Got creative today

I felt like doing something creative and relaxing today...so I painted some wood picture frames. I used to paint stuff all the time before the little ones started to join the family! I miss it...hope I can keep it up once baby boy shows up...at least on some "me time" if that ever happens. Anyway, below are the 4 frames I did today...enjoy!! (They are not the best pics...my camera is being weird)

One for a photo of Mariah


One for of a photo of baby boy...when he comes!


One for a photo of both Gifts


One for a photo of my fabulous husband

Tricia :)

Some vacation fun!

Ok, I said I would do this like 2 weeks ago but I lost track of time. Jeremy got a nasty cold as soon as we got home and is just now feeling ok. Anyway...here are some of the pictures from Florida. I will get some more up soon.

Incidentally....I will be having a give away during the next post because it will be my 100th post. So, be looking for some fun giveaways and such next time I show up!

Now for the pictures!!!

Mariah on one of her favorite rides at Busch Gardens

Taking a "ride" on the turtle at Busch Gardens

Shamu...this was a cool show at Sea World

Ok, so I will be back soon with more to show you. Just didn't want you to think I forgot!

Tricia :)

Our New Business

Well, I am hear to announce the launch of a website for the business that Jeremy and I started working in about a year ago. We are independent representatives for a company that offers services for all your communication and entertainment needs. Go here to see the website and see how we can save your family money on your services today.

Have a super week!

Tricia :)

New blog look...and other musings

I have a new look and name. I thought it was about time!! So, enjoy this for the winter....which around here will be half the year!!

I am realizing that I do not blog much anymore. Not sure what that is all about. I think maybe I was having fun for awhile and lost some interest. Either way, I will try to make it more regular.

So...how about a family update?!

Mariah is doing well. I can't believe she will be 4 in May. It seems like just yesterday she was born and now I have a almost 4 year old. My Mom always told me that this would happen but I think until it does...you don't really believe it. She is always doing something new...always testing the boundaries. I will admit that this is fun...most of the time. Sometimes I struggle with where to put a boundary and how to keep it without alot of argument but...well, I am learning new stuff too.

Jeremy is great! I have really fallen in love with him again over this last 2 years with all the surgeries and stuff I have gone through. He has been an amazing support. I would not have made it without him and Mariah to make me smile when it was tough. I love him with all my heart! Thanks hunny for being the amazing man and father that you are!! I can't wait for the rest of our life together!

I am doing good too! I am finally done with surgeries...for now I guess. My eyes are improving all the time and I am so thankful to God that I can see. It is a real gift to have eyes that work and I have really come to know that this year. I had 5 teeth (3 wisdom teeth and 2 bad molars) pulled this last month and that was really a great experience...well...as great as that can be. I had almost no pain and it healed very quickly.

We as a family are really looking forward to some great stuff this year. First, January 17 we are going on our first family vacation...at least first one where we are flying. We are headed to Florida for a whole week...with the rest of my family...for a fun time together! Can't wait!!

Also, we are going to be trying for baby #2 so hopefully that will happen this year. I am ready...beyond ready...to add more little people to this house. So...hopefully I will have fun news in a few months!!

Anyway, that is all for now! Hope and pray all of you are doing well! Thanks for stopping by.

Tricia :)

My two favorite people

I love these two! They are the light of my life. I was just outside watching them and thanking God for giving them to me. I appreciate every little thing and can't imagine my life without both of them in it. Can't wait to add more to the family and expand my love even more!


Tricia :)

Happy Father's Day

To the father of my little girl:
You are a wonderful father. Mariah always wants to be with you and you always make time for her. You are such a great example to her of how to live for Christ and we are seeing that in how she prays at night and asks about God all the time. Thank you for all you do for us! You work hard every day to provide for us...even though you really do not like your job. You come home, tired, but so happy to see us and ready to play with Mariah. I appreciate you so much! Happy Father's Day!

To my husband:
I love you more than words can say. You are so supportive of me and loving that words can not really express how I feel. Thank you for standing by me this last year and a half of surgeries and recovery. Not once have you complained about helping when I was too tired. Not once have you said to get over it when I was having a hard time with healing. I am so thankful for you and all that you are. I appreciate you so much!

To the other daddies out there: Happy Father's Day! May you have a great day celebrating with the children who make it possible for you to have this day!

Tricia :)

Men CAN go to Tea Parties

Update on the tea party scene.....Daddy got in on the fun! So all you daddy's or soon-to-be daddy's out there....you are man enough to go to a tea party. My husband is so awesome!

