MizJean...the search for the simple and the sacred

Christmas Cookies with Friends

2011-12-11T13:25:00.000-05:00

Every year, we get together with our friends - the Zylstras - to decorate Christmas cookies. When we first started, Reagan was very small and Maddie was a baby. This year it was so fun to watch both Reagan and Madison get into decorating. Reagan was even able to frost the cookies herself (for the most part). Maddie's favorite thing was to load a cookie with candies and then eat all of them off.

We always have such fun doing this with Aidan and Lydia. The kids get so excited and have such fun ideas. And the end product is most often some very heavily-candied cookies! We try to have a rule about no cookies until AFTER SUPPER, but this year the Daddies had trouble following that rule. At any rate, this is a really fun thing to do with friends and one of our favorite Christmas traditions!

Merry Christmas to our friends: Kyle, Shalene, Lydia, Aidan and "baby" Norah Zylstra!!

Reagan's Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

We had such a good time at Reagan's preschool Christmas program! She was very excited about singing all her songs. And I was excited because I got to sing with the kids on a few of the songs as well. It was really really cool to see 75+ little people singing their hearts out for Jesus. We are so thankful for Reagan's school, her classmates and her fantastic teachers! What a blessing to be able to send her to such a great school! We were also really excited that Grandpa and Grandma Vande Voort and Tom and Angie and Josiah(!) could be there too. Such a special night.

Here are some pictures.

Reagan's 5th Birthday Parties

2011-11-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

When you turn 5 it's best to celebrate as much as possible! Since we were doing some Thanksgiving traveling, we decided to have a few birthday parties for our Reagan girl.

The first was at Grandpa and Grandma Vande Voort's house while we were there for Thanksgiving. Aunt Amy was home too so it was extra fun to celebrate with her. Reagan had a butterly theme request this year so there were some butterflies on the yummy cake. And we opened presents.

Then we headed back home where I went into a flurry of party preparations. I decorated with some homemade butterflies, set out the homemade tissue paper flower balls I made earlier, and made a butterfly cake. Then we had Grandpa and Grandma De Vries, Derek, Krista and Eric, and Mark and Sandi, Andrew, Alex and Abby over for some party fun. Reagan requested a pizza supper so we had that and then the butterfly cake. And of course, a few more presents :)

So fun to celebrate our sweet girl! We love you Reagan!

Five Years

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Reagan,

It still seems like not so long ago that the nurse handed me a little baby wrapped in a blanket and I saw your sweet scrunched up face for the first time. I had no idea what the future would hold, but I knew Who held it so I began this motherhood journey with you as my teacher and Him as my guide.

I have been, quite simply, amazed by you this entire year. You suddenly stopped being this little toddler-like little one and became this kid with your own ideas and thoughts and ways. Sometimes, I have tried too hard to force you into who I think you should be, and it has taken time for me to learn how to just let you be your sweet little self. And who you are is so wonderful. Let me tell you a little about you.

You are my cautious adventurer. Typically, you don’t just jump right in a try something. You like to observe for a while, have help getting involved, and then you take off on your own. If I am just patient enough, you will eventually feel safe enough to go ahead and do things yourself.

You are my sensitive one. I have to be careful about what you overhear or what you see on t.v. because some of real life scares you. Sometimes when you hear about an animal that died, you get extremely sad and I can see your little heart just breaking. If I am upset or sad, you do everything you can to comfort me. When Maddie cries, you bring her your own teddy bear and blankie. You feel every single thing with your heart and are the most compassionate child I have ever met.

You are my imaginative dreamer. Not a single day goes by where your imagination has not turned it into a wonderful celebration or adventure. I love the way you come up with stories and ideas on your own and how you are never afraid or embarrassed to play them out. This aspect of your personality is confounding to your poor Daddy, but you help him play with your My Little Pony Castle and have taught us both how to be more imaginative and playful.

You are my constant student. Of course you started preschool this fall which has been a wonderful thing in your life. But even before that you were asking questions constantly – always wanting to learn more about backhoes, how caterpillars become butterflies or where snow goes. You carefully sort your fruit snacks by color and then tell me which color has the most and which has the least. Occasionally we even play addition and subtraction games. You know all of your letters, can write most of them, and are very close to being able to read words. I never worry about you academically because you are a very smart little girl.

You are my tender-hearted servant. This is especially true of your relationship with your little sister, your “Maddie”. You spend every morning playing with her and everyday when we drop you off at preschool you hang up your backpack and come back to hug her specifically. The two of you play camping, tea party, going to the zoo, birthday party, picnics, and a whole host of other things together. Frequently, I find you both in your room, where you will be reading to her. If I ask for your help with anything, you are eager to lend a hand. And you love to help Maddie, even when she really doesn’t want it.

There are so many other ways I could describe you: shy, intuitive, inquisitive, active, energetic, inventive. But mostly, I think you’re just really really great.

For 5 years I have been honored and delighted to call you mine. But just this fall, you sort of changed that. On September 4, 2011, you prayed and asked Jesus to come and live in your heart. And now I get to share you with my Savior. Nothing in all this world could make me happier. I know you are so very young, and that you may have lots of ups and downs still ordained for you. I also know that He will follow you always. My deepest prayer is that you will continue to choose Him, not just when you get older, but every single day of your life.

I love you sweet girl.

Love,

Mommy

Merry Thanksgiving! Happy Christmas!

2011-11-12T23:40:00.002-04:00

I'm in one of those ridiculously good moods lately. The kind where you feel like you might really be annoying to other people because you are just so happy and can't really help but smile. And the weird thing about this is that it has been going on for a while. Several weeks.

I've read some great books lately. A few of them have drastically altered my perspective on life in a good way. I'm studying some stuff in various small groups and Bible studies that has really challenged me and encouraged me at the same time.

So I have to be honest here and say this: I'm having a little trouble joining in on the refusal to celebrate Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving.

There's a commonly held point of view that not one single Christmas song should be played, not a gift should be purchased, not a tree should be decorated, not a single preparation made until we have finished stuffing ourselves silly with stuffing. There's something in there about honoring Thanksgiving and not skipping the holiday.

I hear you and I understand. Sort of. It's not unreasonable. It's just not me.

Since I started The Gratitude Project last year, Thanksgiving happens all year long. I've been enjoying it for 10 months now. And I plan to enjoy it for 2 more.

See, Thanksgiving does not really interfere with Christmas or Christmas interefere with Thanksgiving for me. In fact, I love that these two holidays are tied so closely together. I love that Thanksgiving reminds us of all the great good things God has poured out on our lives, and then we have only to flip the calendar page and see the holiday that marked the birth of God's GREATEST gift to us. It makes sense to me.

I love Thanksgiving. I love Christmas. I love them together, all mixed up and tripping all over each other.

I'm going to get my tree out soon. I'm going to decorate it and then spread the holiday cheer all around my house. And then I'll break out the Christmas music and listen to people sing about the mystery born in a stable. I'm going to make Christmas craft plans. I'm going to have Reagan's birthday party amidst the Christmas decorations. I'm going to shop for gifts and wrap them up. I'm even going to get my Christmas cards totally ready to mail out ON TIME this year. Oh yes. Yes I am.

I'm going to celebrate how very thankful I am for every single day, but most of all I'm thankful for the day He came to us - to love us, to reach out to us, to lead us. To save us.

Saturday

2011-11-05T22:06:00.003-04:00

Today we went shopping.

I found a fabulous winter coat that my husband bought me for Christmas.

I got several very good deals on sweaters.

Whilst shopping, several fellow shoppers actually complimented a sweater I had picked out.

I found a robe I had wanted on a clearance rack. Also a pair of exercise capris on clearance.

I bought Reagan a new Sunday winter coat for $15. That is ridiculous.

I didn't find the boots I wanted but I chose not to settle for something I didn't like and instead just walked away.

The exact dress I had been looking at online for Maddie was on sale in the store.

I bought coordinating outfits for our family so that we can get some family pictures taken. I also got Reagan a cute outfit for next to nothing for her 5 year pictures.

We nabbed some great deals on some really cool toys at Toys R Us.

We bought all of Reagan's birthday gifts.

We bought all of Reagan and Maddie's Christmas gifts.

I helped some sweet Mennonite women find a dress on a clearance rack in the girls' department at Target. They were thrilled.

We used a lot of coupons.

I got 6 things at Bath and Body Works for approximately $15. Unbelievable.

I spent approximately 15 minutes in Hobby Lobby picking out sprapbook paper. This is a RECORD for me.

The Iowa Hawkeyes won a great football game. We actually got to be in the car to listen to the last several minutes.

We finished our shopping and went out for pizza together. It was really really good.

Then we drove home. Our children had a fantastic, wonderful, fun-filled day with their Grandma here at home. They were happy and had a LOT more fun than they would have if we would have dragged them along.

And all of that was really really good. Really good. But the very very best part of my day was that I got to spend the whole day with my husband. I love that guy.

Sacred and Simple: Search for Significance

2011-10-25T15:07:00.004-04:00

Isn't that what it is all about? That daily wondering if what we are doing is really going to matter.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I fit into a small category of people who stand at the kitchen sink washing supper dishes feeling frustrated that I did nothing GREAT in the day. Then again, maybe I have more friends in this category than I realize.

I tend to live for those big moments. Most of my thoughts are directed on the future and anticipating excitment or dreading difficulty scheduled in my planner. When the fun things are over and done, I get a little depressed. When the hard things are over and done, I can usually find something else to worry over.

And there are times when I get really frustrated that my life story might end up being that I was a loving wife, a good mother and a faithful follower. It just doesn't always sounds like enough. And I want to be MORE than enough.

I want my list of accomplishments and achievements to be impressive. That may sounds prideful and arrogant, but I think almost everyone has that inner recognition drive - if we're honest with ourselves.

What if I could just simplify the way I see life? What if I could just stop trying to add more things to my list and enjoyed the white space?

I've always been a dreamer, and from a young age chased the idea of changing the world in one way or another. I was never sure how I could accomplish that, exactly, but I was reasonably sure it would be revealed to me in due time because it was my destiny.

Then I got married and had children and quit my job. Mundaneness crept in and whispered that those dreams of changing the world were frivolous and childish.

My mountaintop experiences would be much different than I had thought they would be.

But I'm seeing more clearly now. Every Thursday my children RACE to the living room window when they hear the garbage truck come down the street. It's not so much the fascination with the operation of the automated arm that grabs the can and lifts it high in the air before dumping it into the back of the truck. They love to wave at the lady driving the truck. They stand there in all their cuteness and smile and wave and giggle like fools. She always smiles and waves back. If they miss the pickup, my children are somewhat devastated.

It's such a small simple thing. So ridiculously easy. And yet I can't imagine that it doesn't change that lady's route just a bit.

But there, in all these insignificant waving-out-the-window moments, I see His plan for me. And that I will only be significant when I am actually pursuing insignificance - when I am the servant. When I am giving of myself to others as invisibly as I can.

At the end of the day, I'm finding it easier to lay down the work of my hands as an offering. And I find joy in knowing that I have given it all to the only One who will eternally remember anything good I have ever done.

Quiet Week

2011-10-07T16:30:00.002-04:00

It has been a quiet week here after what was a busy (but fun) weekend. I just don't have a whole lot to report, but here are a few little snippets of information.

- I finished book #2 in the not so distant past. It's way huger (yes, that's a word) than the last one. We'll see whatever happens with it.

- We've been enjoying the awesome fall weather around here! There have been many trips to the park.

- Reagan has been loving her time at preschool 3 days a week. Her latest thing is to write her name. She's improved a TON in just one month. Very fun to see her learning so much and making new friends.

- Maddie is almost totally daytime potty trained. I really dreaded it because things with Reagan were a challenge. But Maddie just figured it out so quickly and I am so happy to have to change only one diaper a day!

- I read a really good book this past week: What Women Fear by Angie Smith.

Such a great book! I highly recommend it!

- I'm not complaining, but did anyone else put away most of their family's summer clothes only to have to get most of it back out again for this warm weather? Kinda funny.

- Brian has been very busy at work, but is still very much enjoying his new job at Vermeer.

So far our fall has been lots of fun!

The Zoo!!

2011-09-19T22:40:00.008-04:00

We went to the zoo this past weekend and had a GREAT time! Reagan and Maddie are at the perfect ages to really enjoy 2-3 hours of the zoo (which is the max amount of time you can spend at the zoo in Des Moines, really). It's not a big zoo and they are missing several "key" animals (like elephants, bears, zebras, hippos and rhinoceroses), but this doesn't matter much to my little ones who were just thrilled to see what they could. The giraffes and lions were their favorites.

It was a little chilly, but it felt nice as we got moving along. Maddie did have to wear a hat because smallfry has hair but not much of it. Her nickname at home is "fluffy" because of her wispy curls :)

Now, you may remember last year when Reagan had a stare-down with the tiger. Spooky stuff. They changed the tiger viewing area a bit and made the window part of a jeep of sorts. Maddie was sitting in the jeep thinking that was just fine and dandy when the tiger started coming up to the window. I (stupidly) said, "Oooooo...Maddie! Here comes the tiger! He's gonna get you!" Seriously, any idiot can see what's coming next. Yes, my poor poor little baby girl FREAKED OUT. Can you blame her? I can't. I felt awful. Reagan, fearless one that she is, was thrilled and said, "Hi Tiger! Hi there! Can you get me?!" Sigh...

The petting zoo was a HUGE hit. Reagan and Maddie had a blast feeding the llamas and goats.

Going to the zoo with a child is one of those things that slows you down and forces you to see the joy and wonder of creation. So many times Reagan would be just thrilled by the simple actions of a sea otter or a monkey or Maddie would stare in wonder at a lion drinking out of a pool and I would catch myself and say, "You know, this really is amazing." And it is. I was flat-out astounded by how different each and every animal was. It's just unreal. The same God who made the giraffe with it's bizarrely long neck and wobbly legs made the tiger in its graceful vigilance. He made an ostrich with its weird body and a neon blue tree frog. He made scorpions that glow in the dark - are you kidding me? He made birds in the brightest hues I have ever seen and tiny brilliant fish (hi Nemo). It was just utterly breathtaking at times to round a corner and see something else completely new and wonderful in its very own way. I am so thankful that my children are continuing to teach me to slow down and SEE.

A Simple Plan

2011-09-16T22:30:00.000-04:00

In my house, we frequently hear the question, "What are we doing today?" or "What day will we go to the library?" or "How many days is it until __________?" I, myself, am a calendar/planner addict. I have two of them which I keep up to date with the most detailed information possible. But it occurred to me that my children are not so able to actually read what I have written on the calendar - sometimes a good thing, yes. But it also leaves them with a lot of questions and uncertainty. Reagan and Maddie have always been creatures of habit and routine. They like a plan (something I am sure they got from their Mom and Dad!). So I set out to come up with a way to help them figure out what would be happening when. This was especially important now that Reagan is in preschool 3 afternoons a week. We all needed to know exactly what would happen when.

This is my solution:

Each day gets its own colored sheet of paper - which matches our prayer schedule, of course! I made up little "icons" which we can move around to whatever day we need to. My fabulous teacher Momma was so fabulous as to have this all laminated for me!

The girls loved it! They could see exactly what was planned on what day and are able to see how many days it will be till we go to the park or the library or church or whatever.

And I love it too. It just a fun easy thing to have in their room that helps them know and understand the plan for the day - thereby making my life much easier. Sometimes these very little things can make such a big difference.

Softball Marathon

2011-09-15T22:08:00.003-04:00

Brian played on the Marathon Team again this year for the Pella Christian Grade School 24 Hour Softball Marathon. This year was extra fun because Reagan got to play one of the games for her preschool!

Of course, we GREATLY enjoyed the mascot game. I tell you what, I don't know if I have ever had that much fun at any sporting event ever. Maddie was just beside herself that BERT and ERNIE and OSCAR and ELMO were walking around. Her expressions were priceless and I doubt I will ever forget the look on her face or the sound of her excited voice.

Reagan was expecting to see these beloved characters. She did ask me where Cookie Monster lived. Now, I happen to know who Cookie Monster is and where he lives and I was a tiny bit tempted to tell her the truth. But then I decided against it and just let her live the joy . So I told her, "I don't know! I bet he has a house close by somewhere..." That was good enough for her.

We had SO much fun cheering for the mascots! Reagan would literally stand and SCREAM for each player and then jump up and down excitedly when one of them got a hit. It was adorable.

Probably the best moment of the night was when her Daddy got up to bat and he crushed that thing. Reagan stood up, open-mouthed and said, "Daddy hit it way up in the SKY!" Love that!

After some good fun with the help of a fantastic Grandma who drove all the way down to love on her grandkids, we headed home for some sleep. We went back the next afternoon and watched a very tired Daddy finish up the 24 hours of softball and then took him home for some peace and quiet. Well...sort of.

Anyway...we had a lot of fun and are so thankful for such a fantastic family-friendly fundraiser!

Reagan's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-13T11:22:00.001-04:00

Reagan started school this fall and it has been going GREAT! She goes three afternoons a week to the One To Grow On preschool in our local Christian Grade School.

Our first day drop-off was just a-ok fine. Reagan didn't cry. Mommy didn't cry. And even Maddie made it all the way to the car before she got worried. Poor girl whimpered all the way home, but managed to hold it together for the most part.

I have been loving our new schedule around here! Maddie takes a nap while Reagan is at school which greatly reduces the stress she would feel in her big sister's absence. And of course I get a few hours to do whatever I want or need to do.

Reagan has loved her afternoons at One To Grow On and comes home with some great stories about their snacks, their crafts and their play time. I am so very thankful for such a wonderful Christ-centered education for her!

Sacred and Simple: Reagan Belongs to Jesus

2011-09-05T20:48:00.002-04:00

Perhaps it all started on the day we had Reagan baptized. We stood before our church family and presented a "tiny" baby who we had desperately prayed for and were overjoyed to have. And there before our whole church family who had prayed for us and even cried with us over our longing for a child, Pastor Ryan poured the water over her head, covering her in Jesus gift of forgiveness and grace. Reagan belongs to Jesus. It was the theme of the day for us.

Just this week we reached the point in our children's story Bible (which we read for family devotions after supper) where Jesus is at the last supper. Reagan listened intently, as she most often does, to Daddy telling her that Jesus knew he was going to die. Immediately she became upset. The word "die" is scary and upsetting to her. Sometimes our children's Bible is a bit too real for her little mind and heart to handle. But we explained that even though Jesus would die on the cross, he would rise again. I asked her then if she knew why Jesus died on the cross. With tears brimming in her worried eyes I smiled at her and said, "It's because he loves you so very very much!" She smiled then.

On Sunday night, we sat down to read three books of her choosing on the couch. She chose this one, That's Where God Is by Daniel Morrow. At one point Reagan stopped me and said, "But I want Jesus to live in MY heart!" I set the book in my lap and said, "Well, shall we ask him together to come live in your heart?" She nodded. I prayed a simple prayer that she repeated and my little girl asked Jesus to come into her heart and live in her. I managed to read the rest of the book while the tears streamed down my face.

