"tricks"

"Hello Nonnie!"

Another thing that he likes to do is KISS! And, he knows how to pucker... most of the time. :)

toofers

Doesn't mom look silly in this picture. She claims that it's hard to take a picture by looking in the mirror to see the screen on the camera, get me to smile and look natural. I think she looks silly all of the time. I'm looking pretty good though.

Anyways, I am getting some toofers. See: I now have 4 on top and 2 on bottom. It's all fine and dandy. They are fun to play with using my tongue. And, it makes it easier to eat my crackers but the process of getting them doesn't make me feel so good- especially when I have the flu.

growing up is hard work.

random goodness

Enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning on the front porch. Dennis loved going up and down the stairs holding on the the railing. Sporting his super cool cap that we got from our Finnish cousins... How do I get him to keep it on? I should have never stopped putting hats on him.

Cutest boy ever! Don't you love the booster seat? When I was registering for baby stuff before Dennis was born, I thought it was silly to buy the expensive baby gear because they do almost the exact same thing and I can't tell the difference in the store so my baby won't be able to tell... But, let me tell you- I have learned a thing or two. It is soooo worth getting the more expensive stuff. I wish I got the super expensive stroller- the one that isn't squeeky, heavy and big... and the one that has swivel tires. So, the latest two things that I have gotten for Dennis have not been the cheap ones. The Booster seat and his new car seat. LOVE THEM! Go big or go home.

I got sick this weekend and my dear husband bought me the most beautiful flowers!!! LOVE THAT MAN!

Brussels

"The Carpet of Flowers in the Grand Place, Brussels. Close to a million begonia flowers were used to create the 300 square metres carpet this week. The pattern is based on a medieval carpet design."

"Craftsman arrange the carpet by hand, directly onto the square's cobblestone, without any soil. Grass and tree bark were also used to provide colour."

I LOVE that place. Someday, I will make it back- though, I had a realization the other day as I dreamed of moving there with my family, that it would be different. That makes me sad. It would be hard to make a life there not as a missionary and I don't think it would be magical like it is in my memories. And, visiting just isn't long enough to quench my thirst- I will have to make many trips. Keenan & Nonie- want to go with Ryan and I someday? .... anyone else?

he's got skills

He was cracking me up today!

BIcycling

After having my bike for a while now, I finally got myself to commute to school via bike. Or, we should say, Ryan got me to. I was apprehensive at first because I didn't want to be showering in the locker room with my yahoo students running around. Well, I got over my fears and tried it out. With a few remarks that I overheard in the locker room: "whose ***** bike is that?"... red faced when they found out that it was mine and that I heard them. It all went smoothly. I wore sandals, saw a spider and went to class with dripping wet hair. :) Everyone either thought I was crazy or way cool. Nothing has changed. And I felt extremely energized for the day! That was by far the best day at work this year. Don't be surprised when I do it again.

REcycling

As you can see, Dennis will go to any heights to get into the recycling. He climed up the back of this chair and reached over to the back of plastic containers. Yikes, momma was scared!

And, he didn't think that the paper recycling belonged in the box. (notice- he also took down all of the shelves in this bookcase... where we keep the dog's misc.)

And, Dennis found a great use for the ice cream bucket! Maybe he like reusing more than recycling.

Dreams

I have them a lot... mostly during the day. You could categorize me as a major dreamer. Back in the day, I would dream about getting married to whichever boy it was at the time. I actually have a dream book where I would collect my dreams and Yes, I planned my wedding since I was little. Now that that is over... I dream of my kids- but since there is nothing I can do about ordering just the kind that I like... its kinda pointless. So, I dream of my house and vacations that I will take, etc. Today I am dreaming of going to a ball. When and Why? I have no idea. But, this is what I am going to wear- still deciding on the color... black, brown or ivory. Probably Brown. To this ball, I will get extensions in my hair like this gal only blonde. And, Ryan will be so excited to go because it will be, of course, his idea and we will dance every song until our feet hurt. We will drive in either our BMW or Mercedes and get valet parking. Want to come with us?

one is good

Daddy is now Dennis's favorite person! Chasing the dogs on daddy's back was a blast.

One is good. Ever since Dennis turned one, he has become so cuddly... Last night he fell asleep on my lap while I was watching a movie. He hasn't done that since he was a couple of months old. He fell asleep on Ryan this morning and just wanted to sit next to me this afternoon (pictured).

We found out this week that our babysitter was going to leave us. :( We were so sad until we found out that Dennis's daycare would take him for the first day on Tuesday! We have been on the waiting list since April and we finally got in! Woohoo~ So Dennis had to try on his new "school" clothes and give a style show!

He's a stud.

credit due

When I described my love for Dennis when he was born I was using someone else's idea but couldn't remember who... Well, I remember now. It was my very wise and lovely mission companion and friend Nonie. She always has the right words. So, here is what she said:

It's amazing what you learn about love when you have a child. As Keenan put it, it's "automatic love." I now realize that up until that point, love is a choice that we make. But for the first time, once a child arrives, love simply exists.

Thanks Nonie!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

Remember this? I sure do... and looking at pictures brings me right back to the NICU. I can smell the smell and hear the noises and feel the feelings. That was an incredible experience to all of a sudden, whole heartedly, love someone unconditionally without choosing to. An experience impossible to understand without experiencing it for yourself... Well, this LOVE has only grown a billion times over again through out the past year. He brings so much JOY to our lives.

It's been a year (exactly 4 minutes ago)- Hard to believe... This is how we celebrated the first birthday- just how it began... the three of us.

Spaghetti was delicious.After Dinner, we opened presents:

Our sweet neighbor always finds the cutest books for Dennis. We might have to supervise with this book if we want it to last longer than a day!

Dennis loved the tape on Grandma & Grandpa's package...

What could be inside?
Check out the video at the end to find out what he found inside! (THANK YOU-- ITS SUPER FUN)

I went shopping to buy Dennis some toys and grabbed 4 things that were in the cart at the checkout and when I heard how much I was going to be spending, I decided to put one back. Toys can be so expensive... Well, Ryan decided to buy a toy also... on a different day, at a different store... and ended up buying that exact toy that I put back!!! I guess it was meant to be. The wooden ball drop thingy.

After presents, we had cake!

Dennis snuck a taste while we were getting the video camera all ready. No hesitation there... "hey Mikey, he likes it!"

The best part about getting dirty, is the bath...

Dennis: "Really? a bath too? Just what I always wanted!"

kisses

Tonight Dennis was feeling a little grumpy for one reason or another... and wanted to be close to either Ryan or I. So, I was just laying on his bedroom floor playing with blocks when he came up to me and gave me a big kiss right on my mouth. This doesn't happen very often; he finds other things much more interesting. So, I was feeling very wanted and loved as my baby planted a open mouthed, wet kiss exactly on my mouth... something you can only appreciate when its your own baby. All of a sudden, he throws up. Not spit up... real throw up with chunks and everything, right on my mouth. Lovely. Really. Charming. I guess he was grumpy because he had a stomach ache.