Well

Well, I've already fallen off the wagon with posting, haha. But honestly, we have not had too much going on, which is a pretty great thing! The last few weekends have been pretty low key, we had a children's party here and there, but we've had a really great time just relaxing, and just "being." With all the terrible and insane things that are happening in the world right now, it's nice to just focus on the things that are most important- family, friends, and being happy.

I'm really enjoying school and as this is my last class, I will be sad when it is over. I'm taking Fundamentals of Animal Health and it's very interesting and exciting for me, which makes it easy to go to class when I have it. I have a relatively big class (25 students) and I see a lot of familiar faces and friends so that is nice too.

We celebrated Alice's 3rd birthday a few weeks ago and our friends Andrew and Shaela had a party for their 2 and 1 year old, Ashlyn and Kailyn. It's always good to be with friends we've known for years and to see their beautiful children grow (and same goes for family, of course).

Hope you are all well and enjoying life. I know I am.

xoxo

A Great New Year

Last Wednesday I headed to New York for a few days. Nicholas will be starting kindergarten (!!!) in the fall and I realized we won’t be able to just get up and go visit whenever we want. My last class starts next week and I will be graduating from my certificate program this May and plan on getting a job once Nicholas starts school as well. The type of work I will be looking for (anything with dogs, really!) will most likely have me working weekends and even holidays. My Dad recently also turned 71 and as much as I do not like to admit it, he’s not a spring chicken anymore. I want him to get to see Nicholas and spend as much time with him as possible, so I’m glad we were able to make the long trip down.

The week before we were leaving I heard from my long time friend Lisa, and she invited me to her stepfather Steve’s 75th birthday. I thought that was such a wonderful gesture (I’ve known her and Steve since we were kids) and I was glad I got to make it there. Her Mom told me that Lisa was so excited when she learned that I could go, and that just made my heart happy. We played trivia about Steve and I actually did pretty well- the memories of the farm where we worked as teenagers had me laughing so hard. Nicholas ran around with another young boy and Lisa said it was really great because the boy was usually pretty shy- if anyone can bring someone out of their shell, it’s Nicholas. That’s one of the many things I love about him. Nicholas made so many friends and Steve told me that he was simply adorable :)

Nicholas and I also got to meet my brother Dylan and his wife Mariana’s son, our new nephew and cousin Ethan, for the first time. Our plan was to visit for a few hours but we ended up getting snowed in and spending the night. Mariana was wonderfully welcoming and Dylan picked up dinner on his way home from work- we had a great time and I don’t get to see them nearly as often as I would like so it was great to spend time with them.

Erik and Joe’s house was wonderful as always, not too much chaos with the dogs- I left Dexter at home this time around and we missed him (oh and Nick too, haha), so much! Nicholas is really attached to and loves Uncle Joe so much- as we were driving down I asked if he was excited to see everyone and he said ‘I’m so excited to see Uncle Joe.” It’s good to be home and I’m looking forward to the upcoming celebrations we have in the coming weekend.

xoxo

Happy New Year!

Hey Everyone!

Long time, no blog. As always, life has been busy and crazy and wonderful. Nicholas is growing so fast, he'll be 5 in just a few short months and start kindergarten this coming fall. I'm going to keep this short and sweet, as I'm visiting family for the next 5 days.

My "simple" New Year resolutions (I rarely make these, but felt like doing it this year- as you'll see, they will be pretty easy to keep).


1. Blog once a week, most likely on Wednesday and after Nicholas is in bed.
2. Work out a minimum of 3 times a week- I have been doing this consistently for over a year now, so I don't see this as being a tough one to follow, I just want to stick with it.
3. Stretch for 5 minutes every morning- I always slack on stretching and really want to get back into it.
4. Spent less time on my phone, and more time with friends and family.

That's all, folks!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that you all have a happy and healthy new year.

xoxo

Life is Grand, You Guys.

Kahler's Pond, Center Moriches- Long Island. I used to love this place as a kid and Nicholas did too.

Holtsville Ecology Site in Brookhaven, on Long Island. I haven't been here in over 20 years, it was just as I remembered but more grand. Nicholas had so much fun seeing all different types of animals and playing on the super cool playground. Staff was friendly, and for all that you could do it was only $5 to park!

Being silly with Grampa

Soaking up the last wonderful rays of summer

Hello, September!

xoxo
Crystal

Family Weekend

This past weekend we went to Long Island to see family we hadn't seen in far too long for the Kangas Family Reunion. Also, as many of you know my brother was very sick last year so we had not seen him or Joe since Thanksgiving. We try to get down to NY a few times a year but with Erik not feeling well, our plans were put on hold. I'm beyond grateful to say that he is doing really well and feeling so much better, and really loving and enjoying life.

