This Christmas season came and went too fast. Katie made it in on Christmas eve and I have been soaking up every minute with her home. Van man decided to start walking a few days before Katie got home.  My aunt is convinced he was a closet walker and has been walking when we weren't around . There was no walk for a little bit but not be good at it. HE woke up on a Friday morning and walked everywhere the whole day. We now spend much of our time outside as he loves to explore with this new found talent. He continues to have such a sweet spirit that can't help but make you smile whenever he is in the room. He has become my busy bee boy. From the moment he wakes until his little eyelids hit the pillow for the night, he is on the move! Just in the last week he has really been testing Dan and I to see where the boundaries are and what he can get away with. We are really trying to be consistent with our discipline as we want to lay the ground rules early on.  With walking he has gained a whole new freedom and I think we are going to be spending a lot of time at the park!!! Since walking he has already gotten several bumps and bruises from walking into things, falling, splitting his lip open on a chair and the scariest for mom,  almost falling out the the bleachers at a basketball game. He got his leg caught in one of the bars and ended up falling but hanging from the bleachers upside down from his foot.  Katie was there with me and yelled HELP HElP and the man standing in front of the bleachers was able to help us get him untangled and he didn't fall. It was quite embarrasing as my dad came running over(during his game) and several people after the game asked me if he was ok. Katie said good thing I'm not Britney Spears because the tabloids would have been all over that story:) My aunt came down to visit from up North and we were out back catching up and letting Van romp around outside. Vander was walking happily around and he was a few feet from walking right to a spot on the patio that would knock him in the head. I made an interesting comment saying its so funny how we can sit here and see he's clearly headed for a bad situation where he will get hurt, and he has NO idea, he is  just walking along no clue he is headed for such danger. My dad said " I wonder if that is what God says about us" We all kinda chuckled, but it is interesting to ponder.

Stuck in Africa

We have been patiently waiting for today since Katie landed at 11:30. Van is soo excited to see her, we had it all planned, he was going to walk down the runway and it was going to be a great reunion! Until her plane stopped in North africa and broke!!!! What a bummer!!! Now we have no communication with her, she is stranded in some random airport that has 2 flights a day and we are ready for her to be home. As of now the flight for today has been pushed back again, so please pray it would get fixed and she would be on her way. If the flight doesn't leave until 9:00 she will get to atlanta at 1:55 and she would arrive tomorrow night at 5:55, if it doesn't delay AGAIN.

Better late than never

White elephant gift exchange!! 

Team photo! These girls have so much fun together and are a crack up!!

Looking for our 7-8 ft tree. Is this how tall Van is going to be?

On Dan's shoulders starting the search

Vander likes this one:)

We finally have our tree!!! We had the APU girls over for a Christmas party last night, so we knew it had to be up and ready by then:) It was fun shopping for a tree with Vander. He wanted to touch all of the trees and had a blast being on Dan's shoulder's looking for the perfect tree. Dans method is funny. He doesn't pick a tree that is unwrapped. We always go and he picks one of the ones that is still wrapped up. He says that is part of the fun is getting it home and seeing what kind of tree you got. I have to admit we do have fun when we get back to the house. SO far all the trees we have got have been great. I am secretly waiting for the year we get home and have a tree that is bald in a huge spot or something funny:) 

Landon's Birthday Party

The boy cousins as still as we could get them:)

Morgan is determined to get Vander to walk

The birthday boy

Playing in the bounce house

Shopper

 Grandma can I ride the reindeer?

  

  Looking back making sure Grandma is watching.
  

  Look at me!!
  

  Is it over???

My mom and I went to South Coast Plaza today to finish up our Christmas shopping and Van officially out shopped both of us! We were only there for 2 hours, but were both wiped by the end. Van was perfectly content and did great the whole time. They had the mall decorated beautifully and even had the carousel changed to reindeer for Christmas. He loved the ride! They had groups playing musical instruments throughout the mall and we would stop to listen to them play. He would sit there and you could tell he was loving the music. After the song was over, he clapped as loud as he could. He definitely has a knack for music and I truly am praying he gets Dans musical talents, not mine!! 

