The Lazy Mans way...

or, rather, the lazy girls way to send out a coffee invite.

I do not have all your personal e-mails handy, but would love to do coffee again soon. I miss my fellow bloggers!

Be the First to Enter

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I am putting this contest together, it should go live tomorrow sometime on my site. Thought I would give you a sneak peak and a chance to win. Even if you are past baby stage, it still is fun to enter and they make great gifts:-)

OH. MY. WORD.

Why, oh why, do I now have Shrek feet?

and cankles?

Disgusting.

We love the Grand Rapids Children's Museum! Bob the Builder is there now, one of my favorite exhibits they have had.

So, on Wednesday, we packed up and headed downtown. On the way back, Kayden said he was so hungry; off to McDonalds we went. After a little ways, I noticed Kayden was really quiet, so I looked back to see he was choking. Five 'throw-ups" later, and a big old mess in my car, I headed home feeling shaken. It is a helpless feeling, and I miserably failed at being pro-active in the situation. I just sat there looking at him, like, is this really happening?

The rest of the day passed without incident (other than Josh's team winning the semi- final game. Go Professional Pharmacy) so I figured I would take better care to keep an eye on him eating in the car.

Fast forwad to 1am. [Side note: In our house, we actually have a intercom system throughout the house, albeit an old one. However, that is not the attention grabber of choice. If one of us wants the other one, we proceed to the nearest wall and bang.] I heard some banging, so went to go check. Lots and lots more sickness. I felt so bad for the poor kid. I was actually so relieved to know Kayden had the flu, and that he had not been choking earlier at McDonalds. Two day of washing around the clock later....

I need to also give a big thanks to my hubby who is so much better with this than me. I can handle it for just so long without feeling queasy myself. Dad rocks.

Boys basketball.

8th graders vs. Boys team at Byron

Scheduled: January 22, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Resheduled: January 29, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/no school

ReScheduled: February 6, 4PM

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Rescheduled: February 11 (today)

Cancelled due to weather/ no school

Anyone see a theme, here? Perhaps we should STOP rescheduling this game.

Happy 35th Birthday

A few pictures from the school party.

The cake --isn't is awesome?

Being mauled by 4th graders

A few highlights from the day:


*riding to the Zeeland 8th grade boy's basketball game. Three junior high girls. My car officially seats two, so one rode in the far back "trunk space".
*Kayden reciting his Sylvester/Tweety monologue, ending in "Drop It, Drop It, Drop It" louder and louder the more attentive the audience of giggling girls was.
*the basketball game. Although it resulted in a loss, the boys played better than they ever had before and it was truly a great game with the final score being only 1 pt difference. Bitter wife predictably blames it on bad refs.
*Grandma Birdy's surprise cupcakes. Yum.
*Josh opening half-eaten presents. While wrapping earlier in the day, I took a phone call and Kayden chewed through eight pieces of gum in about five minutes. Opening half a pack of gum just ain't the same.
*the present Kayden left for Josh in the potty chair. We have been trying for #2 on the potty for four months now. We even took a picture to send to my parents in Hawaii....TMI? Now, that is all Kayden wants to see. Proud already at age three.


And now, in honor of my annual birthday tradition of sharing facts Josh would hate me sharing....

10. He hates the smell of eggs, tuna fish, coconut, and nursing homes. Well, I agree with that last one. And tuna.
9. He hates Duke. With a passion.
8. He must love me (a lot) to leave sunny So Cal to live in this weather.
7. He loves all frozen foods- pizza, mozzarella sticks, fries, chicken tenders. Good thing he is tall or he could possibly weigh 400 pounds.
6. Mirage Tanning is still in business solely because of Josh. I actually looked into buying a tanning bed for Christmas to save us money.
5. He bumps his head at least once a week. I flew back to buy this house alone...not realizing our staircase and basement bathroom ceiling is too short.
4. His truck is called the Green Hornet. Don't look too close or you might see the muffler...falling off. No, seriously.
3. He is taking master's classes at GVSU, and loves every minute of it. Even though he is in class with all women. Wait, that may possibly be why he loves it?
2. He never answers his cell phone. Ever. For a long time, I thought it was just when I called, but it really is universal.
1. He cleaned toilets in college. For a job. For minimum wage. No wonder he is so willing to clean ours.



