Some crawling and some skating (video dump for the grandparents)

Weston learning how to crawl! A month and a bit earlier than his older bro did ...

Cohen's first time on the ice down at the market

And over he goes

Some pre-bath time silliness

Cohen getting a little taste of Ikea ice cream from his Nana

Staying true to his dutch roots

Helping Dad take down his crib to make way for his 'big boy bed'

Moo Baa La La La

Having a little fun reading with Dad

After a looong absence...

Here's a little video of Cohen strolling through the 'hood.  He cried and cried when we told him he had to come in for bed

Here's the link if that doesn't work...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhoUgRbp7PY

Month 12

You are becoming quite the personality, you laugh your head off when we play games with you, and we've been told many times that you are just a happy kid
You got your first real hair cut this month -- the wispy baby hair just wasn't working anymore
You have become quite attached to your little stuffed monkey - we have to make sure to take it with us wherever we go
Diaper changes are becoming quite the challenge -- you manage to squirm out of any hold that we have you in
You had your first day at daycare this month -- mom went back to work two days a week, and a good friend of ours is watching you at her home daycare.  You did amazing -- and everytime I drop you off in the morning, you have a huge grin when I pass you over. (Trying hard not to develop a complex ;)
You're crawling at the speed of light and are cruising furniture with ease.  Just before your first birthday, you started to stand for a couple seconds on your own.  Walking is just around the corner, and we're bracing ourselves for the change!
You moved this month! Your crazy parents moved you across town and immediately tore out walls in the house while you were napping.  You have been such a trooper and seem oblivious to the chaos going on around you.
We feel so blessed to have had you in our lives for a whole year, and are amazed by how much more we love you now than this time last year.  Here's to a whole lifetime following the same trajectory.

Wedding in GR

June was a whirlwind of a month.  One weekend, Mike's cousin Shelly got married in Grand Rapids, so the whole Fluit family (minus Paul and Danielle -- we missed you guys!) trekked down to Grand Rapids to celebrate in style.

Huge thanks to Leah and Ryan who watched Cohen and allowed us to have an adult night out.  Ah the freedom!

Month 11

You are an absolute turkey.  You have such a personality, it's incredible. You have this sparkle in your eye when you're trying to make us smile, or trying to get away with something.  You are mischevious, and full of joy.
When we come to get you out of your crib in the morning, you're not only standing up, but you're jumping up and down on your mattress in excitement of being taken out and starting your day.
You are seriously adorable during the day...but at night .... oh at night. You and I have had some epic battles in the middle of the night.  You start wailing the minute I step across the threshold of your room and out into the hallway.
You love playing with blocks, and have taken to throwing them across the room, chasing them, and repeating the process ad nauseum. We're pretty lucky with your ability to entertain yourself!
You are climbing and cruising all our furniture, appliances, doors, stairs.  Since the first day you pulled yourself up on the ottoman, you haven't stopped.
You are becoming quite the food coniseur early in life -- you couldn't get enough of our coconut curry, or the chicken out of my pad thai, and have shown an early love for artichokes, asparagus, and chinese noodles.  Regular baby food is chopped liver now.
We are having an absolute riot with you and can't wait to celebrate your first birthday next month!

The kid has moves

Month 10

• You learned to crawl on May 21... a date that will be etched into our minds as the day that changed everything....our house does not look so 'adult' anymore.
• You popped your first tooth - also May 21. It was quite the weekend. At least we now have something to blame your crankyness on
• You were a trooper as we helped your nana and grampa get their rental property ready to sell -- which is where you learned to crawl.  Perhaps you were trying to get a wee bit more attention that weekend
• You're developing some definite preferences for food.  You show your disgust very clearly now by spitting food directly out of your mouth.  Keepin' it classy
• We now walk into your room after you've been crying, and the majority of the time you're sitting up in the corner of your crib with big tears rolling down your cheeks.  Probably makes me a bad mother, but I find it quite hilarious to see
• You love the water, even when its freezing 
• We wonder what we laughed at before you came along -- you have priceless expressions and think peek a boo is the most hilarious game ever invented

I'm getting into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g

Watch out! I'm crawling, pulling myself up on furniture, and getting myself stuck in my old friend, the exersaucer. Oh, and I also think its pretty hilarious to close my door on mom and dad ... and then they can't open it because I'm behind it.  Yup, I'm clever.

