Setting the bar high

This week marked the end of Van's first year of school. To be honest I was skeptical about putting him into school at such an early age. For mostly selfish reasons, I was scared I would miss out on something. He is going to be in school for many years and I didn't know if I was ready to let him go. But after talking to friends, I decided that two mornings a week would be really good for him..........

and me! They could not have been any more right. Van blossomed this year at school. He made a lot of new friends, did tons of cool art projects, but most importantly his learning curve was nurtured and grew by leaps and bounds. He is by nature a tad on the shy side and Ms. Tina and Ms. Jane helped him come out of his shell!

Ms. Tina and Ms. Jane have set  the bar extremely high for all future teachers. We could not have asked for a better year. I am truly thankful Van was in their class. 

He is talking in full sentences now. Non-stop! And what blows my mind is the fact that he is not just parroting things he hears us say anymore. He is coming up with his own thoughts and ideas about things. This may be completely normal for kids his age but it just feels like it is all happening so quickly. He went from speaking two words sentences at the beginning of the year (and mostly only talking at home) to a chatter box!!

A little recap of his first day of school last August:

He looks so small

biting that little lip; he was so nervous

"i'm going where?!?!"

That morning was hard for both of us. Van cried. I held it together until I got back to the car. 

But soon Van was running down the corridor into Ms. Tina's arms and I would have to ask him for a hug and a kiss good-bye. 

his big boy book bag with monogram

my sweet boy

who would not get off his bike so i could take a picture

greatest teachers ever - Ms. Jane, Van, Ms. Tina and moi 

 I can't believe how fast the year has flown by and now that summer is here I'm excited to spend lots of quality time with my little man!

29 weeks and getting beach ready

How quickly 29 weeks has come and how fast approaching these 10 weeks are.

I keep looking over my list of to-do's before Rory arrives and I have yet to check off some major items. Hopefully this week I will get to a few of them. 

big brother is so excited for the arrival of his baby sister

29 weeks

I'm really starting to get uncomfortable at night. I feel great all day but then I sit down at the end of the day and this baby bump is all up in my way. I think I'm trying to do too much at this point because I'm having a lot more pain and cramps than I had with Van. I am sure it has to do with the fact that I still try to pick Van up sometimes and at 42 pounds, he is way over the weight limit I'm allowed to carry. But that is my go-to move when he's doing something I don't want him to be doing. 

So, I'd really like to stay this size and not get any bigger but fat chance of that happening. I should be gaining about a pound a week from here on out and that means at least 10 more pounds of baby love to carry around!!!!

Lucky for me Rory loves fruit and veggies so hopefully that will help me keep the weight gain to a minimum.  I just want to be at a healthy weight and not be extremely uncomfortable during the hottest months of the year.

Rory's must have snacks:

*edamame rice crackers from Trader Joe's (I could seriously eat the whole bag and thankfully one serving of 38 crackers is only 2 grams of fat + low sodium!)

*carrot chips & cucumbers with edamame hummus (also from Trader Joe's)

*bananas, grapes & strawberries

*organic apples with sunflower butter

*salads

*greek yogurt with granola & honey

*venti iced americano with 3 pumps of white mocha, no water, & extra ice from Starbucks

*Trader Joe's cereal bars (so this fig walked into a bar.....)

*roasted cauliflower & broccoli

Rory also has a sweet tooth and after dinner every night CRAVES something sweet. I try to just enjoy a nice cold glass of organic chocolate milk but sometimes I indulge in some ice cream or a brownie or two ; )

Next Saturday is the start of our annual Luke family vacation on Kiawah Island. Coastal Living just ranked the top 15 happiest places to live on the coast and Kiawah Island came in #1! If you have never been before, I highly recommend taking a vacation here. 

Our little beach bum LOVED Kiawah last year

So, along with my to-do list for Rory, I have been going over and over my packing list for the beach and sending email after email to my family about odds and ends. I'm sure they just love all my questions and forced organization!

What are your favorite/must-have beach items?

I think this year a must-have for me will be a large beach umbrella. And I've been searching for some good, natural sunscreen. We go through so much but all the chemicals that are in majority of the sunscreen out there really freaks me out. Last year I thought I was being good getting Baby Aveeno and it stung our eyes terribly.

I better start getting things together now so that we can actually leave in a week!

Our last week of normal before summer

This week is flying by! Van only has one more day of school left and he's out for the summer!! I am fast approaching week 30 of this pregnancy which means in 10 weeks (or less if I'm lucky) Rory will be here!!! And we are getting ready to start our summer of beach trips next Saturday.

So this week I am relishing in the everyday, normal schedule we have before things are completely shaken up. But, change is good right??

Anyhoo, after Van and I go to the gym we usually stop by daddy's office and visit him, Uncle Josh and Papa. Things at the office are really looking great and the renovations are complete. New and wonderful things are starting to happen!!!!!

The best place to purchase your Big Green Egg 

Van loves to run around the open showroom floor. Sometimes, he brings his bike inside and rides around with Uncle Josh. 

But lately he has been obsessed with playing "bridge" with Uncle Josh's amazing pieces of custom furniture. Many of you know that Josh started building custom wood slab tables and lightening a couple years ago. My favorite room in my house is thanks to Josh. He built our maple slab dining room table, the burning tree branch light fixture and the cool piece of art hanging behind the table! If I had the space, I would commission him to make a table for every room in my house!

Well, Josh has been busy making several new pieces and I think Van wants this to come home with us! This beautiful table is made from walnut with a raw steel base...........