Basketball Games

Basketball games have always been such a fun time to relax catch up with family and friends, enjoy a good game, usually drink a latte, and try not to yell too loud at the refs.  Last year with Vander the games were a breeze. The hardest part was lugging that heavy carseat into the gym. After that he slept like an angel, minus an occasioal loud buzzer that would startle him for a second before he dozed back off into dream land. Well this year is a whole new ball game!! My mr. angel is still an angel but a mighty active one. To get him to sit still for the game is next to impossible. He wants to crawl everywhere, go after any ball he sees and bee lines for the court any chance he gets.  Erin often brings Jackson to the games and it is fun to be there together because we borrow one of the cheerleaders mats and set up boy central. We sprawl out their toys, find a loose basketball, and occasionally even get to glance at the score:) 

No Expectations

My mom had off work, Trav and Emma had the day off,  the plan was to go to Disneyland on Friday...until it was for casted to rain. We woke up Friday and it was cloudy with a few showers so we decided to play it by ear, if it was not raining we would go in the afternoon. I had no expectations of the day because I figured it would probably rain and we wouldn't go. The days where I don't set my expectations so high are always the days I have the most fun. There were no lines, it did not rain, we bundled up Vander and had a blast!!!! We ran into my cousin there with her kids also, so fun!!

Play Date

We had such a fun time at the park with Jackson and Sam. Its fun to watch Van and Jackson grow up together as our families have been friends for years. My dad and Erin's dad were college roommates at Westmont. Erin and I were roommates at Biola. You never know Vander and Jackson could carry on the tradition! 

A night at Grandmas

This is what our night looks like when we go to visit Grandma. First he greets the dog, then he proceeds to climb the stairs...oh 25 times.

Then Grammy throws him in his favorite place, the bucket we put in the shower!!

 

After he's all clean and in warm jammies, he drinks his milk to give him energy...

 to climb the stairs again!!

he's usually asleep before we leave the driveway!

Van's 1 Year appointment

Today was Van's 1 year appointment. We love going to the Dr. because as of yet it has always been just a check up, he has not been sick. He weighed in at 27 lbs and was 33 inches. He is in the 80th percentile for weight and well above 100 percent for height. I think we have a long lanky boy on our hands:) The Dr. said he looks great, meeting all the milestones and to remember these days when he isn't running all over the place because he said he gives him two weeks until he's everywhere. When the Dr. looked in Van's mouth he said he is really working on his molars. The back left one is already in and the other three are close behind. He said pain wise each point on the molar is like its own tooth, so for each one it feels like he is getting 4 teeth!! Vander is already a good student, every time we go to the Dr. he listens intently and then does exactly what the Dr. says. So... tonight after dinner Dan and I were sharing a bowl of ice cream and guess who wanted some. He wanted it so bad that he walked right over to me!!! Granted it only took four steps to get there, but I think my days of not chasing a running monster around are numbered!

GYMBOREE DAY!!!!

Van loves Monday because it is Gymboree Day!! He plays so hard for the whole hour. After playtime we all gather on the mats to sing some songs, but Van is just not into that part. I carry him over and sit with him, but he squirms out of my arms and races as fast as he can back to the toys he can climb all over. I used to fight it but then decided this is his play time, if he wants to play all over the toys the whole time, go for it. I also think it is an age thing because only half of the kids sit for the songs, the other half are spread out around the room doing their own thing. Here are some pictures showing how serious he is about play time:)

Christmas Ornament

My parents christmas tree is filled with ornaments that all have sentimental value. We have lots of handcrafted picture ornaments from when we were younger. There is an ongoing debate between my brothers whose picture is worse on their ornament. Travis has a funny hair do and trent has a goofy grin. Well if we were to make an ornament for Van I think we would use this pic:)

The whole Ploog clan

We attempted to capture all 14 of us Ploogs for a Christmas card tonight. We sure had a good time all being together. We truly are blessed to all live within a distance that we can call each other at 3 and say 'want to do pizza and a picture at 5?' Vander just adores his cousins and it will only get better as they get older. We then took a picture with Grandma and Papa with their grandkids, that was fun:) After the pic we ate pizza and Van reminded me so much of his dad that I couldn't help but smile. Everyone was done eating and we were all sitting in the living room,  I look back and Van and Dan are at the table STILL eating. Van ate 3 whole pieces of pizza! I think we have an offensive lineman on our hands!