All kidding aside, I am so blessed to have him as a husband. Without being too mushy, I love spending time with him, am so happy for his unconditional support, proud of the father he has become, and am honored God brought him to me. Happy Birthday, dear!

Need vacation!

My parents left for Hawaii on Friday morning, and I cannot stop thinking about vacation; specifically our lack of. Seems like everyone I know is either 1) already away or 2) going away soon (yes, I am talking about you Triplet Mom).

Instead of vacationing on the sandy beaches or whisking away to Mexico to relax in the sun, we are trying to come up with a place for a small getaway as consolation. We were thinking Double J, since it would be fun for Kayden (although not the slightest bit of vacation for us with all the screaming kids). I thought some of you had bad experiences with it, though, am I right?

So, here is my mission, fellow bloggers. I need to find a place that is:

• within driving distance, as we only plan on going overnight
• affordable
• includes some sort of indoor activities that would be fun for a three-year-old
• warm water if it is a pool area
• not terribly overcrowded (this last one might be asking too much!)

Anyone know of this place?

Slippin'

So, how is it that the new MacBook Air has been out for a whole 15 days with no mention from Chelle?

Little disappointed.

Want to make millions?

Figure out the solution to this:

Saturday I went and got groceries at Meijer. The yellow tags showing sale items were abundant, and overall the shopping trip was very successful. You know us dutchies, I can't buy if it is not on sale.

Yesterday, before throwing away my receipt, I started checking it over. I was overcharged for four items that should have been marked down but weren't. $5.29 for Josh's frozen pizza that should have been 4 for $10.

Today I will drag myself into Meijers, stand in the return/exchange line with seventeen other people, waiting for the one person working the desk. Here is the part where the millions come in: find a way to automate this online. A website where I can type in my receipt number and have the price adjusted without leaving the comfort of my own home.

_______________________________

Also, how about a family friendly, sit down restaurant with a play yard? We will be meeting with friends on Friday evening, both of us have little ones, and would love to go to a place like Applebees with a play structure like McDonalds. Is there something like this out there already?

The debate:

As if the baby naming challenge is not enough, we also are trying to decide about preschool next year. Josh wants Kayden to go to preschool two years, I think one year is plenty.

My reasons against two years:

• he will be in school the rest of his time with us, what's the rush?


• I am not a morning person, and getting Kayden and baby ready in the morning would take some serious discipline...or a shorter work night.... on my part.


• We go to Coffee Break on Tuesdays and MOPS every other Thursday anyway, so the interaction and time spent with other kids is about the same as it would be in school.


• I am not ready to let my baby go to school!


• Oh, one more thing...the money. With no employee discount on the horizon, I would rather hold off that tuition bill as long as possible.

The pros, according to Josh:

• he will get an early start. The theory is that the earlier you get that brain stretching and challenged, the further along he will be when you get to kindergarten.


• MOPS and coffee break are great for interaction....if Kayden would actually interact. He is all too comfortable sitting by himself and watching.


• my days of sleeping in until 8 are probably over anyway with a new baby coming.


• it is only really two days a week for four hours, and Josh is directly across the hall.


• he will be almost four, not really a baby anymore.

So, please weigh in bloggers!! What did you do--one year or two of preschool? Did it make a difference?

Introducing: Kaydens acting skills

Take One:

Take Two:

Manipulation

One of Kayden's favorite things is taking the periwinkle comforter off our bed, pulling it down the steps, and draping it over the couches to form a tent. Josh, who is a bit neater than I, does not like the comforter wiping the floor from our bed to the living room (probably due to the smashed cheese-it crackers that always end up on the floor; wish as I might, the dogs never eat the stuff I want them to).

Yesterday evening, after the comforter had already gone upstairs to offset daddy's arrival, Kayden looked back and forth between Josh and I.

"Daddy, I do not feel so good. Do you know what would make me feel better? The blue blanket, right here on the couch."

Manipulation at it's finest. Now, everything would make him feel better- soda, a brownie, piece of gum, watching Christopher Robbin. Give 'em an inch...

