Happy birthday, my love.

Today we celebrate the birthday of one Joseph A. Van Wormer.

I love you because...

Our life is adventurous.

Our life is silly.

Our life is...well, weird.

Our life is family and tradition.

_______________________________

But mostly I love you for three very simple reasons.

You asked me to marry you.

You actually married me.

You gave me the most incredible family.

I love you today, tomorrow and always. Thank you for being a man of character, strength, faith, passion, love, honor, humor, compassion and integrity--someone I am proud to have our son look up to and emulate. Even if you do fart in your sleep sometimes. Happy birthday, my love.

So Fabulous.

I know, right??! This is the fabulous tote bag that the ever so talented Sarah (of so sarah designs) made me for my birthday! It was her first ever attempt at a tote to add to her collection and it's BRILLS. It's not up on her etsy site yet (I believe she was waiting for my squeals of delight to ensure it would be a saleable hit), but I will alert the masses when it is. In the meantime, feel free to peruse her other wares, here.

The ruffs! Swoon.

Interior pocket for the organizer in us all.

The detail and craft(wo)manship are impeccable!

Flowers! Sparkles! Ruffs! Oh, my!

There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

I also hate liars, coconut (the food, not the lotion), cats and hangnails.

But moving on...

I went to the North American International Auto Show today, because let's face it, why not? Oh, and probably because it pays the bills... Anyway, I saw this:

WANT. For obvious reasons.

Also? Our dear friends Sarah and Jason were in town last night and we got together for dinner at Rochester Mills Brewery. In the section adjacent to our table there was a speed dating event happening. Oh em gee. It was like watching a car accident in drunk, sloppy, awkward slow motion. So very, very wrong but I couldn't look away. Speed dating. What an atrocity.

Additionally, Sarah crafted me THE MOST AMAZING birthday present, EVER. It's quite possibly the most brilliant accessory I've ever owned. Sparkles. Flowers. Ruffles. (!!!!!!) Pictures tomorrow, promise.

Dear Daddy.

I LOVE your iPad. Mommy was so cool to get it for you for Christmas. Thank you for downloading that cool aquarium app. I love to play with it and squeal "fissies!" as they swim past me.

Also, thank you for teaching me fun things about fissies, because I love them just like you do. I can't wait to go fissing with you someday when I am a big boy.

Basically, I think you are the funnest, coolest Daddy, ever. I love you.

Overdue, But With Good Intentions.

Remember waaaaaaay back when I did that teaser post about a product review for the fine, fine peeps over at CSN stores? Welp, I'm here to make good on it!

Per uge, I have a swell excuse reason for why I'm just getting to this now...the product I received and reviewed was a Christmas present for Alex! And so, while it came in the mail very quickly after I ordered it, it sat under the tree wrapped in all its glory until Mister Alex tore it open on Christmas morning.

Behold, the KidKraft 2-in-1 Lego and Train Activity Table from CSNstores.com.

It was an all-around hit at the VeeDub house. It was a breeze to put together (score) and it's big enough to be useful for playspace and storage (double score) but small enough that it doesn't take up 4,789,357 square feet of my basement (hyperbole, but triple score).

The quality of the table itself is tip-top. The lid that transitions from a Lego table to a train track (train, track and Legos included!) is just brills. I do, however, wish that the magnets on the train were a little stronger. Alex gets frustrated when he's wheeling it along the tracks (with cute "tchoo tchoo" sound effects) and it doesn't all stay together.

We have yet to actually use the Lego side, mostly because Alex's current obsession with trains doesn't allow for us to play with or watch anything non-rail related.

In summary, I'm once again a super satisfied customer of CSNstores.com. In this particular transaction, we got a quality product at a great value--with free shipping to boot!

If Hard Work Were Really A Virtue, Then Mules Would Be Saints.

Do you know those days when it feels like you can conquer the world and you work like a bumblebee with roid rage getting what seems like everything but world peace solved? And then at the end of the day you look proudly at what you've accomplished and your to-do list is actually longer than when the day began? Yeah. I'm having one of those days weeks.

But in the spirit of happiness and Red Bull and sunshine and Cheez-its (all things that make me happy), I would like to introduce you to two of the newer loves of my life, one of which you haven't seen for awhile, and the other you will meet for the first time today!

It's Niephew!!!! Look how big (s)he's getting! Kelli's ultrasound yesterday predicted a holycrapgiantwhopperbaby at 6 lbs. 12 oz. ALREADY. Start praying for her girl parts, like, now.

And this adorable little bun in the oven is Jackson David, aka Alex's bff. His Momma, Lindsay, is a fab friend from college and I am SO PUMPED that she and her hubby are spawning a boy into the world. Jack and Alex will be bffs in college and have every class together and be giant study nerds, just like their Mommas. Hopefully they'll raise some hell along the way, too...because what's college without a few shenanigans?

The moral of today's story is that working hard eventually pays off. In the case of Kelli and Lindsay, their 9 months of basically the hardest work that exists (growing a human being from scratch) will be paying off very, very soon. Kelli in February and Lindsay in March.

As for me? Well, my hard work is mostly a work in progress. But cheers (Red Bull, vodka optional) to a productive weekend!

The One Where I'm Still Alive.

Hello, friends of the internets. I feel like we haven't seen each other...well, in a year! I've been basking in the gloriousness that is 10 days of vacation. Which, roughly translated means many naps, lots of snackage, crazy fun times with friends and family and an overall week of selfish.

And it was glorious.

But now? Now I must get back into the schwing of things and start working. And blogging. And Mommying. And Wifeing. And all those other things I let slippity slide in December.

There's much to recap about the happenings around the VeeDub Christmas celebrations. Namely, how Alex is obsessed with trains, repeating EVERYTHING (oh, and I do mean EVERYthing) he hears, counts to 20, spouts his ABCs like he's baby Einstein and about that one time we took him to an indoor water park and his head almost exploded from sheer happiness. And about how EVERYONE on planet earth should own a Keurig and an iPad because they are equally the most genius inventions on the planet. Yes, we have much to talk about.

But in the meantime, please enjoy this pic of my boys before boarding the smallest.plane.ever to hop from Philly to New Haven. And another from when we got off the plane and were waiting in the smallest airport ever. And yes, he's wearing a sock monkey hat. And his Grammi's coat. I die.