Young Family

Trip to IKEA...

2011-03-24T16:15:00.000-04:00

We thought it'd be fun to take Thomas on a mini-road trip to IKEA up north of Cincinnati. He really seemed to enjoy it and we were able to look at some possible future furniture for him. We also got to stop in and eat at Marianne's favorite little restaurant, Johnny Rocket's. (Caught Marianne looking down in this one but b/c my phone was almost dead, I really didn't get many other photos while walking around)

Also, that weekend, we went to Steak & Shake and Thomas got a hat with his kid's meal.

Sleepy head...

2011-03-24T16:12:00.000-04:00

Here are just a couple random shots of Thomas sleeping...

Quesadilla time!

2011-03-24T16:10:00.000-04:00

Now that Thomas can eat almost anything (except for honey), we can order him things when we're out so he can eat with us and eat similar things to what we're having. As you can see below, he has taken to this very well.

1st Birthday

2011-03-24T16:06:00.000-04:00

Thomas turned one year old on Feb. 26th. We had all the family over (alot of kids...lol) and Thomas had his first cake. I also gave him his first dairy, some of my vanilla ice cream. Below are some pictures of the cupcakes Marianne made and the setup of the party as it was themed "Friendly Monsters".

Now finally here are some pictures of Thomas opening presents and having cake.

Eating at a table...

2011-03-24T15:58:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post and picture of Thomas eating at daycare. They sit him at a little table and he eats just like a little boy would. He is growing up fast and is so not a little baby anymore...

Playing with trains...

2011-03-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

So know that Thomas is a great mover (kinda walking but mainly crawling, really fast), he doesn't like to be couped up in a carseat or stroller very long. In order to combat this while we're out shopping or running errands, we take him by Joseph Beth Bookstore. We found a table sized train set with lots of train toys on it in the kids section. He loves this thing and will stand and play at it for quite awhile. There is also a close by place for parents to sit which is handy for Marianne and I. I think I'm going to have to get him one of these when he gets just a little older.

Thomas was invited to a friend's birthday party for the first time...

2011-03-24T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here is Thomas at the party with his friends at a placed called the Little Gym. Most of the stuff was really too old for him (he needed to be walking to enjoy it), but they did play some games and listen to music too. There was also a gigantic Subway sub (like 6 feet or whatever is their party size) that of course he enjoyed as well. He wasn't old enough for cake yet (we wanted to wait until his first birthday to have his own cake) but he really didn't act like he wanted it at the time.

Eating...

2011-03-24T15:47:00.000-04:00

So Thomas has taken to eating real food pretty well. He really seems to like the things we're eating and is also a big fan of puffs and other little baby snacks. Luckily, he is a good vege and fruit eater as well.

Here is a shot of him waiting at Pazzo's for our order (he ended up eating almost an entire pretzel by himself):

So its been awhile...

2011-03-24T15:45:00.000-04:00

Haven't really posted much lately. So I'll try to post some pictures here to play catchup. Thomas has been taking a bath in our sink b/c its so much easier than leaning over the tub to bath him. Here are some pictures:

Christmas

2011-01-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here is Thomas telling Santa what he wants for Christmas

The list was so long that Santa fell asleep...

Finally, Christmas morning came and Thomas realized Santa really had been listening...

Eating lots of cheerios and other foods

2011-01-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

Here we have Thomas sharing his food with the dog...

And here he is grubbing on some snacks in his snack trap cup...

Thomas and Sophie playing together over Christmas

2011-01-05T08:33:00.002-05:00

Thomas sees the tree for the first time...

2010-11-22T10:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas decorating is done

2010-11-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

For once, Marianne and I got the decorating done and done early. Here is a photo of our tree (we also have several other items as well).

While we were decorating, the cat and dog decided to take a nap...in the dog bed together. I guess they were cold...

Its getting colder

2010-11-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a nice little photo of Thomas all bundled up in his carseat. He is wearing his new toboggan. The reason he has a new one is that the one i bought for him a long time ago (before he was even born; I had found it and mittens on sale), was for 6-12 months. It was way too small for his noggin'. When I went out to find him one (he was with me), I tried several on him and the only ones that fit were a size 2T-5T. But now at least his "little" head is warm...