Tricia :)

Reflecting back

I feel like reflecting. I am right now as I write this listening to a song that my wonderful husband used to play for me when we were dating. I say used to because he has not played the piano in a very long time. The song is "To Take....To Hold" by Yanni. I have probably listened to it about 6 times since I first put it in tonight. It reminds me of when I first fell in love with him.

We were in high school. We would sneak off to the church auditorium (I went to a Christian school held in a church building). He would play it for me until we got caught; a few times our music teacher would "pretend" she didn't see us and let us stay. I would just watch him play and imagine spending forever with him. I may have been 17 but I knew we would be together forever. I don't know how I knew....I just did!

I remember our first "date." I was having a Christmas party at my house after the school Christmas concert. I had invited all of my friends including my current boyfriend (who ironically was named Jeremy too). I realized that night that I no longer wanted to be dating this other Jeremy for many reasons, one of which was he wanted to marry me and have "relations" before even talking to my parents or me about it. Praise God that ended!!! Anyway, back to the party. So I dumped the bum and invited Jeremy (the good one) to come instead. My best friends at the time were Erin and Tammi (Erin still is). They thought it was a great idea to invite him but later got kind of "annoyed" that I had. I pretty much ignored them all evening.

We had our first kiss that night too. We were running around in the snow outside. I had stolen his hat (flirting of course) and he was chasing me. We landed in the snow bank and it happened...the first kiss of many! I will never forget that night!

So many wonderful things have happened since that first night. I will go into more detail maybe in later blogs. I love Jeremy Rexford Knapp with every ounce of my being! I can't wait to grow old together and tell our grand kids all about our lives.

Jeremy....if I asked you....would you marry me again? I want to share forever with you! I want to be there when you hurt. I want to be there when you have great times (like tomorrow when we get...you know....your new toy). I can't wait until we are old and have our house with the little porch and we can sit on it together and just talk. I love just talking with you. You are my soul mate, the love of my life! To take a quote from a card I gave you recently, "I don't always tell you right then and there when you're doing something that's making me fall in love with you all over again, but I want you to know that it happens all the time." I love you baby!

Tricia :)

Happy Anniversary

Sunday Jeremy and I have been married 6 years. We went out to celebrate tonight and had a great, quiet meal just the two of us. I am so happy!!

I just want to tell Jeremy how much I love him so the rest of you can just read and enjoy!

Jeremy,
You are the love of my life. You have been so much more then the man I married, you are my best friend. I know everyone says these things all the time but I truly mean them. No matter what we have gone through, you have been there. This last year has been the most challenging for us with all my surgery and recovery but you never stopped being supportive. Even when I got really "hard to listen too" at times you just kept being there. You are a real example to me of how to trust God even when things are hard. Even when we are "scraping the bottom of the barrel" financially (which is most of the time) you never stop trying to think positive.

You are a real gift to me and Mariah. Speaking of that....you are a super father. Mariah adores you and can't stop talking about you when you are at work all day. She wants to be with you all the time and even told me and grandma the other day she is going to marry you! That speaks volumes about how well you treat her, and me!

I just wanted you to know that on this day and every day I LOVE YOU!!

Love, Me

The year 2007....time of growing

I just wanted to fill you all in on what the year 2007 was like for our little family. But in order to do that, I need to go back to 2003.

In the summer of 2003 I had been having headaches for 3 months, everyday. They got so bad that I ended up calling the doctor for an appointment to see what was up. I met with him and he ordered a cat scan to see if something was wrong. Well....there was a little something there (they even found a brain...Gail!!). It was a tumor but from what they saw it was small and benign. The reason for the headaches was the tumor was blocking brain fluid from flowing properly. So, in August of 2003 I had my first brain surgery to relieve the fluid blockage. The tumor was left alone as it was not the major problem and was not growing.

I went along with life as normal...having yearly MRI's to make sure everything was fine. Everything was fine and the tumor was not growing.....until my yearly MRI in November of 2006. By this time we had moved to Pennsylvania and I had new doctors. My doctor here was concerned that the tumor was growing. He referred me to Dr. Jeffery Bruce in New York City. I met with him and he confirmed that it was indeed growing. We made plans to have it removed by Dr. Bruce. He removed that tumor January 17, 2007. Praise God it was indeed benign so I did not need any cancer treatments. That was the beginning of a very long year!

