Awash in a river of love and happiness...

...That is how I would describe Liam and Meredith over the course of their wedding weekend on Sanibel Island! I recognized the feeling instantly because I felt it so clearly during my own wedding... Here is a pic of the happy couple.

This weekend I was lucky enough to experience one of my best friends in life marrying a woman that brings out the best in him. They stood on the beach in the presence of their friends and families and you could literally feel the excitement rushing over them. I can't thank Liam enough for asking me to stand and be a part of this weekend because it was an experience I will never forget. The only bad part was that Ally didn't get to experience it with me...we thought it was better for her and Grayson to stay home and looking back it was the right decision. But I still wish like crazy that she could have been there with us.

These are my Coast Guard Academy friends and we are one HELL of a fun group (if I do say so myself)! While we see one another occassionally over any particular year, the times where we are ALL back together are fleeting and far too rare. However, this weekend we got to spend more than our fair share of time together and while we certainly reveled in our past, I think we all have a few new stories to add to the books. Here are the boys...

There were times during each and every day where I found myself laughing uncontrollably, and I don't think a smile ever left my face (aside from the mornings of course ;) By the middle of the wedding reception I was literally jumping up and down on the dance floor laughing and singing at the top of my lungs in unison with the music (thank God everyone else was too!).

I've been so blessed in life with good friends and fun times...yet every once in a great while, I get to experience a rare height on the roller coaster. This was truly one of THOSE weekends. I love you guys!

Pics from Troy and Nikki's place...

They love our dogs! Troy and Nikki have a couple of beautiful kids and we love hanging out with them...

Grayson meets the Gahans (and Homants)

I can't believe we didn't get a picture of the Jeep all packed up for the trip to Michigan! Two dogs, one baby Grayson, and one very full car top carrier made for an interesting road trip...Let's just say that the bathroom breaks took awhile longer and the 8 hour trip to Detroit (to stay with Troy and Nikki) turned into more of a 9+ hour journey! Then it was on to Grand Rapids to see the rest of the family. All in all, Grayson handled it like a pro and slept most of the way and didn't really cry at all that we can remember...

Grayson finally got to meet his Grandma and Papa.

This years 4th of July was a great one. My mom's side of the family (Homants) are usually at my parents place, so I got to see tons of family that I haven't seen in years and Allyson was masterful at remembering all their names. Talk about a growing family, there must have been 5 or 6 babies there under the age of one. Grayson got passed around like a football!

We've got some great pictures and we can't thank everyone enough for all the baby shower gifts that we received. Gray scored some awesome stuff.

Father's Day 2009

Living the American Dream...

What do exactly do these words mean? Most would probably argue that anyone born in this country ultimately has their destiny within reach. All you have to do is work hard enough in school and get good grades, stay active in sports/activities so you are well-rounded, choose your friends wisely, and steer away from trouble. If you do these things, you can pursue just about any course in life, and as long as you keep meeting the accepted requirements, you will get there.

Some people would argue that living the American dream is being able to experience the fairy tale life...meeting that special person and falling in love, buying a big house with a white picket fence, and then filling all the bedrooms with little munchkins that try to eat you out of that very house. Every day you come home from work and kiss the wife, wrestle with the kids, and sit down to a big family dinner.

While I agree with many of these sentiments, I have slightly different viewpoint of what it means to live the American Dream...You see, I got to grow up with a father that I consider my hero. He served his country, which is a big reason why I did the same. He was gone to work when I woke up every morning, and didn't come home until I was through with both school and practice. I honestly don't remember if I ever heard him complain about it...When I was in sports season (which was just about year round), he came straight from work to see me at meets, matches or games. Accept he didn't just do this for me...he did this for all four of us boys. He kept a nice yard (with alot of help from mom of course), and took good care of his cars or other valuables. While he was very scary when he was mad, he was consistent in discipline and we all new his expectations. He was supportive and encouraging with us no matter what direction we wanted to head in...

All in all, he was to me what I want to be to my son...I will constantly live in the shadow of his example...I will constantly strive to meet the same expectations. My family comes first, no matter how long the work day, no matter how tired I am, and no matter what direction my son wants to go in. All of this I will do in my father's honor. I'm living the American Dream, and my son deserves to do the same...I love you Pop...

Here are some pictures of Ally, Grayson and I on my first Father's Day. We went to an Irish festival in downtown Annapolis and had a great time. Allyson was even breastfeeding on a busy street!

Random Pics...

Some other good ones that are on the camera from when Sean was in town with Sarah...

Grayson loves his bath time!

Hey all! Sorry it has been a couple weeks since my last post...the days just seem shorter for some reason right now. Here are some pics from some of his bathing episodes. He loves the warm water and his eyes get really wide whenever we have him in there...

Sorry about the R-rated one! Not!

1 Lb and 1.5 Inches in 10 days!!!!

In ten days time, he has gained One Whole Pound, and grew 1.5 Inches in Length. How is that even possible?! Did the hospital measure incorrectly on his B-day or something? No way, I saw them take the measurements myself, I was standing right there.

Yet when Allyson brought him in for his latest checkup it was obvious that he had gained and grown, right before our very eyes. He's doing soooo well you guys!

Here he is with Katie Baculic on Saturday afternoon. He endured the 1.5 hour road trip to Ashburn, VA in blissful sleep, and got to meet the warm and loving family that I now love as much as my own. Having the Kearney/Smith family so close has been a blessing for Allyson and I since we moved here. It felt so good to see their happy faces and revel in their excitement for us!

Speaking of family:

That is Ally's brother Sean on the right (with Linda/Ed in the middle of course). Sean got here on Friday and he brought baby Sarah with him. We certainly wish Steph was here with him, but we understand that duty takes priority... We'll see you in a few weeks Steph, be safe!

So as you can see, we've had a full house since Grayson got here! I dropped Ed/Linda off at the airport a few hours ago so the crowd is starting to dim, but Allyson and I are excited to do this on our own now. We can't thank Ed and Linda enough though for being here over the last several days! I think it is awesome that Ed got to experience the moment when Ally's water broke, and having Linda to help with Grayson, make us dinners, clean house, and offer her advice was/is so greatly appreciated that I'm not sure how we can pay her back. Thank you so much for coming you guys, we love you and can't wait to see you at the beach!

As for my family, I'm eagerly awaiting Grayson's first road trip to Michigan. We'll be there at the end of June and we'll get to see the whole fam dam and Kevin and Jackie's new house as well. We are so excited to see you all, and I'm practically counting the days. It will be great to see him next to all the his new cousins, uncles and aunts. I'm especially looking forward to seeing mom and pop hold him too... We'll see you soon and we love you!