Cheers!
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| This might be my favorite. ;) |
September 22, 2015
One Year Photos
Here's the last major photo shoot for a bit. Probably until 18 months. I think I'm going to follow the sizes of clothing. :)
Cheers!
Cheers!
September 14, 2015
Holland, MI
Over Labor Day weekend, Kevin and I took a trip to Holland. We had a few things to celebrate and I hadn't been to Holland since I was in high school. We spent two nights there. Two nights away from Gunnar. That's the longest I had been away from him. Not gonna lie, I almost had us driving back a day early because I missed him so much. It didn't help that there were freaking babies everywhere that weekend.
But, we didn't go home early. It was really nice weather and I picked a great hotel for us. I planned a trip using michigan.org. I printed it and had the list of things to do with me so we could pick. We ended up doing quite a few things on the list and still managed to relax. We made the mistake of trying to go to Lake Michigan on Sunday. You don't head to the lake on the last day of summer. We ended up turning around out of the line of traffic and exploring around Lake Macatawa instead. We saw some amazing houses that I didn't think would ever be in MI. I even found a house listed for $10 million!
I definitely want to go back in the spring for the tulips. There are a lot of things I want Gunnar to see.
Cheers!
Here's some things we did while in Holland:
Lunch at Boatwerks on the water. It's located next to Kollen Park which has great views of Lake Macatawa and a boardwalk. Get the mac and cheese.
Antique shopping at The New Wooden Shoe Antique Mall. We went back three times because we found so many good deals. Really nice antiques, reasonably priced.
We walked Downtown Holland too. We ate at The 8th Street Grille. Try their soup bar! And found the cutest gifts at The Apothecary Gift Shop (they have Pandora!) and Karlas Place (they sell stamps for their postcards!). We also looked around The Holland Clock Company and saw the most amazing cuckoo clocks and Christmas windmills.
We learned all about Dutch culture at the Windmill Island Gardens. And Kevin kicked my butt at miniature golf at Sundae Sundae Miniature Golf & Ice Cream.
It was a great trip with our home base being the Hampton Inn. We were flanked by Holiday Inn and Best Western which also looked decent. There was kind of an outside mall on the other side of the intersection and you could walk to Aldi, some restaurants and a Salvation Army. Come to think of it, you could walk to that mall too...
But, we didn't go home early. It was really nice weather and I picked a great hotel for us. I planned a trip using michigan.org. I printed it and had the list of things to do with me so we could pick. We ended up doing quite a few things on the list and still managed to relax. We made the mistake of trying to go to Lake Michigan on Sunday. You don't head to the lake on the last day of summer. We ended up turning around out of the line of traffic and exploring around Lake Macatawa instead. We saw some amazing houses that I didn't think would ever be in MI. I even found a house listed for $10 million!
I definitely want to go back in the spring for the tulips. There are a lot of things I want Gunnar to see.
Cheers!
Here's some things we did while in Holland:
Lunch at Boatwerks on the water. It's located next to Kollen Park which has great views of Lake Macatawa and a boardwalk. Get the mac and cheese.
Antique shopping at The New Wooden Shoe Antique Mall. We went back three times because we found so many good deals. Really nice antiques, reasonably priced.
We walked Downtown Holland too. We ate at The 8th Street Grille. Try their soup bar! And found the cutest gifts at The Apothecary Gift Shop (they have Pandora!) and Karlas Place (they sell stamps for their postcards!). We also looked around The Holland Clock Company and saw the most amazing cuckoo clocks and Christmas windmills.
We learned all about Dutch culture at the Windmill Island Gardens. And Kevin kicked my butt at miniature golf at Sundae Sundae Miniature Golf & Ice Cream.
It was a great trip with our home base being the Hampton Inn. We were flanked by Holiday Inn and Best Western which also looked decent. There was kind of an outside mall on the other side of the intersection and you could walk to Aldi, some restaurants and a Salvation Army. Come to think of it, you could walk to that mall too...
