Welcome to the family, Michael!

My sweet and littlest nephew, Michael Andrew, was born June 20 at 3:46 pm. He was a perfect 8 lbs. 4.6 oz. and 21 in. long.

He's the perfect addition to our family and we love him so much!

Happy birthday, Uncle Kyle!

Happiest of days to my baby brother who's a not-so-baby 29 years old today!

And, of course, a serenade from the cutest soprano on the block:

Shameless post.

It's been awhile since I've done one of my typical, shameless posts asking you to vote for something or another, so I figure today is the day.

As you all know, I'm one of Target's greatest customers, and they do great things as far as donating to communities, schools and education. Through their "Give with Target" program running right now via Facebook, you just have to vote for a school (nothing else - no signups, social security numbers, blood donations, etc.) and after the first 25 votes are received, that school gets $25...and for every vote after that, another $1 up to their $5M in planned donations. It sounds hard, but it's actually quite cinchy.

Anyway, both my brother and SIL work at a great little school in Clio, Mich. called Garner Elementary. Do us all a favor and vote for Garner to get some much-needed moolah, please?

Click here to cast your vote.

You can vote 1x/week until Sept. 21 & can also tweet about it to spread the word - use #GiveWithTarget.

Happy birthday, baby brother!

Today is my baby brother's *cough* 28th *cough* birthday. That's not even real.

Anyway, in honor of his awesome self, he's our guest blogger today! I hope you enjoy his words below and take them to heart by squeezing your little babes a little tighter tonight and being thankful for all your blessings. Being a teacher is hard, yo.

________________________________

I like to give my sister a hard time when there's a lapse in posting on “le blog,” as it is a little piece of joy I get to share in daily. I have loved having the honor to watch Alex grow a little more with each blog post, picture and smile. All of my family has a special place in my heart. Why? Bcause that is how my Mom and Dad raised us. They raised us to love God and each other and to respect the people in our lives.

Daily, I have the unique opportunity to try to instill some of those values in the lives of 25 4th grade students. It is my hope and prayer that each kid that walks through my doors (and most in the halls) leave me more than just a better student. They need love, to be told that they are worth something, to be put up on a pedestal. Too often, they come to me with so much hurt, pain, and fear. For the short span that I have them, I hope that I can shoulder some of that fear, give a little grace, and show them a love that is deeper than the one they have here on Earth. Not that I can “preach” to them, but as Mom and Dad would say, “actions speak louder than words.”

Recently, we have been writing autobiographies in my class. Here are some of the responses I got:

• “Three years ago I got a phone call. I was like, 'Who is this?' And my Grandpapa said, 'Your Dad.' After I hung up the phone I asked my Papa why I never lived with him, and he said it is because he never really wanted me.”
• “When I was 6 my parents got a divorce. It was because my mom asked my dad for $30 and all of the sudden my dad was mad. He smashed the computer and they were arguing. My mom called the police and the police said that they needed to get a divorce. After that we were all really scared and had to live with my aunt.”
• “My mom had to quit college to take care of me, or at least that was what I was told. I think she quit because I was stressing her out and she could not keep up.”

I don’t write all of this so that you feel sorry for me as an educator. As a matter of fact, I love my job. Daily, I get to make a difference. I also do not write so that you think I have it bad. I don’t. Again, I love what I do.

Instead, I write this as a little reminder to keep the innocence of children. I can also say that most said they love my class. They like me as a teacher--they hated school before me & have learned so much. Again, I don’t say that to beat my own drum. I say that because I am not perfect…I just try daily. And I make mistakes doing it! They need love, respect, and grace. They do not need to be involved with adult problems.

My challenge to you tonight: turn off the TV. No cell phones, iPads, iPods, leapsters, DS, PSP, PS3, or XBOX. Have a dinner with your family--the ones you love in your heart but sometimes hurt. Tell them that you love them, you respect them, you appreciate them. Then after dinner play games and read books. Enjoy your family. Love them and love on them!

These genes run deep.

