Wedding Weekend!

Lets be honest.

We don't always like going to weddings.
     Some are boring.
     They take too long.
     The food isn't good.
     Maybe you just don't feel like going.

If I'm being honest, I have attended a few weddings that I couldn't have cared less about.
I know...shame on me.

But!
This weekend, we get to attend a wedding and my thoughts couldn't be further away from not wanting to attend.

I have the honor to experience two people coming together.
They will die to themselves in order to become one with each other.

I met Kyle five years ago.
I've seen him go through a lot of things that a person shouldn't have to go through.
I've seen him make choices that probably were not the best, or the smartest, or the safest (jumping off the roof into the pool, cutting down an entire tree by himself and then dragging it to the back yard, and attacking my husband (boyfriend at the time) over cookie dough).
I've also seen him love his son, Mason completely and unconditionally. The father/son bond those two have is incredible and something only a handful of fathers will ever get to experience.
I love him as if he were my real brother. I don't say he is my brother in law, I just say he is my brother.

I met Brooke only eight months ago.
She beautiful, kind, and probably one of the most genuine people I have ever met.
She loves Kyle and in my opinion, she is perfect for him.
Mason is a lucky little boy to have this woman in his life and so is Landon. I want positive, confident, respectful women influencing him and Brooke embodies all of those qualities and so much more.
I'm overjoyed to be gaining another sister and I'm even happier that its her.

Brooke and Kyle met while Tyler and I were still living in California. Their dating life was very short. So short that when Kyle called and said he was going to propose, it took about an hour of him convincing us that it wasn't a joke.
Most people who know Kyle and Brooke would probably say they moved too quickly, and at first, I would have probably agreed with them.
But after spending time with them, I can't imagine them doing this any differently.
The love they have for each other is evident and something to be admired.

This marriage is the type of marriage I want Landon and our (maybe) future children to see.
They honor and protect their relationship and treat it like it is their most prized possession.

I can't wait to watch their story unfold for the next 60+ years.

(Tyler Sharpe Photography)

Perfect Timing

Landon's timing is not always perfect:

I'm happy to say he has been consistently sleeping a full twelve hours at night without waking up! There were so many nights I would think to myself, "I'm never going to get all full nights sleep again." Thankfully, he has figured out the sleeping thing and does it quite well. 

But before he figured it out, he would always wake up right when I was about to fall asleep. It never failed! I would feel myself drifting only to hear Landon crying in his crib. 

 (Not so) Perfect Timing. 

One time, he had a huge, blow out, bowel movement while we were sitting in the car, waiting for Tyler to come out of the store. I couldn't carry him into the store because it was literally everywhere. He couldn't wait just five more minutes.

(Not so) Perfect Timing. 

He is pretty good at playing by himself while I get things done. Except when I want to eat, and then he wants me to hold him.

 (Not so) Perfect Timing. 

When he was just a few months old, Tyler and I would try to watch a movie together while he napped. 

Yeah, right. He always seemed to wake up just after the movie would start.

(Not so) Perfect Timing.

One time, in church, a lady was asking for prayer for her very sick friend. 

Landon started laughing. Hysterically.

(Not so) Perfect Timing.

When we dicipline him, he thinks its time to laugh.

(Not so) Perfect Timing.

A few weeks ago, I was running his bath water. I guess the "new mom" in me thought it was okay to take his diaper off and let him stand by the tub and watch the bath tub fill up. I'm sure you can guess what happened...

All over the side of the tub, the floor, and my foot.

(Not so) Perfect Timing. 

And yet, there are times when his timing is flawless:

He willingly hugs us now. And every time he does, I always say, "Awww, thank you Land. Thats so nice." So now, every time he hugs me, he makes an "awww" sound. He even pats my back with his little hands. He willingly, without bribe, crawls over to me, stands up and wraps his arms around me.

It's always perfect timing. 

When he was first born, we tried to arrange our (extremely tiny) apartment as quickly and as efficiently  as we could to make room for him. He always seemed to need to eat right when I was in the middle of something. Little did I know then that sitting down, relaxing, and nursing him was just what I needed to settle down.

Perfect Timing.

You all have seen his pictures! He smiles at the most perfect moments!

Perfect Timing. 