Now to the year 2007. This has been the hardest and most stretching year of my life. I have had ups and downs all from the surgery to remove the tumor. Praise God Dr. Bruce was able to remove the tumor because it would have meant more trouble down the road had we decided to leave it alone. However...it has not been easy.

Due to complications from the surgery (all of which we were told about), I have had double vision 24 hours a day since the day of my surgery...which if you are counting is 1 year and almost 3 months. That has been a struggle because it took the life I knew before and slowed it WAY down. I can not drive....which makes more work for my wonderful husband, Jeremy.

Time out to talk about Jeremy.....that man is a gift from God!!! He has been so supportive and helpful during this time. I am madly in love with him!! He has gone the extra mile to help even when he is tired from working 10 hour days. He is the best! He is always there, always loving, always understanding. I know that is what husbands are supposed to do but so many choose not to. I praise God everyday from giving him to me...a gift!!

Ok, back to this year of growing. On top of the double vision, I also have had some small hearing issues. I can not open my eye lids all the way either. The reason for all of this is that the nerve in your brain that makes your eyes work and your hearing work (same nerve by the way) was severed or messed up somehow during the brain surgery.

So, I have been taking care of my baby girl...who is a blessing...with all these issues. I don't tell you all of this to complain...I tell you so you know. And so you can know how to be praying for our little family. I did have surgery again in November of 2007 to help fix the eye issues. That is a process and will be for some time. It has not been easy but I have to stop my ranting to let you know that our God is so amazing!!

I believe with all my heart the God has a purpose for us...no matter what we go through. I can truly say I am thankful for this time....for in tough times is when we grow. There are things that we can only learn through tough times. When you go through tough times, remember God is allowing this time for a purpose. His grace IS sufficient to carry you through...please cling to that!

That is what we are trying to do everyday. I have an appointment on March 17 with the doctor who did this last surgery(Dr. Nicholas Volpe in Philadelphia) to see what the next step is. Hopefully he will be giving me prism glasses to help correct the double vision. It may or may not be time for that. The eyes may be still healing so we will see what he says. Hopefully soon I will be seeing the optical plastic surgeon to talk about a surgery to lift the eyelids to a normal level. So....all in God's timing!

Again, I praise God for all He is teaching me in this time and all He has planned for the future.

Tricia :)

The Knapp Family

This post is to give you a brief history of us...the Knapp family. Hold on to your underwear...this may be a long post.

Jeremy and I have really known each other since we were born. Jeremy was born to Rex and Terry Knapp on May 15, 1979. I was born to Paul and Diane Osborn on May 17, 1980 (you will learn later that Mariah was born in the same week). My mom (Diane) grew up with Jeremy's dad (Rex) and was best friends with Rex's sister, Robin. So, our families have been connected before Jeremy and I ever came along.

So anyway, Jeremy and I officially met in high school when I would pick up the bus at his school to go to my school. He said he would see me as I got on the bus and thought he might like me but I never found that out until we were dating...getting ahead...just wait for that!

So, in our 12th grade year we finally were going to the same school and thanks to my best friend Erin (yes Erin...it was you), we started dating. That was in 1998 and we have been together ever since.....but let me fill in more details.

My family had been planning to go to South Africa as missionaries since my 8th grade year. So...we had finally gotten all the support raised by my 12th grade year. The plans were to leave as soon as I graduated from high school. So I had a decision to make...go with Mom and Dad or stay in America and go right to college. I had already been accepted at Baptist Bible College so I kind of had that in the bag. Well....I reluctantly (at the time) decided to go with Mom and Dad. So that meant leaving Jeremy, who by this time I was falling in love with.

Jeremy and I decided to keep dating...very long distance. There were ups and downs to that but over all we are both glad it lasted. When I did come home...a year later...things were different but we still were together. He has been attending Baptist Bible College and so I started going too...of course with that held application from before we left for Africa.

So as time went on in the one year at BBC (yes, just one), we started to get much closer. We decided to go visit Mom and Dad in Africa...where Jeremy was planning something. I kind of knew things might happen but I was not totally sure.

Anyway, one Wednesday evening Jeremy and I went to the Durban beach and he messed with my head for awhile and then....it happened!!!! He asked me to marry him on the beach, in the sand. It was so romantic and wonderful....and totally dangerous being that it was after dark on the Durban beach....not a safe place at night!

So, we have been married almost 6 years (April 6). The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful little girl, Mariah (born May 16, 2005). More to come about this little sweetheart but she is the love of our lives. We are planning more tiny feet this year and can't wait to share more with you.

Hope this was not to long. Enjoy!!

Tricia :)