Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy Hang On!

O - H - I - O .... so Labor Day weekend Sam and I heard quite a bit of this song!  We went up WAY north to Toledo, Ohio b/c one of my good friends from college was getting married at a beautiful resort on Lake Michigan.  After having one myself, it is always nervewracking to do an outdoor wedding... but the weather was PERFECT.  They had no worries and everything went exactly as planned!  Congrats to Erin and Noah... here are a few pics from Labor Day weekend!


The outdoor rehearsal at 10:00 a.m., Sam, Brylee and I had just gotten to Toledo at about 1 a.m. the night before, so we were a little tired =).

Brylee at the rehearsal =)

Danielle and I at the rehearsal dinner later that afternoon, with our two babies! =)  Danielle got married earlier this summer and I couldn't go to her wedding b/c I'd just had Brylee, and last summer Danielle couldn't go to my wedding because she'd just had Presley!  What are the odds =).

Night before the wedding... Brylee getting ready for some beauty sleep

Here is Erin getting her makeup done... all the bridesmaids met up at the Beauty Bar to get all prettied up before the wedding

Sam picked out Brylee's outfit... she had to wear yellow to match him =)  (Notice Bry's initials on her dress, Granny Paulette got her that) =)

Me and my darling in our hotel room at the resort before the wedding... it worked out perfect, our room was 2 doors down from our bridesmaid "get ready" room.  So I could come check in on Sam and Brylee constantly - lol =)

ceremony

some of the runner girls from college with Coach King

Natalie's little boy, James... tore up the dance floor

Brylee at the reception =)

Me and the hubbie =) I think the first time we'd slow danced since our wedding last year!

Sammy kept an eye on Brylee (as you can tell, she was really hard to watch =) ) while I hit the dance floor with Erin and the bridesmaids

Before we left the resort, I took Brylee in the water for her first time ever in a swimming pool! =)

All snuggled up after her swim! =)

And then on the way back to Louisville, we stopped at BU to visit my sister and her roomie Abby (who is giving Brylee a bottle) =)

Brylee's 3 Month Photos

I know, I know... Bry is a little over 5 months old now, and I'm just putting this up?  But anyways, she did a good job getting her pictures taken... here's a few of my favorites. All photos taken by Sweet Reflections Photography in Louisville! =)

Meyer

Well, last week I got one of those phone calls that you really never think you are going to get.  It was Tuesday, October 27 and Brylee and I were banned to the mall for the day (the floor in our kitchen was getting redone so we couldn't be at home).  So as I'm shopping at Bebe for a Christmas dress for Sam's company party, my phone rings.  Well, since I had just gotten a new phone the week before, I hadn't transferred any of my phone numbers into it or anything.  I had just been adding people's phone numbers as they called me.  I get done trying on the dress and see it's a 260 area code (aka Berne /Fort Wayne number). 
      So as I go into the Halloween costume store, I call the number back.  Well, I get one of my best friends Stef's voicemail.  I thought it was odd she had called during the middle of her work day, but figured she had just called me on her lunch break and I would hear back from her at 5:00 when she got off.  Well, five minutes later my phone rings again, and it's Stef calling me back.  And basically, what she had to say, shocked me.  I really didn't know how to react.  She told me that our friend Meyer (Stef's best friend since elementary school) had passed away.  As Stef was telling me this, I honestly didn't believe her.  Especially as Stef started to go into more detail about the situation... Meyer's husband (that she was in the process of getting a divorce from) shot her when she came to pick up their child.
     It was no secret to any of us that Tyler had turned psycho when Meyer wanted a divorce from him.  She had spent the last year and 3 months seperated from him, and he had kept stalling the divorce for various reasons.  One of the first things Meyer said to me this summer when I saw her at Swiss Days was about how she had been recording her and Tyler's conversations, etc.. b/c he would say such mean things to her.  And now, the day before their first court hearing (where it would have been a grand slam for Meyer, she definitely would have gotten full custody of little Max).. Tyler killed her???  Seriously, I just didn't believe it, and even after going to the funeral and everything last weekend...it's still hard to actually believe that this really happened.
     I am from a small town of 5,000 people (if that).  I don't think there has EVER been a homocide in Berne, and then for one to happen 15 minutes away from our small community that involves a friend of mine?  I mean, how much hate do you have to have for someone to kill them?  Someone that just 2 1/2 years ago, they had married and said their vows to in front of a crowded church of friends and family.  Anyways, enough about that situation... the case is currently set to go to trial in April of 2010, praying for justice to occur and for little Max to be appointed by the court to be raised by Meyer's family, etc..
     As for Meyer, we became friends my junior year of high school (her senior year) when she decided to join the cross country team.  And then while doing my college internships, and looking for my first "real" job, etc... I lived in Fort Wayne with Stef, close to Meyer and her college roommates apartment.  We were all together every weekend until I moved to Knoxville. Stef and I would go watch her basketball games at St. Francis, etc.. Meyer had a good heart, loved some Kenny Chesney, was a great mom to Max and he was her world, loved sports and was always coaching something, etc...  Great person that will be missed by many.

