Surrounded by L.O.V.E

It's an amazing feeling to be surrounded by people who you genuinely and unconditionally love and for them to reciprocate that feeling. Love of family and friends is the greatest gift. For this reason, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love that it is a day set aside for us all to get together and spend time with one another, just being ourselves.

This was Van's first Thanksgiving and the last holiday we spent last year without him in our lives. Here is a little flashback to last Thanksgiving (oh my!)

I was beginning to catch a cold this year and did not do the greatest job capturing our Thanksgiving too well but it was fabulous nonetheless.

First, we went over to Mimi and Papa's house so Mimi could help me make her famous carrot salad. It was the dish I was requested to bring to dinner and I had no clue how to make it!

Then later that afternoon we went over to Dalcher's house (Van's fairy god-mother) for a little lunch and to spend time with Mimi, Papa, Josh, Dalcher and Becky & Jenny (some of the Magnolias). Lunch was splendid and we couldn't get enough of Josh's mac n' cheese!

Here is the only photo I captured of our little escape artist. He's so curious..........

Then we headed over to Nana and Colonel's for Thanksgiving dinner. There are typically 20-25 at the table but this year it was only the 8 of us and the 2 little guys. Van was in great spirits, especially after his golf cart ride and getting to feed apples to the horses.

all snuggled up

While we were putting together the finishing touches on dinner, Van decided he would like a snack and grabbed an apple out of Nana's fruit bowl. He then proceeded to walk around and nibble around the entire apple.

and the only family shot I got this year is of my gorgeous sister, her hubby and preoccupied Van with his apple!!!! : )

We are so thankful for all our family and friends, near and far and we hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. You all enrich our lives and make them so full. Our cup runneth over.

Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God."

thankful for bedtime giggles

love him.

kisses for mommy & high-fives for daddy

i'm not usually the mom that gets worried about a little cold. i guess my mentality is there is nothing love and a couple phone calls to the doctor's office can't fix...........

but boy was i a worried mom this past weekend;

van started getting a runny nose and slightly feverish on friday,

so i called the nurse and she said it was nothing to worry about. they considered 101.2 to be a low grade fever.

now van has had these symptoms before (when his last two teeth came in) so, i just thought that it was his molars since he was showing other signs of teething as well the classic eating everything in sight be it a dogs toy, his fingers or mommy's shoulder! (he literally bites my shoulder)

no worries.

i was still looking forward to date night with the hubs saturday night but after i got off work and saw how van had been acting all day (not like himself at all); i started feeling guilty about leaving our sick baby with a sitter.

starting to get worried.

so derek went to pick up dinner from our now favorite italian restaurant dolce and while he was gone, van fell asleep on my stomach. his breathing was slow and it sounded phlegm-y, his back was on fire and he would pick his head up for a second but then lay it right back down like he didn't have the strength to hold it up.

mommy is officially freaking out.

by the time derek gets home & suggests we put him to bed i'm close to tears.

we take his temperature and it's 104.5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

freaking out more.

thank goodness i got a hold of my mom (the dr.'s office was busy and i left a message but the minutes it was taking for them to return my call felt like hours)

mom told us to put van in a cool bath to bring down his temperature. HE HATED IT and i was dying on the inside to hear him cry and see him in such pain. i was trying to hold it together for him but i couldn't take it any longer.

we took him out of the tub and wrapped him a towel (nurse calls)

she is still not worried, saying that as long as his temp is not over 105 then he is ok and we were doing all the right things to bring it down.

the cool bath worked, his temp fell to 103 and he was in much better spirits. derek even taught him to give high fives and had him in a giggle fit while i was on the phone with the nurse

*sigh*

the rest of our weekend consisted of lots of snuggling (one positive side effect to his cold) and by monday our van was back to normal

as i was putting him to bed that night, he had his head on my shoulder and i was humming silent night to him like i always do, he did the sweetest thing - every couple seconds he would pick his head up and kiss me on the lips (like he was saying thank you mommy). melted my heart.

sweetest.thing.ever.

so now it's kisses for mommy & high-fives for daddy. followed by a huge toothy grin & squinched up eyes (like s0)

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Psalm 23:1-6

Grandpa,

I am at a loss for words. If I were able to see you again I would want to tell you that you are loved. You will always be remembered fondly. Thank you for loving us in your own way and for all the memories I have of you. I am so happy you got to meet Van and I promise to tell him stories about his Great-Grandpa Danens. I love you Grandpa and though I miss you, I am happy that you are at peace now. Give Jesus a hug for me and Grandma too! Watch over us until we meet again.

xoxo

is this a phase

i really hope so..........because he spits out more food than he actually eats!

but doesn't he look so cute doing it?!?!

the best kind of friend

"The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've ever had." ~ Author Unknown

Erin,

We've shared tears, hopes and dreams, you and I. How lucky we are. I am so happy you were able to come and visit for an almost week and meet our "tiny human"! I had the best time with you and quickly realized how much I miss having you be a part of my daily life. But, I love that no matter how far apart we live from each other (sometimes other continents) or how long it's been since we saw each other last we can always pick up right where we left off and never miss a beat. It was wonderful to see you and Van, he clearly adored you, and why wouldn't he - you're about his size!!!! I love you so much and I am so thankful for your friendship. I can't believe it's been 12 years! Our visits sure our different these days but I love how relaxing this last week was with you. It was a perfect week of catching up with my bestie and kindred spirit. Thank you for always being you and letting me be me.

xoxo ~ The tall girl

*This visit was so different we never got a picture together so I found this little gem from the past! I would have gone back further but had no time to go out to my parents house and scan one!*

I did however get some great shots of you and the tiny human! (I'm talking about Van by the way!)

You are wonderfully made

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. DO NOT BE TERRIFIED; DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL BE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. joshua 1:9

This weekend both our families and several of our close friends got together to celebrate Van's baptism. We are so thankful for those who were there in person and in spirit. It was a perfect fall day spent celebrating our little child of God. Van did well during his baptism until the Reverend made the sign of the cross on his forehead with the cold holy water! He proceeded to scream until he was handed to me and we walked down the aisle together.

Then we had a delicious luncheon at Van's grandparents house - The Utseys! We had two kinds of chili, cornbread, salad, appetizers, cupcakes and mimosas! Perfect food for a chilly fall day.

Thank you to our family for hosting and preparing all the yummy food. And a special thank you to Uncle Josh and Dalcher for helping set-up and clean-up. We had a great afternoon and we were happy to share Van's special day with those we love.

Our big family (where is Derek?)

The Lukoskies:

The Utseys:

Me and My Boys: (Van was so tired. He fell asleep on the way to lunch and was off his nap schedule due to daylight savings time!)

Van, Margaret Blount & Betsy Grace

Family Love

Many Blessings, Love and Thanks to you all!

Lauren Jackson Photography

I found Lauren Jackson Photography through a close friend and immediately fell in love with all her images. She has an incredible talent of being able to genuinely capture the love between a family. Lauren was absolutely amazing and made us feel so comfortable. These are my favorite pictures and looking through them brought tears to my eyes. I can't wait to put them up ALL over our house! I highly recommend her. Thanks a million Lauren!