The Wiersma 6

Cat in the Cupboard

2012-02-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

Cat in the cupboard....so, in my quest to repaint my kitchen cabinets I took the doors off...Cheddar discovered it was nice and warm sitting in the cupboard. The dog and cat have always fought for a spot in front of the heater vent you can see...but I think the cat has one upped the dog by finding it's even better in the cupboard!

Saturday

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lucas:)

Winter Weather Advisory

2012-02-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

And what did we have for supper??? Burgers on the grill!!! YUM!

Sun!

2012-02-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

The best place to sleep? The kitchen floor in the sun!!!!

Looking better!

2012-02-08T10:40:00.002-05:00

This is what my house looks like today...you can see that the antenna is gone and that the roof looks wonderful! Below is the before picture...check out that roof!! It was falling apart!

February 7

2012-02-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

Again...due to my new floors I had to find something for the dogs food and water...this 4$ boot tray should work great!!! (Why didn't I think of that years ago?)

More Work!

2012-02-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

More work....since the floor looks so nice, now I have to paint the kitchen cupboards...here is the first bunch! Anyone want those lovely handles? I am getting rid of LOTS!

February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T19:07:00.002-05:00

Watching the Superbowl!

Love those happy eyes!

2012-02-04T19:06:00.000-05:00

Lucas and Wicket!

And it's done....

2012-02-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

the roof...that is! The huge dumpster was full!

And there it goes....I have a picture here of it coming...empty!

Two right feet???

2012-02-02T08:36:00.001-05:00

You know how sometimes in dancing they say you have two left feet....well, today I have 2 right feet! Not sure how the socks got matched wrong or when I had two left feet.......

The last few days....

2012-02-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

1/28/12 - figuring out how to put down the under layment.

1/29/12 - its slowly coming together!

1/30/12 Why not put the fridge in the living room? Closer for a snack:)

1/31/12 - the roof in a dumpster!!!!

The almost finished project!!

2/1/12 - The finished floor!!! Now I just need to get the cabinets painted and it will be awesome!!! Maybe tomorrow;)

Project time....again!

2012-01-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Taking the "shoe molding" off before we rip up the floor!

My newest project....

2012-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

Can you guess what I am going to make?

Don't you always.....

2012-01-25T15:24:00.003-05:00

Wear goggles while doing homework!

1/24/12

2012-01-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

Cheddar and Kendra!

Brotherly Love

2012-01-23T10:50:00.000-05:00

Sledding!

2012-01-22T18:55:00.000-05:00

Ready to sled! At the Zeeland Christian Hill.

Feliz Cumpleanos Gavin!

2012-01-21T18:54:00.000-05:00


Super happy to get an iPod like everyone else!

The one I love!!!

1/20/12

2012-01-20T18:51:00.000-05:00

Wicket and his new haircut!

Birthday cake!

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Gavin's camping birthday cake!

A pretty happy almost 7 year old!

Kids these days....

2012-01-18T19:43:00.002-05:00

What I found when I came upstairs from the basement...what a great place to play an iPod!

Clean closet = Trip to Ditto

2012-01-17T19:50:00.000-05:00


I cleaned out the cedar closet today....netted 2 comforter/sheet sets, way to many old coats, some baby blankets, old books and a basket. All are now at Ditto - our local Christian School second hand store. Lets just hope that each closet does not hold so many unneeded things!

1/16/2012

2012-01-16T19:46:00.000-05:00

Woof!

Sunny Snow

2012-01-15T16:53:00.001-05:00

The view out of the kitchen window.

The snow capped bird feeder.

What a change from a few days ago.

1/14/12

2012-01-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

A grumpy breakfast eater!

It Snowed Last Night!

2012-01-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

Trees from an upstairs window.

Happy to have food Cardinal!

The back yard!

Under Construction!

2012-01-12T16:18:00.001-05:00

So...our roof has needed replacing since we moved in....it's just a very pricy endeavor as it needs to be totally re-sheeted before the shingles. This morning they arrived...just before the snowstorm. So, I now have a huge dumpster in my driveway making my garage unusable...but it will be nice not picking up shingle pieces off the driveway every morning!

The house with some of the "stuff" they brought....look at the left side of the roof...think it needs replacing?

Love it when little people have such big plans!

2012-01-11T16:31:00.001-05:00

Gavin came flying in the back door after school today...he had a "great idea mom!"

He took off his shoes quickly then asked where his new sling shot was....I got it for him while he ran to get his coat and backpack which had been thrown in the front yard.

I opened the package and showed him how to use it.
Off he went to the front yard. A few minutes later I went to see what he was doing.....attempting to shoot a squirrel in the tree...that was maybe about 30 feet up. Guess you won't know you can't do it until you try...right?

Filling me in on how it's going to work...guess the idea was for Kendra to throw a rock at the squirrel and scare it down Gavins side of the tree....

Taking aim

Ready...aim....fire!!!

Supper!

2012-01-10T14:05:00.000-05:00

After sleeping way to long this morning...I had to figure out what to do today. I decided that I would start by making supper...so here it is! Not as nice as the picture in the magazine, but should be good! Ham and veggies...yum!

Grocery Day....every Monday

2012-01-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

It was a light grocery week...only 4 bags:)

January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T18:42:00.001-05:00

Me: "What shall I take a picture of today Ian?" Ian :" Me!!!"

Fun with Friends - January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T21:46:00.001-05:00

Downtown Holland...checking out the ice sculptures with the Schaaf family!