Sometimes it's so freaky how much Alex looks like my brother, Kyle. What's even weirder are that their sweet little personalities are the same, too. Everyone except my Mom sees it--even people who didn't know Kyle as a child. It be weird.

This? This is Kyle. But you might be confused and think it's Alex, and that's fine.

This? This is Alex. But you might be confused and think it's Kyle, and that's fine.

I sure do love my boys :)

Sledding fun!

This weekend we had a little winter fun with Grammi, Poppi and Uncle Kyle.

In related news, I was almost beheaded by a fence, Mom has a bruise on her hip that looks like the state of Texas, and Uncle Kyle had to visit the chiropractor yesterday. We're a mess.

And also? Poppi is a sex machine in his Carharts and subtle orange hat. The safety glasses clearly complete the look.

See also: I'm officially out of the will.

Because when you run out of creative things to write, you just post old pictures and let everyone 'ooh' and 'aah'.

 Baby Kristi.
I am delicious.

 Halloween...maybe 1985 or 1986?

I look so amused. 

 Once a diva, always a diva.

With Grandma Neveau.

I miss her all the time.

The original Kardashians (Kelli, Kristi and Kyle)

with our Momager.

Kelli's costume, while awesome in theory,

was a logistical nightmare.

This is why everyone says Alex looks just like Kyle.

BECAUSE HE DOES.

Hi, Uncle Kyle!

From: Little Brother
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 1:43 PM
To: Me
Subject: :)

I need a blog update please! I have the case of the Mondays and have checked it like 4 times today hoping!

-LOVE,
ME

__________________________

...and to think that he (a teacher) tells ME I have too much free time at work.

Pffft.

My brother wanted to be a weatherman when he was little. I wanted to be a "hair doer."

This is truth. But not just ANY weatherman, he specifically wanted to be Mark Torregrossa from the local NBC affiliate in our hometown. (For the record, time has not been kind to that man. Lay off the teeth whitening, mmmkay? It certainly doesn't detract from your receding hairline.)

Anyway, imagine my delight when Kyle sent this little screengrab over this morning:

In summary: it looks like Kyle found a career that suited him WAY more than weather--teaching. Perhaps he can take our local weathermen to "days of the week" school?

In other news, this rain can suck it. And I'll save the "hair doer" story for (another) rainy day.

Cycle It Forward.

This is a gratuitous post for my incredible baby brother, Kyle. Soon, he'll suit up and ride 50 miles (on a bike--crazy boy!) in an event called 'Cycle the Campus,' which raises money and awareness for His House Christian Fellowship at Saginaw Valley State University.

I can't even begin to tell you what HHCF means to me, personally...and I wasn't even a part of it! Kyle became involved as a wee freshman at SVSU and as a part of the program and its ministry he developed into an amazing man with such a passion for life, love and faith. The friends, mentors and families that he met while he was involved with HHCF remain a cornerstone in his life and are just so awesome that I can hardly stand myself when they're around. Amazing people, truly.

Honestly, I would be proud of Kyle if he ate grass (which he did when he was little, for what it's worth), but to watch him grow into the incredible man of integrity that he is today consistently blows me away. And I firmly believe with all my heart that part of his awesomeness was molded by HHCF. I don't think I tell him often enough, but he's one of the most special men in my life, and I'm so proud to call him my brother.

So why the sappy moment and the weird story about riding bikes?

I'm calling on my internet peeps to help a brotha (literally) out. Please make a (tax deductible!) pledge to support the 'Cycle the Campus' HHCS fundraiser! I don't care what it is ... $1, $5, $78,456,789 ... whatever you can afford or are moved to give. I promise to post pictures of Kyle in naughty spandex and a silly bike helmet for every dollar raised!

Click here to make a donation. Select that your donation goes a rider and choose 'Kyle Talicska' from the list of names (sorta near the bottom). Oh, and to make it easier, there's a friendly little link to PayPal, too!

And if you are not able to support with greenbacks, please keep Kyle and his rump in your prayers...I'm pretty sure 50 miles on a bike isn't really friendly on the manbits, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Like Buttah.

