So much thinking lately. I think I spend 3/4 of my time thinking. I remember I once had a boyfriend tell me tat I think too much. (Of course later I caught him cheating and realized th ereason he wanted me to stay in the dark and minimumize my thoughts.) Last week i was watching the show "Do You Know Who You Are?" with Lisa Kudrow. Tehy were exploring her heritage and discussing her Grandmother's death in WWII when Nazis shot and killed her. They went in to depth about the execuctions of so many people. They talked about how there was 900 people who were stripped down and stood naked while they watched 3 people at a time step up and get shot. Then three more would step up and so forth. Men, women and children because hatred had no heart.

Immediately, as a new mom of course, I begin to think about how that would feel and the terror you would have to stand there naked and humiliated with your child knowing that there is nothing you can do to save them. The horror that those poeple faced. All of the life that each of of them were robbed from living.

As parents, our goal and dream is to have our children to grow up and have all the happiness that is allowed. We want to see them find love and success and we want to be there to witness all of it. I could take not being there if it meant that Owen would still get the oppurtunity to live his life but having to stand there knowing that his small life is about to end before it ever had time to get started would kill me before the hate-fileld monsters ever could.

How on earth can you get enough "I love yous" said for a lifetime in that small about of time?

Breaks my heart.

Owen, Owen, Owen

March is flying by and so is the fourth month of Owen's little life. I have reached such a bond of attachment and love for this small man that I am now a very emotional person when it comes to any harm to any child. It is amazing how I never considered myself one to take on th erole as mother and even a year ago when we decided to try for a baby I was still so unsure and now I am complete in so many ways that I never even sensed a void. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him!

Relay for life is in swing in 2 counties which should be fun. I also too on being a team member this year and so I am really excited for that. Big funraiser at Vance Vineyards on May 1st. Wine tastinga dn bands, should be a great time.

MSTA is keeping me pretty busy as well. We had a Salary workshop, and Spring Delegate Assembly. April brings my favorite time of the year, Capitol Day. Can not wait.

On a side note, National Health Care Reform was passed this weekend. Lord help us all!

Motherhood is a busy Job

I always thought that my career ambitions kept me busy but since Lil O has joined our family I have realized the true menaing of busy. I cannot complain for 2 reasons: #1 I just do not have the time and #2 because he is pretty incredible. He is currently 4 months and weighs 15.8 pounds. He is 24 and 1/2 inches tall. his new favorite thing is doing raspberries with his mouth. All he does is raspberries. It is hularious! The down fall: I have to change his tops often because of spit pools. He is so funny though. Always laughing and happy. We are so very very lucky!

Meet Mr. Owen Jeffrey Gann

Owen Jeffrey Gann was born on November 4, 2009 at 5:56pm. He weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long.

He is an amazing little guy! We are so blessed to have him in our lives. I will post more as time goes on but for now here are our most recent pictures that Priester Photography took when Owen was 2 weeks old. Can not believe he is already a month old now! WOW!!!

Update for July

Things have been crazy lately. We are into our sixth month of the pregnancy and are happy to announce that this October we will be welcoming a baby boy named Owen. These days we are working on getting the nursery and our lives ready for the new addition.

I am officially on summer break and it did not come soon enough. After that ending to the year with the "tornado" and then that very long summer school session but at last we are finished and I am taking full advantage of resting and doing my usual lunches with friends throughout the summer.

Cash and Carter are doing well. Both were fixed last week and though Carter is not really missing much, Cash was a little older and realizes what is gone and is still harboring some ill feelings but I tell him (of course in private and not where is can be heard) that it was Dad's idea and that if I had my way he would still be complete. I think he is beginning to believe me!

Bill is enjoying the summer fishing (well he attempts) whenever possible and or riding on the Harley. Of course now that I have a growing belly and am high risk I am not allowed on the bike. Secretly I think Bill likes that. Guys will be guys.

Still thankful everyday that God has blessed me so much. Each day I remember that song.... God is great, Beer is good and People are crazy!

We are having a baby!

Well we have news. We just found out we are having a baby. We are about 5-6 weeks along right now and are due sometime at the end of October to early November. More news to come as we hear it. We have our 3rd appointmnet and 3rd ultra sound on the 24th.

Erie, PA to Watch Lyle and Colleen Sansoucie tie the knot!