L to R - Garrett, Lucas, Ian, Ethan, Kendra, Caroline and Gavin's foot down in the corner. Just missing little Lydia!

(Sorry it's sideways the computer and I are not getting along too well!)

49.8

2012-01-06T13:53:00.001-05:00

Can you believe that it is January 6 and it is 49.8 degrees?? I can't either...which is why I took a picture of me...can you see the sun? I just got back from a walk and am HOT!! Happy January!

1/5/12

2012-01-05T20:07:00.004-05:00

Wicket...doesn't like his picture taken...therefore he is not looking at the camera. Oh, he also is badly in need of a haircut!

January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T18:21:00.002-05:00

Saying good bye is never easy....

Goodbye Aunt Jennie! See you in July...hopefully before then via Skype:)

It's been a while....so I have a new idea!

2012-01-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

A good friend at work gave me a great idea....take one picture every day for the entire 365 days of 2012...so here we go...lets see if I can do it!

January 1, 2012

At the pool, new years day, Beulah, MI

January 2, 2012

My backyard...just before midnight.

January 3, 2012

The front porch...snow and sun:)

25k

2011-05-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

On May 14, Matt and I ran/walked 15.5 miles or 25k!

All went well and we finished...at times we weren't sure we would finish as I stopped running and started walking at the 9 mile mark. I have been having ongoing IT band issues and it again reared it's ugly head. I sent Matt on ahead because he didn't need to have as slow a time as I did. However, I caught back up to him at mile 11. Apparently he had run the mile after he left me quite quickly which caused his foot to hurt...in the end, he had a stress fracture. So...we walked miles 11 to 15 together and ran the last 1/2 mile to the finish line! It wasn't the way I wanted it to go, but I/we finished!!!!!!!

Here we are after we got back home...Renee (on the far left) is our next door neighbor and Kristen (in the grey) is a good friend! What is also pretty amazing is that about 10 people from our church also ran the 25k - Renee and Kristen being two of them!

So, will I do it again? Yep, I hope to do it again next year and run the whole thing therefore getting a better time:) This years time was 3 hours and 24 min....shouldn't be hard to beat:)

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-02T20:17:00.002-05:00

So...today they say we had "Blizzard 2011." We did have lots of snow and wind which led to many snow drifts and pretty much everything was closed...but was it really that bad? Who knows...we had a great time playing outside, shoveling, snow blowing and sledding!

The "shovel brigade" out to help...not sure how much they helped, but they did have a good time!

Getting ready to play!

Matt took to the snow with the snow blower! My dad had plowed a bit of the drift, but there was still lots left!

Because of all the snow...there was a great hill next to our neighbors driveway....Kendra loved sledding down it!

It was a VERY fun SNOW DAY!!!!

Winter Fun!

2011-01-09T15:46:00.003-05:00

We went skiing on Christmas eve. We had celebrated Christmas with my family Thursday evening so had all day Friday, Christmas eve, to ski! The kids all know how and although Gavin learned last year...he pretty much started over this year but by the end of the day was tearing up the slopes!

Lucas heading down the hill

Matt figured out he hadn't skiied since we went in April of 1996...before we were married! But, it came back without any trouble...had a great time!

Grandpa and Gavin...skiing buddies!

Then on a Sunday afternoon we packed up and headed for the ZCS hill for some sledding. The kids got sleds for Christmas and were excited to use them! The hill was busy and was had fun flying down it on the new sleds!

Piling on Ian! The best part was seeing all of the boots at the bottom! 8 feet there!

Yep, Matt and I even got involved! It is quite fun to fly down the hill on a piece of plastic!

Matt...ready to roll!

Kendra enjoying her new sled.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T15:43:00.002-05:00

Ian and his best buddy and cousin Evan....they have so much fun together.

Ready to open Christmas stockings!!

Ready to open presents at Grandma and Grandpa Feenstra's house!!!

Art Prize

2010-10-01T16:40:00.005-04:00

Last year Grand Rapids started something new....Art Prize. It is an art competition that allows the public to vote for their favorite piece of art. This year there were over 1700 entries. Last year we didn't go...didn't really know what it was all about, but this year we did! We packed up after church Sunday morning, ate lunch and Megan and Josh's house and headed downtown. It was busy...but fun! I love seeing how the kids look at different pieces of art and what they see in them that us adults don't even notice. Here are a few pictures from our fun Sunday afternoon!

We started at the Woman's Literary Club...there was a piece there that encouraged you to help make it....so here are aunt Megan and the kids "making" the art piece!

We then headed more into the down town to Calder Plaza. We came upon this amazing thing....it is all t-shirts cut apart with the neck holes left intact...the kids loved it!

Ian peeking through...

Kendra peeking through!

Lucas...

and Gavin!

The kids got a bit ahead of us and one point and when we caught up....this is what we found...

Looking at this...AMAZING!

As we were leaving we stuck our heads inside one last venue...this is what we saw! All made out of rubik's cubes!

There were many more things we saw and took pictures of...but this will have to do for now!!

Back to school!

2010-09-01T08:01:00.002-04:00

Here they are...all ready to head out! When did they get so old???

Gavin ready for kindergarten!

Kendra ready for 3rd grade!

Lucas ready for 2nd grade!

And Ian ready for 5th grade....last year of Spanish Immersion!

A great Friday morning!

