My Boy

I love you little buddy, you brighten my every day. Thank you for being mine.

Van's Alias'

Van's Nicknames To-date

Van the Man
The Pimp
Vanimal
Officer Fussarelli
Squeak
Squeaky
Hair-do
Van Wayne
VW
V-Dub
Bud
Bub
Smiley
Party Boy
Blue Eyes

There are more names I have forgotten and will add later. If you have a nickname for Van that is not on the list, please comment below.

Crying is for Babies....

So Van's Auntie Kat just left yesterday after almost a week of getting to hang out with us.
We had fun, she got to experience the new ear wrenching scream-like crying that Van is doing in order to get something he wants. The sound makes my stomach tie into knots, and I will pretty much give him anything in order to get the noise to cease. I will be honest it makes me want to drink and I am not talking about fruit juice or milk. This is a e phase where I need to be taught a thing or two about not giving in.
Today was just one of those day where I took one look away and Van was either playing in the toilet or breaking a glass in the kitchen trying to help me load the dishwasher..

One thing after another, but I truly love this boy more than I ever thought I could love anything, thank you Conner for sharing such a wonderful little being with me.

healthy toys at Ikea

Ikea gets better every day, I wanted to get this little wagon (24.99) for Van and fill it with Easter goodies, didn't make it to ikea. Maybe we will go this week. Ahhh I forgot to mention these toys are not only cheap but they are not made in China! SCORE.
Love this Easel ($19.99) too, this will be a staple toy for Van as soon as he stops eating the crayons.
Love this little moose rocker too (34.99), Rocking helps develop a child's sense of balance and the brain to sort sensory impressions. Renewable material (wood). Solid wood - not from intact natural forests.

Money Honey.

When asked what made for a "good life" in a 1975 survey, 38 percent of the American public responded, "A lot of money." When the same poll was taken in 1996, 63 percent chose that answer. When material wealth is held too tightly in focus- particularly in lives that, despite financial struggle, do offer basic comforts- we lose sight of the broader happiness of marriage, children, or simply being.

Taken from the article keeping up - cookie mag

For Pete's Sake

This past week I was at a nail salon, with Mimi getting a pedicure. In the next room I kept hearing cries from a baby getting louder and louder. Finally people started looking for the baby. My nice nail lady went in and tried to rock the baby in his car seat. To no avail. The screaming got louder and louder. I finally went into the room to take a survey and see if I could help out. I found a mom sitting in a chair getting her nails done, not even looking at her baby. When asked what was wrong she said he's just tired. His cries were hungry and lonely. I asked her if I could take him out and hold him.

She got a little irritated and said yeah but don't go far. As I pulled him out toys and an almost empty sleeve of ritz crackers fell to the ground along with a slew of crumbs and broken crackers. "how old is he" I asked, with a weird sort of grin and teeth that looked as though they had never seen a brush she said "Seven Months".

The question I really wanted to ask was "why are you in here getting your nails done with a 7 month old?" At this point I was fuming... When your child screams for 10 minutes, something is wrong and it is your duty as his mother, to get off your bottom (very large) and stop thinking about yourself and your lee press on's and fix it!

These kind of people completely baffle me.... I held her son and rocked him, he was working himself into hysterics. At this point everyone in the nail salon thinks this is my child. I ask his mother if I can put him on her lap, because I am obviously not calming him down. I am a stranger, and the comforting that I do only comforts one little soul at this point in time. The minute I put him on her lap he stops crying. He needed to be held.

First of all boys don't belong in nail salons, ever....
second of all if you really need to get your nails done that bad, do it when someone else can watch him. If your getting your nails done in the first place you can certainly afford a sitter.
third learn how to be a mother for pete's sake.

I don't think I had been this fired up in a long time. On the way home Mimi had to hear all of this as I stewed over and over about this lady and her lack of knowledge about being a mother. Some people will never get it, and I truly feel so sorry for their children.

It's funny how our children have a way of telling us when we are doing something wrong. This being a mom thing is not about me anymore. It's about taking care of little one's needs before your own, and that is where you learn the true art of selfless love.

Not sure if that makes any sense, but It just came out that way.