I'm on a roll.

For serious.

Remember on Sunday when we talked about the life-altering poppingcorn creation? Pause for applause. Today, we review another *gasp* Betty Homemaker moment -- spinach and ricotta stuffed shells were created for dinner last night. By me. From scratch. Like, I used an oven. I know...who am I? And what in the world has gotten into me?

all*you magazine has gotten into me, that's what. Jill and Kyle purchased a subscription for me as a birthday gift, and after a series of address problems and fistfights with the United States Postal Service* I finally got my first issue in le mail last week. This thing is seriously the greatest compliation of recycled paper, ever. Coupons galore. Recipes complete with shopping lists and price per serving for an entire week. Household organization and storage tips and tricks. Little life 'pick me ups'. Style tips for taking work attire into the evening hours. etc. etc. It's as if someone in the publishing world said, "Let's create a magazine specifically for Kristi Van Wormer and all her life's needs," and Voila! all*you was born.

Fast forward to last night, when I donned my "So Sarah Designs" apron (Seriously girl, get your etsy store up. Missed linky opportunity!) and whipped up a fanTAStic Italian dinner that Giada herself would be proud of. I used ricotta cheese and everything...and if that ain't Italian, I don't know what is.

Jill and Kyle, while I adore my magazine, I'm pretty sure Joey and his belly are forever indebted. :)

Oh, and le recipe is here, should you get the whim to be domesticated in the near future.

*No employees of the USPS were actually harmed in the writing of this blog post.

Friends, Crafts And Tats.

Last night we had a BBQ and bonfire with our friends Sarah and Jason. They were married in May and not that I'm rushing them into anything based on the love that filled our household they are going to be GREAT parents. J was playing with Alex in his Baby Einstein Gym and I basically melted all over the floor. Precious.

Sarah is quite possibly without a shadow of a doubt my most creative friend, and she shared with me some of the pieces she's working on for her upcoming line, So Sarah. I basically am wetting myself in anticipation to share it with all of you, but she's making me wait until it's totally done. Hurry up, girl! :)

Tonight I'm headed back in space and time to the land of Michigan State University, where my bff since foreverandever and soon-to-be-lawyer resides. I'm going to pass out watch her get her most recent tattoo colored in. It's a ginormous peacock that covers pretty much her entire midsection. I offered to bring her my leftover pain meds from childbirth, but she is certain ice and booze will be enough to get through it. Yeah...we'll see how that goes.

In other news, I've always, always wanted a tat. Pretty sure that I'm not badass enough to get one, though. Like, I haven't earned the right to be "cool enough." Whatever. This weekend is also Blues Fest in EL...so if I have one too many blues beers I might just wind up in the chair as a paying customer. We shall see!

To top off my weekend, my baby brudder and his new bride are coming down on Saturday to hang out with us. There is a church near our house that is having a festival this weekend. I kid you not when I tell you it's called "Sausage Fest." Yes. A church. Sausage. Fest. I simply can't wait.

Enjoy your weekend, childrens!

I Do. Me Too.

So, the childrens got themselves good and married on Friday and are currently off somewhere warm and fabulous eating and drinking themselves into oblivion. I am jealous beyond words.

However, there day was super fabulous and fun. I laughed, I cried...and made damn sure mom and dad got a decent ROI on the bar bill.

Meet the new Mr. & Mrs. Talicska, courtesy of le cell phone. (Profesh pics to come soon...their photographer was super!)




Today I was also going to write about the FUNNIEST story of all, but it's already been drafted and published by mi hermana. Click here for a good laugh about how and why my future brother in law drank an ENTIRE glass of fish water at the reception. Yes. Fish water.

Happy Birthday!

Today is baby brudder's birthday! Hard to believe my baby is all growed up...and he's gettin' married later this summer. No, seriously. When did I get old?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLE!

P.S. - Dear skinny Kristi, I miss you. Please come back soon.
Love, fat and pregnant Kristi