The big cheese

Yeah, my kid's a major cheese ball... but it's pretty cute! Here are some of his newest personality quirks. He can do "SO BIG" and he throws his hands up every time he is proud of a new accomplishment. His other way of showing how awesome he thinks he is, is to hold his chin as high up in the air as he can while flashing he absolute cheesiest grin! He does this when we are chasing him and playing on the floor together. It's too funny. And he has figured out how to make it perfectly clear when he wants some things... like me! Cooking dinner, going to the bathroom, whatever- there is no good excuse in his mind for to to not hold him when he's ready & he shows me by wrapping me up at the knees so I can't take a single step without picking him up first!

Put a crab in water

I've been a bit nervous to give Van a bath in a real tub. I felt like I had more control with him in the infant tub at chest height, but I knew it couldn't last forever, so I finally stuck him in the tub. It's safe to say that he LOVES it to pieces! When I was still pregnant, someone told me "when you have a crab, put him in water" and I promise it works. It hasn't taken me long to learn that there is no problem in this life that is too big for a warm bath and a nap to fix. (That goes for mom & baby!)

Thanksgiving Trip

Happy Thanksgiving! This is my favorite holiday of the year by far. I love how the focus is almost completely on family and our blessings, and I love the food too! This year we drove out to Nevada to visit my dad's parents who we haven't seen in almost 4 years, and obviously they have never seen Van. I was worried how Bambino would do on the lllllooooooooooonnnggg drive, but I was pleasantly surprised. (That doesn't mean we didn't break every carseat law in all 3 states we drove though, but when you have a baby, you just do what you have to do.) We had a great time with Grandma & Grandpa, and we had a decent "diabetic" Thanksgiving feast. One of my favorite parts was taking Van on a hike in Tahoe that my parents used to take me on when I was his age. And it's a hike I've done many time throughout high school and college . I just love sharing pieces of my past like that with my family!

Can you see how well he travels? I don't think he could be much happier!

The Famous Tupperware Drawer

What kid didn't get their very own Tupperware drawer growing up? As far as I can tell, it is one of the greatest secrets to getting dinner on the table, as long as you don't break an ankle on all the clutter first! Well, who besides my little Vandal would have known that the Tupperware drawer makes the prefect step-stool to get INTO the dishwasher? Yup. All the way in!

Love These Pics

As much time as I spend with Van everyday, I have very few pictures to show for it. We have had so many fun and special moments together, and I have already started to forget some. I don't want to forget. This is what makes being a mom so worthwhile. I wish I had more pictures of our daily interactions to help me remember those cherished times, but I am so thankful someone thought to take these one night while we were goofing around.