It's A Wonderful Life!

   So, it has been almost 5 days since I have last posted.  Let me get you all up to date. 

   Wednesday: Kristiaan's birthday.  Since he was born, I don't think I have as much fun with Kristiaan as I did this day.  Aaron and I got up (he took the day off) and we both went in to wake up the sleeping birthday boy.  From there we all bathed, dressed, ate, and then headed out of the house to get Kristiaan's last monthly photo shoot taken.  The pictures turned out great as I think they always do!  Then from there, we headed to the Los Angeles Zoo.  (Oh, but first we turned his car seat around and Kristiaan had a blast!  It's like, all of a sudden he realized that he was actually riding with other people!)  We got to the zoo and the 90 degree weather did nothing to dampen our spirits...We just drank lots of water and stopped in the shade here and there.  Kristiaan LOVED all the animals that we saw.  They are doing a lot of renovation at the zoo, so not all the animals were there, but Kristiaan didn't care!  He would scream in delight at all the animals that he saw as if to say "Come here so I can play with you!"  It was so amazing to watch this little boy, who we held for the first time just one short year ago, take in everything with such interest and delight.  What a blessing his life is.  I have found so much joy in watching him grow and learn every day, week and month this last year.  Who would have thought you could feel this way! 
   When we finally arrived home, we had dinner, washed the car and then feasted on birthday cake and ice cream.  It turns out Kristiaan takes after my extreme cleanliness!  He didn't like touching the cake and getting frosting on his hands! 
   By the end of the day, I realized that the entire day was totally focused on talking to Kristiaan, playing with Kristiaan, and spoiling Kristiaan...It was really fun!

   Thursday:  Dad Voss arrived in town with the RV!  Mom Voss was going to come up too, but she got stuck in a jury for jury duty and didn't arrive until Friday evening.  The day was spent shopping and baking up a storm!  It was so wonderful to have help watching and playing with Kristiaan!  He really loves his Grandpa.

   Friday:  The majority of this day was spent shopping for the party.  Who would've thought you could spend so much money in such a little amount of time?  Then, my sister Gretchen and her husband Matt flew in from San Jose and my day was complete.  I love my sister so much, I don't even think she realizes it!  We had a blast decorating and doing about 1001 last minute preparations for the big birthday bash.

  Saturday:  Party Day!  It is days like this that make me realize how blessed we are to have such loving friends and family.  So many people came to show their love for our little boy!  We had such an awesome day and Kristiaan loved every bit of the spoiling and eating and the toy store of gifts that he received!  He was so good the entire time and was just loved on the whole day.  He wasn't as excited about the bounce house...Maybe next year.  Oh, but all of us kids at heart just jumped the night away...Literally! (the bounce wasn't picked up until this morning) 
    For those who were not able to make it for the party, I would love to paint a picture of the creative effort behind the party.  As you arrived at our house, you were met with bunches of balloons tied to our fence surrounding the front yard.  The gate to the right of the house was opened and guests could follow the trail of two ducks feet down the path to the back yard.  Along the way, there were bath-type signs and water splashes  (cut from foam) and duckies to create the scene.  As they neared the back, "Rubber Ducky, I'm So Fond Of You" was sprawled across the brick wall in bright cardstock letters.  Once you turned the corner of the house to the back yard/patio you saw shower curtains covered with ducks hanging on both sides of the patio.  In the ceter of the wall on one side of the patio was a giant faucet with handles mounted on the wall and a stream of water drops was coming from the faucet.  The ceiling was covered in blue streamers with rubber duckies hanging everywhere...and the tables were covered in blue tablecloths with a few rubber ducks and a bunch of balloons in the center.  Michelle made these AMAZING 5 collages of Kristiaan's first year of life!  They were soooo beautiful and creative - I was seriously blown away!  Anyhow, those were placed in various parts of the patio.  The gift table was covered in yellow with a picture of Kristiaan in the center.  We had a bounce house on the other side of the house and every where you looked there were rubber ducks (2 duck bathtubs held the drinks)  We had so much wonderful food that I can help from frind and family in providing.  I will for sure post some pictures once I get them back.  I could go on, but I have rambled enough for one night. 
  
   Sunday:  Today was pretty much spent cleaning and cleaning!  The only bummer about having an awesome party is that you spend the next few days getting life back to normal. 
   We all went to the driving range with Gretchen and Matt before they had to fly back home.  I really wish they could live closer...oh well, it makes visiting that much more special.  Anyhow, the driving range was a first time experience and I had a lot of fun. 
   My cousin Nina is staying with us this week to hang out and help with Kristiaan while I get my business started.  We took Kristiaan out for a walk in his new Red Flyer wagon. He thought it was a blast.