For more information on all his pieces and how to purchase check out his website - Josh Utsey. 

going under the bridge

We've also been playing outside a lot and thankfully the weather has not been too hot for this mama!

cooling off in his pool at Mimi's house - that water looks cold from the look on his face!

doing yard work

discussing our dinner options on our pizza date night

Thank goodness we have Van's treehouse in the backyard. We spend almost every afternoon playing (getting dizzy) on it!

All you need is Love - A Mother's Day post

"There is only one happiness in life - to love and be loved." - George Sands

Growing up, I always thought I knew what love looked and felt like. I loved my parents, my siblings, my extended family. Then I fell in love with Derek and on our wedding day I thought that my heart would burst with all the love I felt for him.

But, it wasn't until the day that Van was born and I became a mother that I truly understood what love means. A hole had been opened in my heart and filled with so much unconditional love and understanding. This is how God loves me. This is how my parents love me. It was completely overwhelming, intoxicating and comforting.

Being a mother has made me a better person because of this understanding of God's love. He gave us this perfect gift in our Son and He has entrusted us to take care of him, teach him and most of all - love him.

It got me thinking about what would happen if I used that same approach with the people in my life? How much happier would I be? Could I help make other people happy? I have tried to come from a place of love in every moment of my life - there are many times that I fail. What can I say, I'm human and pregnant but I keep trying. And praying. Praying that I am exactly the kind of mom that Van and Rory need me to be.

And to me, that is what being a mom is all about. So thank you sweet Van from the bottom of my bursting heart. Thank you for opening my eyes and filling our lives with God's greatest gift. And thank you Derek, for making me a mom and a better person. Watching you with Van is one of my favorite pastimes.

Thank you to my incredible mom, who is not only an amazing woman but everything I needed her to be. And I needed A LOT!

Thank you to my caring, sweet and funny mother-in-law who raised a wonderful man. A man who is my very best friend, awesome husband and an even better father. I pray that Van turns out just like him.

Mother's Day weekend was full of family time. Just how I like to spend all my holidays! First thing Saturday morning Van and I went with Derek to his first sprint Triathlon of the year at Jetton Park. Van had not seen his daddy race since last summer so it was fun to see how he reacted to all the excitement!

Derek and Van before the 8 am swim start

testing the water

finished with his swim

finishing on the bike

and he was too fast for us to capture a picture of him running but Van was there to give him a high five after he crossed the finish line

Derek finished 3rd in his age group and 17th overall!! We are so proud of you D!! And as always we had so much fun watching you race.

After we got home, I had to go to work for a few hours but once I got home I got to sit back and relax with my book (Fifty Shades of Grey) and cuddle with my little man while he played games on my iPhone (which he knows how to work a little too well!).

and yes i changed into my pajamas as soon as i got home from work!

these beauties were waiting for me when i got home from work

Sunday we cuddled in bed then had a delicious breakfast of sausage, egg & cheese croissants and the boys went out and got Starbucks! The rest of the day was spent between my parents house having a french toast brunch (can you tell we LOVE breakfast???) and at Derek's parents' having steak and lobster for dinner. A wonderful Mother's Day all the way around.

28 week update

I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is going and I feel bad for not being better at taking pictures of Miss Rory's progress.

I had my 28 week check-up on Thursday and had to take the O'Sullivan test (glucose test). I failed this first test with Van so I was nervous going into the appointment. However, I am very happy to say that I passed with flying colors!!! Which means I don't have to take the 3-hour test and I don't have to worry about being scolded for my diet!

Rory's heart rate was 147 bpm and she is measuring two week ahead at 30 weeks. My midwife says she must have had a growth spurt! 

So far I have gained a total of 22 pounds and I feel great! I'm still working out with my trainer once a week and getting in at least 3 days of cardio. I am so bored with cardio and can't wait to get back to my hot yoga classes! 

28 weeks 

I've been working on Rory's nursery space and hope to get our bedroom rearranged before we leave for our June beach trip. Isn't this bassinet beautiful? Rory is so blessed to be able to use this heirloom bassinet from her fairy Godmother. It is from the early 1900's!! I can't wait to get it set up for her.

Freaky Friday

Today started just like any other Friday, Van looked at "me see pictures of me" (pictures/videos of him) while I drank my coffee and made us breakfast. Bobby (his blanket) even joined in on the picture viewing. Then we headed to the gym to blow off some steam.

loves looking at pictures

Nap time was pretty productive for me. I must be nesting. I sanded and painted Rory's dresser so I could replace the knobs with more girly ones. I also put contact paper in all her drawers so her clothes are on a clean surface. Then I washed all the clothes she has received thus far.

Baxter took part in nap time too!

After a fairly long nap we went and met Daddy for dinner. When we got home Van wanted to take a walk, with his big boy bike - not his push(Strider bike)! Derek and I were a little unsure about this walk since we assumed one of us would end up carrying a 40+ pound toddler and the other carrying a bicycle.

My two boys -  so silly when they're together.

But much to our surprise and amazement, Van got the hang of no training wheels quickly! And by the end of the walk he was able to start pedaling from a stopped position and brake without using his shoes. I continue to be in awe of my sweet boy but it kind of made me sad too. He is growing up so fast. 

Mommy & Van play date

Now that Van doesn't go down for a nap until 1:30 we have some time to spend together after I pick him up from school.

Yesterday he wanted to go to the train park. I mostly saw his little bum since he was running everywhere. A few times he stopped and wanted me to carry him but that is pretty impossible at this point in my pregnancy!

Laid back. 

he is such a cool kid. loves!

watching the geese

looking for ducks

this is the view i had of him most of the time at the park, he was running everywhere and i was waddling after him!

we treated ourselves to a smoothie after the train park. it was a welcome refreshment after our walk in 90 degree heat. how am i ever going to make it through June & July???

a little sneak peek at Rory's bedding! isn't it adorable?? i can't wait to get her little nursery set up.