Thomas and Sophie playing with a toy

2010-11-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

First time crawling

2010-11-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Our little guy is mobile, so now comes the baby proofing and trying to keep up with him. Luckily so far he is still pretty slow but he can get around pretty well.

Thomas and Sophie

2010-11-10T12:19:00.000-05:00

Thomas and Sophie have gotten along well since day one, but now they are beginning to play together and it cracks us up. Sophie is usually very gentle with him but occasionally we have to watch them both as Thomas will pull her hair (or ears, or tail...lol) and Sophie will accidentally scratch at him with her paws.

Bye Bye Baby

2010-11-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

The Bye Bye Baby store in Hamburg finally opened and hopefully will give Babies R Us some competition in the baby store market. Not to get on my soap box but I hate Babies R Us. There is never anyone above the age of 18 that knows anything about baby products/equipment and its impossible to get any help in the store.

After visiting Bye Bye Baby, we have really liked it. The staff was extremely helpful, pleasant, and available for questions. The store has all the gear and items on display so its easy to see if you like it and the store is neatly laid out. They even do the gift wrapping for you which will be great b/c I don't gift wrap and Marianne won't have to anymore if we buy items from this store. They also take all competitors coupons, so now I never have to go back to Babies R Us hopefully...lol

Here is Thomas and I in the store, he wanted to wear my hat so of course he got to...lol.

In this next one I finally found him one his size (even though it really didn't fit his head well so I ended up not buying it). I also posted this to facebook with the caption of "maybe he can provide the Bengals with some much needed help on the football field"...lol

Trying some new types of food...

2010-11-10T11:48:00.000-05:00

We have been dying to give Thomas some "puffs" so we bought some banana ones and gave him one. He didn't know what to do with it and just played with it at first. We gave up with him eating it on his own and Marianne put one up to his mouth and he took it. He face expression cracked us up as he didn't seem to know what to do...lol

Fall Festival

2010-10-25T12:04:00.001-04:00

Thomas' school had a Fall Festival this past Friday. There were little games and prizes for the kids (cake walk, bowling, face painting, etc.) and food for everyone. Marianne baked a bunch of cupcakes for the cake walk event and here is a few pics of them:

Thomas also got to dress up in his Halloween costume (little monster) and we got to meet and talk with some of the other parents as well.

Thomas also played a few of the games, bowling and duck pond. He got a couple prizes, one of which he is playing with here in this picture on the couch.

And finally, here is a video of Thomas bowling, he gets a few of the pins down with a few tries. Pretty good for such a young age...

Yoda toy...

2010-10-25T10:53:00.000-04:00

Well, we gave in and bought Thomas the Yoda stuffed toy as he loved it when we went to Target. The toy is kind of freaky because its as big as Thomas and sometimes is sitting in the floor and we think its real when we walk in...lol

Thomas also picked out a toy recently on his own (so of course we bought it) and he and I are playing in the floor. He gets very excited...

Baby shower for Marianne's friend Stacy

2010-10-25T08:38:00.000-04:00

Marianne helped throw a baby shower for our friend Stacy and her husband Chris. She decorated the cake below and made a lot of the other food items as well.

Thomas came with us and played with Stacy's dogs in the kitchen floor.

Evan's Orchard Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-11T10:54:00.002-04:00

Here we all are at the pumpkin patch in Evan's Orchard. It was a cool little place just inside Scott Co. (north Lexington). This was Thomas' first time in one and we had to get a photo of him sitting on top of a pumpkin that was bigger than him. He got to select his own pumpkin (little) and then we got a family pumpkin that we decorated as well.

Thomas laughing while feeding baby zebra and cow

2010-10-11T10:49:00.000-04:00

Thomas love the petting zoo at Evan's Orchard. He got to pet a cow, miniature zebu, and goat. We also saw a zebra, camel, llamas, pacas, wallaby's, and chickens.

Jedi-in-training...?

2010-10-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

We found a life-size (at least Thomas size) Yoda doll in Target in their bedding section. I wanted to get it for him...lol. We did hold it up next to him and he seemed to really like it. Perhaps Thomas will grow up to be a Jedi...

The boy is eating good...

2010-10-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

Our boy has been eating his solid foods really well lately. As you can see here in the picture, he's saying "I like food in my belly!"...lol.

