Exciting News

Hi everyone! We hope your holidays have been wonderful and you have enjoyed your time spent with family and friends!

We have some wonderful news that we would like to share with all of you. Lou and I are expecting our first child in June. Our actual due date is June 24, 2008. We are really excited! We have held off spreading our good news until we cleared our first trimester due to our previous difficulty. The ultrasound picture I am posting is from December 13, 2007. My next appointment is January 10 for an ultrasound and amniocentesis. We are a bit nervous about that but due to my ever increasing age :( our doctor recommends this procedure and we have agreed. My first three months have been relatively uneventful. I had some occassional nausea but no vomiting (thank goodness!!!!!!!!!). I was very tired the first couple of months but that has evened out now and I am doing great! Since most of our family is in New York State we will keep everyone posted with pictures and progress reports on our website.

We hope everyone has a safe new year and save us in your favorites so you can check back for updates! (I will of course let you know when I have posted new info.)

Lots of love,

Melissa and Lou

Happy Holidays!

Oh my gosh.....I know you must be saying "It can't be, two postings in one week?!" Well, I am trying to catch up with pictures and news so below see some pictures of our beautiful Christmas tree and us. Enjoy!

Lou sharing a treat with Jasmine! YUMMY!

November Happenings

Hi there! Well, here I am writing in December. I know, I know it takes me a little long between posts. Anyway, November was an eventful month. Lou and I were able to travel to NY for my cousin Marty's wedding in Albany and then we were able to spend Thanksgiving with my family. That was awesome because we hardly ever get to see my family for the actual holidays. We had a great visit!! We also were able to cut our Christmas tree and make our wreath which are now standing and hanging in Florida. Check out our pictures below!

Here comes the bride!

The Happy Couple!

Awe!!!!!!!

Mom and Dad looking especially spiffy!

Sooooo many to choose from.....this is our final choice.

Can he do it?

SUCCESS!

Wreath making is a science!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Brother and sis.

(We used to squabble a lot when we were little.....who would know?!)

Lou, Justin and Dad just hanging out watching football!

Go Packers....Justin's favorite team!

Mom and Derek hard at work!

Mmmm! Scrumptious!

Abie looking sooo cute! It's her first Thanksgiving.

Lou and Nonna

Lou, Nonna and Aunt Sherie.

Chris and Tara

Jessica and Al

Updates

I know.....it has been awhile since our last posting! Well, school has started and time is in short supply. I went back to school August 13 and the students came back August 21. It has been very busy. Our first report cards will be in 3 weeks. Time is flying. The year is going well but I am very busy. Due to class sizes we had recent scheduling changes. We are adjusting but things are going well. Lou is busy with his work and all is going well.

We are looking forward to Mom and Dad's visit at the end of October. Hopefully, Billy will be making it down in November or even December. Lou and I are hoping to travel up for my cousin Marty's wedding in November, as well. It will be a busy travel season.

Until next time,
Melissa and Lou

Trip to Rochester and Arkport

Lou and I were on vacation from July 3 until July 10 (I actually returned July 15) taking our yearly trip to visit relatives and get a break from the Florida heat! We had a really nice time and as usual did not get to see everyone we wanted to. We apologize. We did get to visit Lou's Aunt Sherie and Uncle Al and his grandmother. We also visited a friend Lou has not seen in three years, Mike Tuttle. I had my 20th high school reunion....yes that is right, I said 20th!!! That was a blast and it was soooooo good to see everyone who attended. There was also a birthday party for my mom whose birthday is actually in August but they will be away on vacation (Alaskan cruise) and she wanted to be able to have the party when Lou and I were visiting as well. I stayed on a little longer to visit with Mom, Dad and Bill. Check out a few of our pictures below.

The birthday girl!

Marcy, Jay and Bill

Dad, Jeff and Bill

Abigail, the newest member of our family.

What a crew! July 6, 2007 at Barbara Jean's in Arkport

The girl's of 1987 at Barbara Jean's

July 7, 2007 at the Hornell Country Club.

Empty Nest

Well, about a week after my last posting in June the birds had grown enough that they flew away. I was actually kind of sad as I was used to checking on them every morning. About a week later, Lou and I are sure that they revisited us on the back patio with Mama bird. Who knows??? But we think it is pretty cool!

The babies are growing!

Empty nest!!!

Test run. (One bird flew from the nest to a hanging pot across from it.)

Return visit???

Calling All Nature Lovers

When we returned from our NYC trip we discovered that we had a family that had taken up residence on our front porch. We have a wreath hanging to the right of our front door and a mourning dove built a nest. Lou discovered there were 2 eggs in the nest. Approximately 2 weeks later there were two new babies. It has been really neat to observe their growth!

NYC trip

We recently visited New York City and the Hamptons with Lou's brother, Sam and Danielle. We had a nice time and it was great to see Ori and Michele. We visited the Empire State Building and Museum of Natural History. We shopped on 5th Avenue, ate in the East Village and rode on the subway and train. Lou became an expert at hailing taxis thanks to Ori. We visited Times Square, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Trump Tower and Rockefeller Center. We drove out to Montauk and shopped in South Hampton as well. New York has so much to offer! Thank you Sam for planning a great trip!

Times Square

Lou, Sharon and Ozzy at the wax museum.

Melissa and Johnny (I mean, Captain Jack Sparrow)!

Can you find the two newest members?

Madison Square Garden

Ori, Michele and Melissa at the Empire State Building

Lou and Melissa at the Empire State Building

Central Park carriage ride.

Trump Tower

Rockefeller Center

American Museum of Natural History

Shopping in South Hampton

Montauk Lighthouse
Atlantic Ocean
Montauk Sunset

We had a lovely time!