I will step off my soap box now!

A Warm Heart

Van's Grandmom Mimi left today after a wonderful week. This past week was eventful and Van grew to love her so much. Every time she walked in the room, he would get a big smile on his face and lift his arms out for her to pick him up. She was a teacher for several years and being a grandmother is just second nature for her. Van keeps crawling into her room and looking for her, and my heart sinks. Mimi is a warm spirit, she wakes up happy and singing, a rare trait to find. She spent so much time just being with Van. Taking him on walks, letting him explore the outdoors, reading to him, playing in water, singing to him, and just kissing him. I love to see him developing relationships with the people who love him, creating bonds that will last a lifetime. She got to see him take his first steps last week.

Mimi took took us out to dinners, brought us books and music, new shoes and a pedicure to match, clothes for Van, toys, gas for the car, groceries in our fridge, a babysitter, and a warm loving heart. Thank you for all you do you are so cherished by us.

Red Balloons

I am 1...

Van started walking today, it was amazing we were all in the kitchen. Mimi, Conner and I and he just walked right across the room like it was no body's business. He seemed as if he had known how to do it for months, years. Anyways, it pretty much blows my mind to see this little thing walking across the room with a drunken wobble and a crooked smile. He is so proud of himself and when he sees us clapping in disbelief and sheer happiness, he claps for himself too with a puffed chest and a grin from ear to ear.

His carnival came to town this weekend and it was fun, just right for a one year old. He had all of his friends there to share his day with him. It was definitely a birthday that will be remembered for ever. Thank you all who made it to celebrate his first year of life. We really do appreciate your presence in his life & ours.


I decorated the house with paper bunting that I made out of scrapbook paper, hole punched colorful circle confetti for the table, and cut out circles for his home made carrot cake, out of fondant. The mini cupcakes were covered in butter creme frosting and sprinkled with carnival sprinkles. The cake balls I made were filled with choclolate cake and covered with candy melt chocolate and sprinkles. We did a weird kind of raffle & an animal cracker guess. The party favors were carnival toys, and recycled baby food jars filled with jelly bellies tied with raffia. To view more photos from the party click here &
here.

Images of a year

I have so many emotions running through my head about this one year mark. This year not only signifies the first year of our sons life, but it also stands for a rebirth of our lives as well. We became parents, role models, and life teachers to a child who stands for our future. The first year of a new life is so pliable, like a little ball of silly putty. I have loved this past year and I have taken it all in as much as possible. I just uploaded some photos, one from every month to flickr check them out when you can!

Check out what Conner has been up to this week.

love is....

Love is a funny thing isn't it? Over time you would think that it would get easier and easier and that eventually when your old you know each other so well you wouldn't even need to speak, you can just read each others minds. Sometimes that speaking part is true, but I have to say I love seeing an old couple holding hands or gazing into each others eyes. It makes my heart sing.

I scrolled through my treasure box of photos and couldn't seem to find a recent one of Conner and I, until I got to the pictures of our trip to Puerto Rico in Dec. I am making a pact that we will start taking more photos of ourselves together, I will make it a priority. Somehow when you have a baby or babies, all of your attention and focus seems to go into your child's life and happiness. You must not forget about your own.


Last night we were doing a bible study together and I pulled out a photo of us when we met. These words floated through my tired mind - bliss, young, blind. We were so shocked to have met each other those first two years that it seemed like someone had super glued us together, if we were apart we were lost. He completed me, and I had never felt that before. Now after four years of marriage, that bliss has resided and we are learning how to become one, unified. A team more or less. Relationships are not easy, but we were not created to be alone in this world, and two is far more powerful than one. We may never have that blissful time back where those pheromones shot through our bodies, and made us feel high at the mere sight of each other. But we have a lifetime together to grow old by each others sides. When I think about our love I am reminded of a quote I put on the back of our wedding invitations, it is from an Etta James song. "I found a thrill to press my cheek to".

The time we spend together in our house smiling at our son, and smiling at each other is what our love is. We are on to simply living in harmony, learning how to respect, forgive, praise, nourish, and love each other a little more today than we did yesterday.