Happy Birthday!

I can't even believe that it has been a whole year since our little man entered this world.  He is such a joy to Tom and I, and I can't even imagine our lives without him.  He has taught us so much about love, patience, humility, ourselves, and what really matters in this world.  I am so grateful to this little boy for teaching me so many lessons in just one year.

We had a wonderful birthday party for him, surrounded by family and friends.  It was the best 1st birthday I could have imagined for him, and Tom and I felt so incredibly loved.  We ate food, drank wine, reflected on the previous 365 days, and spoiled Michael rotten.  Just as it should be.  

Our lives seem to be speeding up exponentially, and with summer right around the corner, I'm sure the weeks are going to fly by.  We are heading to North Carolina on Friday to kick off the wedding season, with Tom's sister, Danielle and her new Husband Jeff.  Cheers to all the happy new couples out there!

Friends

First of all, Happy 27th Birthday to my amazing Husband.  He is one of a kind and I am SO lucky to have him all for myself. 

Now on to the purpose of this post: Friends.  Aren't they incredible?  As I think about the friends that I have made throughout my life, I feel so blessed.  Some friendships have faded, others have formed, and some have made it through the tests of time.  While some friends are no longer in my life, I feel that they were in my life for some reason.  Maybe it was to get me through a heartache of a first love, the transition to college, the start of my marriage, or now the journey of motherhood.  Either way, they had an impact on my life and helped to shape me into the person that I am today. 

One friend in particular has been stupendously awesome and is getting her very own post (let's ignore the fact that she has been harping on me to get this done for quite some time...).  That person would be Jen. 

What an amazing woman she is.  Her sense of calm in stressful situations, her belly-laugh that could make the angriest person smile and her compassion for everyone around her makes me so honored to call her my friend.  She has carried me through the situations that I never thought I could tackle, been my strongest supporter when I took a chance and has never let me forget that no matter what, she is there to catch me if I fall.  She is the friend that I wish everyone could have.  And she is the type of person that everyone should strive to be.  She is fantastic. 

So, thank you, Jen.  For sitting at my lunch table way back when, and being my friend (even if you had no other choice at the time).  For being the best Godmother Michael could ever have, and for being a constant reminder that there are great people in this world.  You are so special to me and my family and we love you more than you will ever fully comprehend. 

We're Alive!

My, oh my, how time has slipped right past us.  I feel like there hasn't even been a spare second in our lives to sit down and write about all the things going on.  But, now that Michael is taking a nap like an angel, I have a few spare moments. 

Christmas was lovely.  We spent Christmas Eve preparing a delicious meal for a Women's Shelter here in St. Paul.  Christmas Day, we went to the shelter to complete our cooking and serve our meal- it was so rewarding to do something nice for a group of people who were extremely down on their luck.  I know that they enjoyed their meal, the Christmas cheer, and the leftovers the following week.  It was our honor and pleasure to be able to share what we have with those who have none.  I hope that something similar becomes a family tradition for us, as it reminded us all of what Christmas is all about, and of how incredibly lucky we are to be surrounded by such amazing people in our lives. 

The beginning of January, I jetted off to California for 10 days to complete my training for my new job.  It was nice to be in such a warm climate, but I missed my boys terribly.  10 days was just too long.  Kissing my sweet little man all over his chubby little cheeks never felt so amazing as it did when I saw him in the airport.  How servicemen and women do it, I will never know.  Kudos to them. 

After a quick 4 days at home, I left again for Arizona for a ride-along.  While that trip was much more tolerable, I still wanted to be back at home, in the freezing cold, with my boys.  I have one more trip coming up, the last week of January, and then I will be home for quite some time. Thank goodness! 

During all of that time, Michael had his 9-month check up.  He is 18.5 pounds of charm!  And, he is now a whopping 28 inches long....where did my baby go?!  He is SO close to walking and would rather be standing up than anything else in the world.  My parents have always told me how fast your life flies when you have kids and I never really believed them.  But, it is true- so true. 

Speaking of my little man- he is up!  Better go grab him and get some smooches in before he is 16 and hates them!