He has had cereals (rice & oatmeal), bananas, butternut squash, apples, pears, and acorn squash. He has liked most of them except for bananas which we had to mix in with his cereal for him to eat. I don't blame him, I wasn't much of a "banana-fan" when I was little either.

Future Transy student...?

2010-10-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

Thomas is trying to apply early to Transy I guess since he loved playing with the Transy application that they sent us in the mail. Maybe he can get in early for extra scholarships...lol.

First football game together...

2010-09-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

This was the first time Thomas actually sat with me and watched some football. Obviously from our expressions it was a boring game, but still a first of many to come for us. I think we both fell asleep shortly after this picture was taken. I just have to find him a Brett Favre jersey for this season so we can dress in style...lol

Work shenanigans...

2010-09-27T15:36:00.001-04:00

One of my coworkers found a king's crown and played the role of the " Creepy Burger King" from the commercials. We have too much fun here in the hallways.

Wake up with the king...lol

30th Birthday

2010-09-27T15:34:00.000-04:00

This is my cake from my 30th birthday party Marianne threw me. I had some friends over from work and we ate some Butt Rubbin' BBQ along with a ton of other items Marianne prepared.

She did an awesome job with the cupcakes and as you can see, its shark themed. A good time was had by all that attended. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it and to Marianne for getting this altogether.

State Fair

2010-09-21T16:24:00.000-04:00

Here we are at the Kentucky State Fair. Thomas had a good time and enjoyed looking at all the animals. Mom and Dad enjoyed the fair food including the famous Krispy Creme Burger

Catch up cont'd

2010-09-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

This was his first time to get solid (semi) food. We fed him some rice cereal and he really took to it. I knew he'd be a good eater...lol.

Make-up posts

2010-09-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

Haven't really updated this in awhile...Thomas is now closing in on being 7 months old, but here are some pictures I've taken of him since the middle of August:

Thomas had his first sippy cup experience (with some water in it) right before his 6 month check-up. He'd been watching us drink from cups for awhile and had even tried to take my cup out of my hand once. So I thought he might enjoy it. He figured it out pretty quickly but didn't like water compared to his mommy's milk...lol.

He was sick the day I took this picture and he fell asleep sitting up against me. He had thrown up a couple times but never had a fever so I guess he had a little stomach bug. Which he later passed to me and I missed a day of work and had issues for almost a week.

Really Mom, again!?

2010-08-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

Another trip to Target and we placed Thomas into the cart seat with his cover. He really enjoys doing this but got this look on his face that so could be interpreted as "Target shopping again Mom, really!?"...lol

Also, I took this picture of him recently and he looked huge laying in his pack & play

Some random videos from this weekend

2010-08-16T12:45:00.001-04:00

Thomas doing some major laughing in my lap this past weekend

Then he decided to hangout with Marianne and do some more playing and moving around in her lap

Then finally I took some video of the horses that come right up to our fence in the backyard. It was a beautiful day and I took Thomas out there right after this so he could see them. Of course Sophie generally doesn't like them and once we walked out to the fence, she barked at them (not in video).

Just two guys relaxing on the floor...

2010-08-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

Thomas and I were just laying on the floor while he played with his toys. He was laying the same direction as I was but he eventually worked his way around to be laying the opposite way.

He later started to fuss some so I started making noises at him and he turned and grabbed my face...lol.

Thomas goes shopping

2010-08-02T11:13:00.000-04:00

We got Thomas one of those shopping cart liners (also serves as a high chair cover and play mat; love the 3-in-1 stuff) and took him out to try it out. He sat up great (wedged him in to keep him from leaning sideways too much). Of course we had to go to Marianne's favorite store, Target...lol.

The cool thing about this cart liner is that it has attachments for toys (came with couple) that kept him pretty well entertained. Much easier to keep him in the cart than in the car seat or having to carrying him the entire time in the store (he's starting to get pretty heavy).

Thomas' Discovery Center

2010-07-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

So we went out and got Thomas a new toy, a rather large toy that is, a activity-type center where he can stand and rotate around playing with different toys. This Baby Einstein model was on sale at Babies R Us so it was a good deal and he had been getting a little bored at home with his same stuff. I think he has so much to play with at daycare that he needs more stimulation at home.
This should do it...

