Happy 1st birthday, Van!!

how did we get from this (FRESH out of the womb)....

to this... (3 months)....

to this... (6 months)...

to this... (9 months)....

to this so fast!! (1 year - today at his birthday breakfast and play at the mall slides - it was raining!)

Vander Mander - you're such a good boy and we love you so much! I really can't believe how fast you're growing up. You're our big boy now and we love you more every minute of every day. Happy birthday!


the "dig into his own cake" birthday celebration is pending til dad gets home from his business trip. more pictures to come.

5 years

I think this pretty well sums up our 1st 5 years of marriage...
5 years
4 cities
3 college degrees
2 kids
1 (or 1st) real career and 1st home


Dear Aaron,

Being married to you is so wonderful and so easy. So, thank you. Thank you....

• for kissing me on our first date and every day since.
• for always insisting I eat the leftovers.
• for indulging my love for shopping.
  
• for thinking I'm the most amazing cook on the planet and for preferring my cooking to your endless $50/day and hotel employee dining room possibilities with your new job.
• for sweeping the floor and doing the dishes just because when my to-do list gets a little too ambitious.
• for taking care of the little things that lose me - insurance, car maintenance, toilet plunging and this morning - kiddie barf clean up.
  
• for masking your face when you change stinky diapers.
• for being such a hands-on dad and wanting to spend more time with our kids than I could ever even ask for.
  
• for being the world's best story teller.
  
• for unintentionally helping a spoiled princess become even more stingy than you are.
  
• for being so sexy when you install our new tub with your shirt off... and with Van "helping".
• for making me a better, more mellow, more patient mother.
  
• for always putting my needs, wants, feelings, goals and hunger pains above your own.

Love,
Wifey

Thanks, Grandma and Pa, for watching our kids so we could spend all afternoon playing! We went and did the Bootleg Canyon Flight Lines (where my little bro works - thanks for the hook up Boog!), then a sunset mountain bike ride, then McDonalds Smoothies and a dollar movie, then dinner at Chilis (with a gift card - do you think we're made of money or something?). We had a blast! have you ever been off-roading on a short bus? i have now! :) aaron and my little bro.

the view from the top (see lake mead behind us?). did i mention I'm blonde again?

looking down one of the lines

aaron going down one of the runs. so so so fun!

i've never thought sunset was romantic - apparently it is on a mountain bike.

awww.... 5 years later and we still like each other. cute!

my beautiful babies

i took these a month ago with my mom's camera and then had some fun on iPhoto. i'm really happy with the way they turned out. and more importantly, i really love my precious, beautiful babies. i'm so lucky to be their mom.