Now, I know she's young. I know there are people who will doubt and question and think this is nice but really, just not all that big a deal. That's entirely up to you. But I also know this: not a single one of us really truly knows what it is to know and love Jesus. And quite often I am reminded that the faith and trust of little children is FAR greater than my own. It's a step along the way of Reagan's walk with Jesus. And I hope and pray there will be many many more - stretching across all the years and every decade of her life. It's a life we helped to create and a life we gave up to the Lord, knowing that he would follow her all the days of her life. Reagan belonged to Jesus then, just as she belongs to Him now. The difference is she sort of knows that herself.

September 4, 2011. Reagan Hope gives her heart to Jesus. A beautiful, sacred day.

Sacred and Simple: An Ordinary Day

2011-08-10T10:41:00.004-04:00

It all began in the morning, when Reagan decided to help me strip wallpaper in the bathroom. To her it was terribly entertaining and for once it was something she could actually HELP me with.

They played together for a while and then I got ready to go out. It was a gorgeous day - 80 degrees, sunny, and a gentle cool breeze. Absolute perfection.

We loaded up the double stroller and headed out. Our first stop was the bakery for a giant frosted cookie for them to share. Their faces were covered in a film of pink frosting, as we sat on a park bench in the shade and savored our treats.

Then it was off to the library. The library never disappoints! We overdosed on books and a few movies, finding it hard to fit it all in the stroller storage compartment.

A few blocks further found us at the park. Reagan played with a few other little girls. Maddie pretended to play hide and seek with them. It wasn't too hot to go down the slide for the first time in many weeks.

It was such a lovely day that we agreed we should go home and have a picnic lunch. On our walk home we strolled once around the pond, missing the turtles that used to live there.

We laid our blue and green paisely blanket on the front lawn in the shade of our little tree. We ate our sandwiches and apple slices. All of us ended up sprawled on our backs afterwards, feeling the perfect breeze blow over an around us.

Maddie went down for a nap, Reagan watched a movie, and I stripped more wallpaper - getting a lot further than I thought I would.

Soon it was time to make supper - Brocolli Alfredo - my own concoction. It was good.

I did dishes while Brian took the girls outside for some playtime. They practiced catching and throwing and biking - all good Daddy activities! I had some quiet time by the picture window where I could see them.

My heart will forever remember the sight of little Maddie on the tricycle. Reagan actually hit the ball that Brian pitched to her.

I went outside to demonstrate the use of the bubble wand. The girls chased the bubbles around the yard, Maddie popping one on her face and giggling like crazy.

We went inside and Brian gave them a bath. I over hear Reagan asking Brian "When will mine get big like Mommy's? How will I wear a shirt?" We both stifled a serious urge to laugh loudly.

I combed their blond hair. Then we read 3 books.

The girls said their prayers, remembering to pray for their friends. Always on the friend prayers, Reagan adds Maddie's name at the end. There were hugs and kisses and lights out.

It was 9:30 when Brian remembered a sale at the grocery store. Buy a certain number of items and get a deal on a backpack filled with school supplies. It was the last day.

Gently, we woke up Reagan and asked her if she would like to go to the store to pick out a backpack. Her eyes barely open, she nodded. So Brian took his pink pajamaed little girl to the store where she got to pick out her very first backpack.

By the time she got home with her flower-covered backpack, she was very awake and very excited. I was glad we had woken her up so she could have that joy.

We tucked her back in bed. I read the last 5 pages of a good book. The lights went out. And we all slept.

So ordinary and all so very very treasured. Everyday is a gift from God. I know it. But yesterday, it really felt like an extravagant, unexpected, perfect present.

Sacred and Simple: The Bedroom and Wardrobe

2011-08-05T12:33:00.004-04:00

I’ll be honest, I’m pretty good about keeping a fairly clean bedroom. This is not an area of struggle for me when it comes to neatness.

I’d like to be able to pat myself on the back for that, but the truth is I married someone who absolutely cannot stand to see clothes lying on the floor. It is a rare day when I find one of Brian’s shirts lying on the bed or tossed on the cedar chest. If (and that’s a BIG IF) I do, he usually apologizes profusely, explains he thought it was mine, and then immediately takes care of it. I suppose I should be offended by his assumption there, but since I’m being honest (whose dumb idea was that anyway?) I’ll just go ahead and admit that a shirt on the floor does not bother me and I am the most likely to leave clothes lying here and there.

Still, even though it was clean, it was still too much.

There are few things I find more fun than going through a closet, culling the items, and then reorganizing the contents. I’ve always thought I was pretty good at it. But this last time I went through I was more ruthless than I have ever been. And I found a lot of this:

- stuff I have been saving for when I am skinnier or chunkier (oh let’s hope not)
- stuff I paid too much money for to just not wear
- stuff I don’t like on me but looks amazing on a hanger
- stuff I like, but am not comfortable wearing (things that reveal too much of the real me, if you get my drift)
- stuff I used to wear to my office job

Translation: stuff I should no longer have in my possession. I cleaned out 3 full boxes full of clothes and I feel pretty good about it. My plan is to hang onto them for a garage sale at a later date, and that little pause in getting these things out the door was calming to me. I didn’t panic about putting something in an outbox, because I knew I had a few days to rethink my choices.

(Look at all those empty hangers!)

In fact, it worked in a way I did not expect. It was inspiring to see all those boxes full of stuff I was letting go. I have spent several more days just sorting through more drawers and being even more honest about the pieces I was holding onto. More things have made their way into the garage sale boxes the longer they sit there!

Now, the one area of struggle is my nighttable. I have a few books waiting to go on some shelves I have been day dreaming about for years for my basement. I’m just not the type of person who will be able to sell or get rid of a book. If I would hoard any one thing, it would be books. And I don’t even feel guilty about it because I do actually re-read books. The ones that live near my bed and the ones I read and read again and read again. And yes, that is the Twilight series and I have read each of those books no less than 10 times.

I also put away several votives and candles, trying not to keep something if I didn’t think I would end up actually using it. Candles in the bedroom is a really nice, romantic idea. I can tell you on NO hands how many times we have actually lit a candle in our bedroom. The candles can go.

Since the bedroom was fairly uncluttered already, my wardrobe was really the only thing that incurred any “losses”. But those losses were my gain. I have a lot more closet space, which I do not really truly plan to fill. Now when I open the closet or drawer I am not faced with several articles of clothing that I really should wear but guiltily skip over in favor of something else. The things hanging in my closet or lying in my drawers are things I really do love and wear often (aside from the wedding veil which is handmade by my mother-in-law and I will never willingly part with). Our room is restful and peaceful, unencumbered by the clutter that so frequently happens in other areas of our home. And that ability to just rest, to have a quiet getaway and a place just for us, has made our bedroom a sacred place. No tv. No toys. No piles of papers. Just us without those other distractions. It's quiet, calm and peaceful - the way I like it.

Ozarks

2011-07-28T16:09:00.001-04:00

We spent several days in the Ozarks this month with Brian's family. It was extremely hot when we were there. But really, if you're going to the lake hoping to boat, swim and jetski, it was perfect weather. Sunny and hot! We had lots of fun and both of the girls thought playing in the water was pretty nifty. Here are a few pictures.

Sacred and Simple: Reconnecting

2011-07-27T15:51:00.004-04:00

The month of July on our calendar looked daunting. First a trip to my parents to welcome home Tom and Angie over the Fourth of July. Then on July 14-19 we went to the Ozarks with Brian's family for 5 days of hotter-than-hornets fun in the sun. And lastly a quick weekend trip to Orange City to attend the wedding of one of Brian's college roommates.

By the time the weekend trip to Orange City rolled around, I was burned out. I had trouble packing. I forgot stuff. I waited till the last minute to throw things in the suitcase. But we went. Brian got me a Mocha Frappe at McDonalds and that went a long ways toward improving my state of mind.

Saturday morning we woke up and Reagan and Maddie got some play time at the park across the street from Grandpa and Grandma's house. It was fun to spend some extra time with Mom and Derek who came with us to the park.

Then we headed off to the wedding. It was pretty surreal to meet up with so many of Brian's old college friends (my friends, too). We hadn't seen any of them in about 5 years. At that time, there weren't many children thrown in the mix. Now, in the 6 guys that lived together their junior year, there are 14 girls and 1 boy born to these Daddies. At the wedding, we had 9 girls!

There was something sweetly simple about just sitting down and catching up. It's at first an overwelming thought - how do you fill someone in on the last 5 years of your life when the last 5 years of your life have been filled with births of children? There's an added element of complication of course - all those little ones dashing about you as you try to talk.

But that's part of what made it so special.

Almost immediately the familiar banter began and some of the usual teasing came right back. It's ridiculous in a way, but that humor just warmed my heart and made me homesick for college life. I've missed these guys! You don't even realize it so much until you're with them and then you find you don't really want to leave. But the kids were tired, it was late, and it was just time to go back home.

As we were driving home on Sunday, we passed groups of people sitting in their front yards or alongside the highway. They were all waiting for someone or something, we didn't know what. Until we saw the signs: Welcome Home Troops. Women standing at the roadside holding up the American flag. Bikers parked on an overpass. Firetrucks parked along the highway. Police cars waiting to give an escort to the troops. And all those homemade signs along the way to Sioux City with their words of thanks and love. We couldn't have been far ahead of the troops. We never saw them. But it was enough to choke me up.

To say thanks. To say you love someone. To say you've missed them. The simple act of making an effort to reconnect with others is important. It's good. It's very very simple. And I have no doubt that it is indeed sacred.

Lightening the Load

2011-07-12T13:44:00.002-04:00

So if you're reading this, odds are you may have noticed the new look around here. Change is good. It refreshens us, wakes us up and makes us pay attention. I'm all about waking up and paying attention right now.

I've been reading several books on the topic of "simplicity" or "simple living." Those terms are extraordinarly subjective. When I say "simple living" you may be thinking something totally different than what I am. It applies to so many areas of our lives - this idea of simplifying. And I have suddenly found myself on a journey of simplification (hopefully not over-simplification!).

I'm not sure exactly what started it, though I would likely point my finger at my devotional time several months ago. For years I have had the same devotional routine. Now, routine is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. It can be good. Very very good. I love routine. The problem is when we are in a routine that has not be carefully analyzed and is empty of intentionality. Thus, my devotional routine had become burdensome. I had a Scripture reading plan I was attempting to follow. I had a lengthy prayer journal I was attempting to fill. I had a prayer chart I was doing my best to abide by. I also had a devotional book I was making my way through for the 3rd time. Now, none of those things are bad things. It was just a lot. A lot a lot. And I was wearing myself out and absolutely boring myself to tears. Soon my devotional life became this checklist session. I'd do each "assignment" just as it was "instructed" and faithfully check off each "completed element" in my mind. It just wasn't working for me anymore. So one day, I decided to just read some Scripture and then journal for as long or as little as I wanted. I just might skip the journaling altogether if I felt so moved. And it worked. I was so refreshed and freed from the burden of the lengthy legalistic routine I had worked myself into. Instead of having all these separate little tasks I have to complete, I now give myself the freedom to just do what feels most natural. I simplified the process and got way more out of it than before.

So this was the catalyst for my search for simplification. I checked out several books from the library on the subject. Some were good. Some were not. And I started informally researching the idea of simple living. I learned what it means to me is certainly not what it means to everyone else, so in the next couple weeks I'm going to try to explain what I have been doing and a little more about why and how I go about it. I might throw away or donate something that you think I should keep. But the biggest lesson I have learned so far is that we have to do the things that are right for us (our beliefs, interests, tendencies, etc.) and our families (our way of life). Your simplification process would not look like mine. But if you're looking for ideas, you might find a few.

In all of this, I've found that the less stuff I have, the less concerned with having an elaborate home or fancy furnishings or expensive clothing, the more I am able to appreciate the many material blessings I do have. And what's more, I have more space and time to see the special stuff - the truly sacred moments in every day. This marks a new journey toward simple and sacred.

Fourth of July - Vande Voort Style!

2011-07-11T11:57:00.011-04:00

I'm a week late, but we had the most wonderful Fourth of July weekend! As you may have heard, Tom and Angie came home for a visit. It was great to get to see them again and be able to introduce them to our Maddie Grace for the first time.

We did a whole lot of nothing-special and it was completely wonderful.

We played a lot of ladder golf (I am surprisingly skilled at this fun outdoor game). We picked some not-so-ready apples. We cleaned up a fallen tree branch. We went on some walks down the road and explored the pioneer cemetary on the corner. We read books, took naps, watched almost no tv and played TONS of games. We also did a lot of laughing - something we specialize in :) We sort of lose our minds when we play Balderdash. We soaked up the time together as much as we could.

Every sentence in that paragraph started with "We" and that is because we spent a whole lot of time together just hanging out. My Mom did the smartest thing - she made a bunch of meals ahead of time so all she was able to not miss out on having fun with the family.

The girls had a great time playing outside as much as they wanted - which was a lot. And even though it was a warm weekend, the nicely shaded front yard was where we spent most of our time. It was fun to see them playing with Tom and Angie and getting to know them again.

Of course our time together came to an end quickly - good things always do, it seems. But I don't have any regrets about us not being able to spend more quality time together because we had loads of it and made the most of our mini-family reunion.

Let me just take a minute here to say this: I love my brother a lot. I love my sister a lot, too. Those two mean the world to me. I absolutely adore them and we have always gotten along really really well. I am proud of the people they are. BUT, what I really want to say is that I really really love that sister-in-law of mine. I think she is just awesome. And I miss her so very much and am so excited to see her become a mommy. I truly love her as a sister - not just someone who married into the family. She's simply wonderful, sweet, kind and thoughtful. And very patient. She is and is going to be a GREAT Mom!

We look forward to seeing Tom and Angie again around Christmas time when they will be coming home (with a new baby!!!) for a year of schooling. What a blessing all that family time was! We are so thankful for God's great faithfulness to us!

Pillowcase Dresses!

2011-06-28T10:52:00.004-04:00

Lisa, my sister-in-law, made these awesome pillowcase dresses with matching bows for the girls for this summer. I absolutely love them.

Photo Shoot with Friends

2011-06-22T17:02:00.001-04:00

Shalene and I have been friends for somewhere around 10 years now and I was honored to take some pictures of her sweet new baby girl and their family. Here are some of my favorites.

Tulip Time Pictures

2011-06-21T16:52:00.000-04:00

Tot School - X, 12, Y and Z

2011-06-20T15:55:00.000-04:00

Letter X was a challenge. We didn't do much for it because there was simply not much to do. We colored a xylophone and did a little xylophone puzzle. For our fun activity we followed a trail of X's to the prize which was a piece of candy for both Maddie and Reagan. Our letter wall craft was an X-Ray of Reagan's arm using black paper and chalk. Letter X was EXTRAORDINARY.

For number 12 we did our number card and some dot to dot worksheets.

Letter Y was another challening one. We made a YOYO for our letter wall. I also had the girls color a YAK. This pretty much exhausted my Y-words so I pulled out some tot school lapbooks for Reagan to work on and she LOVED them. Letter Y was a YAWN.

Letter Z was fun. We made a ZEBRA paper bag puppet though I should have had a white bag! We did some Z worksheets I had found online. And for our letter wall we made a ZOO which was fun. I had each animal cage labeled and Reagan could figure out what animal went where by looking at the first letter of the word. Then she glued them in place. Again, I pulled out some tot school lapbooks that she loved. Letter Z was ZANY!

Here are all the tot school lapbooks I had assembled for our tot school year. We love these as they are usable again and again. Reagan often asks for them to work on during quiet time.

Here are a few workbooks we will be working on over the summer just to keep the skills fresh. Reagan LOVES doing workbooks.

And here is our completed alphabet wall. It didn't actually all fit on one wall, as you can see, but this is a collection of a LOT of work from Ms. Reagan. I plan to someday take them all down and put them all in a binder for her. It's a fun reminder to us of our year of tot school together.

Maddie's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-06-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

I chose a COLORS theme for Madison's birthday party this year. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Inadvertent Blog Vacation

2011-06-18T15:19:00.002-04:00

It's good to know blogger won't shut down a blog that hasn't been updated in over a month. Yikes.

Lots has been happening here, so I plan to blame my hiatus on all the "NEW" stuff in our lives. And let's just get this out of the way, we are not currently pregnant.

I volunteered to coordinate VBS for my church. We do a community wide VBS, so that means our church only hosts the kids going into 3rd grade. The other grades meet at other churches. Each church has to pretty much do their own thing as far as curriculum and program and whatnot. So I spent much of the past month working on getting all our volunteers lined up and all the little details into place. I wasn't so sure I would enjoy this new volunteer opportunity at first. I am a good organizer, but I'm NOT someone who would sign up to be a VBS teacher. However, I was amazed by how much FUN I had during the week of VBS! It was a blast. The kids had a great time and everything went very well, all things considered. Reagan also attended VBS for the first time this year and had a GREAT time! She loved the crafts the most :) Maddie got some awesome Grandma time during the week - Grandma Vande Voort watched her for 4 of the 5 mornings which was a great blessing. Brian was a lot of help as well as he was called upon to transport Reagan to and from VBS each day because Mommy was a little too busy to handle that.

Brian and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary during VBS on June 9. It is hard to believe 10 years has gone by so quickly. And yet, it seems like a lifetime ago. It's amazing how much you learn about YOURSELF in ten years, much less another person. We really feel blessed to have been given the gift of each other and our two little girls.

Speaking of the man of the house, he will be taking a new job in the middle of May. He is switching to another company in our town and will be working as a Finance Manager at Vermeer Manufacturing. It was a tough decision as Brian has really enjoyed working at Pella Windows. But it felt right too and God seemed to give us the peace we needed about the decision.

Tot School did indeed wrap up right on schedule! I'll be posting our last few lessons in hopes of catching you up on our tot school fun. I am really proud of Reagan for how far she came in one year. She's really looking forward to preschool and I think she has gotten a great start from our time together. Now I have a year off before I have to tot school Ms. Maddie. I'm proud of myself, too, for sticking with it and hanging in there even when I wanted to just skip it.

In my free time, I've been dabbling in some photography, reading too many books, and writing the second draft of my book.

So things have been good and our summer has been going well. We are anxiously awaiting Tom and Angie's arrival as they are coming home for a week long visit. We simply cannot wait to see them in a few weeks! We are going to have my whole family together for the first time in over 2 years and they will get to meet Maddie for the first time as well.

I really do love summer.

Two Years

2011-05-13T14:04:00.010-04:00

Dear Maddie Grace,

You are officially two years old today. This past year has been really truly one of the most fun years of my life because I was blessed to spend almost all of my time with you and your sister.