2010-07-22T13:25:00.003-04:00

After dropping Lucas off at day camp at Camp Geneva...the other three kids and I went and climbed Mt. Pisgah. It is a sand dune near Holland State Park that they recently put stairs on to help slow down the erosion from people climbing it all the time. We had a great stair climb - 241 steps...Ian counted. It was beautiful and breezy at the top and they we hiked back down through the dunes on some old trails. It was a great morning!!!

Three of my 4 monkeys!

Heading out on the trail!

They have a great new pavilion at the beginning with this great bike rack! The boys thought it was something to be climbed!

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-08T10:25:00.005-04:00

We started our weekend out at the cottage! When we got there there was a swan family that thought they should take up residence on the beach....the kids decided they did NOT belong there. They worked together pretty well trying to get them to leave....but it wasn't until Matt went down did they start thinking about leaving!

The male swan standing his ground....he was about as tall as Lucas!

Lucas marching towards the swan...he would continue until he looked at him then he would stop and run away!

Matt and the kids "scaring" the swans away!

We spent the night at the cottage, went to church then headed to Brower park for some water sports! The kids were getting read to go......what a good looking bunch!

Lucas and Ian love to tube....it was HOT outside and the water was great...even I went tubing with Kendra!!!

Kendra enjoying the boat ride.

Gavin watching where we are going!

After the boat ride Gavin started playing the water by the seadoo....he found lots of big rocks....then Grandpa Feenstra got in on the action!

Grandpa was showing Gavin how sound travels under the water. He would tap the stones together under the water while Gavin was under the water...then he would ask Gavin what rhythm it was. Provided lots of entertainment.

We left Brower park about 8:30...Lucas asked to leave because he was tired...all 4 kids were asleep within about 10 min. of getting on the highway. We never did see any fireworks...but that was ok....on Monday we just did some work around the house and enjoyed the day off! What a great weekend!!!

23:27

2010-07-06T15:37:00.007-04:00

Zeeland held it's first ever 5k race last Tuesday evening - it was the Zeeland Zoom! Ian has wanted to run a 5k race for some time and since he knows the city pretty well we decided this was the right time. The kid did AWESOME!!!!

Ian is in the black shirt with orange sleeves....he sped right by us! He had done 2 miles already and only had a little over 1 left to go! Go IAN!!!

We watched Ian and lots of others run...we walked from one end of our street to the other...the kids had a great time getting high fives from lots of the runners and cheering them on!

Ian surprised Matt when he came running in at just over 23 min.....see him coming?

He did it!!! Finished the whole race running.....with a time of 23:27! (That's 11 seconds faster than Matt's best 5k time!)

Glad to be done....he came in 8th out of 60 in his age group (14 and under) and 150th out of 780 total runners!

One Windy Summer Day

2010-06-24T13:10:00.002-04:00

So...we went to the beach after a morning of thunderstorms. It was VERY windy which caused the sand to whip up from the shore and pelt us. At first we were just going to stay and eat lunch...but then Stacy and the kids came...so we stayed for several hours. We never made it down to the water......but I think the kids had just as much fun! Also, the sky did clear up and the wind died down just a bit....it was a great day for the beach!

Kendra and her tiki's!

Lucas and Ian standing against the wind!

Kendra looks like she is ready to fly!!

You can see some of the sand coming....love Big Red!!!

Happy Birthday Lucas!!!!

2010-06-20T16:01:00.002-04:00

Lucas turned 7 last Monday - but we had his party with family today!!! He chose a "swamp monster" for his cake!! He called him "Swampy!"

One very hansom 7 year old!!!

Opening presents is always a favorite part!!! Lucas had lots of fun, but also had fun watching his cousins Evan and Sadie open their presents!!!

Blowing out candles....what do you think he wished for???

First outing of the summer!

2010-06-16T15:47:00.004-04:00

On the first Friday of summer break....we headed to the zoo! We go there all the time, but it is always fun and we always learn new things. One thing that we can't miss when we go to the zoo is....climbing on John Ball! I am sure there are thousands of families with pictures of this guy...so fun to see it year after year!

The first animal we encountered was the rare blue eyed climbing boy! Lucas will climb anything and everything!

Lucas and Gavin also found a barrel to ride on ...so cute!

Next, the boys decided to take a quick shower in the waterfall...they were wet before I even saw what was happening!

The little goats are always a favorite! It's hard to believe that they are adults...just very little adults!

Playing the drums by the lions!!! The lions were sleeping and didn't even wake up with all the noise the kids made!

It was the perfect zoo day! Overcast, not too warm and hardly any people!!

School's out!!!!

2010-06-13T17:06:00.003-04:00

Well, we survived another year! We now have a 5th grader, 3rd grader, 2nd grader and kindergartner!!! Amazing!

Ian had two teachers....the first one is Maestra Druan - she was his main teacher as she is a native speaker. Mrs. Senti helped out in the class and taught the kids in English for 2 hours a day!

Next year will be Ian's last year in the ZCS Spanish Immersion program...amazing that it has already been 4 years since we made a leap of faith to try something we hadn't heard much about. It has most certainly paid off...you should hear that kid...he can hold his own in any Spanish conversation!!!!

Kendra had Maestra Koop. She LOVED her and made great strides this year! She loves to write and wrote many great stories...of course all in Spanish so I get the abridged version:)

Lucas had Maestra Nunez! He learned tons this year and is an amazing reader and math is a snap for him!!! The kid never sits down to do any of his work at school....but oh well...he does it well standing up.