Thomas Goes Swimming...

2010-07-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

Thomas' first time swimming was a real surprise. He loved the water and didn't seem to mind it at all. We went up to Marianne's uncle's pool and it was a nice 88 degrees F. It probably made it a lot easier on our little guy so it wasn't too cold for him. It was also in the evening with an overcast so no bright sun to give him a sunburn. I got in the water with him and slowly lowered him in waiting for the wailing/crying to start but he just looked at me and never made a noise. I carried him around for awhile and then we got out his little float that had a sunshade on it (even though we didn't need it this time). He leaned back in the float and relaxed. He never fussed and really seemed to enjoy it, he does like bath time too, so I guess he just thought it was a really big bathtub.

I got him out of the floating later on because I wanted to teach him how to splash. I showed him a couple times with my hands and then he caught on and splashed a lot. He got himself in the face a couple of times, but he just smiled and thought it was funny.

Can't wait to take him again to their pool or even somewhere else and get him in again. Marianne will hopefully join us this time and I can teach him to splash her...lol

"Love begins in a moment, grows over time, and lasts for eternity"

2010-07-15T10:37:00.000-04:00

To Marianne, my wife...

The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart.

- Timothy Titcomb

I love you just as if it was the day we first met, but also that love has grown. I found a quote that sums up what love means to me...

I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.

-Anonymous-

All marriages have arguments and disagreements, we all get annoyed and on each others nerves...

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

~Rita Rudner

But no matter what I know everything always works out and in the end love continues on...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Friday, July 16th, 2010 is our 5 year wedding anniversary. It seems like its flown by and at the same time, seems to have been forever. You have blessed us with a good little boy who is 4 1/2 months old and whom we have wished for such a long time. I love you sweetheart, thanks for putting up with me for these 5 years and forever...

I will not love you for the rest of your life, but for the rest of my life.

-Anonymous-

Laying in real crib video

2010-07-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

Our little boy has finally tried out his "real" crib that is upstairs in his room so here is a video of him laying in it. Of course he end up wanting to take a nap in it at the time so he just laid there and played...

Next up is to keeping trying to get him to take naps in it so we can transition him to staying up here all night. I don't know who that will be harder on not having him in our room, him or Marianne...lol.

First art work...

2010-07-15T10:05:00.004-04:00

Thomas created his first artwork at daycare. They sat him in a high chair and he wore an old t-shirt to do some finger painting. I think we have a "picasso-in-training", hopefully just not a Vincent van Gogh (Thomas has cute ears, I don't want him to cut one off...lol).

I can't wait until he can grasp crayons and chalk so we can do art projects with him (he can decorate our driveway...lol),

2010-07-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

Thomas sat in his new high chair for the first time this weekend. Of course he's not eating foods yet (still just mommy's milk) but he does enjoy sitting with us at the table. I think he feels like he's more apart of the group...lol.

The high chair is made by Fisher Price and has a couple of toys that are attached to the tray. This makes it very handy to keep him entertained but also prevents him from throwing the toys off the side into the floor.

My first try at video editing...

2010-07-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

Thomas' doctor visit this past Monday...

2010-07-01T16:17:00.001-04:00

Thomas had a wellness checkup visit this past Monday. The doctor thought he was doing great, he weighed 16 lbs. (75th percentile), was 26.5 inches long (90th percentile), and his head circumference was pretty large (80th percentile). All these were exactly in line with his previous appointments (percentiles had stayed exactly the same throughout each visit).

He got a round of vaccinations and did really well with them. He bled a little from one of the shots in his leg and I think that bothered Marianne and I more than anything. You never want to see your kiddo bleeding, but I'm sure this is just the beginning, little boys have a tendency to scrape knees and fall a lot as they get older.

We got him a new toy for being such a good little boy at the appointment (I'd actually had this one picked out for awhile). We got him a "Captain Calamari". It has legs with different textures and some make the crinkling noise. His pirate hat crinkles and there is a mirror on the bottle of the toy. Thomas loved it and had played with it a lot since then, we even threw it in his carseat when he travels and it keeps him very well entertained.