September 10, 2015
D-Day V2
So yesterday was pretty much one of the worst days of my life. If not the worst, then it's totally the top three.
Gunnar started daycare again yesterday. It has been four months since he was in daycare in Florida. I cried his first day there. He didn't seem to mind it that much. He was only four months old and still trying to figure things out. I think he liked daycare in Florida. The teachers were all impressed with how he did on his first day. He seemed to adjust quickly and settle into their routine. He was a happy baby and they loved having him in their class.
Fast forward to yesterday. His new daycare is very nice. His room is a good size and the head teacher has a lot of experience. But let's be real. None of that makes me feel good about dropping my baby boy off with strangers. And it didn't sit well with Gunnar either. He started crying when I left him to go fill out some paperwork and he didn't stop. He tried to play while I was there but he cried the whole time. I tried to sneak out but he figured that out almost instantly and started screaming. I heard him out in the hall. I heard him in the entry way. I looked in the window to his room and saw his teacher trying to comfort him. I turned on the car and headed to work. And cried the whole way. My co-workers in Florida told me that it never gets better, you just learn to deal with it more. That seems like a very dysfunctional way of doing something. Why would I want to learn to deal with something that hurts so bad?
Well, you do what you have to for your kids. And while I believe that being a stay-at-home-parent is an endangered profession in need of saving, I do value daycare as well. I living proof of the benefits of it. But that doesn't make it any easier to drive away from my baby when I know he is in pain.
I pray that the next day goes better. Because I'm not strong enough to keep this up...
Cheers
Gunnar started daycare again yesterday. It has been four months since he was in daycare in Florida. I cried his first day there. He didn't seem to mind it that much. He was only four months old and still trying to figure things out. I think he liked daycare in Florida. The teachers were all impressed with how he did on his first day. He seemed to adjust quickly and settle into their routine. He was a happy baby and they loved having him in their class.
Fast forward to yesterday. His new daycare is very nice. His room is a good size and the head teacher has a lot of experience. But let's be real. None of that makes me feel good about dropping my baby boy off with strangers. And it didn't sit well with Gunnar either. He started crying when I left him to go fill out some paperwork and he didn't stop. He tried to play while I was there but he cried the whole time. I tried to sneak out but he figured that out almost instantly and started screaming. I heard him out in the hall. I heard him in the entry way. I looked in the window to his room and saw his teacher trying to comfort him. I turned on the car and headed to work. And cried the whole way. My co-workers in Florida told me that it never gets better, you just learn to deal with it more. That seems like a very dysfunctional way of doing something. Why would I want to learn to deal with something that hurts so bad?
Well, you do what you have to for your kids. And while I believe that being a stay-at-home-parent is an endangered profession in need of saving, I do value daycare as well. I living proof of the benefits of it. But that doesn't make it any easier to drive away from my baby when I know he is in pain.
I pray that the next day goes better. Because I'm not strong enough to keep this up...
Cheers
September 9, 2015
The Bear Den #4
A lot of changes in the den. First, Gunnar is full on walking! It is the cutest thing I've seen so far. He toddles around with is arms out for balance. He been climbing the steps for a while now but now he goes up to the top without stopping. He holds my hand as we walk around the house. He just loves going from one end of the room to the other. He also waves bye-bye. Every morning when I leave I say "bye-bye" and he smiles and waves at me. I can't stand it!
Next big news, Kevin got a job! His days of being a SAHD are over. While I'm sure he's happy to be working again, I know that he's going to miss being able to snuggle with Gunnar any time he wants. Now, everyone in the house is going to be fighting over Gunnar when we all get home from work. It should be interesting. With Kevin going back to work, it means that Gunnar will be going into daycare. We are lucky to have a nice daycare located less than five minutes from the house. My friend's son already goes there and says nice things about it. I'm sure it's a great facility, I just have your typical mommy anxiety about handing over my child to someone else. I believe that daycare is good for kids. It teaches social skills and survival in a way a parent can't teach their kids. I was a daycare kid and I have always been proud of that. I think it taught me how to be independent, think on my feet, make friends and be confident. To this day, I have no problem going on adventures and meeting new people. I make friends fast at new jobs and I truly enjoy learning about different people. I hope that Gunnar will get all of those things from being in daycare as well.