Gavin finished preschool a week before the other kids....we had a fun picnic at the park with his class and a pinata. His main teacher was Maestra Schrotenboer and Maestra Rivera was the aide in the class. He is soooooo excited to now be one of the "big kids" and be able to ride the bus to school next fall!

What a great year!!

Super cute kids!

2010-05-26T13:04:00.002-04:00

So, I got a new camera for my birthday...my old one was being held together by a piece of masking tape....anyway, I figured out I could get great pictures up close of the kids.

Love them!!!!

A dogs life!

2010-05-04T14:17:00.001-04:00

Don't you wish you could lay around all day and sleep? Wicket (the little dog) and Oscar are "guarding" the back door.....you probably could get past them pretty easy:)

Flashback Friday

2010-04-23T10:50:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Laura! Many may not know that I was once one of 4 girls. Laura, my baby sister died when she was only 14 months old. Today is her birthday - April 23 - she would be turning 26! It's been a long time since she left...but I still am surprised how much I miss her...how different my life would be with her here....but, I know I will someday get to see her again! Love you Laura!!!

Spring Break = Toledo, Ohio

2010-04-13T14:17:00.004-04:00

For Spring Break this year we headed for an overnight stay in Toledo, Ohio. Last year it was Iowa, this year Ohio! The kids loved it as did the parents! We went to the Toledo Art Museum...the kids weren't quite sure what to think, but did well and found the glass blowing demonstration fascinating!

Ian was listening to a prayer read in two different languages.

This is a room inside of the museum...it felt like we were outside!

We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express....with a pool! I think the kids swam for hours...the loved it, and so did we...made them nice and tired!

We then went to the Toledo Zoo. We are members at the John Ball Zoo here in Grand Rapids and since the Toledo zoo is a reciprocal zoo we got in free! It was a great zoo...the animals were really active and they had lots of them!

At one point we thought we lost Gavin and Lucas...but they were just the ones making the tree frog noises coming out from this tree!

The seals were fun to watch..they like to swim on their backs.

Things to climb on are always fun...here are all the kids sitting on the lions!

I think that I would love to freeze them all at the ages they are right now...they are so much fun and I enjoy being their mom more every day!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:48:00.000-04:00

Ian's Field Trip

2010-04-02T15:17:00.002-04:00

One of the highlights of 4th grade at Zeeland Christian is the field trip to Lansing...our capital. So, last Friday Ian and I went on this great field trip! The kids all ride a school bus, the much wiser parents get to ride in someones car...makes for a loud trip for them and a quite trip for us:)
Our first stop with the Museum which is, of course, all about Michigan. We were a bit early for our tour - so above is Mrs. Duran keeping the class quiet! (She is amazing!)

One of Ian's favorite things about the museum was getting his picture taken behind one of those silly picture boards....goofy kid!

After the museum we we ate lunch, then walked to the capital...what a beautiful building!!! The above picture was taken while we were doing the bottom picture!!
By the way, the stars at the top are 179 feet from the glass floor we laid on..those stars are each the size of a pie pan.....wow!

The capital building of Michigan...forgot to get a picture from the front...guess the back will have to do!

Is it spring yet????

2010-03-18T14:32:00.002-04:00

Spring....a wonderful season in Michigan. This spring we have enjoyed some wonderful relatively warm and sunny days. Gavin, since he only goes to school 3 mornings a week, has been using the weather to his full advantage! He learned to ride his bike without training wheels...and now asks to ride everywhere. Yesterday we rode to and from school...1.3 miles each way...that's alot of peddling for those little legs.

Today we rode to the park....I had brought a book along to read....I was quickly told I needed to play with him, not read!!

We raced up and down a few ladders...unsure who really won.

And, while I was looking away, my little monkey climbed a little too high for his mothers liking. (He did make it safely down:)

Destination Imagination!!!

2010-03-07T17:07:00.002-05:00

Ian has been part of a Destination Imagination (DI) team for about 3 months. DI is a program that focuses on having kids think creatively and as a team. They are given a problem at the beginning and have to "solve" it.

Ian tried out for DI by completing two exercises that were meant to show his creativity, his teachers were also spoken too....so, that was the first hurdle...making the team. They then worked on a skit for the past 3 months and presented it a the Regional competition yesterday at Mona Shores High School.

Ian has his team choose to work on a "flip." This involved coming up with a skit, during which one of the characters would "flip" their point of view. Ian's team choose to have one of the characters opinions change about mosquito's! So......Ian became the mosquito. The kids are responsible for coming up with all of their own props and don't have much money to work with...so very creative they become!

Here is Ian's team after they did their skit for competition - it is too hard to describe the whole skit...but it was very cute and the kids did a great job. They were scored on many different areas - and received a score of 202 our of 240....a pretty good score I am told! After the skit - they have to do an instant challenge - they have no idea what it will be, but are again were scored on many different areas. They don't find out the score for the instant challenge - so, the awards ceremony was a bit nerve wracking!

Ian was nervous about the instant challenge - and here he is at the awards ceremony after recieveing his 2nd place medal! Yep, his team got 2nd place our of the 23 teams that competed in his section!! Pretty good....oh, getting a second place finish means that his team goes on to state.....

Ian was so excited that we couldn't even get a group picture and here he is holding his award upside down!!!!