He has had a little congestion lately (coughly and sounding gunky) but seems to be getting better. The doctor checked him and said it wasn't down in his lungs and was just more than likely a sinus issue. Thomas has been acting fine and not seeming to feel bad so it could just be some allergies or early teething issues.

Iphone 4 is pretty cool...

2010-07-01T16:06:00.004-04:00

So yes, I jumped on the Apple bandwagon again, and upgraded to an iPhone 4. My old 3G one was worn out (battery had died a few months back) and I was holding out for the new one.

Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. The new screen clarity is amazing and its really fast. Apple finally listened to some of the complaints and added some of the handy features that hackers had been using for awhile (now you can finally see the percentage of battery life left next to the small battery symbol on the home screen).

I kept my unlimited data plan for the time being, but I am seriously thinking about dropping to the 200mb/month plan for $15. It would save some money and since I'm on WiFi at work and at home, I shouldn't have a problem staying within those limits.

Facetime is an awesome way to communicate (would be better if it worked with Skype and not just other iPhone 4 owners) and works great as a co-worker of mine has one too. Hopefully they open it up to work with other programs so you can chat with webcams and other devices.

The camera takes nice photos and the video is great looking. I still haven't bought the iMovie app yet to do video editing but I really haven't had the need yet.

Here is an example of a picture shot on the phone and of video on the phone::

Welll anyway, I'll get off my iPhone soapbox but for just $199, the iPhone 4 is well worth it.

New gadget

2010-06-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

Marianne got me an iPad and its amazing. Its so handy to check email and surf the web without having to boot up a laptop. The Apps for it are good and new ones are coming out everyday. It plays video and music extremely well too so I can't wait to use it when traveling. My case she ordered for it should be here soon hopefully so I don't have to worry about dropping or scratching it.

Update: Thomas

2010-06-22T11:09:00.000-04:00

We couldn't ask for a better baby. He has slept through the night since he was about 6 weeks old. He only cries if he's bored or hungry. He is already using his "bumpo-like" seat and sits up with a little support really well. He grabs and plays with toys, talks a lot (very social), and loves to snuggle when its bed/nap time.

He is beginning to show a little interest in the dog and cats. Sophie smells him a lot and lays beside him when he's in our lap. He loves to take a nap in his swing or play with the owl that hangs from his bouncing seat.

We were really surprised by how quickly he's growing and how big he is so he's outgrowing his clothes quickly. He's already in 9 month pajamas but still can fit into some 6 month stuff. We have bought some clothes ahead of time and they are seasonal so he'll probably be in them before the weather changes.

to be cont'd...

Another video

2010-06-22T10:15:00.001-04:00

This is one of the first times we could get him to laugh on camera. Marianne was getting his nose and he thought it was hilarious. Now he laughs and talks all the time.

Video of Thomas

2010-06-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

He has the "heepops" as we call it (hiccups) really bad in this video. It cracks me up when he gets them and he doesn't seem to mind them at all.

Thomas update

2010-06-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

So I have not been updating this very often, but here is some more updated pictures of Thomas. He is now almost 4 months old. He weighs over 15 1/2 lbs and is over 26 inches long. He still doesn't have much hair though...lol.

Our new arrival

2010-06-22T09:41:00.000-04:00

Our baby boy was born on February 26th at 11:56 pm.
He was 9lbs. 2oz. and was 22 1/4 inches long.
We named him: Thomas Jay Young

Pregnancy photos

2009-12-22T21:06:00.000-05:00

These photos are from Potrait Innovations. Here is one with Marianne and Wombi (Marianne is 31 and 1/2 weeks). Thanks for the great pictures Stephanie, we love them.

Here is a photo and Marianne and I together with both of us holding onto our little Wombi.

This was one of our favorites since I was kissing her belly.

This was our second round of taking pictures with a different background. We changed clothes too.

Christmas time

2009-12-17T11:30:00.002-05:00

Picture of Wombi's foot at our 31 week appt. Notice how big that foot is, takes after his/her daddy...lol.

This is my most recent pic of Marianne at 30 1/2 weeks.

Marianne is doing our Christmas baking here. She completed it in one night, so she was on it. Notice the cute belly where our Wombi resides currently.
----------------->

26 weeks (3 weeks ago)

2009-12-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Marianne at 26 weeks. I will try to get a more recent picture on here soon.