We have lots of fun nicknames for you: Maddie, Maddie girl, Maddie Grace, Mads (Reagan’s favorite), Maddie Mads, Biscuit, Cheeseburger and Guinea Pig Buns. Only when you are being naughty or not listening do you hear “Madison”. There are some days you hear “Madison” a lot.

In the past several months you have experienced a vocabulary explosion. Slightly slurred words pour forth from your small person on an increasingly frequent basis. I find this hilarious and wonderful and completely entertaining. Also, it’s extremely handy. Now, when I ask you a question, you are actually able to articulate the answer. You are certainly in sponge mode, where you listen to and absorb everything we say and repeat it back. The most notable example is last night when Reagan asked if the two of you would get a treat after supper and Daddy explained you could have one if you both ate your vegetables. You leaned across the table, looked your big sister in the eye and said with complete sincerity, “Eat your vegetables!”

You spend most of your day playing with Reagan and trying to play along with whatever she is doing. The two of you have lots and lots of picnics in the playroom. You also like to color together. Sometimes you just sit down and Reagan will “read” a book to you. You love books and our weekly trips to the library are especially exciting for you. Most of the time you get along with Reagan very well, though there are some moments of frustration here and there. And though you cause her some stress every now and then, I want you to know that your big sister absolutely adores you and cares about you so very very much. When we ask Reagan who her best friend is she tells us it’s you, her Maddie Grace. And that is absolutely true for both of you.

You absolutely adore animals as long as you don’t have to touch them. Doggies are your favorite, but you also love kitties. Walks with you are lots of fun because you scream out in glee every time you see a “BIRDIE” or a “DOGGIE” or a “SQUIRREL”. You cannot contain your excitement about seeing an animal.

You love to get dressed up. Every Sunday morning I put you in your little dress and fancy shoes and then put a headband and bow on your head. You immediately run to your Daddy saying, “Daddy! Daddy! Ta da!!” You love being fancy, watching your skirt twirl out around you and hearing your shoes click against the tile floor in the kitchen.

I don’t know if you really mean to be, but you are a little comedian. Almost every evening you turn on the charm for us and you are completely silly and hilarious. You run around the house and do little tricks or stunts that make us shake our heads and laugh.

You are an extremely shy little girl. When we go to church you spend most of the time burying your face in my neck. It takes you a while to warm up to other people. You even get nervous if Grandpas and Grandmas come over to our house and will demand that we hold you until you are absolutely certain that we won’t just up and leave. It’s clear to me that you are much more bashful than your big sister ever was. But that’s okay with me. In a strange selfish way I’m glad you prefer my company to that of anyone else’s.

You really do like to snuggle and I’m trying to enjoy this time while I have it. Because I know you will grow up and the older you get the less snuggling you will need or want. For now, your little head snuggled on my shoulder is a sweet feeling.

Oh Maddie girl, you are a massive dose of sunshine to my soul. When you laugh or flash me that brilliant smile I feel joy bubble up inside of me. I spend a large portion of my day either tickling you to hear you laugh or kissing your sweetly chubby cheeks. I simply cannot get enough of either one.

You bring us a ridiculous amount of happiness little one. These are such precious days with you and your sister. I hope you are always have at least a small piece of this joy, this affection, this generosity and this sweetness in you. I know I will always carry my memories of you in my heart. You are an absolute treasure to me, to all of us. And I hope someday you can read this letter and though you won’t remember these days I pray you will know how deeply you were loved and cherished. Every day with you has been a display of God’s goodness and generosity and I am extremely grateful for them all.

I love you Maddie Grace. Thanks for being such a sweet gift.

Love,

Mommy

For Mom

2011-05-08T14:44:00.000-04:00

I came as a surprise, before they thought my heart would start beating there I was, life flickering and fluttering where only He could see. And then finally, two weeks past due, she brought me into the world. And then something was wrong when everything should be so right. Instead of dealing only with the wounds of a c-section delivery, she watched helplessly as I battled Group B Strep as a tiny baby. My seizures demanding my tiny form be life-flighted and transported by ambulance to three different hospitals. My Mom following me around the state and nursing her aching body next to my isolette. It’s a hard journey for any parent, let along poor farmers that they were, watching their firstborn spend the first 6 weeks in the hospital. Her first steps into motherhood were some of the hardest ones she walked in all her life. And yet, there was healing. Slow, steady healing.

I wasn’t always the easiest child. Unless you count shopping. I was an excellent shopper. Though my parents struggled so to provide and survive on farming, I never really felt like I lacked anything. Maybe because I had it all and thensome as far as my heart was concerned. Days spent outside playing in the yard, making toys and games out of nothing but the world around me and an overactive imagination. The imagination, you see, that’s from her. She taught me to dream dreams, to tell stories, to make the world around me make sense through words. And when I got older, she was always always my safe place. I knew no matter what I went through, no matter what hardships or heartbreaks would trip me up along the way, that she would be there to help me up, brush me off, and send me back out on my way.

Yes, there were times when we didn’t see eye to eye. Turns out I was a headstrong and independent. Some might call it stubborn. But my Mom, in what I consider to be God-given wisdom, knew that I had to learn lessons the hard way. Sometimes we talked about what might happen if I chose the wrong path, and then she would sit back and let me make the decision. And when I would choose the wrong path, which I most certainly did a time or two, she never once said “I told you this would happen.”

In my hardest times, my Mom has been the first one I called. She has listened to me process guilt, deal with heartache, vent my anger, and laugh with joy. She never tells me what to do. Never. Sometimes she gives a piece of sage advice, but more often she gives words of encouragement telling me I am doing the right thing, that I am a good Mom or that I have great instincts. My Mom has always been my biggest fan, whether that meant sitting in the bleachers cheering me on at a bitterly cold track meet or attending countless concerts or performances.

I look back at her, younger than I am now, huddled closely over a tiny plastic isolette in a hospital far from home, and I wish I could whisper to her that I will be just fine. I wish I could tell her that we got through some rough times, but we make it through. I wish I could tell her that she will do so so many things right and I will look back on my childhood with a grateful heart. I wish I could tell her that she was, is and will be the greatest Mom in the world. That someday she will have two little grand-daughters who adore her and that seeing her become a grandma has been a lot of fun. But most of all I wish I could tell her that one day we will be great friends, that we will talk about daily life but we will also talk about what it means to love and serve Him. That we will take faith steps together along the way, learning and surrendering as we go. And that sharing life with her has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

I love you Mom.

Bows and Baby Bliss

2011-05-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law, Lisa, has recently opened a little business on Etsy called "Bows and Baby Bliss".

She has made a couple awesome bows for the girls, including the awesome accessories for their Easter finery.

As you can see, she does some GREAT work!

So cute!

So elegant!

Absolutely gorgeous!!

And super fancy!

And if all that wasn't enough, she does custom bows. Send her a picture of the outfit and she'll work up something wonderful just for you.

So head on over to Bows and Baby Bliss and enjoy the eye candy!

My Little Fancy Nancy

2011-05-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

Reagan and I got all dressed up to attend the Fancy Nancy Tea Party at our library. Have I mentioned how much I love my library? Yes? Oh. Well, it bears repeating. No surprise the sign up list was full.

Brian and Maddie went off on a little Daddy / Daughter Day at the Farm adventure and left Reagan and I at home for the whole afternoon. We had lots of fun getting ready. As in: LOTS. OF. FUN!

There were all sorts of fun activities at the tea party. First the girls colored Fancy Nancy pictures. Then they made crowns. You'll notice my daughter hogged every single heart sequin in the dish. She was stoked about the crown.

Then we listened to a great Fancy Nancy book about cupcakes.

The girls then played musical chairs. Now, Reagan has never played musical chairs before. I didn't expect this to go well. Let's just say my girl apparently knows a thing or two about NOT SHARING because she had no trouble whatsoever with the game. (Please note: my husband thinks this picture is hilarious because all these girls have their ankles crossed without instruction to do so.)

After the game she got to make a bracelet.

And then there was time for cake and pop.

It was a LOT of fun! I loved having some one on one time with my Fancy Reagan girl.

From Anywhere

2011-04-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

It was a gorgeous day. For once it wasn’t raining. And though the wind was blowing, the sun was shining bright, dancing through the blades of grass. I had made a promise last night, full of hope that the weather would be everything they said it would be. Finally, we were going to the park.

I was asked about it all day. After some afternoon naps, we grabbed a snack to go and set off in our double stroller. I chose an alternate route. One I wouldn’t normally take. And on the way I chastised myself for my hasty decision as there was construction along my route and sidewalks were nonexistent in places.

As we walked past the hospital, I could see them perched on the sidewalk ahead. Her in a wheelchair with a young man nearby. She was wearing the typical hospital gown and robe, a bandage on her wrist where I assume an IV port was or had recently been. He stood protectively behind her and guided her wheelchair carefully out of the way of my double stroller.

I smiled at him and he said hi.

“Nice day to be out, isn’t it?” I remarked.

He was younger than I thought. So was she. Early twenties, I would guess.

The two of them laughed lightly in response as they said, “Yeah! Sure is!”

I was several feet past when I heard her mumble quietly to wind, “It’s good to be anywhere.”

Obviously, I don’t know their story. I don’t know what brought her to be a patient at our hospital. I don’t know if it was through some bad choices or merely an accident or a random lurking health condition. I’m sure I could make some guesses based on their clothes or their appearance, but I won’t.

It doesn’t matter.

I thought I knew something about being thankful. I thought I had this gratitude thing figured out. I mean, last year I listed 1,040 things and I have another list in process for this year (though I haven’t been as faithful). I’m pretty good at giving thanks. For the obvious things, that is.

But this week I read this book – One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It will be my favorite book of the year. It’s beautifully written. Words ring through like poetry. There is painful ugly-beautiful honesty on every single page. I borrowed it from the library of course, but I’ll be buying it soon. Beyond the well-written pages, it has challenged me to rethink thankfulness. There’s more that I can say about it, but isn’t it funny how we think we have something figured out and then God shakes up the ground a bit and asks us to go deeper.

It is good to be anywhere. It’s good just to be. And it’s very good to give thanks no matter where your path takes you.

Easter Sunday Pictures

2011-04-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

A Message from the Slacker

2011-04-23T11:27:00.005-04:00

Oy. I just have NOT felt like blogging lately. I don't know what the deal is. I think of plenty of amusing things to blog, but I just don't feel like going downstairs and typing. Instead of blogging, I have been reading. Shocking isn't it? I discovered Janet Evanovich books and have been loving them. I also read a couple by Philipa Greggory which are interesting. Anyway, lots of reading.

I have also been writing. I've just finished revising Chapter 5. I need to go back and rework a few parts, but for the most part I've been pleased with my progress. I did find I had to rewrite a few parts entirely because they were just downright ridiculous or bad or boring or confusing. Revising is a good thing, I've found.

As I mentioned in the tot school post, we've been busy finishing up several activities in time for summer. We attended our last Coffee Break / Story Hour and I got to watch Reagan sing. Reagan also completed her year in Kids of the Kingdom (her Sunday school). I finished leading my adult Sunday school as well.

Last weekend we spent a busy morning going to the Pella Corp. Easter Egg Hunt - though again, this is more just a candy free for all. Afterwards we went to see the baby chicks at Theisens. Maddie was amazed. Reagan just wanted some free popcorn.

Tot School - V, 11 and W

2011-04-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

It is a little harder to keep going with tot school now that so many other activities are winding down. We've celebrated the conclusion of Coffee Break (Story Hour for Reagan) and Kids of the Kingdom (Reagan's Sunday school). I am also done leading my adult Sunday school class. So one would think that with all this "extra" time we have lots of chances to do tot school. But these last few letters of the alphabet are kinda boring, let's just be honest. I'm trying but Reagan is usually asking for more after I have exhausted my lesson plan for her.

For letter V we talked mostly about VEGETABLES. I came up with a fun little activity where I gave Reagan a shopping list of vegetables (pictures only, of course). Then I sent her off with her shopping cart to shop her stash of play food for the things on the list. She did really well and had fun with it. I even helped her checkout her groceries and put them in a little brown bag for her :) For our craft we colored some vegetables and glued them to a brown paper bag. We also worked on a little number game. She had to put them all in order and then we could read the Bible verse on them. And that's where my lesson plan stopped. But fortunately, for her birthday she had received Hot Dots that I have been saving for later. We got it out and she could do all the cards. Every card is different - some ask which words rhyme, some ask what thing begins with a certain letter, etc. She did so well and had a lot of fun with it.

Letter V was VIVID!

For letter W and 11 we skipped a week and combined our tot school lessons because we had some bad colds around here and were in survival mode. Reagan glued the WATERMELON seeds onto the watermelon all by herself and then started on her star tracing page. She has improved a TON in the coloring department! First she traced the star and then colored it. And I also had her do her 11 sticker card.

Letter W was, of course, WONDERFUL.

Just in case you are wondering, Maddie is "involved" in our tot school lessons as well. Mostly, she sits at the table and colors and puts stickers on a page. Sometimes I just give her a blank piece of paper and other times I give her a picture of something that goes with our lesson. She doesn't really care as long as she gets to participate.

My Pretty Kitchen

2011-03-29T16:11:00.005-04:00

So this past year, we decided to update our kitchen. We didn't want to spend a lot of money on new cabinets or new flooring or new appliances. Brian agreed to refinish all the cabinets and drawers himself, doing a great job. We also bought new hardware which I really like. Now, I have never liked the off-white sink. Truth be told, a white sink just ain't my thing. I'm a stainless steel girl. We bought a new sink and faucet which we had installed at the same time as our new counter top (courtesy Brian's awesome Uncle Denny). We had to have a little drywall texture work done before we could put our last coat of paint on, but we have been so so happy with our "new" kitchen!

Here is the Before.

And after:

Tot School - S, T, 10 and U

2011-03-28T15:34:00.000-04:00

We had a few colds and our Tot School lessons did not happen on a weekly basis. But they DID happen, so that is what counts I think :)

Letter S

We first made a SNAKE and then did a SQUARE worksheet. We also did some SNOWFLAKE matching and a SNOW / SNOWMAN unit I had printed off the internet. I had her do some pages from her Learn to Color coloring book - a SAILBOAT and a STAR. Then she made a SNOWMAN and glued on some SNOWFLAKES for her alphabet wall. Letter S was SUPER!

Letter T

Reagan spent some time working on tracing some T's on her T is for TURKEY page. She did really well with this and I can tell her tracing skills are improving a great deal. Then I helped her and Madison make TULIPS out of their handprints. They loved this for some reason - the tracing of the hands was a big hit. And then Reagan glued TEN TEETH in her alligator which will go on her alphabet wall. Letter T was TERRIFIC.

Number 10

We did our sticker card and also a circles worksheet. Reagan struggles with circles. But she tried really hard and again, I can see quite a bit of improvement over the past several months.

Letter U

I have to admit, finding activities and crafts for some of these later letters is a big challenge. I spent hours looking for stuff for U that I liked. Truthfully, there just isn't that much. First, we worked on a UNIFORMS matching sheet. She first circled all the matches and then drew lines between them, thus the messiness. She whizzed through an UMBRELLA sequencing file folder game I had prepared last summer. And then we talked about the UNITED States, which she really wanted to color. Then we made some UMBRELLAS out of cupcake liners and pipecleaners. We glued on little blue sequins to look like rain. Then I got out some other file folder games (or lapbooks) that I prepared last summer. The paint brush matching book was a breeze for her, but she enjoyed it because she is just a little bit OCD (a lot bit OCD) like her dear beloved mother. And then I pulled out an alphabet lapbook where she had to match the lowercase letters to the uppercase letters. I knew she knew a lot of them. Evidently she knows all of them extremely well because this, too, was easy for her. But she said she really liked it anyway :) Letter U was UNIQUE!

Spoiled Rotten!

2011-03-14T10:48:00.002-05:00

On Friday, my parents showed up with pizzas. They played games with Reagan and we had a nice time together. Dad went home and Mom stayed overnight.

Saturday morning, Brian left bright and early for an entire day at his Grandparents' farm. My sister arrived with one of her students from where she works and the three of us went shopping in Des Moines.

Amy asked to go to Jordan Creek which is a mall I have gone to almost not at all. It has a "reputation" for being a bit pricey and I am a pretty non-pricey kind of clothing girl. But we decided to check it out.

Now, this may sound disgusting (I do honestly feel stupid when I say this), but almost all of my jeans were too big. I was in desperate need of new jeans. This is the the thing, I HATE SHOPPING FOR JEANS. HATE. IT. So I was sort of dreading the combination of expensive mall and jean shopping. However, there were 2 factors I seriously overlooked. One is my sister. The other is 33 fewer pounds. I have a couple thoughts on my whole shopping experience.

Firstly, I will never shop for jeans without my sister again. She was MOST helpful. She has this ability to look at something and say, "No, not that" which is my signal to WALK AWAY FROM THE MOM JEANS. Also, she hunts for my size. She follows me into the dressing room and stands right outside my door so I don't have to walk through the whole department to get her opinion. Genius, right? I think so. And lastly, but not leastly, she brought a coupon. Granted my smart Momma sent the coupon with her, but still. I pulled on a pair that I LOVED and Amy said, "Yes, get those. Don't even try on the other ones." Which was a joyful thing. And then she says, "Oh, I also have this 25% off coupon." Say what? Oh I do love her and her shopping wisdom.

We went to all kinds of other stores that she recommended and I got more great deals. She's pretty cool, that sister of mine. The two of us just generally had a marvelous time because we are frighteningly similar in many respects. If she liked something, I did too. We ordered the exact same thing for lunch. We listen to and like the same music. She understands my humor and I hers. Sisters are really cool people. I'm excited that Reagan and Maddie have each other. Anyway, we had tons of fun and I have several new pairs of jeans that I love in a size I haven't worn in a long long time. Yay.

Now, poor Maddie wasn't feeling so good this weekend. She ran a fever and seemed uncomfortable. But my Mom is awesome and stayed home with Reagan and Madison, giving Brian and I a much-needed break. Maddie is doing much better today, though we have reached the ultra-messy stage of a common cold. Let's just say it's a good day to wear old clothes, and not the brand new pairs of jeans. But I'm okay with that. I feel very refreshed and loved and spoiled by the mere attention of my Mom and sister. I'm so blessed to have such a great family!!

Simple and Good

2011-03-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

I went to the gym and got a good workout in. I was home before my family was awake. I showered, got dressed, did my hair and put on makeup. I had a large amount of uninterrupted time to catch up on emails and check facebook. About midmorning I put shoes and coats on the children and we all journeyed off to the library. They were reasonably well behaved. I got a movie for me but no books since I still have a few that I am trying to finish from last time. We ate lunch in record time because I baited them with grapes. I had some lovely homemade soup and my favorite yogurt. Reagan watched a movie for a little while and Maddie took a nap. I read a book and managed to stay awake. Then Reagan played downstairs till Maddie woke up. They each got a snack and went downstairs to play. I folded all of my laundry in the hour they spent happily playing together downstairs. I put all of said laundry away and started supper. They were still playing together nicely. Just before Brian got home, Reagan showed me a picture they had colored together. It was adorable. I'll keep it forever. Brian came home and the girls were happy to see him. We ate supper and no one complained about what I made. The girls went downstairs to pick up their toys with Brian while I washed dishes. Then they were rewarded with a little more movie, during which Brian wrestled with Madison and I read a book. We put them to bed and had only to administer drinks one time. Brian watched the Bachelor and we laughed. I finished Wuthering Heights, which I greatly enjoyed. We turned off the t.v. and went to bed. Happy.