It was a fun, busy, exhausting and rewarding day. Zeeland Christian did very well - they sent 5 teams - 3 of which received a medal- there was a 1st place, Ian's was 2nd place and a 3rd place finish...way to go ZCS!!! So, three teams going on to state on April 17....should be fun getting prepared again - they use the same skit, but I know Ian already has things he wants to talk to his team about changing and possibly rebuilding some of their props!

Flashback Friday

2010-03-05T08:14:00.002-05:00

Yep, that's Gavin! This is when he is 2 days old...finally in a real bed and looking pretty good! Too bad he had to stay for 8 more days! Oh, the reason I post this is because he was due this week! Gavin's due date was March 1, 2005....he came January 21, 2005...guess he just wanted to keep us on our toes. He is now big 5 year old who is leaning a second language and talks ALL THE TIME!!! Love you Gavin!

Isn't this how you always read???

2010-03-04T08:03:00.002-05:00

Lucas was reading his reading book from school....apparently Gavin wanted to listen....silly boys!!!

Sunny Day!

2010-03-02T14:04:00.001-05:00

The dogs found a very warm and sunny place to sleep today....so cute! Oscar doesn't seem to mind that Wicket curls up next to him....I would have joined them, but the floor is pretty hard!

Igloo Building

2010-03-01T11:25:00.003-05:00

Kendra and her friend/neighbor Allison worked for hours Saturday to build this huge wall! I asked if they were going to build an igloo...they both thought for a minute and then said...if we knew how we would!

Working hard!

They built for most of the day....it was quite a big wall...but then, it was sunny yesterday and part of it melted.....They weren't too happy...I was...ready for spring!!!

Flashback Friday

2010-02-26T07:25:00.004-05:00

Hmm...it appears that we are at the top of something. I think this is when we went to New York City.....Don't know when it is....love how short Megan is!

Flashback Friday!

2010-02-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

Check out those sun glasses! This is me and my dad a very long time ago. Looks like we are in Florida...I will have to ask mom about the exact date....maybe late 1974.

SUN!!!!!!

2010-02-18T16:34:00.002-05:00

It was sunny today....so Gavin decided that he was going to play outside and build a snowman! The snow that was in the sun was perfect for snowman building...but when your 5 sometimes you need a little help - so I helped!!!

See how sunny it is???? Gavin couldn't even keep his eyes open!

Here is snowman attempt #1!

And #2! Gavin thought he needed a Frisbee to encourage summer to come:)

Oh, the dogs loved the sun too! They played outside just as long as Gavin did!!

A typical WEEKDAY evening at 41 S. Sanford:)

2010-02-16T20:39:00.006-05:00

Ian is working on spelling words - he usually also has math and one other subject. This year his spelling words are all in English - what a relief - but, he chooses crazy words like "alphanumeric." Why does a 4th grader need to know that???? Who knows....he chooses them!

Lucas was following me around the living room reading his reading book - El dia de suerte de Jorge - something about playing soccer and having the ball run into the street - that's all I got out of it. I liked last weeks better - the 3 billy goats and the ogre?? I don't remember an ogre, I thought it was a troll...oh well...I understood that one!

Kendra is working on her 15 min. of reading that she has to do every night - she is reading "How to Eat Fried Worms" - a classic:)

Gavin never has homework, but he got a new Highlights in the mail today so was very busy "reading" and finding things in the hidden pictures.

Just thought I would fill you in on our typical weekday evenings. We do homework - lots of it with 3 kids in school. There are always spelling words and memory work...spelling words in English and Spanish - memory work always in Spanish. We also do math most evenings with all three and sometimes Ian has more to do. On top of all that, Ian and Kendra also practice piano for 20 min. each....it is always and interesting evening!!

Flashback Friday

2010-02-12T15:44:00.002-05:00

Late summer 1980. This is my mom and dad, me sister Jennie and baby Megan. It was taken in the back yard of our Colonial house - must have been Megan's baptism day - we went to North Street CRC at the time -walked the block and half to church every Sunday!

When 7 isn't too many!

2010-02-11T10:59:00.002-05:00

7 kids isn't too many when you can look down at these 7 precious faces and just say "thank you!" They are all healthy, happy and beautiful children! I am so grateful that God let ME be their mother and aunt!

Cassidy, Sadie, Evan, Gavin, Ian, Lucas and Kendra

The boys - Ian, Gavin, Lucas and Evan

The Girls - Kendra, Sadie and Cassidy!

Let it SNOW!!!!

2010-02-10T07:39:00.002-05:00

It snowed!!!!! I snowed pretty much all day yesterday....so, in the evening after all homework and piano practicing was done three of the kids and I headed outside to shovel. Lucas has a nasty sinus infection, so he elected to stay inside and read. We shoveled, and shoveled and then shoveled some more. We even shoveled the next door neighbors driveway. It was lots of fun and the dogs had a good time too!!!! (I didn't get any good pictures of them because the were running too fast! Now, today is a snow day.....it's going to be a good day!!!!

Flashback Friday

2010-02-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

Aren't they cute? This is from when we went to Florida a few years ago in March! What were we thinking? We had a great time - I think that Gavin is a bit over 2, Lucas pushing 4, Kendra 5 and Ian 7! My how time flies!!!!

Is 7 enough???

2010-02-04T13:03:00.002-05:00

This morning I had Stacy and Geoff's kids here, so Stacy could go to orientation for her new job. They came before the 3 oldest left for school...so for about 45 min. I had 7 kids!!!! Here are just 2 pictures....couldn't get them all so sit still long enough to get a picture of all 7. Sadie is obsessed with the cat - Ian was carrying on quite the conversation with the little two about cats and what they do and the noise they make. So cute!!!! They were all good as gold, and I even got a batch of cookies made and 2 loaves of bread....maybe 7 isn't too many!!!