2009-10-30T14:41:00.002-04:00

Marianne made some "Mummy" mini-bagel pizzas for our potlucks at work this week. They turned out to be pretty cool looking.

baby pics

2009-10-06T13:04:00.002-04:00

Here are some ultrasound pictures of the baby. We still don't know the sex so it'll be a big surprise on their birth day.

Half way there!

2009-10-03T18:24:00.003-04:00

Marianne has passed the midway point and now the days are really counting down until the due date. Can't wait for the baby to get here.

Marianne @13 and 16 weeks

2009-08-20T12:21:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pictures of Marianne I have taken along to show the growth of the baby in her belly (first one is 13 weeks and second one is almost 16 weeks). She is fast approaching the midway point (just another week and two days) so I'll add some more pictures then.

Good news

2009-08-04T11:47:00.007-04:00

Marianne and I have been waiting for this day for some time but we wanted to share that we are expecting a baby on or around Feb. 17th. We are both really excited and can't wait for the day to come. Marianne may even share her birthday with the baby if it comes just a little early. Marianne is now 12 weeks along (depending on which method you use to calculate trimesters, she is out of the first or very close to being so if you use one of the longer methods of calculating). Here is a picture of the ultrasound at 7 weeks when we first saw a heartbeat. We also have gotten to hear the heartbeat via ultrasound and have seen the baby via external ultrasound. We have decided not to find out the sex of the baby until he/she is born. We want to be totally surprised on the big day.

And yet another diaper cake...

2009-04-23T14:48:00.003-04:00

Marianne's next diaper cake for a friend of mine at work. She is doing so many of these, maybe we need to start taking orders and making some money off these...lol.

Another Diaper Cake

2009-03-21T11:43:00.016-04:00

Marianne created another diaper cake for Beth's baby shower and here it is...

She also made some mini-cupcakes that are designed to look like petits fours along with some finger foods.

Hope the shower goes well. Now if we can get all the stuff packed safely in the car to make it to LB's.

2009-02-20T10:49:00.002-05:00

This is the first video we recieved of Sophie before we adopted her. In the first part I believe she is just about 4-6 weeks old. The second part (after transition) is when she is around 7-8 weeks I believe.

Marianne's B-day

2009-02-16T11:41:00.003-05:00

This is a video of Marianne's Birthday Celebration at Grandma Reeda's house. Everyone showed up to eat at Tony's BBQ Barn in Frankfort and then we headed here to eat cake and ice cream.

Diaper Cake

2009-02-03T18:04:00.006-05:00

Here is Marianne's first diaper cake that she made for my friend Devin from graduate school. He and his wife are expecting in April and if you can't tell from the picture, their little boy is going to be named Grant. The monogramed blanket that Marianne used on the cake is from Beth's website Finishing Touches Embroidery.

Video of Bell

2009-01-30T08:09:00.003-05:00

Here is a small little video of Bell kneading me on the couch (random I know but during an ice storm, there is only so much stuff to keep you entertained).

2009-01-12T10:15:00.002-05:00

Got a new computer last week. It is a Gateway P-7805u model. It is extremely powerful for gaming and has a huge hard drive for file storage. It also comes with an eSATA connector port which is great for fast connections to external hard drives. It is a sweet computer and Best Buy has some really good deals on it.

The specs: 4gb DDR3 RAM, 2.26 dual core processor, Nvidia 9800 GTS 1 gig graphics card, 320 gb hard drive.

I would really recommend this laptop to anyone wanting a really powerful, semi-portable computer.

2009-01-06T08:23:00.004-05:00

Marianne has started her new job at the Gatton College of Business here at the University of Kentucky.

Its nice to be able to car pool together to work (and she makes my lunches too so far...lol).

Chili Cookoff Winner

2008-11-07T09:41:00.003-05:00

The prize I won for winning the chili cookoff (Marianne liked it since it was mostly chocolate)

The coveted cauldron for the 2008 prize winning chili at the College of Pharmacy (I get to be a judge next year due to my win, so look out chili makers, you have a high standard to live up to...lol). And before anyone says anything, I actually made the chili (with Marianne's recipe and a little tweaking by me).

2008-11-07T09:37:00.001-05:00

Sophie in our laundry

Bell up close and personal...