The whole day had a sense of goodness about it. And it was great to just love being right where I was doing what I was doing. It was very simple, not exciting. But it was good.

The Show

2011-03-03T14:45:00.002-05:00

You may remember that last year, wow, we started remodeling our kitchen. Brian refinished all the cabinets and drawers and just had an absolute ball with it. Ahem. And then we bought nifty new hardware and installed it. And then in December we got our new countertop and sink. And everything that was done was really really beautiful. The old caulk line an inch about our backsplash…not so beautiful. We also had a crack in the wall of our great room and a few other ceiling cracks here and there. So today and tomorrow our favorite drywall repair and texture guy is here taking care of a bunch of little things that we’ve been “collecting” on a to-do list.

In order to allow for this wonderful finishing work to take place, we had to move a lot of stuff out of the way and whatnot. You know the drill. And honestly, I feel like I have moved 5 times or something in the 9 years we’ve lived here. With all the house remodeling and improvement projects we have taken on, we have moved our furniture a LOT for people who are STILL IN THE SAME HOME. Sigh. All this is to say we moved the couch away from the wall and in front of the window.

Now, any small change around here is immediately picked up upon by two small people. The first small person to wake up (she’s on an early streak lately) commented only with lots of “Uh oh!”s. The second small but slightly bigger person to wake up stood and stared at the upheaval with no comments whatsoever. After a minute of observation she then flopped on the couch like any normal teenager would. Of course, I thought we had another 9 years, but I’m often wrong.

The girls and I spent the morning downstairs which went surprisingly well. I got caught up on some email and did some worship planning while they watched Sesame Street. And shortly before noon our drywall dude knocked on our basement door and told me he was finished for the day and would be back tomorrow.

Can I just say what a gift it is that he is willing to work only in the mornings so that I can still let Maddie nap in her crib? So so thoughtful and considerate!

Anyway, we went upstairs and Reagan suggested that we have a puppet show. Then she brought up a bunch of puppets I didn’t even know we had. Grandma has been sneaking toys into the house again, I suspect. So I gave Reagan and Maddie a puppet show which they thought was hilarious. And then Reagan gave me a puppet show which was, in a word, hysterical. There was something about her puppet, Elvis the Elephant, and that running was good for you. I hurt myself a little just laughing at the view of Elvis flying around behind the couch.

It’s just those little tiny things that make everyday life more fun. And while I am very glad to be getting the house details finished up, the best part of this whole day was having a puppet show behind the couch.

Pop Quiz

2011-02-25T21:21:00.001-05:00

Question: Why on earth hasn’t Jean blogged for 3 weeks?

(a) She has been plodding through the valley of sickness both for herself and with Maddie
(b) She started reading too much (again)
(c) She’s busy writing her book
(d) She has not gotten a moment’s peace since Madison hit the terrible twos several months “too early”
(e) She’s trying to stay on top of all her church responsibilities
(f) She’s been scrapbooking in a desperate attempt to catch up
(g) She gets overwhelmed when she thinks of how long it has been since she updated her blog and feels guilty
(h) All of the above.

Answer: h, of course. Let me further explain in an attempt to excuse my poor blogging behavior.

A. I got sick for about 5 days – just general feeling of yuckiness. Then Maddie got sick for 4 days. On the plus side, she is now old enough to communicate with some level of clarity so that I am at least able to ascertain if it is her tummy or her ears or her teeth that are bothering her. Helpful really. What is not helpful is the quantity of snot coming forth from her small person. I think we are all well now so that is a big happy thing here.

B. Don’t act like you’re surprised. I started reading the Stieg Larsson series (The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). Initially I found the series extremely hard to get into. But once I did, yikes. All 3 books are very very good, but they are not easy reads. Meaning, it takes me a while. And I read several hundred pages a day on a slow day. Anyway, my favorite librarian (yay Kathy!) told me before I started them that they were “dark.” And that is pretty much the perfect description. There’s lots of hard-to-read stuff in there. But I sort of like the fact that he doesn’t gloss over these things and make it a pretty and happy story. I’m a fan of grit. I am on the last book so the end is in sight!

C. I actually finished draft 1 of my book about a month ago and now I am in the first edit phase. This both terrifies and delights me. It’s scary because now I go back and read what I have written and sometimes I wonder what on earth my problem was. And then I don’t know how to fix it. But on the other hand, there are moments of “brilliance” here and there. Also, since this is all based in a restaurant that exists solely in my mind’s eye, when we went out to a local restaurant for my birthday I was absolutely DELIGHTED to observe the wait staff and made scores of mental notes about the décor and ambiance. It is fun to get those moments of inspiration.

D. It isn’t that I am surprised that she hit the terrible twos early as much as it is just a complete reversal of attitude for Madison. She used to be very easy and compliant and sweet. And now she is just this naughty naughty little bugger. Though I must admit, many times when she does something bad I end up laughing.

E. I volunteer myself for several things at church and it always seems like they all need attention at one time. I’m enjoying all of them, but I am definitely feeling challenged to keep up with all of it.

F. About twice a year I scrapbook like a crazy person. This, for me, involves countless hours of preparation (page planning) and requires a trip to a craft store for a massive amount of paper. I am almost caught up now!

G. I really have been overwhelmed every time I think about the blog and how I haven’t updated the blog and how people are checking the blog and how I need to write something for the blog. And while all those other things up there have definitely impeded my ability to sit here and wax eloquent, the truth is I just took a break for no good reason. I’ll try to do better.

Tot School - P, 8, Q, and R

2011-02-24T20:52:00.000-05:00

Letter P

For letter P, I decided to go all out. We had a PRINCESS PARTY, complete with PINK and PURPLE decorations and PRINCESS outfits. Yes, even I dressed up for the occasion. Reagan was beyond thrilled. Maddie didn’t have a clue what we were doing, but was pretty happy because there were snacks. As we ate our snacks, the girls decorated PRINCESS crowns with stickers. We then worked on some PATTERN worksheets. I had a picture of a PIG for Reagan to color – which she definitely did. And we made a slice of PIZZA for our letter wall. Letter P was PERFECT!

Number 8

We did our sticker card and also worked on a counting worksheet. Counting is not a challenge for Reagan. But drawing a zig zag line is a challenge for her so the other worksheet we worked on made her focus.

Letter Q

I had very little planed for letter Q because, well, there isn’t a lot to say about Q. We made a QUILT for our letter wall. This was fun and easy. We also played a loud and QUIET game with Maddie. But that was about it. Letter Q was QUITE QUIZICAL.

Letter R

What a relief to move to an easier letter! Letter R is a very popular letter at our house. REAGAN was excited to learn about “her letter”. First we talked about RHYMING and she did a couple worksheets. We’ve never really talked about RHYMING so I was pretty impressed that she picked it up immediately. We made a RAINBOW for our alphabet wall. REAGAN also did a letter R tracing worksheet and a RECTANGLES worksheet. Lastly, we traced REAGAN onto a giant piece of paper and my intention was for her to color herself. However, I failed to realize that that would take a LOT of coloring. She did color some of it and she and Maddie had fun playing with it afterwards. Letter R was REALLY RAD.

My Pretty Babies

2011-02-01T16:23:00.000-05:00

We had these taken by Sarah Turnbull (Sarah's Studio) in December and I LOVE how they turned out. She does such beautiful work!

Catching Up Via Facebook Statuses Not Posted

2011-01-31T11:40:00.002-05:00

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." I quite agree.

The doctor HURT my foot and I now walk with a PRONOUNCED limp. Ow ow OW!

Thank goodness for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Yay my Mom came to visit!

The new recipe for Pizza Muffins was, in a word, horrendous.

The new recipe for Biscuit Topped Chicken was, in a word, fabulous.

The new recipe for Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu was, in two words, really good.

So glad my husband could repair the furnace himself!

Stupid car breakdown on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. At least the shop fixed it up before the weekend hit.

Do not go away and watch basketball all day and then come home and complain about me reading a book while you bathe the children. :)

I just finished The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and "enjoyed" it. Depressing though it was, it was a really good read.

I have a hankering to make fried chicken.

Just cleaned out my closet and I feel better about myself. No need to keep the sweater I haven't worn in 3+ years.

I miss my brother. A lot.

Just delivered my last Christmas gift. Yes, the one I totally forgot about and found last week.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment to make them NOT share a room.

I seriously need to get on top of my scrapbooking here! There are pictures to be ordered, people!

So, you're saying the book will not type and revise itself? Darn.

I am a bad bad blogger! People have probably unsubscribed. :( Must do something about this!

Tot School - Letter O

2011-01-28T16:04:00.001-05:00

I’m finding that I spent a lot more time preparing all my crafts for the first “semester” of tot school and don’t have as much planned for the last half. So this week I only had a little OSCAR the Grouch ready to go. Since Maddie is often going without a morning nap, she is joining us on our tot school adventure. I try to have a page for her color or something that she can do at the table with us.

So first I had Reagan put the “trash” in OSCAR’s garbage can. Which she enjoyed…for all of 15 seconds. Madison, on the other hand, spent quite a bit of time with Oscar and enjoyed that activity more than Reagan. It was definitely more her level than Reagan’s! But it’s hard to know if you are planning far in advance what your kids will be capable of and when. I’m learning quite a bit about their development through this tot school adventure!

I had also printed up some OVAL worksheets which Reagan enjoyed. She did pretty well but was really far more interested in coloring the ovals than she was in tracing them.

So while they worked on their various activities, I hit the internet and found some great OWL crafts and activity pages. Maddie was pretty excited to get an OWL page to color and could even tell me what sound the “OW WOOL” (2 syllables) made! Reagan was, again, more willing to color than she was to practice drawing an O. OH well!

Reagan made the OWL with hearts and it turned out SO cute. I had to do the cutting, but she did the assembly. He makes a lovely addition to our alphabet wall.

For a more fun activity, we made OATMEAL cookies which were fabulous.
Letter O was more than OKAY!

Fallen off the Face of the Earth

2011-01-22T12:39:00.003-05:00

Yeah, this has been the most pathetically non-updated blog ever as of the last...2 or 3 months. I know. I admit my failure to make this entertaining and interesting, much less informative. Here's the deal: I've been writing a book.

Yeah, I know.

Now, there are two categories of people in this world. One group of people just read that line and said under their breath, "What a giant waste of time. She'll never publish it and it sounds like a lot of wasted effort. Jean must be crazy." To which I say...well...not much at all other than that you have to be slightly crazy to be a writer so yeah, okay, I'm crazy. I'll own it with a little bit of pride - the same way you would a high school letter jacket. It meant something once and made you look pretty stinkin' cool for a time and then...overnight, literally, you graduated and wearing your letter jacket became so the opposite of cool that you were left with just the stinkin'. Cuz those things don't wash well. I got very little sleep last night and I am so sorry for the weirdness that just happened there.

Anyway, the other category of people in this world are the ones who just read the "I've been writing a book" statement and said, "What?! That's awesome!" Just so you know, if you said the "I've been writing a book" sentence to me my response to you would fall in this category. The one I like to call Positive Support.

Perhaps you feel that you do not fit into either category, but I would argue that you are either excited or not and thereby you too have a place in this highly categorized world of mine.

I have gotten several pertinent questions when I have made my book writing confession. Fine, I came out on facebook. Anyway...I'd like to answer the questions those of you in the Positive Support category have posed to me on different occasions.

1. What's it about?

I sort of feel that I can't really say, just yet. I can tell you it's "modern day" (not to be confused with modernistic). I am writing from what I know. I suppose it could be labeled a romance (not the ishy kind), but I see it more as a "coming home" or a "finding your place" kind of story. That sounds really kinda dumb now that I think about it. Oh well.

2. Fiction or nonfiction?

Fiction. Very much fiction. However, it is based, in some cases HEAVILY on some very real people. People who have no idea that I just wrote a book based on them. Yikes.

3. What are you going to do with it?

Yeah, see this is the tricky part. I honestly don't know. Here's my problem, it was really fun to write a book. But it would be all kinds of COMPLETELY TERRIFYING to allow other people to actually read what I just wrote. Writing is very...revealing. And while I take some comfort in the fact that this is fiction and most people would (hopefully) read it as such, there is a big part of me that's really complete scared witless by people reading conversations and thoughts and character development that all came out of my head. Basically, its like actually allowing others into your thoughts. Which is really really uncomfortable for me. So I am pretty tempted to finish this thing off and hide it away in the back of my closet. But some of you, you know who you are, will not accept this answer. Which brings us to the next question.

4. Can I see part of it?

I don't know. I've actually considered handing out excerpts here and there, but when I considered what those excerpts would be I got lost and confused and gave up.

5. No really, what are you going to do with it?

My real plan is this:

1. Type it up. I hand wrote this baby and I need to get it in a digital format.
2. Revise the sh*t out of it. I actually sort of mean that in a semi-literal sense. Take out the bad, leave the good, make the good better.
3. Ask a few trusted "associates", who have been firmly identified as card-carrying members of the Positive Supporters category, to review a chapter here and there.
4. Perhaps allow a few select people to read the whole shebang.
5. If (and that is one HUGE if) I get a positive response, I need to contact the people I sort of wrote about and at least confess my liberal usage of their persona. Just so you know, Step 5 makes me want to vomit because it is just that terrifying.

Now, all this will be heavily delayed by my definite need to research certain aspects to more fully and clearly write various sections of my story. I attempted very much to write what I know. But apparently, this story chose me (in a dream, actually), and it decided it had to be about a restaurant. And if you want to know how much I know about a restaurant, well, it won't be a long conversation. Effectively, I know absolutely nothing. So, anyone who is a restaurateur, I need you. Brilliant really, isn't it? Chose an industry of which I know absolutely nothing and base and entire story on it. Of course, if I were to write a story about what I know from personal experience, it would most likely have to be about a grocery story. That's a hint, by the way.

For now, I'll just tell you this: her name is Grace and his name is Bobby (actual names have been changed...somewhat...for the main characters anyway) and they could use some prayer. And by "they" I mean me. Turns out when you write, it's the same thing.

Tot School - Number 7

2011-01-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

Again, this week things were simple. I had Reagan do her sticker card. She’s going to have to use smaller stickers from now on! We had to work a little too hard to get them all on there! And she also did a diagonal lines worksheet which she really enjoyed.

Reagan got a really cool coloring book for Christmas and I brought it out for her entertainment. It’s basically a learn-how-to-color coloring book and she LOVED it. She did 3 pages and had a lot of fun with it. It’s a great teaching tool!

Tot School - Letter N

2011-01-14T15:35:00.001-05:00

I struggled to come up with activities for letter N. Eventually, I decided to focus on NIGHT. I had these foam stars that we glued to a piece of paper. Both girls made a NIGHT sky. It was pretty light on the tot school fun this week!

The girls had fun coloring together this week and here are some of thier awesome pieces of artwork!

Letter N was NEAT.

Christmas 2010 in Pictures

2011-01-10T14:45:00.001-05:00

From the land flowing with songs and words

2011-01-08T14:39:00.002-05:00

Well, we survived another year of holiday fun. I'll post pictures soon - there are a few hundred to sort through. Not even joking about the number. But for now let's just focus on catching you up to what's happening here.

Christmases. We had a wonderful time celebrating with family. I was so so glad to hear Reagan and Madison be genuinely grateful for the gifts they received. That was something I was worried about - apparently for no good reason. The traveled well in the car and they slept reasonably well while we were away visiting family. They were a joy to travel with and I am still shaking my head in surprise at how well it all went. We even managed to find an evening at home where we could celebrate our own family Christmas. That was really fun and I'm glad we found a night to start our own family tradition.

Harry Potter. I finished reading the series over Christmas and I have to tell you, I absolutely LOVED it. At first I wasn't so hooked. But Book 3 got me and then I could not put them down. What I did not realize was that the story echoes the gospel so strongly. My pastor recommended them to me and I am so very glad he did. When Reagan and Maddie get older I will definitely recommend that they read them.

Songs. Reagan had to learn 3 songs for her Christmas program so she and Brian spent a couple evenings downstairs - he playing them on the piano and she singing along. I did not realize that she would love it quite so much because she has continued to sing and play the piano several times a day. She especially likes to change the words to fit her purposes or thoughts at that moment. And it doesn't stop when we leave the house. She sings in parking lots, grocery stores and the library. Very very loudly.

Words. The biggest development in our house is little Miss Madison's WORD EXPLOSION. This poor girl. It is like she has had all these words just trapped inside her for so long and just now figured out how to get them out. She has been saying words I did not realize she even knew and she can repeat just about anything I say with perplexing accuracy. RayRay (our nickname for Reagan), Ladybug. Puzzle. Thank you. Sorry. Please. Book. Hat. Shoes. Teeth. The list could seriously go on forever. And you just suffered through a really long list on my last post so I will spare you this time :) But this was my absolute favorite phrase so far: "I love you!" So fun to hear her jabbering and communicating.

Coffee Break. Coffee Break has started once again, but this semester both of my children "graduated" to the next level. Maddie is now in the toddler nursery where she does a good job of standing like a statue and watching the other children play with toys. Reagan is no longer a Little Lamb but has moved up to Story Hour (for 4-5 year olds). She was really excited to see dress up clothes and a doll house in her new room! We love our mornings at Coffee Break!

Concert Choir. We were very excited to learn that the Dordt College Concert Choir was going to be in town recently. Brian's sister, Krista, sings in the choir. Since I also sang in the choir my last year at Dordt, I was really looking forward to hearing them perform again. Reagan wanted to go along so Reagan and I went together and enjoyed hearing the most beautiful performance! It was just gorgeous. Reagan especially loved the songs which included percussion :) We were happy to have Krista and a friend overnight afterward. So fun to take Reagan with me!

Our new year is off to a great start! I'm very excited to see what the next 12 months hold for us!

Tot School - Letter M

2011-01-07T14:58:00.001-05:00

Reagan was very excited for the return of Tot School! We took December off. Now, I fully intended to do an advent activity or craft every day. Had it all planned out. Had all the materials ready. People, I seem to fall off the bandwagon whenever December hits. We did a few of the things. Not nearly all of them. I felt guilty. I sort of still do. I just do not have the steam to do something every single day for a month, it seems. Pathetic, really. Just keeping it real.

On our first week back, we studied the MARVELOUS letter M.

First we colored a MONKEY. Reagan has a nifty way of coloring all of her pictures lately. At least she is coloring the actual picture and staying somewhat inside the lines.