Kevin and I have also started thinking about where we would like to live permanently. This is the scariest thing I think I have done yet. We know that we want to stay in MI. But where? I work in Ann Arbor and Kevin will be working in Jackson. All our family and friends are in Metro Detroit. And how do you pick a good school system? Will it change before Gunnar even starts school? Do we live in the country or stay close to a city? How long will it take to get food, clothes, health care? Is it safe? Are there other children around to play with? Is there a church near by? How far is too far to live from work? Ugh. The questions are endless. It's the most expensive purchase of your life. How do you really know you made the right choice? I mean, you are going to have to commit to a place for a few years. A lot can change in a few years...
Being an adult is hard. While I'm excited about this next chapter in our lives, it is still overwhelming and scary. I hope that the universe sends us a house that will fit all the things we need. We just have to be patient.
Cheers
Next big news, Kevin got a job! His days of being a SAHD are over. While I'm sure he's happy to be working again, I know that he's going to miss being able to snuggle with Gunnar any time he wants. Now, everyone in the house is going to be fighting over Gunnar when we all get home from work. It should be interesting. With Kevin going back to work, it means that Gunnar will be going into daycare. We are lucky to have a nice daycare located less than five minutes from the house. My friend's son already goes there and says nice things about it. I'm sure it's a great facility, I just have your typical mommy anxiety about handing over my child to someone else. I believe that daycare is good for kids. It teaches social skills and survival in a way a parent can't teach their kids. I was a daycare kid and I have always been proud of that. I think it taught me how to be independent, think on my feet, make friends and be confident. To this day, I have no problem going on adventures and meeting new people. I make friends fast at new jobs and I truly enjoy learning about different people. I hope that Gunnar will get all of those things from being in daycare as well.
Kevin and I have also started thinking about where we would like to live permanently. This is the scariest thing I think I have done yet. We know that we want to stay in MI. But where? I work in Ann Arbor and Kevin will be working in Jackson. All our family and friends are in Metro Detroit. And how do you pick a good school system? Will it change before Gunnar even starts school? Do we live in the country or stay close to a city? How long will it take to get food, clothes, health care? Is it safe? Are there other children around to play with? Is there a church near by? How far is too far to live from work? Ugh. The questions are endless. It's the most expensive purchase of your life. How do you really know you made the right choice? I mean, you are going to have to commit to a place for a few years. A lot can change in a few years...
Being an adult is hard. While I'm excited about this next chapter in our lives, it is still overwhelming and scary. I hope that the universe sends us a house that will fit all the things we need. We just have to be patient.
Cheers
September 1, 2015
Gunnar's Baptism
I put off getting Gunnar baptized way longer than I wanted to. Mostly because I didn't want him baptized in Florida, I wanted him in MI with all our friends and family. When we finally moved home, I quickly went about setting up his baptism with the church where we always go to midnight mass. I worked so hard to get everything perfect for Little man's big day on July 19th. I ordered a cake and cookies, had prayer cards printed, elaborate invites made and planned a reception at the restaurant on the golf course. I even got some decorations for the tables.
When it was all said and done, there were things I loved, and things I hated. I always tend to go overboard when planning events because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE to plan parties. And with pinterest available, the possibilities are endless. And it doesn't help that only rarely does anything meet my expectations.
Gunnar did a great job at church and I'm so pleased that he has started his spiritual journey. Now, I get a bit of a break until First Communion...
Cheers!
When it was all said and done, there were things I loved, and things I hated. I always tend to go overboard when planning events because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE to plan parties. And with pinterest available, the possibilities are endless. And it doesn't help that only rarely does anything meet my expectations.
Gunnar did a great job at church and I'm so pleased that he has started his spiritual journey. Now, I get a bit of a break until First Communion...
Cheers!
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| Notice Gunnar is hanging on by my hair. |
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