A few weeks ago, we were walking through the grocery story. Tyler and I have made it a priority to always go to the store as a family. 

Anyways, we are walking through the grocery store and Landon was sitting in the cart and he kept insisting on kissing us. He even makes the, "mmmmuah" sound. In the midst of trying to figure out what to buy for dinner, Landon just wanted to stop and kiss us.

Perfect Timing. 

When they told us we were pregnant and having a baby the same day, I would have said that timing was the furthest thing from perfect timing. But the second he was born and they handed him to me, I looked at him, and immediately knew this was exactly how it was supposed to happen. 

Landon's birth has been the start of so many great things for us:

Getting to enjoy beautiful, California as a family of three, moving back to Ohio to be closer to family, and now Tyler becoming the pastor of a church. 

None of this would have happened if Landon wasn't born. 

Perfect Timing.

(Not to mention his birthday is 12/12/12)

My Bucket List

The idea of a bucket list sounds a little morbid to me.

A list of things you want to do before you are dead...

Regardless, I started one a few years ago:

1. Get a Tattoo - Check! But, I want more.

2. Eat at a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsey - I'm a little bummed we didn't take advantage of his restaurants while living ten minutes from Los Angeles.

3. Drive across the country - Check! I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was definitely a fun experience. Especially since Tyler and I did it together. I wouldn't want to spend that many hours in a car with anyone else.

4. See Cirque du Soleil Perform - Tickets are so expensive!

5. Go to Disney World - Maybe when Landon is a little older.

6. Give my wedding dress away to a girl who needs (and wants) it - As soon as we bought my dress, I knew I wanted to give it away when I was done with it. There is no real need for me to wear it again so I don't feel right keeping it for myself. It is being stored in a closet right now and I would love for another woman to feel beautiful in it. If you know of someone needing a wedding dress, point them in my direction, please!

7. Fill balloons with paint and then pop them on a canvas - Because who doesn't like the splatter paint everywhere?!

8. Swing off of a rope into a lake - Just like in the movies ;-)

9. Go apple picking/strawberry picking: So Tyler can make pies.

10. Cut down our own Christmas tree - We could do it this year, but I'm afraid Landon will eat the pine needles. So maybe next year when he is getting over eating everything he gets his little hands on. 

11. Jump off a rock into water (with the presence of a water fall) - Doesn't this sound like a dream?

12. Pay for a families meal at a restaurant - Because people are deserving of a random act of kindness.

13. Go camping on the beach - I love the beach and I love camping.

14. Take the inner tube tour down the canals of Hawaii - I would even suffice for just a trip to Hawaii.

15. Watch baby sea turtles hatch - Because I LOVE turtles. And baby sea turtles are adorable.

16.  Go Zip lining - This is pretty realistic

 17. Go Deep Sea Fishing - I should have taken better advantage of my California life when the beach was twenty minutes from our house...

18. Grow our own fruit (strawberries, watermelon, ect.) - Check! However I would love to have a garden that can help sustain our living. Our little porch garden was great, but we would have starved.

19. See the Ellen Degeneres Show - I have been trying to get tickets for at least two years! We even tried sending in Landon's story! I don't want to be on the show...I just want to go and watch (and dance of course). 

20. Ride on a boat - Check! Not to mention we got to see dolphins and whales up close!

21. See the human body exhibit - Because I'm an anatomy nerd and would highly enjoy looking at a human with no skin.

22. Run the Color Run - Check! One of my favorite life experiences. So fun!

23. Ride in a convertible - With the wind blowing in my hair...

24. Ride on a motorcycle - Check! Thanks to my Brother, Kyle.

25. Go to a Karaoke bar - Not to sing...just to watch.

26. Play Bingo in a bingo hall - Because my gram loved playing bingo.

27. Set a dandelion on fire - Check! But highly disappointing...

28. Start a Blog - Check! 

29. Build an upside down snowman - Because a snowman standing on his head would look hilarious.

30. Adopt a child - I know this is A LOT more serious than just something to check off of a bucket list, but I would love to share my love with a child who needs it.

31. Become really good a photography - Landon would be my main model (of course).

32. Be social media free for a year - Don't you think that would be refreshing??

33. Chop fire wood - Probably just one log.



What's on your bucket list???