We got to New York early Saturday morning and headed to my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Joy's house around 1pm for the family reunion. I started the family reunion event 3 years ago when my Uncle Tim unexpectedly passed away. It got me thinking about how we are not a close knit family- and how lucky we are that Nicholas knows what a close knit family is as I am close with my parents and siblings, and Nick's parents and siblings as well. My Dad came from a large family, he is 1 of 9, and we are spread out all over the place. Two of my Dad's brother's have passed away but with the wonderful creation of the internet, it really is not that hard to stay connected. I was lucky enough a few years ago to find my cousin's Destiny and Dylan, who up until a few years ago when we started the reunion, I do not ever remember meeting (and if I did we were very very young).

Anyway- it was a bit of a small group this year. The first two years I was very stressed out and upset/let down when people did not want to come or backed out at the last minute. This year, I stopped feeling that way and knew that the people that really wanted to/could come, would. We had a great time with our group and it was so nice to be together, kick back, eat some delicious food, and relax. My brother's wife and cousin's wife are both pregnant, so it was great to see them looking beyond adorable. I'm very excited to think that next year we will have to little baby boys at the reunion, and hopefully the tradition will continue for many years to come. A major thank you also needs to go to my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Joy for hosting- they have a wonderful home and made a point to make sure we had a good time, and we did!

Years ago, my Dad made a real effort to reconnect with his family, and that made me so happy. All but one of my Dad's (living) siblings came to mine and Nick's wedding- I know they love me, but I know they really came for my Dad and that meant the world to me. We've got pictures of them all together that I will cherish forever.

Although we may not all get along all the time, family is a wonderful thing to have. I am very lucky to have some pretty great people in my family.

On another note- we stayed with Erik and Joe this weekend and Nicholas really loved spending time with Joe. It made my heart so happy to know that Nicholas knows and loves his "Uncle Erik and Uncle Doe." It was truly the most wonderful thing to see and be a part of. My heart is so full.

I didn't take too many pictures (shocker, I know), but here are some from the weekend.

Lila's Birthday

I met my friend Maggie in 2007 at my former employer. She had just started and I was there for about 4 years- she was training in my office and we happened to have lunch at the same time. I was rambling on about how I had recently gotten engaged, and come to find out Maggie and her husband Adam had just gotten married at the reception hall that Nick and I had booked. We quickly became friends (I think when I got back to my desk I emailed her about going out to dinner).

Maggie and I have been friends since then and we've had the most wonderful relationship. Her daughter Lila was born just about 5 years ago, and when I became a Mom about 4 years ago she was one of the friends that truly saved me when I was at my wits end. I am so lucky to know her and am so grateful that she is in my life. Awhile back she told Nick that when we met it was "love at first sight" and I think that is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

I also want to mention- I recently joined a Mom group on Facebook and the first post I made was very positive and in less than 24 hours I was torn apart, called a Sanctimommy, and left the group. I apologized for offending anyone, and left it at that. I will never sink to the level of attacking people on the internet that I don't even know. I try to take the high road and am very fortunate that I am surrounded by a wonderful group of women friends.

Ok, enough of my sappy self- here are some pictures of our wonderful day celebrating Lila!

Nicholas 4 Year Doctor Visit

Nicholas' 4 year appointment was interesting- he had his first eye and ear exam and thankfully both went fine. We waited for what seemed like forever to see the actual doctor, and while we were waiting I realized it must have been a tough day for the doctor's- lots of screaming, crying, and upset kids. Nicholas kept saying "those kids are really freaking out" while we waited and played games, read books, and talked.

When Dr. Newman came in with a smile he said "thank goodness I'm in here, now I can have some peace." Nicholas' appointment went well, nothing new or exciting to report. He is about 40 pounds and I can't recall his height right now, but he's looking pretty tall to me ;). We are lucky in that he is rarely sick (thanks for the great genes, 'rents!) so it was more of just a yearly check up to see if we had any questions.

The doctor said two things that I never want to forget.

Number One: To a 4 year old, his Mom is the world. Remember the days when he is so sweet and innocent and loves nothing but his Mama. It might be tough when he's a teen, but at football games, sons don't wave to their Dad, they wave to their Mom. You will always be his biggest cheerleader.

Secondly, as he was leaving the appointment, he said that Nicholas was complete and utter joy. <3