on Sunday night.

Monday we relaxed all day.  Luke worked on his truck for a little bit so Lakelyn sat outside in the shade and enjoyed the nice day.  She loves her walker but only pushed backwards, hasn’t figured out the “walking” part yet.