Secondly, we did some worksheets. Namely, a MATCHING worksheet and a MORE and less worksheet. Matching was easy. More and less was a new topic for her. But she did pretty well.

We also worked with a new tool that Reagan got for Christmas. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s wonderful because it is a dry erase board. She can trace letters and practice them on her own without wasting countless pieces of paper. She’s getting better at writing more of the letters on her own.

And lastly, for our letter wall, we did a MONKEY face. In the process, someone may or may not have gotten a little MARKER on her face!

Letter M was MAGNIFICENT!

The Gratitude Project - 2010

2011-01-03T11:33:00.002-05:00

Every year at Thanksgiving, my parents sit down and have a big feast. Afterward, they go around the table and everyone present at the meal tells what they are thankful for. It’s often a pretty emotional time. And it seems no matter what journey the year has taken us on, each one of us can always find something good that was brought into their life. I love this tradition of giving thanks. It seems we can never truly get enough of it.

I read a lot of blogs. One of my favorites is by Ann Voskamp. She is a treasure. And she keeps a Gratitude Journal that she shares on her website. I have loved reading her entries and was inspired to do the same.

So beginning January 1, 2010, I started my very own Gratitude Journal. I grabbed a notebook and started on page 1 with “Week 1” and numbers 1-20 down the left hand side.

There were times it was very easy to know what to write down and 20 lines wasn’t enough. And then there were other weeks where I just sat and stared at the blanks I needed to fill in. But I never gave myself permission to leave a week with blanks on its page.

I didn’t worry about being repetitive. I just wrote down whatever I was thankful for that particular week – be it an activity, a person, an event, a moment, a phrase or an observation.

What I didn’t realize was that I was creating this wonderful log of a year’s worth of memories. It’s obvious, I suppose. But reading over all 1,040 entries at the end of the year I could see very clearly all the good things He has given me. They were staring back at me from the pages of my journal – evidence. All the things I had forgotten were listed. All the moments I didn’t want to forget were waiting for me to remember again. If someone had asked me “What’s good in your life?” I could have simply handed them my journal and said, “This…and so much more.”

I’ve always considered myself a grateful person. I don’t have a problem saying thank you. I feel like I see pretty clearly that I don’t deserve all the good in my life. And maybe this project has helped me increase that gratitude. I don’t really know how to figure that out as it seems a little more abstract and not so quantifiable. But this is what I do know. Each week I would put this journal next to my planner and I would fill out a list of 20 things I am thankful for. That simple act brought to mind hundreds (literally) of things I would have otherwise easily glossed over.

Is it ever enough? When I think about what I would do if my days with Brian, Reagan or Madison were numbered and drawing to a close I am sure I would soak myself in every single minute with them. I wouldn’t sweat the small stuff. I would waste less time. I would treasure and hide every memory in my heart. Truthfully, my days with them are numbered. Who knows how many of them I have left. But in 2010, I was able to cherish my life, my family, my God in a way I hadn’t before.

Maybe keeping a Gratitude Journal makes you more thankful. I don’t know. It made me more aware and more present. I don’t remember the bad things so much from the year. But the good, oh the good, has washed over me time and time again.

I won’t share all 1,040 things, but here are some of the highlights:

- Reagan singing scripture
- A barely fuzzy head tucked under my chin
- Lack of sleep due to a child I desperately wanted
- Laughter from a father and his daughters as they play downstairs while was dishes
- A mom who is more like my best friend each day
- Happy smiles first thing in the morning
- A Coffee Break group that digs into Scripture
- Reagan and Maddie laughing at each other
- Waking to a frosty-white world
- A child who insists on using every crayon in the box
- Being the first one to wake up in the morning
- Living within walking distance from parks
- Laughter with friends
- The way she runs to me with outstretched arms
- Maddie babbling away when she wakes up
- Maddie wearing Reagan’s old outfits and the memories that come back
- An evening watching a movie with Reagan
- The way she says “I missed you!” when I am gone for only an hour
- The way my parents take joy in my children
- Great music. Better lyrics.
- The way she sings “He loves us! Oh how He loves us!”
- Her many giggles just to get attention
- He is still listening – no matter what
- The silence of falling snow
- Reagan asking to make a Valentine’s card for me
- Creating instead of napping
- Watching Reagan exercise like me
- Hearing Tom and Angie’s voices
- Laughing with my husband
- Medicines for fevers
- Making a snowman
- Great service at my coffee shop
- Spontaneous worship
- Dancing with Maddie
- A husband who helps
- That they want to play together
- The incredible gift of very healthy children
- A story that makes me cry
- When sunlight feels like a spotlight
- Buying everything on my shopping list
- Quiet time each evening with Reagan
- The wisdom of a friend
- The love of a little girl
- The ability to reason with her
- People who love me through painful criticism
- That he reads the Word
- The third day
- My mom and her willingness to change a diaper
- Leaving the house without a coat
- His gentle correction
- Our first walk in 2010
- A healing conversation with my husband
- The joy of throwing an acorn in the pond
- Maddie’s first time in a swing at the park
- That I understand them
- Choosing silence
- Hearing him tell me I look nice
- Sidewalk chalk
- A group of friends who love worship
- That she looks to me for protection
- Palm branch processions
- That she doesn’t want to be away from me
- Going out for pizza as a family
- Playing Candyland as a family
- Visions of heaven
- Music that overflows from the soul
- Hands raised high in praise
- Maddie doing SO BIG! and clapping for herself
- The sweet way Reagan loves her sister
- Reagan’s statement out of nowhere, “He died! On the cross!”
- Her first shaky steps
- “Do you need some help, Mom?”
- Her eyes searching for me
- Guitars
- Not having to get the carseat in and out of the car
- Friends who love music and go to concerts with me
- A 3 year old who makes me laugh
- That Maddie wants ME
- Memories that come flooding back
- That she turns back and runs down the hall just to hug me
- Smiling for no reason
- Confession and coffee
- Inability to out-sin grace
- A body that has changed with bearing children
- Soft green grass
- Her arm around her little sister in the stroller
- Going to the park twice in a day
- Late bedtimes because we were out playing
- Maddie walking all over the house
- Maddie is ONE!
- A garage turned into Candyland
- Reagan running in circles in excitement
- Dads playing with kids
- Reading in bed
- Meeting friends at the park
- Reagan’s first popsicle
- Maddie coloring with sidewalk chalk
- His hard work for us
- His head bowed low before breakfast over the Word
- Laughing at myself
- Choosing to not perpetuate gossip
- That I share life with them
- Squirrels
- That we are different and it is okay
- Tan lines
- Our first real picnic
- Nine years together
- Pictures of His faithfulness
- A new niece – Emily Lynae
- Twirling skirts
- Devotions interrupted by children
- People noticing my weight loss
- A surprise package for Reagan and Madison from Tom and Angie
- Not exploding in anger
- One piece of cherry pie
- A walk down the lane
- Trying to catch a butterfly
- Reagan picking apples
- Flying a kite
- Thirty-two years of life for Brian
- People who live frugally in order to be generous
- Phil singing “Kindness” for special music in church
- Walking instead of driving
- A shared smile – no words needed
- When we fall and get back up
- Fresh apples in apple crisp
- Love that never fails
- All the things I never have to do because he does
- Trying to hide laughter from children
- “Super Reagan is here!”
- My first guitar accompanied solo
- Stories of faith
- Ability that doesn’t leave the moment you stop
- Rest areas with parks
- Arriving to hugs and smiles
- Reagan’s joy at fireworks
- Sitting through a whole church service with my husband
- Hilarious family members
- Waves washing our feet
- Maddie laughing in her room
- My Dad on his birthday
- Laughing till it hurts
- That I am not a celebrity
- Jeans that fit better than they ever have
- Maddie vs. cupcake
- A fabulous trip to Bethel Mission
- Appreciation
- Watching Reagan and Maddie play outside at the farm
- The magic of an early evening on the farm
- Reagan picking tomatoes
- Realizing He has given me every big thing I have ever asked Him for
- That He accomplishes through me
- Reagan’s impromptu prayer for Daddy after he prayed for us at supper
- Maddie’s high chair dancing
- Seeing the humanity behind the evil and sin
- That He loves us anyway
- Truth revealed
- Entering a writing contest
- Laughing at 5:30 in the morning
- That people stop to pray
- Perfect weather on our zoo day
- Being burdened for others
- The tiny curl at the bottom of Maddie’s hair
- That being with me makes them feel better
- Zeno’s pizza with ham
- Celebrating my Mom’s birthday
- People who LIVE like Jesus
- When he surprises me
- Honorable Mention
- Telling the painful stories
- Her skipping run to match his strides
- Trust in a small group
- A new nephew – Alex Joel
- Twirling with Maddie in the kitchen
- Spontaneous standing in worship
- Kneeling for Amazing Grace
- Reining in the want monster
- Living in the moment
- That He never lets go
- When words flow onto paper
- The wonder in their eyes at the Christmas tree
- Laughing so hard you can’t finish your story
- Zephaniah 3:17
- Their initials on my wrist
- Reagan is four!
- Being able to not hate a picture of myself
- Uninhibited worship
- Uncontrollable giggles
- Two girls dancing in tiaras
- The advent conspiracy
- Free refills on coffee
- Intense love for me
- New countertop, sink and faucet
- Sharp pencils
- Brian taking care of us
- Belief
- Giving homemade Christmas gifts
- Pictures of mark the passage of time
- Being snowed in
- Harry Potter series
- Reaching and exceeding a goal
- Eyes opened to other’s struggles
- Saying yes before considering the no
- Reagan’s first Christmas program
- Truth from the pulpit
- Fingerprints on the windows
- Maddie saying “I love you!”
- Movies with my sister
- Playing games with my family
- That He is the master storyteller
- That I don’t eat like this on a daily basis
- Maddie curling up by Grandpa DV for a nap
- Reagan’s love of baby Emily
- Feeling challenged to “write” (or live) a better story
- One thousand forty good things

Some of my favorite Christmas music

2010-12-22T20:39:00.003-05:00

We listen to a lot of Christmas music around here. These are some of my favorites.

Plus One - This Christmas

Casting Crowns - God With Us

Jump5 - Strange Way to Save the World

Casting Crowns - Christmas Offering

Jeremy Camp - Christ Is Come

Joy Williams - Here With Us

Natalie Grant - I Believe (LIVE) (I did this one for a Christmas party this year)

Avalon - Jesus, Born on This Day (LIVE) (I normally don't love this song but this live performance is amazing!)

Avalon - We Are the Reason

2010

2010-12-21T13:01:00.004-05:00

In 2010, I managed to do a few noteworthy things – and even knock a few things off my bucket list.

1. Self-accompanied guitar solo. It wasn’t a complicated song, but I managed to play and sing all by my lonesome one fine Sunday morning.

2. Win honorable mention in a writing contest. My goal for the year was to submit a piece for publishing, and this was as close as I got. I won honorable mention in a writing contest held by my local library.

3. Started writing something with chapters. I suppose I should just go ahead and say I started writing a book. Much like dear Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight mania, my book started off a dream I had one night. My dream, however, was not about vampires. At any rate, that I have started to write a book is immensely fulfilling for me. I may not ever show it to a single living soul (because that would quite literally be terrifying for me), but the goal was just to write one someday. I’m doing it.

4. Start an easy pre-preschool program with Reagan. We call it tot school and as you know it happens about once a week. She loves it and I have seen some definite improvement in various areas. I’ve made it halfway through the “curriculum” I have planned for her and I’m just proud I’ve stuck with it.

5. Lost weight. As I said on Monday, I lost a little more than 30 pounds this year. I feel really healthy and I am the happy owner of some baggy jeans.

6. Completed the Gratitude Project. I’ll write more on this later, but basically I spent 2010 compiling a list of over 1,000 things/moments/etc. for which I am thankful.

7. Played at the beach with the girls. We chased waves and it was fun. A great great memory that we still talk about.

8. Successfully potty-trained a small person. Don’t laugh. This “task” scared me and I was reasonably sure I would somehow fail. I didn’t fail. Yay.

9. Started “teaching” adult Sunday school. This was something that came up when I was taking a class in the not-so-distant past. I have really enjoyed it so far.

10. Read a LOT of books. Somewhere around 55 or so. Some of them good. Some of them AWESOME. Some of them a complete waste of time. Some of them life changing. I’ll try to do a light review of my favorites in a future post.

This year was very good to me. I loved so many many things about it and have been blessed to celebrate some really great moments. It's fun to look back and see the evidence of His hand working in all things.

Thirty Is a Great Number

2010-12-20T15:21:00.000-05:00

I knew I had a small (or not so small) problem when January found me squeezing into my jeans. Barely squeezing into my jeans. Even the “fat pants” were snug. I was frequently plagued with worry that the top button would tear from the fabric. This was bad. Also, I saw pictures of myself from Christmas parties and, well…yikes.

Maddie had just quit nursing in early November and I am here to tell you there is no more inconvenient time to stop nursing than right before the holidays. Things got ugly fast.

As requested, for Christmas I got The 30 Day Shred and I vowed to make a change. Step one in making a change was to actually buy a scale so I could monitor my progress in pounds rather than wearable pairs of jeans. Step two was to, in fact, weigh myself and I was shocked at the number that greeted me on the dial. I was a good 13 pounds over my estimate. Definitely time to do something.

So every day, often in the morning while Brian showered, I would sweat it out with Jillian Michaels for 30 minutes in the basement. It worked really well at first. I was definitely challenged by the workouts and I lost the first 10 pounds quickly. Not easily, but quickly. However, 3 months of the same DVD started to get boring and I needed a change.

Here is where I have to tell you about my friend, Shalene. Shalene does childcare at a gym in town and in return they give her a free membership. She encouraged me to sign up to do the childcare and I was soon the terrified owner of a gym membership. Shalene told me about her routine – how she got up very early and went to the early morning classes so she could be getting home just as her family was getting up for the day. I won’t lie, the thought of early morning exercising in a public facility was probably the most daunting, horrifying, unappealing and difficult things to consider. But consider I did and I knew I had more weight to lose. So on weekday morning at 5:15 (ouch) I met Shalene at the gym.

Shalene took me to a few classes that first week. She showed me where to put my things, where the classes were and where the equipment (e.g. exercise mats, balance balls, free weights) was stored. And most of all, she encouraged me not to give up.

Amazingly, I did not give up. Since early April I have gone to the gym at least 3 times a week EVERY week.

I took a variety of classes. Group cycling, step aerobics, body pump, core strength. All of it challenging. In fact, the first time I took group cycling, well, let’s just say that one was painful and I walked funny for days. The classes were difficult, but over time I felt better and better. I quickly saw that I am a class person. Even though it is a little impossible to get used to having people see me with no makeup, being in the class environment helped me stay on track. Having an instructor ordering me around is, in a word, helpful. If I’m just going to go and lift weights, I won’t lift as much. If I just go to spin, I won’t push it as hard. You get the point.

For the first several months, knowing that Shalene would be “waiting” for me was what got me out of bed when the alarm went off at 5:00. She wouldn’t harp on me if I missed a class. But she would ask where I was. After a while I felt comfortable and informed enough to go by myself on occasion, though it was still more fun to take classes with my friend. Now I often see her there a couple times a week, and she has a gifted way of asking how I am doing and what classes I went to without making it seem like she is checking up on me. She holds me accountable and gives me much-needed encouragement.

I didn’t change my diet much, because I wanted this to be something I could really do long term. I did cut back on the junk food. I did try to eat slightly smaller portions. I did start drinking more water and less milk. But for the most part I changed as little as I could.

And it worked. People, it worked. There were frustrating weeks. Frustrating months. But I’m at the end of the year here, 30 years old, telling you I lost a little over 30 pounds this year. Insane, right? I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, really. Because I feel like I should look much skinnier than I do when I say I lost 30 pounds. But at the same time I am giddy every time I go to put on my jeans. Yes, those jeans that were in grave danger at the beginning of the year, well, they are now (giggle) too big. I’ve even had to put a few away because they won’t stay up!!!! This is just ridiculous. But wonderful.

I am not “done”. I have not “arrived”. But I achieved my goal weight loss for the year and I have to tell you, I feel good. Even knowing that I can do it, that I am able to lose weight, is a huge mental boost for me. And it’s fuel to keep going.

To those of you who have noticed my accomplishments and been so gracious and generous with your compliments, you have truly been a huge encouragement to me. Thank you for saying something because your words kept me going.

And to Shalene, I don’t think words can sufficiently convey how grateful I am. Her patience with my clumsy ignorance at the beginning, her willingness to hold me accountable, her simple act of meeting me at the gym, was all an extreme act of a very good friend. I know I am so blessed to have her in my life. A life which is a lot healthier and happier because of her.

Whirlwind

2010-12-18T15:28:00.004-05:00

I had these marvelous plans to blog about all the advent activities we have been doing. However, life got in the way and it not only interfered with my blogging, it also intefered with our advent plans. I might post a list of all the things we SAID we were going to do this advent season later. :) But for now, I'll just focus on catching you up to life in our house.

- Sickies. We all took a marvelous turn with a stomach virus last week. It was...well...you don't want to know. But I had it the worst. That much is important information and I expect your pity. Thankfully, it was short-lived.

- Books. I've been a bit absorbed (Brian will tell you this should say "OBSESSED") with reading lately. This has been the year of the book for me, but boy howdy have I gone off the deep end this month! My pastor recommended I read the Harry Potter series and I LOVE them. I've also been reading The Hunger Games series which is also highly addictive and fascinating. And I am trying to read The Vampire Diairies series because it is one of my favorite shows. But here's the thing, the tv show is WORLDS better than the books. Don't really like the books so much. And I am reading The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns which is extremely challenging on an internal level. And lastly, but not leastly, I read The Shack which changed my life in no small way. So far, my list of reads for the year comes to 54...but we have a few weeks left yet :)

- Parties. We have been having fun going to anniversary parties, Christmas parties and cookie-decorating parties. And there are many more to come!

- Kitchen Remodel. We got our new countertop, kitchen sink and faucet installed. We LOVE them! I will post a picture or three as soon as we get our touch-up painting completed.

So all this and more has kept us pretty busy. We are really looking forward to seeing our families over the holidays and celebrating with our girls. Things are busy and hectic, but we are happy and having fun!!

Pictures from Reagan's 4th Birthday Party

2010-12-07T21:58:00.007-05:00

Okay, here's the deal. I like birthday parties. I do. I love them. But I do not want to be one of those people who sort of loses her ever livin' mind every time one of her children celebrates another year of life.

My parents were not wealthy people, but every year we knew we would wake up on our birthday to see the kitchen decorated in streamers and balloons. Every. Year. It never got old. In fact, I rather miss it. One year, my Dad hand-crafted tractors out of construction paper to hang from the ceiling for my brother's birthday. They always had cake and a few presents for us. They did a wonderful job of making us feel special and celebrated.