2008-10-16T15:07:00.003-04:00

So Alley snuck into Marianne's bag the other night. Wow, she blended in pretty well.

Marianne brought home Sophie a pink/purple dress from a friend at work. Oh poor Sophie, look how embarrassed she looks...lol

2008-10-06T11:11:00.008-04:00

So Marianne and I just planned a trip to Jamaica. We had been wanting to go back to the resort that we went to on our honeymoon but decided to try the same chain of resort but give another location a try.

Sandals Grande in Ochos Rios is much larger than our previous honeymoon destination (Sandals Halcyon) but it also has much more to do onsite and many more restaurants and pools (and bars too...which is something that I enjoy while down at the resort...lol). We aren't going until May but I already have the countdown going on this webpage to help me keep track.

We're pretty excited to get back to the tropical beaches. They also have Dolphin Cove on the island and its been on Marianne's wish list to swim with dolphins for a long time. They also have a cool tour (Dunn's River Falls) where you can climb/walk up a waterfall area and some friends of ours have actually done it and said it was a blast so we're going to try and fit that in as well (if we have time to pull ourselves from the relaxing beaches...lol).

Marianne's next cake...

2008-09-30T14:20:00.006-04:00

Marianne and her friend created a cake for the friend's little girl. The theme was Curious George and the cake was pretty cool.

Here is a photo of the entire setup (minus some chocolate cupcakes with bananas on top that they added in later after I got the photo)

2008-09-15T09:30:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos I took of Sophie, Bell, and Alley at my birthday

My B-day

2008-09-15T09:22:00.002-04:00

Marianne made the cake (we also had Key lime pie...mmmm)

2008-08-25T15:08:00.008-04:00

Marianne is now taking Wilton Cake decorating classes and this is her first cake. The theme was to use multiple colors in a rainbow design. The cake looked great and tasted good too. I really like the recipe for the icing, it is definitely bakery quality.

This is Marianne's second cake from the class. It was a clown theme and she used 4 different body positions in her cake. It again looked great but tasted even better because it was a yellow cake (unlike the first one was a white cake) which in my opinion is the best kind.

Below is an up-close picture of the clown cake:

All Sophie, all the time

2008-07-09T13:29:00.002-04:00

Up close and personal...
She likes to go outside, so she's waiting on us to get her leash (which is right above her on the wall)

Walking Sophie

Cat Naps

2008-07-09T13:26:00.001-04:00

Alley in the dog bed
Bell underneath the desk
Alley on the arm of the couch (Marianne hates it when she sleeps here)
Same spot (gotta love cat hair)

Sophie's Christmas

2008-07-09T13:23:00.002-04:00

Sophie is playing with the cat's new present
Marianne gives Sophie her stocking
Sophie dives right in and pulls out her new toys

Some random pictures...

2008-01-15T15:28:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of the recent past:

Alley and Bell doing the criss cross...lol

Alley and Bell as kittens

Our nieces holding Sophie:

Anna with Sophie in her lap (David and I were loading the big screen TV)

Sarah holding Sophie

And finally the best picture for last:

James as friar tuck (nice hair man!)

Christmas Cheer

2007-11-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

Check out these photos of Sophie dressed as Santa...she was not happy with Marianne...lol

Notice her "wee little boots" (and how annoyed she is...lol)

She seems to be saying "I hate you guys..."

She can't wait to get out of those clothes

Marianne's B-day in Feb.

2007-11-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

I am planning on having a get together for Marianne's Birthday on Feb. 16th (Saturday) here in Lexington. I thought we could go out and eat somewhere for her birthday since it falls on a weekend day. I will be sending around emails to people as time gets closer but I just wanted you all to reserve the date ahead of time if you're interested in coming. If anyone has any suggestions about where to eat, post your comment here.

I would have everyone over for cake and ice cream afterwards at our house but since we have cats I know that might exclude Beth, Anna, and Sarah (Lauren too if she has allergies) so maybe we could go back to Grandma Reeda's house for that (I need to check with her and see if thats ok) but I'm just throwing out ideas here. I would just like everyone to be able to attend that wants to.

2007-11-14T10:58:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Young family blog! Below are some pictures of the "family" as of right now.

Sophie

"The Fam"

Jay and Sophie

Alley

Bell