Our Wedding Pictures Are Here!!

Finally our wedding pictures are in!!  I think they turned out great and now comes the hard part of figuring out where to display them all.  All the links are included below!

Wedding Picture Slideshow (there is music included)

Wedding Pictures on Pictage (you can order prints from this site)

Wedding Pictures on the Kevin Monahan Photography blog

Enjoy!!

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party

I came across this blog posting by Brenda who I don't know but if we meet, I am buying her a beer.

At Hanover College, I spent my entire weekends at frat parties.  My friends and I knew which houses to go for the best parties, who had the cutest pledges, and which guys would give us the drinks we liked and let us control the music.  (What can I say, we are very persuasive and we traveled in a pack.  Its pretty difficult to say no to a group of girls like us.  Especially if half the group is distracting you and the other half is doing what they wanted to do anyway.)

But I digress.  I have included the top 10 from the original blog post below and I highly suggest checking out the comments.

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party


10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Its funny, because it's true.

Source:  Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party, From http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/

A Trip to the Bellagio

Matt and I went with our friends Joey and Joy to see the Bellagio and Venetian hotels.  I had been to Las Vegas once before in college, but for everyone else it was their first time in Las Vegas so we had to check out these hotels.

The ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio is covered with these beautiful glass flowers.  I am told there is something similar at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

Our friends Joey and Joy in the gardens off the Bellagio lobby.  We had such a good time with Joey and Joy.  Aand Joy and I could not get over all the flowers and the monster hydrangeas! 

Matt and I in the gardens.

They also had these insects made out of flowers.

The dueling ants.  These were all over the gardens in different positions.

This snail was made out of roses and pine cones.

I didn't take too many pictures at the Venetion.  It was getting late, my feet hurt from walking in heels, and I was tired.  But I did get a good picture of the canal on the 2nd floor.  We were too late for a gondola ride and Joy and I were disappointed.  I think Matt and Joey were relieved they didn't have to ride with us!

Wedding day pictures coming next!!

Night Before the Wedding

The night before the wedding everyone went out to eat at Lupos restaurant in Mandalay Bay.  It was a great way for everyone to be together and to enjoy each others company before the next day's festivities!

Our friends Garrett and Michelle before dinner.

All the lovely ladies before dinner, Michelle, Michelle, Eilise, Alison, Amber, Abby, Megan, and Joy.

Alison and her bridesmaids before dinner.  Don't we look great!!

Matt and Megan

Mitch & Judy Proctor Vow Renewal Part II

In addition to the bride and groom, Mitch and Judy, and their children, Alison and Craig there were other friends and family who came to watch the vow renewal ceremony.  I know I was excited to be invited.  When else am I going to watch someone get married by Elvis in Las Vegas?  I may never have this opportunity again!  So we, and others, took the opportunity and had a great time!

My friend Megan, and fellow bridesmaid, on the walkway at the chapel.

Some of the girls waiting for the ceremony to start.

Matt and I after the ceremony.

Sorry Craig, you were wearing a purse and it was my civic duty to take a picture of it.

Greg's brother, Eddy and his girlfriend Michelle.

Here is Megan again with her husband Darren.

Dr. Amber & Dr. Matt

That's it for tonight.  Stay tuned for more pictures tomorrow!

Mitch & Judy Proctor Vow Renewal

Alison's parents, Mitch and Judy, also celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary while we were in Las Vegas.  They renewed their vows at Graceland Wedding Chapel and an Elvis impersonator presided over the ceremony.  Oh, and Jon Bon Jovi was also married there!

Matt and I were invited and we were very excited to be a part of their ceremony.  Mitch & Judy make it look easy to be married that long but as Mitch says, "it takes work to make a marriage look easy". 

The happy couple have arrived!

The happy couple after the ceremony.  We weren't allowed (or should I say supposed to) take pictures during the ceremony.  But if I can get the link to the pictures I will post it here.  Words cannot express how awesome the Elvis was.

The Proctor family, from left to right, Craig, Judy, Mitch & Alison.

The next ones to get married...Alison & Greg!!!

United Way Early Readers Program

A few years ago we enrolled Daulton in the Early Readers Program through the United Way.  It is a great program that sends books to your child every quarter.  Daulton is excited to get mail and to see what new books he has received.  We usually end up reading all the books he has received that same night.

The child receives books until the age of 6 and you can see the list of books here.  You can choose to pay $20 a year for your child to be in the program or you can request for a scholarship and receive the books for free.

This has been a great program for us and well worth the $20 each year.  And somehow we ended up receiving two packets every quarter, so Daulton gets to decide where the extra books go.  Sometimes he decides to give them to a friend or he takes them to his mommy's house where he can read them there.

Reading together has been a great way for us to spend time together and for Daulton to improve his reading skills.  He had enough confidence in his reading skills to take several books to school and read them to his class.

This program serves children in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan counties.

Baseball 2010

Tonight was the last game of the season for Daulton.  He had a great season and has improved significantly since last year.  We missed picture day because Matt and I were getting married so we took our own pictures. 

My two favorite guys!

Notice the fans in the background...

I imagine their conversation went something like this:

Coach:  "Daulton when the next batter hits the ball I want you to run to 2nd base."

Daulton:  "Yeah, I know.  2nd base is that way."

He had a great season and we are looking forward to many more years spent at ball games!!

Massive Spider Spotted

Matt spotted a huge spider while taking the dog out.  Yeah, that glimmer is from the spider's eye.  (Click on the image to see it larger.)

This shot is a little wider but you can still see how big the spider is.

Matt showed the picture to the Orkin man, who Matt called to come out the very next day, and he said that he didn't want to scare Matt, but that was the biggest spider he had seen.  Luckily, the spider hasn't been seen since that night (or I haven't been told of its return).

Cross your fingers the stuff the Orkin man put down takes care of this spider and any friends he has!!

Signing Up For Emails

The box to subscribe to emails when a entry has been posted on the blog is on the right side of the blog.  (Not the left as I may have emailed some of you.)

Enter your email address and click "Subscribe".  You will get a confirmation email at the address you entered.  There will also be a link in that email you will need to click to confirm that you want to receive these email updates.  Instructions will be in the email for you to follow as well.

I know that not everyone uses RSS Readers (even though you should!) but most everyone has email (except for my Grandma and Grandpa).  So, hopefully this will be a way for everyone to stay updated with out family!

Rookie Run 2010

We took Daulton to the Rookie Run in downtown Indianapolis. The run is a part of the 500 Festival that goes on during the month of May in Indy. It was a great event and Daulton had a blast.

Matt and I were very impressed with the level of security at the festival. The volunteers and security team were dedicated to making sure each child was safe and with the appropriate adult. It was hard to let go of his little hand so he could run the race but knowing the level of security present, I managed to let go so he could run a quarter mile. (His race was at 2 PM and we had been there since 11 AM. I was hot and I love the kid, but was not running a quarter of a mile.)

Daulton got to take his picture with a few mascots, do a pit stop challenge, and run his race.  Note the tongue sticking out in the 4-point stance.