And that is what I want for my children. So you'll remember my big birthday bash for Maddie's first birthday. That was fun. Very fun. And really, honestly, goofy cheap. I did a LOT of the decorations myself and really loved doing it.

So with Reagan's 4th birthday approaching and family in town and able to attend a birthday party (due to Thanksgiving celebrations and holidays), I decided to throw a little bit bigger party. Without totally blowing my budget. My budget of $30 or less. Yeah, its not much. But it was enough.

I decided to go with a zoo/animal theme for Reagan since she had such a good time at the zoo this fall and because she seems to LOVE animals. This party took quite a bit of preparation and not very much money.

First, there were the invitations which had little critters on them like this sweet little penguin. I made them. They sort of stole my heart, actually. They also decorated the table where we had goldfish, gummy bears and animals crackers. The animals cost $0 and the food was $6.

I saved for a long time and made binoculars from tp tubes which I covered in black paper and stapled together. Grand total of this was less than $1.50.

I hung streamers and green balloons - hoping to imitate trees and the forest canopy. The table was blue because that looks like water. The table runner is animal patterns we photocopied and taped together. I also spread out stuffed animals in the area. Cost: $4.

I made a sign and some fun friends for the wall. Cost: $0

I made the cupcakes. Oh they were fun. It took some careful planning and it was not "easy" or "fast". But when they were done I may have danced in the kitchen. My personal favorite is the elephant. Reagan loved the tiger. My parents made endless fun of my ZEBRA! They were all great fun. I'd love an excuse to make these again!
Cost: $6

Honestly, I think it cost me less than $20. We'll just not talk about the hours I spent ;)

Right when the party started I got a phone call alerting me that the animals had escaped from the zoo. Immediately I asked Reagan if she could find some friends and her binoculars to help us catch the animals. I may have overdone the acting a bit. Some people thought I had lost my mind and Reagan looked initially a little freaked out when I told her the animals were in my basement. But it all worked out. I handed her a sheet with pictures of all the escapees and down we went to search them out. Can I just say this was really fun and we are going to play this game again and again and again. Reagan loved it.

Then it was time for singing and cake and snacks.

And then it was time for birthday presents. Reagan got a My Little Pony Castle and 6My Little Ponies from us. She got many other fun presents. Maddie was not just a little jazzed about all the loot pouring forth from the boxes her sister was opening.

After more playtime and fun, we said goodnight and sent our very special guests on their way home. It was a blast and we are so glad that BOTH sets of grandparents could come celebrate Reagan's 4th birthday!

I love celebrating her!

Tot School - Number 6

2010-12-02T12:09:00.003-05:00

We had just two days to do our tot school lesson this week because we are starting our advent paper chain / advent activities this week (December 1).

Reagan did her sticker card and then a diagonal lines sheet. I have really noticed an improvement in how she holds a pencil and has more control over it. She also wanted to trace her own hand and I think she did a pretty good job.

For a bit of fun, we played a game I made up. I probably got the idea from somewhere and some point in time, but have long since forgotten. This is ridiculously easy to make and Reagan said it was “REALLY FUN!”. I called it the directions game. It could be a Simon Says game too, but I wanted to start easy for her first time playing. I called out things like “Stand on one leg on the oval” or “sit on the five” or “tickle the red” or “put the four on top of the circle”. You get the idea. So simple but it kept her very entertained. We’ll be playing this one again sometime.

Tot School - Letter L

2010-11-27T11:57:00.000-05:00

I was excited for Letter L.

I had this LOVELY LION craft for Reagan which she enjoyed. It used a circle punch to cut the circles out and then just applied double-sided tape when we were ready to give the LION his mane.

We also made a paper bag LION puppet, of which I do not have a picture, but it was cute.

And lastly we made a LADYBUG costume. Reagan is a huge fan of the LADYBUG in general and she thought it was pretty groovy to dress up as her favorite bug. I let her color the spots on the back and she was quite happy with just two spots.

Letter L was LOVELY.

Tot School - Letter K

2010-11-23T11:52:00.002-05:00

Good grief, blogging about tot school is getting away from me. I blame it on the holidays. And the baking. And the parties. And the eating. Also, a certain cutie pie turned 4 years old over here and we were busy having too much fun to blog.

We started our lesson this week by decorating a KITE with some Diego stickers. Now, as you may or may not know, Diego is a groovy little cartoon friend of Dora and he spends all of his time helping animals. Diego, you see, is very KIND! We talked about KINDNESS while Reagan decorated the KITE. She had some good ideas of how she could be KIND to others.

Then we played with this KANGAROO that I made. I hand-drew this one but later found a printable one online. Oops. Oh well.

We also made a KITTEN out of a paper plate. Reagan had fun taking the various pieces and putting them on where they go. I think she did a great job drawing some serious whiskers.

Letter K was a KEEPER!

Happy 4th Birthday, Reagan!

2010-11-22T07:01:00.001-05:00

Dear Reagan,

Somehow you are four years old.

I do not know how this happened.

Our year began with potty training, which I am now seeing is a long long process. Shortly after Christmas we decided to give up this whole pull-ups business because it just wasn’t working. Not even a little bit. After one day in regular undies you seemed to understand the concept and we were goofy excited. Perhaps a little overly optimistic. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but it has been a long journey at times. I think it has actually been the most frustrating part of parenting for me thus far. Though I would say yes, you are totally potty trained, there are still accidents now and then.

This was the year of the dollhouse for you. Your Grandpa and Grandma Vande Voort gave you a dollhouse for Christmas and it is officially your most favorite toy in the whole wide world. Nearly every day you spend several hours on the floor carefully arranging your animals – all of your animals – every animal in our house really – in the dollhouse. It is very important to you that all of them are standing inside the house. This would be much less complicated were it not for the interference of a certain small sister of yours who is insatiably curious about everything you do and say.

Though Maddie often gets in your way or disrupts what you are doing, you have an endless supply of patience. Rarely do you fight with her. You frequently play with her though she is not at your level of play. That never seems to matter. You include her as best you can and when you see she can’t handle a certain game or toy, you help her and show her what to do. The way you talk to her is the most sweet and hilarious thing I have ever heard. You call her “Mads”, and when you get up in the morning she is the person you want to see. You always need to know where she is and what she is doing. If Maddie gets hurt or upset, you bring her blankies and some of your favorite stuffed animals. Maddie adores you and I am so very glad she has you for a big sister.

We did lots of fun things with you this year. We went on a real vacation to Michigan where we had a lot of fun going to parties, riding a trolley, walking the boardwalk, and playing at the beach. We also went to the zoo which you loved. We had a close encounter with a tiger that is permanently seared in my memory. I try not to let the pictures terrify me. A couple times you went to the farm with your Daddy. You always have a lot to report when you get home.

This fall we started a little thing I called “Tot School”. You. Love. Tot School. Every week we spend 30-45 minutes learning about one letter or one number. We do crafts and worksheets. We practice coloring. We talk. It’s just you and me spending time together and I have been so impressed with how well you have been doing on your lessons. Next year you will go to preschool and I will miss you terribly. But I know you will love it and I am excited for you. For now, I love having you home everyday and being the one to teach you.

Your memory amazes me, quite frankly. You recall things from years ago that simply astound me. A memory verse is pretty easy for you. You recognize all the letters of the alphabet. You pick up songs quickly and easily. Whenever I am on praise team you seem to learn the songs right along with me and sing them in church.

You love going to Little Lambs every Wednesday morning and Kids of the Kingdom every Sunday morning. You often come home and sing the songs you learn which brings back fond memories for me. Every time I come to pick you up from these classes you run to me with a big smile on your face and your arms outstretched. It’s often the best moment of my day.

Sometimes it is very strange for me because I understand you so well. It is not unusual for you to ask me a question that makes absolutely no sense at all. But rarely has there been a time when I did not know what you were talking about. Maybe that’s because we spend so much time together. I don’t know. But what I do know is that I love understanding you. I love being able to figure out how you think. I love the closeness we have. I love that you would rather spend your time with me than just about anyone else on the planet.

Last night, as we were going through the bedtime routine, we came to the praying portion of our evening. You selected a prayer card which I normally read. Except this time, you recited it all out loud – having it perfectly memorized. Then you bowed your head, with your hands tightly clasped and without a single prompt from me you said, “Dear Lord, please be with the missionaries. Bless them and help them on their adventure. In your name, Amen.” I sobbed. There are so many times I feel like I am failing you. When you aren’t doing something other kids can do or when you are naughty or when you are upset and I can’t calm you down, I feel like my report card for the quarter is going to be full of “Needs Improvement” checkmarks. But for that brief moment, I really felt like I had done something good for you. That I had pointed you in the right direction.

I don’t know what you will be when you grow up. I like to guess sometimes. I don’t know if you will be smart, rebellious, funny, studious, shy, outgoing. I don’t know what the future holds for you. But I know who holds every single second of your tomorrows. I know who wrote these days in His book before you even came to be. I know who walks with you on whatever path you take. And I know who loves you no matter what mistakes you make. I am so very glad that He chose me to be your Mommy. I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Come and Listen

2010-11-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

I posted it once before, but it's worth reposting. And it is PERFECT for Thanksgiving! Praise our God, for He is good!

Tot School - Number 5

2010-11-13T20:33:00.002-05:00

I had a whole bunch of Thanksgiving crafts all planned for November and we still have not done a single one of them. There’s time yet, I suppose. But I am surprised at how much planning and focus our tot school has taken each week.

This week we learned about the number 5. We did our sticker card and I also had a vertical line tracing worksheet for Reagan to work on. She did surprisingly well on the vertical lines. I was quite pleased. I think her mood was right and we had some good uninterrupted time to focus, so that definitely helped.

I had also found some good Thanksgiving worksheets online. I picked the ones I thought would work best for us and printed those. Reagan enjoyed them quite a bit. We both especially liked the People/Food sorting worksheet. This was one of the first categorizing projects we’ve worked on and she did really well.

She was watching me cut with scissors and said she wanted to do it. I let her have her own sheet of paper, showed her how to hold the scissors and then how to operate them. It took quite a bit of patience, some bravery for me, and a fairly significant amount of time, but she really ended up getting the hang of it. I keep scissors out of reach around here and really haven’t seen a need to get them out. But I think now she is to the age where she should be learning how to use them. It was a good first experience. I’m guessing we’ll be doing this frequently in the future as well.

Tot School - Letter J

2010-11-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

I am feeling the pressure to keep Reagan entertained and occupied during our tot school time. This week that was a little bit more challenging as just not that many things start with the letter J.

First, we colored a JET. She did a pretty good job of staying the lines. I think she may have a future in painting camouflaged military aircraft.

Then I had made up my own JAR and JELLY BEANS activity. Reagan had to glue the JELLYBEANS in the JAR. She really enjoyed this and was very careful to make sure the JELLY BEANS stayed in the JAR.

She was asking for more and I didn’t have anything but I came up with an idea anyway. I thought we could talk about JOY. And boy howdy did I need a lesson on JOY. I drew the letters on the paper and then I thought she could draw pictures of things that bring her JOY. But there she went and just started to scribble all over the place. I was unimpressed. In fact, I was a little annoyed. A lot annoyed. I tried time and time again to explain that I wanted her to at least color in the lines and not just scribble all over the place. Her response was more scribbling in other various colors. Eventually I just gave up and got crabby and sulky about it. Then she wanted to go show Maddie who was making noise in her crib upstairs (having just woken up from a nap). “Reagan,” I said, hoping to discourage her, “Maddie will just ruin your picture.” “But I want to show her Mom!” And off she went, ignoring my warning. Sure enough, I walk in to see Maddie holding Reagan’s JOY poster and it is crumpled crumpled crumpled. But Reagan didn’t care. She wanted to share her JOY – literally and figuratively. And now as I look at this crumpled up mess of a picture I can’t help but seeing how badly I missed my own lesson. And how very much Reagan already understands JOY so much better than I do. Tot school inverted.

Letter J was JOYOUS.

Tot School - Letter I

2010-10-29T20:49:00.005-04:00

Supply and demand – she demanded and I supplied a lot more material for this week’s lesson. I came up with a few of these on my own.

First Reagan made an ICE cream cone by sticking the scoops on top of one another. She had fun with this and it was easy. We’ll be adding this one to our letter wall.

Then we worked on an IOWA lesson! Reagan colored the IOWA flag per my instructions. She did a lot better at actually trying to color in one area and not just scribbling all over the paper. I was happy with how this turned out.

Then we made an ITSY bitsy spider (complete with water spout). Reagan picked out the body and the legs and the eyes. I did the gluing. Then we sang the ITSY bitsy spider and did had our little spidey friend do the actions. She absolutely loved this and it was fun to do a craft that we could play with afterwards. I do recommend that parents fold the ends of the pipecleaners up as they can be very sharp and pokey.

Lastly we made an INCHWORM by gluing milk lids to a sheet of paper and adding some nifty google eyes.

We also had ICE CREAM after supper which all of us enjoyed.

Letter I was INTERESTING!

When did raising your hand become a bad thing?

2010-10-28T10:56:00.002-04:00

She sat in the pew right in front of me. Middle-aged, blonde mullet, white jeans, white lace vest over a coral shirt. She brought her own Bible and when the sermon started she took out a floral-bordered notepad that had her name printed in fancy script at te top. She took notes. We sang a hymn and she got out the Psalter to follow along, even though the words were on the screen at the front. And right there I had her pegged: ultra-conservative, reserved, hymn-loving, traditional worshipper. I was sure because she had the top button fastened at her throat.

Please understand I have no problem whatsoever with people who fit into that "conservative worship" category. I married one. Just check his shirt buttoning. But tonight it made me nervous. This woman, a visitor I had never seen before, was about to experience a Faith Church band service. I said a silent prayer that she would be able to find a way to worship, even though the style would be out of her comfort zone.

You see, I’m the girl who pulls into the church parking lot with windows down and music blaring. I’m 30, but musically you might think me 16. Brian reminds me frequently to turn it down. So band services are sort of my…thing. My favorite thing. In all the world. When the drum clicks off and the guitar riff begins, my heart rate climbs (in a good way).

That Sunday night was no different. But I watched her out of the corner of my eye. Drum clicks off, guitar starts, and she slides forward in the pew. I was sure she was going to leave. I planned to smile at her generously and kindly as she quietly escaped. But no. The singing began and she sat there suspended on the edge of her seat. Her eyes closed. She lifted her hands and clasped them tightly at her chest. Slowly she rocked back and forth as her mouth formed the words.

I couldn’t stop watching.

Soon we were standing, and this stranger with the old-fashioned name scrawled on her preprinted stationary had her arms – BOTH of them – lifted high over her head. Song after song she swayed to the music, pumped her fists with lyrics about strength, and waved her arms as if Jesus were a 747 and she was on the airstrip guiding him in. You could not have wiped the smile off my face if you had told me that my pants made me look fat.

I had badly misjudged her. I wasn’t happy about my stereotyping ways, or even so much that I had been wrong about it. It wasn’t that I was amused by how far off I was. It was that I learned a valuable, basic lesson for the millionth time that night. I nodded my head as He said to me: “Only I know the heart!”

I’m a hand-lifter myself. But I haven’t always been. I grew up in a non-hand-lifting church. A wonderful God-fearing church full of conservative people who did not raise their hands unless they wanted the teacher to call on them. It really wasn’t until I got married and we joined Faith that I was part of a hand-lifting church. Even then it took years of praise team to get me to the point where I could raise my arms any higher than shoulder-height. Today the people sitting around me would probably ask me if something was wrong if I didn’t have my hands raised. It's a natural part of worship for me now.

That’s just me. It does not make me any better or worse than anyone else. It is not a barometer of sincerity. It's comfortable and meaningful for me all at the same time. I do it for a number of reasons which apply at different times. Sometimes it’s an act of surrender. Sometimes an act of testifying – as if I am singing an oath – my heart is in agreement with the song. Sometimes it’s because by lifting my arms I feel I am almost tangibly lifting my praise up. Sometimes it’s because the joy inside simply will not allow me to stand with my arms at my sides. Those are my reasons. For me, it is a response from my heart.

My heart. The one only He can see, or hear, or know. We’re all so different. And expecting everyone to worship the same way is like expecting everyone to order the same slice of heaven at the Cheesecake Factory. It never will, and it never should, happen.

It was fun to watch her that night. I loved seeing her worshipping with her whole heart. Her style was more expressive than mine. But it was clear she didn’t care what anyone else thought. It wasn’t for them. It wasn’t for me. It wasn’t even for her. It was for Him.

And no matter what form that takes – hands waving in the air or otherwise – it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

Our Prayer Corner

2010-10-27T13:43:00.000-04:00

Brian was commenting to me that Reagan needed a new bedtime prayer routine each night, so I set myself about creating a prayer corner for Reagan (and Madison) in the girls' room.

I used the book I just finished reading: The Complete Parenting Book. It had recommendations of setting up a prayer schedule, giving each day a different topic that your kids can focus on. This is supposed to help with making prayers less of a personal wish list and more of an act for others.

Seeing as how Reagan is yet quite young and it is hard for her to know the "language" of prayer, it is also important to us to pray out loud so she can learn more what to say. So I researched (internet and library) for various bedtime prayers and whatnot. I then hand-wrote them each onto a separate card and put them in this "Prayer Card Pocket".

Each night Reagan LOVES to pick out a prayer card which we read for her and then we help her to say a prayer of her own for whatever the days prayer "topic" is. So far our bedtime prayer routine has been a big success. Both girls seem to really enjoy and appreciate it and it gives us a great little moment together each night.

The other things in the prayer corner are mostly just to pretty it up a bit. The verse is especially meaningful as we hope and pray that our children will always keep on praying!

A Close-up Look

2010-10-26T12:47:00.005-04:00

I put a dollhouse on Reagan's Christmas List last year just HOPING it would be something she would enjoy. I'd really never seen her play with one so it was with blind faith and hope that I assembled the Fisher Price dollhouse she received from her Grandpa and Grandma VV.

BEST. TOY. EVER!

For hours everyday Reagan sits down on the floor in front of her dollhouse and plays and plays and plays. It is wonderful to hear her using her imagination, having the people talk to one another and interact. Also, the animals. All the animals. Many many animals.

You see, this has become the home to virtually every small animal figurine in our house.

And really, the house has become a small work of art. I often stop by to check it out because it is always changing, but always very particularly organized. Be warned, it's closely guarded. Madison does not even give this dollhouse a second look because her older sister has informed her on more than one ocassion that her presence is not appreciated.

I love this kid.

Tot School - Number 4

2010-10-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

The number weeks are always lighter on material and activities because I didn’t plan much for them, hoping they could be our easy weeks. Reagan was not pleased that I didn’t have more stuff for her to do. First we did our sticker card. These will be fun flashcards when we are all done with them. Then I had her do a tracing worksheet. We worked on tracing horizontal lines. Drawing is the one thing Reagan really struggles with. I have been seeing definite improvement, but it is still a lot of hard work for her to even trace these lines. She worked very hard on this worksheet, but we could stand to do it again later on, too. I also found a leaf matching worksheet which has nothing to do with the number 4, but seemed seasonably appropriate. This, for some reason, was really just too difficult for Reagan. It could have been her mood or it just could have been too hard. Who knows. She tried and struggled through it. I think we were both glad when it was done. I guess not every activity can be a hit.