Like Father Like Son

I went digging through some old photo files the other day, and stumbled on some gems of Mike that we had scanned for our wedding slideshow. Needless to say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

4 Years Later

Our vows ring as true today as they did the day we said them to each other four years ago

I love you and I know that this love is from God. Because of this, I want to be your wife/husband, so that we might serve Christ together. I promise, before God and everyone here, to be faithful to you, love you, and encourage you to develop the gifts that God has given you. I promise to serve you with tenderness and respect each day of our lives together.

We thought we loved each other a lot back then ... and I can only imagine what another four, ten, twenty, or fifty years will do.

1st Mothers Day

Cohen was quite the sweetie for my first mother's day, ever so thoughtful as to leave notes throughout the house where I would find them as I went about my day. One in his toy bin, one in his diaper drawer, one on the front door, one on my alarm clock, and one final one on his favorite bedtime book. He's pretty clever for a 9 month old ... knowing how to write and knowing that his momma loves candy

He also knows how much I love me a good vase full of fresh flowers ... and was intuitive enough to pick out my favorite ones -- tulips and hydrangeas.

This kid cracks me up daily, and even with all his shenanigans, and waking up screaming in the middle of the night, his goofy grins melt me right up and I just want to eat him up with a spoon!

ps - I love you Mike -- thanks for 'helping' Cohen make this a fantastic mother's day

Month 9

• We have been thinking you're teething for the last month -- sleepless nights, drool, chomping on everything in sight ... but still no teeth!
• You love playing 'timber' with daddy on the couch -- he counts to three and you go from sitting up with him to crashing on the couch -- you are so smart that you can anticipate the event!
• You started to crawl backwards around the middle of the month, and get yourself stuck in some pretty funny positions .. your favorites are under the stools and under the coffee table
• You now have consonants -- you can babble and say lala, dadada, mamama. You still have no idea what you're saying, but its a start!
• You started eating little chunks of cheese, and again, true to your dads form, you love it
• You can now get yourself onto your bum when you're laying on the floor
• We are finding you in many interesting positions in your crib when you fall asleep -- now that you can roll over and get on your hands and knees - we've found you with your little feet sticking out of the crib rails, on your side, tummy, pretty much every which way. We get a good laugh checking on you every night before we go to bed
• You are taking up an ever increasing portion of our hearts, and we feel so blessed to have been given the privilege of raising you
• We decided it was time that the little wings over your ears be taken off and thus, you had your very first hair cut! Your mom may have taken a bit too much off of one side...learning how to cut hair on a squirmy babe is not the easiest way to learn!

Check out my sweet ride

One of the many reasons we love Connections is the amazing community of friends we've made from various stages of life. John Vandersteen, a retiree and avid biker, wanted to give Cohen his very first bike. A few weeks ago, he brought the Li'l Bandit to church and gave it to Cohen. Cohen was thrilled! He can't wait to tear down the street on his sweet ride. Thanks John!

Cohen Jolly Jumping

Good thing Auntie Jordan has a Jolly Jumper to play with....seems to be a big hit!

Cohen Laughing

Someone was in a particularly good mood after a bath

Stroll around Sifton Bog

Ah, spring weather -- the season of walks and drinks on patios is upon us.  Nothing makes you realize how much you've missed the sun than its return.

We took a little stroll around the local bog today with Cohen, and saw a few friends along the way. See if you can spot the brown frog in the picture below



And it's true what they say, you never know who you're going to run into.  As we were gazing out at the lookout, the girl beside us asks...."hey, do you guys go to Connections?"  Turns out she has been coming to our church on and off for the past year and recognized Mike (she'd even been to one of his concerts 3 years ago!). So we capitalized on the opportunity for another set of hands and got a decent family photo out of it.