Meyer and Max at Swiss Days this summer.. I FINALLY got to meet Max! 

The girls at Swiss Days... Tara, Kallie, me, Stef, and Meyer

Tara and Meyer at my baby shower.  Meyer was Tara and myself's skinny goal! =)  She looked fabulous.

Meyer and I in Fort Wayne at Stef's Christmas Party 2 years ago

Summer Overview Part 3 - August 2009

Let's see... so in August, Brylee and I went back up to Indiana again for a few days, she attended her very first bachlorette party (for Miss Erin Abbey) in Indianapolis, went to her first baseball game in Louisville, attended her first book party, and the Deakins family came for a visit =). 

AUGUST 1, 2009!!!   I love this picture... also, made use of one of the 4th of July outfits she couldn't actually wear on the 4th b/c it was too cold from all the rain.

Starting to look sooo big in her swing!

Another day of me making her pose for a few pictures =)

Awww... so she was having choking issues (from her reflux), so Sam and I took her to the ER.  Needless to say, she was all smiles while we were at the ER till 1:00 a.m.  How many times were Sam and I asked by the doctors "So you two are first time parents, correct?"

I LOVE play time with my baby

Awww... I love when Bry's all cuddly

The Deakins family at Church Hill Downs.

Turner was such a sport.  He posed for pictures with the little ones... Brylee is just amused at the excitement Molly and Turner provided for her.

 Lol, Molly's smile is so cute in this photo.  And Brylee already looks like she is over picture time.

One of these men didn't play professional baseball...

One of my most favorite pics... lol, I love how Brylee is all sprawled out and even has the toe point

Sucking those fingers... a pretty common Brylee activity - especially since she won't take a paci.

I didn't make one cake all summer... but Sam's co-workers just wanted a little monkey cake for their nieces birthday.  So... I made this one just to remember I still could =)

Brylee is ready to head up to Indy

Brylee with Miss Erin Abbey (when she was still "Abbey") @ Erin's bachlorette party in Indy. Brylee and I hung out for a couple hours with the girls at the hotel and then came back to Louisville.

Back in Louisville from Indy... super excited to see daddy! =)

Since she stares at her hands ALL THE TIME I got her some wrist rattles... thought it would make it a little more interesting for her =).

"I see you..." getting so good at holding up her head!

Periodically I would just dress her up in various outfits and then have her pose for pictures.... lol, this is the start of one such session.

Ok, starting to get annoyed....

Now really irritated... ENOUGH with the photos! =)

End of August we headed to Berne to go spend our Swiss Days gift certificate winnings... and since our July trip got cut short b/c of Brylee's allergies, we decided to head back =)

Yes, Berne is kind of by itself =)

Yah! We get to Berne kind of late, but Great Grandma Miller still comes over to say hi! =)

After church =)

Brylee with her Aunt Kim at her first book party... btw, those Usborne books in the series "That's Not My Frog", etc.. are SOOO CUTE! Brylee LOVES them!

So, Sam and I won a $10 gift certificate to Manley Meats in the Swiss Days raffle...so Katie and Grandpa are picking Maizy out a HUGE COW BONE!

Maizy excited to get a bone bigger than her head =)

Playing cards with her great grandparents! =)

Lounging on Maizy

Maizy just sits there... she doesn't mind =)

Last night in Berne... Love this pic of Brylee =)

Back in Louisville, excited to see daddy!

Brylee looks like she's up to something... if only she could crawl to go do it =)

Brylee's first baseball game... the Louisville Bats

Yah, so she was kind of bored during it =) She spent the majority of the game winning over the people behind us, and checking out her wrist rattles. Also, we made use of a 4th of July outfit she didn't get to wear on the actual holiday =).

Kisses before bedtime after her FIRST baseball game =)

August 31... summer is over!