On the Mend

2010-10-18T21:42:00.002-04:00

After 10 days of high fevers, my Maddie girl finally sported a fine rash and left the fever behind. Thus we have the official Mommy-diagnosis of Roseola. I am happy, and most relieved, to report that she is a much happier little girl. And as a little reward for all our sleeplessness, she has decided that being sick totally wears her out and would like some extra naps and an earlier bedtime. Aw shucks.

Maddie got better just in time for us to make a little trip to meet my parents in Marshalltown on Saturday for my Mom's birthday celebration (a little early). We ate at Zeno's Pizza and wow, was that good! I haven't been there in more than 10 years, but we all really enjoyed it. And I may love it a little extra because one of the toppings listed on the menu is "ham". And people, ham is not canadian bacon. My pet peeve is going to a pizza place and asking if they have ham only to hear "yes, we do" only to be delivered a canadian bacon topped pizza. NOT THE SAME THING. It's like ordering a steak only to be delivered a hamburger. Same animal does not mean the same meat. So I was delighted to order a ham pizza and to receive a pizza topped in HAM. Zeno's does not skimp on the toppings so you get lots of meat and tons of cheese. The atmosphere is easy-going too, which is nice when you are dealing with two small children.

Sunday I "taught" my first adult Sunday school class. I'm not really "teaching" anything - just guiding and leading the discussion. We are studying Spirit's Fruit. So far I really like it and have learned quite a bit about myself from the various surveys and assessments we have taken. I also helped in Reagan's Kids of the Kingdom classroom during the morning service. It's fun to see her and how she is in her class. But she definitely has some room to grow as far as confidence. We are so blessed to be part of a church where the little ones have such a neat little program to attend during the service and Sunday school hour.

So now we have a more normal week ahead of us. I'll have to post about Tot School from last week. I'll just warn you that it was a bit of a dud.

Here's to feeling better and getting back in the swing of things!

Tot School - Letter H

2010-10-15T12:33:00.001-04:00

Lately, Reagan has been getting really angry at me for not having enough stuff to do for Tot School. Here I was worried about keeping her attention for that length of time. Oops! Oh well. The internet is my limitless resource for craft and activity ideas. I get a few on my own, but a majority of these things come from inspiration from the world wide web.

This week we made a HOUSE out of letter H. I had all the basic shapes already cut out and Reagan just had to stick them on the paper. This was a good visual lesson for her and it was pretty easy.

Then we did a HELICOPTER dot-to-dot. This was Reagan’s first dot-to-dot experience and I wasn’t sure how it would go, but she did very well! I was happy.

I also suggested she color a HORSE, but she had very little interest in that. I think this is partly due to the fact that I am trying to gently teach her to be more careful when she colors. Some of her efforts are far more impressive than others. There are times she takes one crayon or marker and just scribbles all over the page – paying no attention to lines or objects on the paper. Then there are other times when she makes a noticeable effort to color one thing one color and another thing another color. Staying inside the lines is still a bit of a foreign concept. So whenever we color together I try to encourage her to color in the lines. And I think there are times I frustrate her too much. So I need to do a better job of being more carefree in my constructive criticism.

This point was further driven home when she brought this masterpiece home from Coffee Break on Wednesday (a good reminder to me that she doesn't need my hovering and instructions in order to do well!).

We did a HORSE puzzle I found online as well. She liked it though it was far below her puzzle-capabilities. Reagan loves puzzles and I am frequently astounded at how well she can do with putting them together.

Letter H was a HUMDINGER.

Quarantined

2010-10-12T17:57:00.003-04:00

So last week Wednesday night, Maddie came down with a fever of 104.5. It was a fairly miserable night for her, but we were happy when the fever went away about 24 hours later.

Brian's parents and brother were in town so we had them over for supper on Friday night. We had a nice visit with them and enjoyed catching up on their busy lives.

Brian went off to spend the day on his Grandparents' farm on Saturday when low and behold, Maddie's fever came back. Being the super-smart Momma I am I decided that this was indeed teething. Therefore, we had no reason to worry.

By Sunday morning her fever was gone, and we had a lovely day churching, worshipping, socializing, relaxing, etc.

Sunday night/Monday morning Reagan wakes up crying and had spiked a fever of 103.6.

Awesome.

No. Not really.

Monday was a rough day here. Reagan was miserable and laid on the floor and cried much of the day. Every once in a while the meds would kick in and she would feel just a-ok fine and dandy. And then an hour later she would crash.

Monday afternoon Maddie's fever...yes, you guessed it...came back.

Somehow, someway, the girls slept Monday night. And today was mostly fever-free and pleasant. But I think someone will once again spike a temperature and if that happens, I'm just going to lose my mind.

Okay, not really.

But it's awfully frustrating to not be able to make your kids feel better. It's even more frustrating to feel that you have beaten the bug only to find it returning a few days later. Repeatedly.

I realize this is the most uninteresting drivel (how does one spell drivel?) on the face of the earth and again, not complaint-material considering the troubles of the world. But here in my world this is all that is consuming my limited brain. It's not entertaining. But right now it's the way things are.

Tot School - Letter G

2010-10-05T21:23:00.003-04:00

We tackled our tot school lesson “early” this week. Usually I put it off for one reason or another and then feel rushed to get it in. But I was strangely motivated today (we also made muffins together, went to the library and played at a new park in town) so we got a chance to learn about the letter G.

Our first craft was putting GRAPES on a branch/vine. I made this myself and it was ridiculously easy. I cut out the grapes with my scrapbooking circle punch and then drew my own vine on the paper. I also put small dots where she could stick the grapes. We used double-sided tape because I am not a fan of the messiness of glue or glue sticks.

Then we made a GIRAFFE paper bag puppet which I found materials for online. Again, we used double-sided tape. Reagan really liked this and it was pretty age-appropriate (meaning she could do it and help was minimal). It was fun to see her play with the puppet afterwards. They had a whole conversation, Reagan and her GIRAFFE. Since we had just seen the GIRAFFES at the zoo on Friday, they had lots to discuss. Then she fed him some GRAPES. Tot school is so much fun when we are laughing!

We then tackled the Curious GEORGE lapbook I had put together months ago. (That is not the direct link, but you can find a link to it on that site.) She loved this one too and again, the activities inside were just at her level. I was pleased with how hard she worked on each section and how it held her attention for what I consider a long period of time.

After all this table work it was time for some action! We played Red Light GREEN light. That was fun. But I have totally forgotten how exhausting that game is! Good grief. I think I could do a whole exercise class on that game principle alone.

When we were at the library I made sure to pick up a book on GIRAFFES. Reagan didn’t see it till we got home and she was pretty excited about it.

Last week I checked out the ABC Discovery Pack from our library. They have several backpacks – each on a different topic like ABCs, counting, Clifford, etc. Each backpack has games, puzzles, books, videos, and pretty much anything they can think of that relates to that particular backpack theme. We had the ABC pack and it had an alphabet train puzzle in it. Reagan loved it and it really helped her to work on identifying letters. I was impressed this week when I realized she could readily identify 24 of 26 letters on the first try.

G was GROOVY!

What a Weekend!!!

2010-10-04T12:06:00.005-04:00

Our weekend started early with Brian taking Friday off of work so that we could go to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. Being the ultra-Dutch people that we are, we got Reagan's ticket free and our tickets half-price. Madison was free already. So with our good deal, we were extra motivated to enjoy the day! It was absolutely gorgeous weather. We didn't need coats or jackets, but jeans were still comfortable.

The girls LOVED the zoo! Reagan was very excited to see all the different animals and learn about some new ones. She wanted very much to just run through the whole zoo, but we tried to slow her down as much as possible. Madison also loved seeing the animals. She would point and squeak/squeal every time she saw one. Judging by the huge smile on her face she had a great day too.

Probably the highlight of our trip was the Tiger. Or should I say Tigers. We were all very contentedly watching the Tiger roaming outside when right next to us in a dimly lit glass cage another Tiger pounced on the glass that Brian was leaning against. We all jumped. And then I took a bunch of pictures that now sort of creep me out.

This one specifically:

We made it through the whole zoo in less than 2 hours, but it was just in time for a picnic lunch. Again, the perfect weather was just glorious and we had fun just sitting there eating and discussing our favorite parts of the zoo.

After a stop at Lowes to check out some new kitchen sinks and faucets (we have a small remodel happening in the future), we headed home. For some odd reason, no one took a nap. Brian watched the girls so I could watch a movie for a while. Then we all got back in the car and went out for supper at the Pizza Ranch. It was very good and I ate WAY too much. When we got home we wanted to go on a walk but Reagan insisted we just play outside. So we tossed around the frisbee, played catch, colored with chalk, and chased Madison down the street.

Saturday morning I had my worship small group meeting. We had a very very good discussion even though we were freezing in the strangely frigid upper level of the coffee shop. When I got home Brian went off to the farm to help with anything and everything. While he was gone I took the girls to a scrapbook store in town and would you believe they were perfectly behaved and did not touch anything. Reagan only wanted to help me count sheets of paper. Candy was distributed upon arriving home to reward them for their awesomeness. After some good afternoon quiet time/nap time, we walked to the park and enjoyed the last of the day's sunshine. Brian got home soon after and we ended our night with some football watching/listening. Go Hawks!

Sunday morning we celebrated World Communion Sunday. I planned this service so I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. But I was just speechless when it was all said and done. It was amazing. Just amazing. The music was powerful, the sermon was challenging, the communion was touching. Probably my most favorite service ever at Faith. I was so blessed just to be there. And it wasn't because I planned it that I loved it. It was so beyond me to be able to put anything together like this. Only the Spirit of the Living God could have pulled off what He did that Sunday morning. We also celebrated Staff Appreciation Sunday and I was/am reminded of what a tremendous blessing our pastors and support staff are to our church.

Now, the only downside of my whole weekend was Sunday afternoon where I apparently landed the world's worst but quickest cold. Judging by the way Brian looked at me, it was not a pretty sight. But after a Sunday afternoon nap I felt quite a bit better.

So I had this really fantastic weekend. So great that the "emotional high" is continuing right on through my Monday. We might go to the park later today, but for now we are content to just snuggle in the puddles of sunshine on the living room floor, reading books, laughing, and listening to the radio. Life is good. God is better.

Tot School - Number 3

2010-10-02T12:04:00.000-04:00

We didn’t get to our lesson time this week until (today) Saturday. But at least we managed to get it in! We did our sticker card and then I pulled out the wavy lines tracing worksheet. This was a big challenge for Reagan, but she did well. We also practiced drawing some triangles. Then we played a fun little game. I would tell her to bring me 3 babies or 3 blocks or 3 balls or 3 animals as fast as she could. She had fun trying to be speedy about it. She has such a good grasp on numbers that these weeks of numbers are really not “necessary”. But we are having fun playing games with them just the same. And it’s still some good one-on-one time for the two of us.

Softball Marathon Pictures

2010-09-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

Better late than never! Here are my pictures from our Christian Grade School fundraiser - 24 hour Softball Marathon. Once again Brian played on the marathon team. Unfortunately, they were rained out about halfway through. But we still got to enjoy a fun Friday evening at the ball diamond! As usual, the highlight of our evening was the mascot game!

Tot School - Letter F

2010-09-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

We started our lesson by drawing a picture of our FAMILY. This was a challenge for Reagan as she hasn’t really reached the drawing stage yet. But after some help, she managed to create this masterpiece all on her own.

We also made a FROG hand puppet from a Martha Stewart craft kit. Reagan did really well with this and really enjoyed the end product.

Reagan drew on this FACE how she was FEELING that day. Happy!

I have also prepared some lapbooks for her that I found on the internet (free downloads).

The first one we looked at was the FEELINGS lapbook. This was a really fun lapbook and Reagan did really well with it. She enjoyed the matching exercises and liked finding the different FACES with the FEELINGS. It has a neat section with various questions like “This girl just lost her teddy bear. How is she feeling?” and then Reagan had to find the face that matched that feeling. It was really good for her to think through how different experiences made her feel different ways and to match faces with those emotions. We’ll be doing this lapbook many more times in the future!

The second lapbook I had was a FARM lapbook. It has various sections like a farm puzzle, a tractor sequencing game and an animal heads and tails matching game. Reagan really enjoyed this as well and she would have spent a lot more time on it if we hadn’t already been working together for 45 minutes. We'll try this again in the future as well.

For our snack we had FISH crackers.

Letter F was FANTASTIC!

Music on a Friday

2010-09-23T11:49:00.001-04:00

Tot School - Letter E

2010-09-18T17:58:00.003-04:00

Since I prepared all these lessons ahead of time, I am as excited as Reagan to find out what activity we are doing each week. This week we tackled the letter E. Just after Maddie was born, I put up a board of sorts on one wall in our playroom which has the alphabet and hand-drawn pictures of things that begin with each letter. And every week when Reagan finds out what letter we are studying she jumps down off her chair to go find it on the wall and tell me what words start with it. I never asked her to do that, but its just something she thinks is fun. And I’m quite happy to see her get some use out of the alphabet tiles I spent many many hours creating for her and Maddie.

ELMO is the first thing we thought of for the letter E! I had her color a few pictures of Elmo. She did fine with the first one, but then refused to color the second Elmo red so he ended up green and purple. And then she got sick of coloring. But it was a good time for me to help her see how coloring in the lines looks nicer. She did well with the purple so I was glad to see some improvement.

Then we did our ELEPHANT EARS craft. I had printed (in color) and then cut out all the shapes in advance. So all that was left was to stick some tape on each piece and help her assemble it. She did well with this and I was pleased that it was not something beyond her ability level.

After that Reagan wanted to draw some pictures for her grandparents. I suggested she draw her own E on the paper – showing her step by step how to draw one. You cannot imagine how excited I was to see her accomplish it on her first try! I was very very happy and there was a lot of clapping. Perhaps some happy dancing. She smiled. Then we applied some EASTER stickers (which included EGGS) to each paper. We’ll be mailing these off to the grandparents soon!

And lastly, I tried to get a book about EAGLES at the library, but the books they had on the shelf were way too long and specific. I reserved one that was checked out (from the EASY section) so when that comes in we will be able to study EAGLES as well.

Letter E was EXCELLENT!

Book Worm

2010-09-14T22:10:00.002-04:00

Over the summer, I have strangely turned into a bookworm. I just decided I should read more. So I did. I read a lot. A lot a lot. Sometimes 8 or so books a month. And lest all this new reading passion go to waste, here are some recommendations and thoughts from the past 4 months (May-August).

My Nonfiction Favorites
Crazy Love by Francis Chan - awesome, challenging, inspiring, convicting
Prodigal God by Timothy Keller - insightful, eye-opening
What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey - moving, inspiring, life-changing
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - unbelievable, excellent, real

Other Nonfiction Reads
Forgotten God by Francis Chan
The Intimacy Factor by David and Jan Stoop
The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs
Amish Grace by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
Pilgrim At Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Unlikely Discipe by Kevin Roose
Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman and James Schapp

My Fiction Favorites
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - gripping, haunting
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) - addicting, fun
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - endearing
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - entertaining, exciting

Other Fiction Reads
Deep River by Shusaku Endo
Mr Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

So that's where I am at so far. Some of these books were not easy reads. Meaning I just flat out stubbornly refused to not finish it - but did not enjoy it that much. Some of them I have read again and again and again. Some of them have changed me and what I believe. I generally read things people, friends or pastors recommend to me. And then I occasionally read about a good one on the internet or I hear about a book on t.v. or I just stumble across something that looks interesting. At any rate this list is extremely eclectic - but its kept me quite busy. And yeah, there are a few I read that I am too embarrassed to own up to so there are a few "ghost" titles in the mix here too. Needless to say, my library card gets some good use!

Remembering

2010-09-11T07:55:00.000-04:00

I've heard it said that people of my parent's generation can almost always tell you exactly where they were or what they were doing when they heard that JFK had been shot. For me, this stark and sobering memory is reserved for September 11.

I was already at work at the law firm I had just started working at a month ago. My husband of approximately 3 months was at work as well. One of the attorneys walked in the door and asked me if I had heard about the plane that just flew into the World Trade Center. I hadn't and I went immediately to the internet for more information. I spent the next several hours huddled with my coworkers around a tiny 6 inch portable television set up in a corner office. We were horror struck. One of my coworkers cried for people she did not know. I simply sat and stared and stared and stared.

We watched smoke billow from a gaping hole in the side of the tallest building in our country. We watched in complete and utter disbelief as another huge plane plunged into the side of the second tower. We stared at the fireball. We did not speak.

I remember gulping fear. I remember feeling like going underground - somewhere to hide. I felt like they were coming after me. Planes were missing. Reports of more explosions, more attacks, more locations. And the horror of first-hand reports of people calling from burning offices, of people watching strangers jumping from the burning towers. I still remember the images of the firemen walking toward the burning towers - wishing they would run and get the people out.

And then the towers fell. They fell. Crumbled like sandcastles.

We watched and waited for days while the dust and the debris floated in the air. I remember feeling numb. I didn't cry. I didn't visibly react other than shaking my head. I didn't say much about it. I watched. I listened. I didn't comprehend.

I couldn't have possibly.

It's true - I didn't personally know anyone who perished on September 11, 2001. I held no personal vigil for someone I loved who was missing. I stared at that cloud of dust and debris praying that ANYONE would just walk out - not by name - just a person. I did not lose a member of my life to terrorists. I was saddened, yes, certainly. I felt great sympathy for those who had lost in such a horrific way. But I was removed from that tragedy in a way - because my life was somewhat unaffected.

Over the years, I've been unable to shake this feeling that we've all moved on way too quickly. Every September 11th, the coverage of the memorial service seems shorter and shorter and shorter. How long before it becomes just a brief mention on the nightly news? For me, the numbness has been fading.

This week I watched clips on youtube of the Today Show's coverage on the morning of September 11th. I listened to their confusion, their fear, their disbelief, their speculation. I watched the minutes pass between the first and second tower attacks. And I fought the urge to scream at my computer screen - "RUN! JUST RUN!" It was frustrating. Because I knew what was coming. I knew what no one would have guessed that morning as they watched smoke billowing from the first tower.

The grief came. I cried.

They had no idea. None of us do. And I'm sure if they could, they'd want us all to recognize, realize, grasp the uncertainty of life.

We all lost. We were all attacked. We were all victims in one way or another. Maybe the people we did not know who perished that morning 9 years ago were strangers, but they were ours. You feel it when you watch the Olympics. You feel it when they talk about the war. You feel it when the news covers a troop homecoming or sendoff. You feel it when you walk down the street and that man or woman in uniform walks by you in thick soled black boots. Ours.