Evan, Sadie and Ian loving Cheddar - poor cat - he went into hiding for a little while, but then came back out for more torture!

This is how every Friday night should be!

2010-01-30T20:17:00.002-05:00

Tonight - the kids picked up the play room, took baths and then watched Toy Story!
What a great night!!!!!!

Flashback Friday

2010-01-29T15:13:00.005-05:00

I'm trying something new:) I will be trying to share an old picture every Friday - we shall see what I can find.

This one is of Great Grandma Ykema in Rock Valley, Iowa. Not sure of the year - but I was young and Jennie and Megan were even younger!!!!!

So sorry....

2010-01-28T11:30:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been forever since I updated this blog! Maybe I should make it my resolution to do it more....now that we are almost done with January, maybe that will work.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from our Disney vacation!!!!!!!

Here is Kendra riding some kind of Star Wars thing:)

Gavin and his look of awe and wonder!

At the Magic Kingdom - Lucas was picking up Mickey Mouse shaped confetti!

Swimming in "our" pool - at the house.

Summer fun!

2009-08-19T16:31:00.002-04:00

Today was a pool day - here are a few fun pictures of the fun we had! We are loving summer...but only a little less than 2 weeks left of it before school starts! Trying to make the best of every day!

The whole gang ready to jump in!

Gavin floating around.

Ian and best friend Carson...matching swimsuits:)

Lucas coming up for air!

Kendra the fish!

Memorial day memories!

2009-05-29T08:41:00.004-04:00

The memorial day parade in Zeeland...a long standing tradition! See Lucas in the great blue jacket? I wore one when I was in kindergarten too! Do you think it might be the same one?

Gavin on the three school float! He was so excited!

All four kids ready for the parade!

Lucas in his jacket!

My sister Megan wearing the same jacket way back in 1985!

I think Spring is coming!

2009-03-26T14:53:00.004-04:00

Gavin and I worked outside in the backyard for a few hours today. Here he is taking a rest with Oscar.

Some pretty flowers in our landscaping.

Super cute helper!

We decided to cut up the pine trees so that they wouldn't hang all the way to the ground....makes the backyard look so much bigger!

A tiny little tulip...loving the sun and the warmer soil!

Michigan = Snow

2009-01-13T16:26:00.003-05:00

It has been a really long time since I updated the blog...sorry! But, since I now have time...here is what we have been doing...playing the snow, and lots of it!

Playing on the big pile of snow in front of the house.

Gavin waiting for the "big kids" to get off of the bus.

Over Christmas break...my sisters, brother in law, kids and I went to the zoo! It was fun, cold and we had the zoo to ourselves!

Lucas posing by the Wolverine exhibit.

Fall at the Zoo!

2008-10-27T20:27:00.002-04:00

Since the kids didn't have school last week Thursday of Friday, we decided to spend some time at the zoo. It was a beautiful fall day and we pretty much at the whole zoo to ourselves!
The kids even got to climb on John Ball without waiting!

Aren't they cute hanging all over the place?

Watching the penguins.

They are redoing "redoing" monkey island so all of the monkeys were inside. I think that they monkeys were just as interested in the kids as the kids in the monkeys.

Climbing on the wooden train. Again, no wait!
(The thing behind Ian is a mummy that they zoo put there for their "zoo goes boo" night.)

Fall Fun!

2008-10-17T16:53:00.002-04:00

Fall fun is what the boys had after school today! The boys all wanted to play outside, Kendra didn't. So, I walked to where they were playing and this is what I found. Gavin in the pile of leaves being made by his 2 older brothers.

Lucas cleaning off his rake!

Ian raking up the leaves.

Jumping in the pile.

One less tooth!

2008-10-02T14:39:00.002-04:00

Well, today Lucas lost a tooth....actually he had it pulled by the dentist. Lucas' front teeth have not had a very good life....he first fell on the driveway and bunged them up pretty good, then fell and hit his sisters head with them. Anyway, the left front one abscessed about a year ago and has since turned a lovely shade of brown. So, at this last dentists appointment they recommended that it be pulled. So, that is what we did this morning. Lucas was very brave and didn't even flinch...now he is the proud owner of a gap in his smile that the dentist says will probably be there for at least a year...oh well he is already thinking of all kinds of fun things that he can do without a front tooth...he is eager to try drinking with a straw! Here are the before and after pics!

Before...see that kinda brown tooth?

And the after shot....he looks pretty happy! Oh, he also got to turn the train on at the dentist. (The dentist has a train that runs around on a track near the ceiling...the hygenist said it is pretty rare for the dentist to let anyone turn it on except himself....it must be Lucas' great blue eyes!)

Apple Picking!

2008-09-22T11:55:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we went apple picking. We went to the Dutch Market which is just north of South Haven. We had a great time....we took grandma and grandpa Feenstra along as well as Aunt Jennie. We picked a HUGE bag of apples and now are working on eating them...maybe some apple pie too:)

4 kids ready to pick apples!

Grandpa found the tall ladders and everyone had to try!

Kendra asking if she can pick that apple!

Me and Jennie!

Lucas hiding in the apple tree.

Gavin's first day of school!

