Happy Birthday Tommy Landers!

We are celebrating Mr. Landers' 6th birthday this week! Happy birthday Tommy! Here are six reasons why Tommy is my favorite six-year-old boy.


1. He has a great sense of humor and tells funny jokes.
2. He is a tough guy.
3. He is a loving and positive role model for his little brother, Jack.
4. He is helpful to his mother and father while they are taking care of the house and the baby.
5. He is willing to try almost anything... all different sports and activities.
6. You should see this kid swim! He's a fish who can dive off the deep end of the pool!


And here is a gallery of the man himself. Have a great year Tommy!

Nana Jo, Muscles, and 100.8

The Wild Vees are having another wild week! Nana Jo visited last weekend and spent some quality time with her little grandson. She said she came to see her poor old daughter (me!) dance, but we all know she really came to see the kid! Unfortunately, my little Sampson had his first cold! He was coughing the night before and woke up in the middle of night crying (which he usually does not do) on Thursday night. On Friday, he just wanted to snuggle with Nana Jo all morning and then that afternoon his temperature was 100.8 degrees Fahrenheit! He was rather melancholy and sad that evening. He woke up Saturday much perkier, ready for his morning calisthenics in the Jumperoo. Here are some pictures of my sick little boy.

So,
you might not believe me when I tell you this, but my husband makes friends everywhere he goes with the most random people on earth. For instance, in the bookstore once, some guy complimented Jimmy's shoes (he's such a fashion guru!) and then proceeded to solicit Jimmy into some internet business of his. They stood there in the business section of Borders for a good half an hour. The latest story, though, it the real good stuff.

So he's running, training for a half marathon. He has his little buds in the his ears, listening to music to get him pumped up. He's about a mile from home and takes a second to stretch and some guy comes up to him. Dialog is as follows:
Guy: Hey man. How do you get strong?
Jimmy: Hi, uh, what do you mean?
Guy: How do you, like, bulk up?
Jimmy: Bulk up? OK, well why? What do you want to do?
Guy: I want to, like, fight people. Will running make me strong?
Jimmy: Right, well you should do push-ups or lift weights if you want to build muscle.
Guy: Oh, ok, but is running good for me?
Jimmy: Yes, yes it is.

And here, friends, is a visual aid to help you understand the beast that is my husband. I love you Jimmy!

I know what you're thinking... "Gee, I hope he doesn't want to fight ME!" Well let's just say that you better be afraid... because this guy gives a mean wedgie. Just ask his little brother.

And on a completely unrelated note, one morning this week we had to rush out of the house early in the morning to drop Jimmy off at work. It was earlier that we usually wake up so Sampson stayed in his pj's. I thought we would come right home, we but ended up running so late that we had to go right to my hair cut and then lunch with Grandma! So this is the little boy who ran around Delaware: (what a hottie)

Chilly Chilly!

As his shirt indicates, the weather in Delaware had become dramatically colder in the last two days. How strange that we were wearing lightweight sweaters without jackets just last week! Sampson doesn't seem to mind the cold since he is usually bundled right up in his carseat. He does, however, have cold feet like his Oma and a cold nose like his Dad! We always joke that some one needs to invent nose scarves to keep his schonz warm.

We've had quite a busy week! Stage Lights Dance Studio is preparing for their Winter Concert come up next weekend! All of my students have been working hard to show their friends and families what they have learned this year. I'm dancing with the other new ballet teacher, Jon, in a vibrant modern piece.

My soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Danielle, will be hosting a booth at the Winter Concert offering to draw portraits of the students. She is an amazingly talented artist and she just gave us a stunning charcoal portrait of Sampson for Christmas. You can visit her DZ Artworks site for other samples of her work. Here are some subjects you might recognize...

Salads

When we told Nouno that Sampson was beginning to eat "solids," he thought we said "salads." This has, of course, turned into a hilarious joke usually involving baby greens and bib lettuce. Auntie Colleen came over to make an enormous salad for a party and we could not miss this opportunity to introduce Sampson to... ahem... salads.

In other news, our little house goes on the market this week! We've spent the last few weeks packing most of our stuff up and sending it down to the Vennard Storage Unit (thanks Mom and Dad!). They charge only one batch of cookies per month. And they also run the Vennard Rental Company which has every tool imaginable for equally reasonable rates. Our real estate agent is coming over tomorrow take the pictures and get out the word. I will be sure to post them here as well in case anyone in looking for a one bedroom condo in Newark, Delaware!

And completely unrelated, here is a beautiful photo Jimmy took of Sampson and I taking a nap together.

Where Have the Vees Gone?!

I'm so sorry I have not kept up with the blogging over the holidays, but you know how it is...
In addition to the usual whirlwind of Christmas and New Year's traveling and such, I am also taking a class everyday now and we are putting our house the market this week! Yikes! Needless to say, the Wild Vees are... well... wild. Very wild.
I am slowly accumulating the photos from all of our holiday adventures to post here for all to enjoy. Adventures including (but not limited to) massive quantities of baked goods (both produced and consumed), traveling 500 miles, 12" of snow, jumping into the Atlantic Ocean, and a mean game of Charades (The Awkward Moments Edition). I will post these blogs under the date which they occurred, so check back soon! Until then, here is a darling photo of my boys reading together.