Hello to all. this last month has been filled with crazy busy schedules for both Bill and I but we love it best when we are on the go. In December we headed up to Erie, PA to Lyle and Colleen Sansoucie's wedding. Bill drove up and I joined him several days later by flying in. I must say that when I left Missouri it was not too cold and the sun was shinning. I had a layover in Philly and by the time I landed in Erie, the runway was a blanket of snow and it showed no signs of letting up. Colleen said it was just flurries. Ok, well those kind of flurries are what makes our schools here in MO take a week of snow days.

Lyle was our best man and Bill was there to return the favor. It was a greta event and so beautiful and elegant. Colleen had said she wanted a winter wonderland as a reception adn well she sure did get it. It was a wonderful night and when it came time for my hubby to make his speech he was great! We also met some people while there that have already become good friends and we are looking forward to the next trip. The carivan of Missourians that went was long. Drew, Nicki, Thomas, Jason, Bill and I were just a few.

I enclosed pictures.

Fall 2008

This has been a great fall. The economy is in a tough time but as for us we are always just tahnkful to have our friends and family around to remind us of the great blessings we have had. This fall I have began serving my 2008-2009 MSTA President Term. I am also doing Kindergarten for a few hours after the normal school day which is different but fun. Bill is doing well. He is working a lot and in his time off, due to the cold weather has finally turned his boating anf fishing in for the winter sport of deer hunting. Last week he got a doe and a buck which, though exciting, turned into many hours of work.

Thanksgiving is a few days away and quickly approaching. Last month Bill's brother Kevin was in a bad accident but Kevin is doing better and is currently home recovering and awaiting his next surgery. My sister-in-law, Sabrina, had a beautiful baby girl names Carly Grace on Friday the 21st. Our close friends Joe and Stacy finally tied the knot becoming Mr. and Mrs. Eaton. We are also preparing for Bill's best friend and cousin's wedding. Lyle and Colleen are getting married next month in Erie, PA and Bill is th ebest man. While one friend is getting married we found out another is expecting. Can't tell who yet. It is still a secret. I believe that is all the big news. I have included some pics from this fall of our friends and new niece.

Mom's Suprise Birthday

On August 16th, 2008 at approximately 2:10pm we, as a family, did the impossible. We successfully surprised and shocked my mother, Karen King, with a surprise 50th birthday party. We had so many family and friends available to yell the loud surprise as my brother David also sounded the air horn and by standards clapped.

The day was good though it has me wondering about the idea of getting older and turning 50. I was very considerate to not buy any over the hill sayings and decor for the party due to a very sensitive subject of age with my mother. But why do we hate the idea of age? Is it the standard that we as a society puts on age and how we build up the idea of youth?

I look back and though life was easy as a child, I was not capable of making my own decisions. As a young woman in my early 20's, I was enjoying life with little responsibility but also had no real value of life neither material possessions or character. Now as I am rapidly approaching the door to 30 I realize that though I hate the idea of being in my 30's I love the person I am more today than ever before and even though I would love to give and take some of the other traits of my youth I realize that life is not a special order catalog and I instead must realize that I would much rather be the person I am today and have the relationships and responsibilities I do now than have any thing I had at a previous time in life because I have worked hard to become this person and 2 things I don't do is leftovers and reruns! So maybe that is the way we should look at it. Move up and move on or get off the tracks!

School is starting soon and I still have fish to catch!

Summer is coming to an end and Bill is working so much. I am preparing to go back to school and tackle another year. Though I am definately ready to get back, I am also wishing I had a little more me time this summer. Bill is wshing there was more time for fishing. We did not get to take a trip this summer but of course we did go to Mexico in March for the honeymoon and have several things coming up this coming year. So as we finish up the summer months and begin the fall we keep all our family and friends in prayers and thoughts.

I love my husband

I know that most wives will rave about their husbands and claim that they are the best but I instead claim that he is the best for me. We finally did it! After 5 years of dating, we finally tied the knot. Along with family and friends, and in the presence of God, we said I do to a life of love, friendship and compromise. I know many roll their eyes at the thought of marriage but I feel different. I beleive in marrying your best friend. There are days that my husband drives me crazy like no one can and there are days that I am in awe of how he provides for me. We are so very lucky to have eachother. People tell us that we are a great couple but it is truely a blessing that we found each other. Five years in the making....