2008-09-09T14:39:00.004-04:00

Today Gavin had his first day of 3-school. Each child brought a parent along and because Beth is also starting school today, I (Matt) got to go. Gavin had a good time and I think I was probably the biggest distraction for him. This post is mostly about the pictures, so here they are!

Back to School!

2008-08-26T08:51:00.003-04:00

Can you believe that we started school today...yep, August 26 and we are back to school. This morning went smoothly...no major clothes arguments and making lunches I think will easier than making the one I did last year. And now, 2 are at school, Lucas will go after lunch!

In 3rd grade already!

Kendra is now in 1st grade....so excited to be going ALL day!

Lucas is in kindergarten...I think he has mixed feeling about going but over all loves the idea....he even took his backpack along this morning:)

A week at the lake!

2008-08-16T13:16:00.003-04:00

A beautiful week at Englewright lake was had by all! We spent the past week up at Grandma & Grandpa Wiersma's cottage. It was lots of fun to play in the water, run in the lawn, ride the seadoo and just do nothing....for a whole week! Here are some pictures of our relaxing week.

Ian...deciding that it was cold.

Lucas in the air jumping off of the dock!

Gavin being a cute little boy playing the water.

Kendra coloring on the deck.

Summer is....

2008-07-28T11:58:00.003-04:00

Playing outside in the sun and water!

Running in the sprinkler in the back yard!

Playing with the turtles...even though you are not supposed to.

Being a lazy cat...who knew they slept on their backs!

Enjoying the front porch after a long day of work!

And lots and lots of other fun things....too many to count!

Hmmmm....

2008-07-17T10:43:00.001-04:00

Does Gavin have a sense of style or what??? Yep, he picked that outfit out all by himself. Including the long sleeve shirt when it is going to be 90 today!!

Tubing time!

2008-07-11T09:52:00.002-04:00

This 4th of July was spent on the water! First we went to where Grandma and Grandpa Feenstra were camping and rode in Jack's boat. Actually behind Jack's boat. Then, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Wiersma's cottage for the night and played all day in the water. Unfortunately my camera batteries died so I only have pictures of a little bit of tubing! But we all had fun both days!

Lucas and Kendra skimming along the water!

Lucas and Ian....it's a little blurry because we were going so fast!:)

Kendra and Ian heading for the wake!

Gavin did tube for a short distance but then decided he didn't like it. The most amazing part of the day was the fact that Lucas loved it! Last year he wouldn't but his bathing suit on because that meant he had to go in Jack's boat....this year he can't get enough of it!

How many kids can you fit in a wheel barrow full of water?

2008-06-30T14:42:00.002-04:00

Three

OR

Four

Ouch!!!

2008-06-30T14:36:00.003-04:00

We have had the first emergency room type injury already this summer! Lucas fell while playing at the park and split his chin wide open. He required a total of 10 stitches...2 inside and 8 outside! He was a very brave boy and didn't cry at all while they put them in. It has been a week since he got them out and here is a before and after picture!!

With the stitches!

Without!!!

A really handsome blue eyed boy!

Lucas turns 5!!!!

2008-06-16T13:48:00.003-04:00

I can barely believe that it has been 5 years since Lucas was born. It was such a busy time in life with moving, Matt finishing school and having a baby it seems like it was just yesterday. But, it has really been 5 years since this beautiful, full of life, blue eyed boy came to stay!

Lucas had very specific instructions for his cake this year. He wanted a police car chasing another car...this is what he told me to make, I did, and he said it was perfect. Oh, the cake was chocolate because that is what color it is under the dirt:) Yep, that was all Lucas!

Lucas received many great gifts...this is the best picture of him with one of his gifts....those blue eyes are sparkling!

Yep, the boys all had to see what Lucas had received...the Hummer and motor cycle were a huge hit!

Blowing out the candles...the candles were placed along the road as street lights....what an amazing imagination!

He is the pirate that doesn't do anything!

2008-06-04T14:43:00.002-04:00

Lucas has a birthday party to attend this afternoon...a Pirate Party! He was asked to dress the part...so here what mom came up with!!

It's amazing was a party store, Grandma, dad's closet and the Salvation Army thrift store can provide!!!!

Argh... Swab the deck! Could you say no to this pirate???

Memorial Day 2008!

2008-05-26T21:17:00.002-04:00

Another beautiful day in Zeeland!!

Today was Memorial Day and what a sunny and warm day it was. We headed for the parade about 8:30 and were very happy in our shorts and tshirts! Ian and Kendra had to be in the parade, so Matt brought them away and then we waited. Zeeland is lots of fun to "wait" in because you seem to know most people, or at least know of them:)

Waiting can be so hard...But Lucas, Gavin and Jennie were patient and they were rewarded well with plenty of tractors, old cars, Vetereans and of course lots of school kids.

Gavin informed us all that he like parades and was all smiles...his foot was tapping most of the time to the drumbeats that he heard!

Lucas sat by his friend Will and they had fun catching the candy that was thrown out during the parade. Candy at 9am??? Who's kid is that anyway:)

Kendra rode on a wagon with her El Puente Kindergarten class. They sang the whole way...when Kendra got off she informed me that she had the microphone almost the whole time.

Ian walked with his 2nd grade El Puente class....I think he had lots of fun waving at all the people he knew.

It was a great day...we finished it off by pulling out the rest of the stumps infront of the house the going to friends for some swiming and burgers on the grill! Summer here we come!!!