My fear is that we are letting the day go too much. That we are forgetting more and more. Some of that is excusable. But some if it is by choice. And that is what I cannot seem to reconcile. Surely, every major tragedy in the world is slowly forgotten more and more over time. Survivors of the Holocaust, Vietnam, the Korean War, World War II, World War I, I have imagine all felt a sense of injustice as their story fades out of news coverage, out of memories, and onto the pages of history books. For me, I am unable to forget the people of September 11. Because they were ours. To me, they always will be.

Tot School - Number 2

2010-09-10T19:49:00.000-04:00

Not much to report on this lesson since it went so quickly. Reagan understands numbers and counting well by now so these are not challenging for her. Unless, of course, her mother finds a number activity that is hard for her. Oops. I thought that talking about how we have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 hands, 2 arms, etc. would be a good concept to link in with the number 2. So I drew up this nifty little guy who was missing hands, feet, ears and eyes. Yes, well…my poor Reagan just did not have a clue what to do when I asked her to draw hands on the man. She tried. I had to help. Same for the feet. The eyes she could sort of manage. And when I asked her to draw 2 ears on him, she looked and me, clutching her marker and said, “I don’t know HOW!” Cue the mommy-guilt. I helped her. We also did her sticker card which she enjoys because I let her pick out the stickers to use. I had a zig zag worksheet for her which was tough. She made a real effort and I could see improvement as she kept working on it. I’m glad I’m doing the basic tracing worksheets with her because I think the area she struggles with the most is drawing/tracing. But she is very focused and tries very hard. We make sure to do these tot school lessons while Maddie is taking her morning nap and that helps me to be extra patient and attentive.

Tot School - Letter D

2010-09-03T19:37:00.002-04:00

I'll be honest, I did not have a lot of time this week to focus on tot school. But, here's what we did get accomplished.

D is for DUCK. Reagan actually asked to color two ducks - one of which went to her Aunt Amy.

D is for DOG. This is a worksheet I put together myself. First she had to trace the dog. Again, this is a new skill for her and while she struggled she at least tried and I was happy with her effort. Then it was Reagan's turn to draw her own DOG. I thought it came out really cute! Also on the worksheet she got to put some DIEGO stickers - which she really enjoyed. I found those at our Dollar Tree.

And for our fun D activity we went for a DRIVE to Grandpa and Grandma's house for an overnight stay. The drive there went well...the drive home was a sad event as Reagan cried a LOT about having to leave and go back home!

D was delightful!

Living

2010-09-02T11:06:00.004-04:00

You may notice I haven't written much lately. Often when I get the sitemeter report in my email I see X number of readers per week or day or whathaveyou and I wonder what on earth they are coming here for. And I wonder how long they will keep checking before they give up on me entirely. If you are still reading this thing, I admire your tenacity and commitment.

I'd like to be able to say that I've been really busy with all kinds of fun and exciting things. And actually, this week that might actually be true. But by in large it is no excuse - because the truth is I have had the time to blog. I just...haven't.

It's not really writer's block. It's just another funk. I'm a little different in that I have a slightly "off" personality. What I mean by that is I read a book a few years ago called The Heart of the Artist which carefully explained the difference between creative artist type temperaments and everyone else. It's a little unnerving when a book describes you perfectly. I only mention all this because it is the only thing that gives me comfort - to know there are other people like me who go through ups and downs all the time. I suppose maybe everyone does that in their own way, too.

So yeah, I've been a little down lately. Not sad. Just not peppy. A friend of mine was asking me the other day how I liked staying home fulltime. There was a big pause before I answered. I honestly didn't know how to answer. I know I should be able to say that I LOVE staying home and that is wonderful and exciting and sweet and a treasure. And it sort of is. But I just don't FEEL wonderful and excitement and sweetness. I do appreciate it. Lately the rigors and mundaneness of everyday at home with two small children weigh on me a little too heavily.

As with all things, I believe that this too shall pass and I will return once again to feeling like a person who does actually contribute to the world in some meaningful way. I can actually feel it beginnnig to ease a bit these past few days. I'm reminded of a movie I watched recently - Remember Me - how we are to LIVE everyday and not waste our time. I highly recommend the movie, but be warned it is real and gritty and not G-rated. Also, it may haunt you as it has me.

So today I am doing my best to give my best to my family. That is not always an easy task. Sometimes staying home dulls you and numbs you to the happiness of being with your kids. You don't treasure the time because you have so much of it. And yes, someday I will think I am CRAZY for ever thinking I had too much time with them. I know it. But it's harder to live it.

For today, my goal is to really live. Sounds simple...

Tot School - Letter C

2010-08-27T19:26:00.000-04:00

I’d like to start this recap off by saying how glad I am that I kept this as simple as I did when planning it. Because some weeks, anything more than a 30 minute lesson just isn’t going to work. So far it’s been going really well and I attribute that to several things:

(a) Reagan LOVES “tot school” and requests it frequently
(b) I have all the materials ready and waiting and very organized
(c) it takes 30 minutes or so a week – and can easily be expanded or shortened if necessary

So this week we learned about the letter C.

C is for CHICKEN, so we tried a tracing page of a chicken. This was challenging for Reagan but I felt she did pretty well.

C is for CIRCLES and I had this worksheet printed and ready to go. This was a little different in that there were specific instructions she had to listen to and follow from me. I was really pleased with how well she listened and followed along.

C is also for CLIFFORD! Reagan really liked COLORING CLIFFORD. She is getting better at coloring specific things on the page – rather than just the giant mess of scribbles. But learning how to color in the lines is a new concept so she’s “in progress”.

And for our fun C activity, Daddy took Reagan to the farm to see the cows – specifically the calves. Reagan loves to spend time with her Daddy and it was a great opportunity for them to do something fun together. Madison was a little more than horrendously jealous.

C was cool!

Tot School - Number 1

2010-08-21T11:56:00.001-04:00

We combined our first number with our letter B lesson because this Momma was falling behind. The weeks we do numbers will be “light weeks” since I have less planned for them than the letter lessons. Each time we do a number I have a recipe card with the number written on it. Since we learned about number 1, I had Reagan put 1 sticker on the card. We talked a little bit about 1, but Reagan has a pretty good grasp on numbers already so we spent a minimal amount of time on this lesson. I also gave her another worksheet – tracing horizontal lines. It seemed too easy for her. But its fun to find things that she has mastered. We took some extra time to just be creative and Reagan spent several minutes coloring and drawing.

Tot School - Letter B

2010-08-21T11:36:00.007-04:00

This week we studied the letter B. First Reagan and I practiced drawing the letter B on her chalkboard. Then we did a fun craft of putting puff BALLS (Dollar Tree) on a letter B that I had cut out of BLUE paper. I gave her a set of BEACH themed stickers and we ended up with a nice little collage of our B lessons.

We also worked on a BIG and little worksheet. I was majorly impressed at her ability to figure this one out and she got some big praise from me for doing it so well.

A few days later we worked on a BEAR paperbag puppet kit my Mom bought for Reagan some time ago. This little craft required quite a bit of help, but the end product was cute and fun. These kits are really nice and easy because they come with everything you need. All the pieces come with adhesive strips so you don’t even have to supply your own glue. We had fun with this.

We also did a BIRDS on a BRANCH craft I found online. I was so thrilled to see that Reagan colored with some intention – making real effort to stay in the lines. This was a good exercise in listening to instructions, too, because certain shapes had to be colored certain colors. The coloring was the easy part. The assembly was mostly up to me. But it was a fun thing for us to do together.

I have printed off and assembled a lot of lap book file folder games. One of them is apple sequencing. I intended to introduce it to Reagan last week when we were learning about A, but we ran out of time so I just did it this week. It worked well with letter B because I explained to her to put the apples in order from littlest to BIGGEST. She figured this out quickly and did it several more times without me asking. I really liked seeing her embrace a learning activity all on her own.

B was the BEST!

Faithful

2010-08-20T12:53:00.005-04:00

It’s hard to know where to begin when I talk about playing guitar. If we were to start at the very beginning, I think we’d have to go back to the first night I sang with the band at Faith. I was completely and totally unfamiliar with singing with guitars and drums. But over the next several years I gained a comfort, a love, an appreciation and a passion for band-led worship. And with the encouragement of some of my guitar-playing friends, I invested in a guitar of my own.

It should be noted that there were people who were supportive and there were others who were not so much. My dear Mom sat and listened to me painfully muddle my way through songs on her visits. I struggled, but I persevered. I was able to gently tune out the people who said I’d never be able to learn. But it wasn’t easy to keep going. It wasn’t easy not to give up.

And give up, I did. A few times. I got pregnant with Reagan and soon it became physically impossible for me to keep playing guitar. But several months after Reagan was born and the colic began to slowly recede, I asked my guitar-playing friend, Jeremy, for some help. I needed actual lessons. I needed someone to tell me what to work on this week, what I was doing well, how well (or not well) I was progressing, what I was doing wrong. And most importantly, to encourage me not to give up.

So I worked countless hours in my basement. Just me working my fingers into calluses and gaining a familiarity with chords, strumming patterns, and some theory here or there. I was still very much a busy Mom and my progress was super slow. By the time I felt like I was beginning to get somewhere, I was pregnant again with Madison. So once again, several months went by where I didn’t play.

But with two sleeping kids upstairs, I picked it back up and found I was getting better. Quite a bit better.

One day I stumbled across a youtube video of the band Jesus Culture doing the song How He Loves Us. And it all just clicked. I loved the song immediately. I danced with a tiny baby sleeping on my shoulder and Reagan beside me. I looked up the chords and was giddy when I realized I could probably play it myself. I started to play it, and play it, and play it. It became Reagan’s favorite song, incidentally.

I felt like I might be ready. Like I might have something someone else would like to hear. So I asked Jeremy to listen with a gentle, but critical ear one evening after praise team practice. He did and when I was finished I knew by his reaction that it was time. That I was ready to check off one of the things on my bucket list.

After several months, the perfect service for my self accompanied guitar solo landed at my feet. I spent weeks working, practicing, preparing, playing, getting butterflies.

On Sunday, July 25, 2010, I carried my guitar into church, did a sound check with some of my closest friends listening, and then waited nervously through a powerful service. A service so fittingly about faithfulness.

Self-accompaniment, I’ve heard, can be difficult. I am used to (to the point of dependency) having at least one other person beside me on a piano or guitar. But this day it was only me, and I clung to the neck of that guitar like a lifeline. None of the bad things happened. I didn’t break a string, drop my pick, totally miss a chord. It went fine.

But it was a powerful moment for me. Because I sang to the people who loved me through years of learning to play an instrument. Their smiles made that moment so very special to me – one I will just never forget. I sang to the family of God, the family of God that I love so very much, about how much He loves us. And I was relieved and happy to find that message was so much more central to that piece of music than who was playing it and singing it. He was faithful to love me, to bring me to that morning.

And I could see very clearly how He had orchestrated every step of the way – every person who helped me – every encouraging word – every opportunity to learn more – every moment that brought me closer to the morning of His faithfulness.

I tend to limit Him, unthinkingly. I tend to say to people now that I don’t think I’ll really get that much better at guitar playing. That it’s just a fun hobby for me – one that I love but one that will never be as good as others I know. And then I am reminded of the girl who sang for the first time with the band all those years ago. She was so nervous. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing. She was filled with doubt. And I see the morning of July 25, 2010, where I played and sang surrounded by people I loved dearly – all nervousness slowly melting away into nothing. I see my faithfulness in playing, I see their faithfulness in encouraging me and loving me, and I see His faithfulness in my life and I know that there is simply nothing in this world that He cannot do, that He would not do, for those he loves. How He loves us so.

Tot School - Letter A

2010-08-16T10:51:00.003-04:00

We started tot school a little later than I had planned. But packing and preparing for a family vacation takes a little more work than I had anticipated. Even though we are starting a week late, with the lesson plan I have developed there is lots of room for flexibility.

This week, Reagan and I learned about the letter A. I started by showing her how to draw a letter A on our chalkboard. She loves anything that has to do with the chalkboard so that was fun for her. After I showed her how to draw one, she worked on it herself. It was very hard for her to draw one as she is primarily used to coloring whatever in the world she wants – normally just scribbles – not necessarily lines with any intent. But I could see she liked trying and I encouraged whatever progress she made.

Then we did our A crafts and activities. I had pre-cut a tree with 6 little APPLES. I used double sided tape and let her stick the apples on the apple tree. This she really enjoyed and did well counting the apples. I also helped her trace the letter A on the paper.

I came up with this little craft/game on my own and used some printable ANIMALS off the internet. She had fun matching the Mommy and the Daddy animals and putting them on our “ARK” (a paper plate cut in half, colored brown, and stapled along the bottom). This will be a game we will continue to play over the next several months. She asked a lot of questions about the ark and I got the chance to tell her the story about how God loved Noah and his family and saved them and the animals on the ark. With all the rain we’ve had here lately, this story seemed to sort of make sense to her in an odd way.

Then we took some time to be silly and fly like AIRPLANES around the basement. She had a lot of fun with that!

I gave her animal crackers for her snack and we talked about all the people we knew whose names started with A.

Letter A was Awesome!

We're Baaaaack

2010-08-13T12:34:00.014-04:00

Okay, I know...I have been missing. I've been reminded by a few of you (even some who know the exact date of my last post) that I have this thing called a blog and I should write something on it. I love you for missing me and my rambling. I'd like to say I had a good excuse, but that would only be partially true. We returned this week from our family vacation, but it indeed was not as long as my blog absence so do not be fooled.

We spent 5 days (2 of them on the road) on our summer vacation to Grand Haven, Michigan. Before I say anything more, if you need a good summer vacation destination - plan a trip to Grand Haven. It is just beautiful there and there are many activities and attractions. I should know because I have been there roughly 20 times. You see my Mom grew up in Grand Haven and much of her large family still calls Grand Haven "home". Brian and I, because we are colossal chickens, have not been there since before-babies. I'll admit that the 9 hour car ride pretty much scared the living daylights outta me when I imagined it in the company of small people. One sure way to mitigate this potential problem - have Grandma ride along in the back with the kids. Problem. Solved. The girls traveled remarkably well - aside from an hour here or there where Madison very vocally announced her displeasure at being confined to a carseat.

Day 1 (Friday) found us traveling in the car. I will forever be thankful for rest stops with little playgrounds for little children. Also, Burger King is not what I remembered it to be. :P Blech. Anyway, we arrived late afternoon to Grand Haven and got many warm welcomes and hugs from aunts, uncles and my Grandma. That evening we enjoyed Fricanos Pizza (a MUST-HAVE when in Grand Haven). Then we went to settle in at my Uncle Ron and Aunt Sue's house where we were spoiled rotten to be able to stay in their deluxe 5th wheel camper parked in their driveway. It was really wonderful to have our "own space" and not have to worry about children waking at night and disturbing anyone.

Day 2 (Saturday) promised a full schedule of enjoying the Coast Guard Festival activities - starting with a parade! The weather was PERFECT and Reagan had a good time getting lots of candy. After the parade we relaxed for a while. Later Reagan and I joined my Mom, my Aunt Mary and my Uncle Bob for the fireworks on the waterfront. Madison stayed home with Brian and went to bed because she was so tired from being off-schedule. Poor Reagan fell asleep in the car on the way to the show and I had to carry her completely fast-asleep limp body several blocks. Thankfully she woke up in time to see the fireworks. And she LOVED them. It was so much fun to watch fireworks with Reagan. I had a blast just watching her.

Day 3 (Sunday) we went with my Uncle Ron and Aunt Sue (and their four kids) to their church - Covenant Life. Those of you who know me well know I love seeing how other churches do worship together. This was a joy to experience and be part of! The church is in an old factory which they have completely restored so right off the bat the industrial/modern architecture caught my fancy. They have a really neat kids program - there are classrooms for each year so Madison went to the one year old class. We didn't think Reagan would want to go but she was quite excited about it when we asked her so she went to the 3 year old class. Brian and I stared at each other for a brief moment after dropping off the kids - knowing this would be a church service we would both be able to fully enjoy together. And enjoy we did. Brian and I both thought the whole service was very engaging and uplifting. And our children were happy as clams afterward too - added bonus! After church we had lunch at Ron and Sue's house and took some naps. Then we went to see my college buddy - Laura and her husband Steve. Both Laura and I had had 2 kids since we last saw each other so we did our best to cram in 4 years of conversation into two hours. It was great to see them.

Day 4 (Monday) we woke up to rain. Which was sad. Because I had promised Reagan that we were going to the beach on Monday. It rained most of the morning so we took our time with breakfast and some downtime at Ron and Sue's. Then we went to find my Mom and Dad and Amy (who had just come up the evening before). We grabbed a quick lunch and all of us (Dad, Mom, Amy, Mary, Bob, Brian, myself and the girls) headed out to ride the Harbor Trolley (another MUST when in GH). The weather cleared up beautifully and the Trolley ride was really fun. Then we walked along the Boardwalk (again, a MUST in GH) to get some Pronto Pups (another MUST). We ate them by the waterfront and watch the boats go by. Since it had turned into such a gorgeous afternoon, we headed off to the beach. None of us had bathing suits on or in the car so we just made do with our regular clothes. The beach was a HUGE hit. Reagan and Maddie both seemed to enjoy the sand and the waves as much as the adults enjoyed watching them. I should also mention that since we were not planning on going to the beach no one had sunscreen on. And apparently I am on the sun's hitlist because I was the only one who got burned. Very burned. Oh well. All too soon it was time to pack up and get ready for the Wallish family reunion. We met for supper and fun at my Aunt Judy and Uncle Cor's farm where we saw most of the rest of the family.

Day 5 (Tuesday) we hit the road again. We made a stop at the Dutch Market by South Haven to pick up a 1/2 bushel of Red Haven peaches - the best peaches on earth. We also stopped at a Burger King for what had to be the world's worst cup of coffee. I'm not an expert on coffee or anything, but yikes. And because we are super duper planner parents we picked up some food at McDonalds and Culvers and had a picnic at a really nice rest area with a park. Reagan thought that was super cool. I thought it was super cool how my kids slept about 50% or more of the way home. Yay! We arrived home to find that much of the area was flooded - including almost all of our neighbors' basements. Evidently, some of them even waded through waist-deep water because their cars were washed off the road just a block away. We were very thankful to find everything at our house dry and undamaged!

We had such a wonderful time on our family vacation. I have to say that before we left, I really thought about not going. Things at home had been stressful for a number of reasons and there were times when I considered just staying home. But our vacation was exactly what we needed - time together having fun. There were many moments of laughter, countless smiles, hugs galore, and memories to last a lifetime. Reagan made FAST friends with my cousin, Isaac, and she was pretty devastated to leave him. We are so glad we went and are very thankful for such a fabulous extended family who made our trip so very worthwhile.

Love Songs

2010-07-23T12:38:00.001-04:00