Thankful

Last year at Thanksgiving, our 5 day old bundle of joy:)

oh how he's changed in a year, but still our bundle of joy:)

I think that Thanksgiving is my all time favorite Holiday. Being the Hardeman that I am maybe it is the presbyterian potatoes, cranberry jello, turkey, gravy, rolls, corn, stuffing, pie, feeling so full I can barely breathe and then going home and being hungry in three hours feeling.  More than that I love just being in the presence of family and taking time to reflect on the past year and how good God truly has been to our family. Our family tradition is we gather at my Aunts house, eat a fabulous meal and then hope the Aunts forgot about the candy corn. The candy corn is a tradition we have where everyone takes one and we go around and share what one thing we are thankful for this past year. Why is it I always get nervous and hope they forget about this tradition? Is it because I don't know how to accurately express in one sentence what I am thankful for? Is it because I don't want to give the surface answer that sounds so canned, my husband, my family, health, for fear of sounding not truly thankful.  Thanksgiving is a great time to pause and look around at what we may be taking for granted that we have to be Thankful for. I am sad that we are not going to my Aunts today, but I have been thinking about what my one sentence answer would be if I was there.  Family would be my response. I have grown to appreciate family in a new way this past year on a couple different levels. Having a child makes you appreciate your parents in a whole new light. Living 5 minutes from my parents and 10 minutes from Dans is something that we take for granted. A week does not go by that Vander does not get to spend time with both sets of grandparents. I long for him to develop deep relationships with my parents and Dans and for them to be a big part of shaping him into the Man he is going to be. Having always lived close to family I took for granted my sister. I so badly miss being able to call her up and say want to go for a run, and her being over in 10 minutes.  Sykpe makes her being gone easier because I feel like I have seen her, even if it is through the computer. I am thankful for her this year as being away has made me realize how much I enjoyed having her around. I am thankful that I have a sister who is sensitive to the Lord's calling and willing to say "Yes Lord send me"  I also am thankful for my brothers and how they are maturing as they wrap up their college years. I am thankful for Travis picking such a wonderful bride who truly feels like a sister and could not fit in better with our family.   I am thankful for my husband who in his new role as a dad makes me love him even more. He treasures Van, and Van kinda likes him too:) I am thankful for a year of health for Vander, he had such a great first year!! So my candy corn response would be family:)

Van the Man turns 1!!!

My uncles bought me my first hoop!

My first quad!

Grandma and Grandpa bought me a car!

Birthday cake stuffed in both cheeks!

Dan and I went to the Hope basketball game this weekend and as we were sitting in the bleachers watching the game I had  some serious de ja vue. It was exactly a year ago we were sitting in the same spot on the bleachers when I wasn't sure if I had peed my pants or my water had broke. As I stood up in a puddle of water, our journey was about to begin into this new role as parents. As early as labor and delivery Van has made parenting easy. He came out after only pushing maybe 15 minutes and graced our presence with his almost 10 lb frame. He has been such a joy this past year and it has gone so fast.  From birth he has been  a genuinely happy boy. His spirit is sweet and tender and he lights up when other kids are around. He loves his mom and dad, but will go to anybody. He has been such a tremendous blessing this past year watching him go from my baby to my little man. I am soaking up every moment because I know there is no way our other kids will be this easy. From early on he showed us his love for music. One of his favorites places to be is at the piano. It used to be he would sit with Dan at the piano, but as soon as he could crawl he would make his way over to his favorite spot, pull himself up and stand and play the piano, his tiny fingers barely reaching the keys. His other favorite toy is his best friend, Jackson(our golden retreiver) He loves to throw the ball for Ja Ja and bless his heart Jackson will go get the ball even if it is only 3 inches and bring it back to him. We have had such a fun year with Vander and can't wait to see what his life will hold. What his interests will be, who his friends will be, what sports he will play, how God is going to use his life to bless others and ultimately bring glory to Him. We have already been so blessed by our little man in the 12 months he has been part of our lives.