Plow Horses and Tulip Time

2008-05-14T11:01:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday we had fun being outside! We started out by heading south to near Grandpa Feenstra's farm where they were using huge horses to plow a field. They had at least 15 teams of horses plowing the field. We went on a great wagon ride and then the oldest three kids all rode behind the horses and plowed the field!

After that we headed towards Holland where we went to the Tulip Time Parade! It was warm and sunny...what a great parade...Gavin danced to every band that went by!

Lucas and Ian on the wagon ride.

Gavin didn't like the horses much so he and grandma sat way in the back.

Kendra enjoying the ride and the apple blossoms.

Lucas on the back of the wagon.

Ian heading out to plow the field.

Kendra and Lucas were arguing about who would go first...then the farmer said they could ride together...so off the went!

Coming back...the horses were huge! They even know left from right...my kids don't even know that!

Gavin badly wanted to pick a tulip for Grandma...so they decided to pick one out, just not pick it from it's stem.

Ian waiting for the parade.

To be short again!

2008-04-30T13:07:00.002-04:00

Gavin decided today that he was going to get the bowls out for lunch...we were having mac 'n' cheese. So, up he climbed and here he is at work. He does this fairly often, but it just really made me laugh today...he is at the perfect height for looking deep into the cupboards!

Being cheesy!

Jamaica mon!

2008-04-18T16:31:00.002-04:00

We went to Jamaica for 5 days....just the two of us! We spent our time at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Here is a view of our resort from the third floor! It was warm, sunny and I found it quite nice just sitting around worrying about no one but myself!!

Matt and i discovered tiny little hermit crabs...here Matt is looking for them and their shells.

I loved reading under the shade of the umbrella...I finished 2 books!

Oh, we went there for Aimee and Brad's wedding. That was lots of fun too! We went to the Sandal's resort just down the road where Aimee and Brad were staying. Congratulations Aimee and Brad!!!

Skiing in March

2008-03-24T09:22:00.002-04:00

What do you do when the weather is kinda cold and it just snowed about a foot?? You go skiing!!

Ian, Kendra, Lucas and myself went skiing last Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa Feenstra and aunt Jennie. The kids had learned how to ski over Christmas vacation when Uncle Josh and Aunt Megan were home. This time they were able to hone their skills and actually do a pretty good job. Ian loves to ski - he seems to have figured out how to turn and stop and even went on a "black diamond" run with Grandpa. Kendra also seems to have figured it out, but has trouble turning both ways, so gets frustrated and then just falls. Lucas, well, he knows how but decided he didn't want to do it, so he skied between grandpas legs alot and went really fast with grandpa. Over all we had a great time and the kids all say they want to do it again. Oh, Matt and Gavin stayed home...we don't have skis small enough for Gavin...maybe next year he will come!

Grandpa, Lucas, Kendra and Ian.

Lucas loved his goggles...isn't he cute!

Riding up on the lift with grandma and aunt Jennie. Kendra decided that she liked the lift and smiled and talked the whole way up every time.

Ian skiing down the hill...he beat us all up and down the bunny hill...he was ready for the "Big" hills before we even ate lunch!

Aunt Jennie and Kendra "resting." I think Jennie is just trying to deny the fact that she fell!

Snow Fort

2008-02-28T13:32:00.002-05:00

The kids have been working for many days to transform our pile of snow out front to be a proper snow fort. It has now been mostly completed and Gavin and Kendra decided that today was a good day to play in and around it. Kendra is home from school because she has strep and hasn't been on antibiotics long enough to go back to school, and Gavin is always home with me. They had a great time sliding in and around the fort, and I got the whole driveway shoveled!!!

Kendra on the top of the fort.

Gavin peeking out one of the holes!

Kendra and Gavin peeking out!

Oh, Oscar had to come play too! The kids tried to get him to come in the fort, but he was more interested in chasing squirrels and snowballs.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

2008-01-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

Gavin is 3!!

Gavin had a most wonderful birthday this year....I think it was so fun because he actually got what a Birthday was and what it meant. It was also great to see Gavin's older siblings get into the spirit. At breakfast they sang "Feliz Cumpleanos" to him before singing Happy Birthday! What an amazing thing to hear 3 of your children singing in Spanish to the other one!!!! I love it!

We celebrated Gavin's birthday twice! Once on the actual day and again on Sunday when all of our family could come to celebrate. Gavin loved being the center of attention! Here he is on his actual birthday...he chose McDonalds for his birthday meal.

Opening more presents on Sunday!

Gavin got a fire man coat and boots!! A new favorite thing to wear!

It was an Elmo birthday!!

New toys always seem to be a hit! Here they are all playing with Gavin's new blocks.

Lots and lots of snow!

2008-01-21T17:14:00.000-05:00

Good day to all! This post is really most for my sister Megan. She lives in northern England where they don't get much snow....so I told her I would take some pictures of ours so she can remember those great West Michigan winters!!!

Here is our picnic table with it's cap of snow.

Kendra has decided that she loves to play outside and does so when ever she can. Notice the pink cheeks on all of the kids...it has been really cold here, but it is now 18 F so it is pretty warm!

Gavin was being very goofy outside....it always looked like he was going to make a snow angel, but never did...just flopped down in the snow and smiled!

The kids were all throwing snow balls at eachother even though the snow really wasn't packing very well...I don't think they ever made it to their mark.

Yep, that is Ian throwing a snow ball at his mom...can you believe such a good kid would do such a thing? Well, he did!