Tony & Kim's Wedding - 2010

Today marks Tony's 8-month wedding anniversary.  Last year on July 31, 2010 he married his high school sweetheart and the mother of his children - Kim Wilson.  She is a wonderful girl and they have a beautiful family.

Tony's Family Today...

This is Tony's family today.  Well, actually this picture was taken last fall by Kim's brother-in-law George.  What an awesome picture.  I love you guys!!  This month has been so much fun featuring pictures of Tony through the years.  This was my tribute to him as he turned 30 this month.   Oh my!  Aaron's birthday is in 4 days!  I need to go dig through some more pictures!!  Haha.

Tony & Kellan

This picture of Tony was taken just a couple of weeks ago - actually just a couple of days before his 30th birthday!   Here he is holding Kellan, Aaron's little boy. 

2009

Here is a picture of Tony & Aaron taken Christmas 2009 with my brother Chuck.  Both of my sons are Dallas Cowboys fans.... so is their dad.  Go STEELERS!!

Easter 1999

What a great picture of my two boys.  This was Easter 1999, Tony would be 18 and Aaron would be 15.  Tony is holding Alizia, my first granddaughter who was born in 1998.  This was taken at the house on Mound St.

This picture was taken at Alizia's first birthday party in May 1999.  Again, Tony is 18.  This was taken at Grandma Barb's house.

1997

The back of this picture say November 1997, which means Tony would have been 16 years old.  He is holding Kayla here.

Christmas 1997 ( I think )

I'm not sure how old Tony is in this picture.  Perhaps 16?  That's mom on his right with the blonde hair and Kim on his left.  Notice how short Kim's hair is? 

I also am not sure where this was taken?  It looks like perhaps Christmas, and maybe at Chuck's house??  Can anybody in my family help me out with this one? 

Let me know.

Oh and by the way - 9 months from today is Christmas!

1995

My best guess on these pictures is summer of 1995 - the year that I graduated from nail school.  Tony would be 14 and is here with his cousin Meghan who is about 4. 

Meghan is in her first year of college this year, and I couldn't be more proud of her!

1994

This picture was taken in 1994 when Tony was 13 years old.  Isn't he a handsome young man?

March 1994

This is Tony's 13th birthday.  He was always the clown (just like his dad was when he was a teenager!)  That is Chad in the background watching Tony act silly. 

This was Tony impersonating Steve Erkle.  "Did I do that????"  He has my glasses on and hiked his pants up high.  Cute.

1993

This picture was taken at the church - Westside Assembly of God in Newark in August 1993.  Tony is 12 and Aaron is 9.

September 1992

 These pictures were taken on Stone Mountain in Georgia.  The boys were playing guns and evidently the boy in the background was already a "casualty" of the gunfight!   These pictures were taken in Sept of 1992.

Tony was 11 years old.

6th Grade

1992 at 11 years old.  Tony was attending Licking County Christian Academy.

April 1992

This picture was taken in April of 92.  Tony would have just turned 11 and Aaron would have just turned 8.

1991

In this picture my father is showing Tony something about his next "shot" in pool.  I think that this picture was taken in Mansfield at my in-laws home.  My best guess is that this picture was taken in 1991 when Tony was about 10 years old.

Hidden Lakes Campground (1990)

This picture was taken at Hidden Lakes Campground.  Tony's stepfather's family had a campsite and we went quite often for the weekends.  Their campsite was right on the lake, and this pool was on the other side of the lake. 

Tony is on the left and Aaron is on the right.  Brandon (their stepbrother) is the little one in front.  As best I can guess, this picture was probably taken around 1990.

1989

Tony looks like a natural in this picture from 1989.  He is 8 years old here. 

In this team picture, Tony is in the 2nd row - he is the one that looks like he has a wad of "chewin tobacco" in his mouth.... 

1988

Tony played soccer at the YMCA.  This picture was taken in 1988, shortly after he turned 7 years old.

1988

Tony is 7 years old in this picture.  This was another one by Olan Mills.  I thought they did such great work.  And NO, he doesn't have anything on his chin, that's just a mark on the photograph.

1987

October 1987 - Tony was in the first grade.

1986

Tony was 5 years old here and started kindergarden at Johnny Clem Elementary half days. 

The day you were born...

It was 30 years ago today that you were born.  You were actually about 5 weeks early, and although I had planned to quit working and stay home with you - because you were early, I was still at work when I went into labor with you.  They had hired a new girl and it was my first day training her.  It was during that first day of training that I began "cramping".  Having never experienced labor before, I went all day long, not knowing what it was.  Back in those days, grandma Pat and your dad and I all worked at the same place in Columbus, and carpooled back and forth to Newark.  It was during the ride home that day that I told grandma about my cramping.  She started asking questions about it, how often, how far apart, etc.  And so we began to watch the clock - timing the pains.  It was then that we realized I was in labor.  You were born at 12:10am the morning the following day.  You weighed 6lbs 6oz. and was 19 3/4" long. 

(That poor girl at work only got 1 day training!)

This picture is the hospital picture from LMH in Newark.  It was taken when you were 2 or 3 days old.

1985

Another Olan Mills portrait.  Tony is 4 and Aaron is 1.

1984

This picture is one of my favorites.  It was taken by Olan Mills in 1984 when Tony was 3 years old.  He just looks so happy in this picture.  Don't you just want to pinch those chubby cheeks?

1983

This picture was taken in 1983 - when Tony was 2 years old.  He's such a cute little boy.

1981

This picture was taken in June, 1981.  Tony was 3 months old.  We had to "prop" him up for this picture.... too cute!  He was a very good baby.

Four years old

About 6 months after Justin's death, I found out that I was pregnant again.  Aaron was born in April 1984.  That was the month that we bought the big old yellow house right next door to my mother.  We took a section of the fence out so that the boys could go out my back door and walk through the yard over to grandma's back door!  It was great!

One year old

Tony was such a good little boy.  But he was a typical boy - a "bruiser"!  For a little while after he was born we lived with my husband's parents in a little house on the property that was out behind the main house.  Tony was one in this picture and I would have been pregnant with Justin Isaac.  (Read my previous blog about Justin Isaac here)

Anthony Kevin

This month my oldest son will turn 30.  My pictures this month will be of him.  Here is a picture taken at Olan Mills in 1985.  This was taken just a few months before his 5th birthday.  His brother Aaron is almost 2 in this picture, as their birthdays are only 3 weeks apart.  (I still insist that I am just not old enough to have a 30-year old child!)

Day 68 of 365

Pictures of the bike/walk path that pass right next to the building that I work at. 

And did you notice --  Sunshine!! 

disappointment...

As many of you know, I have been planning (for 2 years now) to go on an Alaskan Cruise for my 50th birthday - which is in May of this year.  Unfortunately, it looks like I am not going to be able to go after all.  Due to some unforeseen issues, my dear friend that was supposed to go on this cruise with me - will not be able to attend.  Worse, is that the deadline for final payment of the cruise is Friday 3/4, and it is too short notice to find someone else to go with me. 

 I did not take these pictures, but they are beautiful ones of Alaska, so I just wanted to post them so that I could spend time looking at them before I close this chapter of my life.  Perhaps I will re-schedule and try to go later in the year.  I have been thinking how nice it would be to take my mother to Alaska....

...they say that everything happens for a reason, and only God knows why as well as how truly disappointed I am.  But I trust Him and know that not only does He see and know things that I do not, but He always protects me. :)