Work it Out

One more reason I am not going to the gym....

Yikes!

We are officially under 100 days until this baby is born.

Well.....hopefully. Judging from past experience it could be more like 104 days, but here's to hoping!

As we are putting away Christmas stuff, we are taking out baby gear so I don't have to get back in the crawl space again. I am realizing that I really should have done a better job of storing things.

Christmas Angels

You may want to stop reading this if you intend to have Josh for a teacher someday...

Every year, we try to come up with something original and yet easy to make for the fourth graders to give to their parents. We have tried so many different projects over the years, only to have them flop miserably. I wish I had photos of the scary paint-dripped pumpkin faces, the scrapbook boxes last year that were beautiful in my mind, but too time-consuming and costly to implement, or the puffy paint picture frames of 2005 that peeled off before given.

Finally this year, we found the perfect craft to give Mom and Dad. Enter: the macaroni angel ornament. Easy to put together, beautiful presentation, only about $1 a piece to make. This will be the 4th-grade Christmas craft for years to come!



A special thanks to my mom , who came to watch Kayden while we finished and wrapped them.

The 2007-2008 4th grade class

Ready for Break

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Kayden has been cracking me up with how logical he is becoming. Instead of just repeating what he hears (although he does repeat the things I don't want repeated- loudly and usually at church), he is coming up with thoughts of his own. He has always been game for a good hug or 'cuddle-time', as we call it. Last night when he was watching Elmer Fudd, I asked him to come give me cuddles. He said, "No, I am busy. You cuddle yourself."

In case I don't get a chance to blog before, have a wonderful Christmas!!

Though I walk through the Valley...

"I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no feet."

For many of you, you remember Sam Post's death around Thanksgiving last year all too well. He was a kindergartner at the school Josh teaches at, and went home to be with the Lord one month after finding out he had leukemia. Around that time, Sam's mom linked up to another care page- Miss Ali Aardema. 15 years old, the last seven years has been spent in and out of hospitals as she also dealt with reoccurring bouts with childhood leukemia.

Week after week, I kept updated on the numerous health issues of this extraordinarily strong girl. Fighter is the term I would use to describe her- she beat incredible odds and went into remission just a few short months ago. Thanksgiving this year, she went in for a regular doctors visit and collapsed- leading to this current three week hospital stay. I was just informed through her care page (Aardema, Ali), that she died early this morning. As with Sam's death, I think every parent grapples with the "whys" when something like this happens. I think about all the times I complain about the stupid things in life-bills, the weather, you name it. Something like this has a way of putting it all in perspective.

I leave you today with Ali's favorite verse. A verse I have cried to many times over the last year empathizing with parents struggling to deal with the valleys and trials she has endured, and they have been many. Although I have never even met her, her death touches me and saddens me as I have prayed long and hard for her this past year. Please offer your prayers for her family, 2 younger sisters, and all who knew her-either through her care page or directly-and hug your kids a little harder tonight thanking God that we have one more day with these incredible gifts entrusted to us.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt." Jeremiah 31:3-4

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Every Christmas, the commercials for Chia Pets start plugging the airwaves. Not small cable slots, mind you. Prime time advertising.

Seriously, how does this company stay in business? Have any of you received one? Are they cooler than first glance?

When Josh got home from school today, he sat down and within a few minutes Kayden was out. I cannot imagine how sleeping like this could be comfortable. If only you could hear how loud he was snoring!

I am wierd...

I cannot stop listening to old music on You Tube when I am working on the computer late at night. Goodies like All I Know by Art Garfunkel, You're so Vain Carly Simon. That has one heck of a good beat.

I really don't like to shop at the mall. Maybe too much running around for business makes it seem more like a job now. What would I do without the internet? It is just too easy!

There is a black hole somewhere in my house. It sucks in Disney/Pixar die cast cars, one of each sock that I own, and most recently my retainer. Seriously, how can these things be lost in the space of 800 square feet upstairs?

My favorites from years past...

I love looking through old pictures at Christmas time. Time flies by so fast, and it seems like only yesterday these picture were being taken...

One month old

Kayden and his cousin Lena, loving picture time.

Could this kid be any fatter?

Anyone else have their tree up?