The Linn Family

Six Months

2012-01-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

Macy turned 6 months old last week. I say it every month, but time does FLY!

At 6 months, Macy is:

*Sitting up very well on her own

*Sleeping through the night from 8pm-7am

*Nursing 5 times a day and eating rice cereal and baby food, squash is her favorite

*Playing with her feet and often putting them in her mouth

*Wearing 6-9 months clothes and size 2 diapers

*Babbling, smiling, and laughing

*recognizing mommy and daddy and noticing when we're not around

*taking tubbies with Elise and splashing water all over both of them

*laid back and flexible, making it easy to take her along nearly anywhere

*napping twice a day, morning and afternoon, 2 hours each

*cuddly almost all the time. This girl loves to be held!

*putting everything in her mouth, especially her hands

*playing well in her exersaucer or play gym on her own

*27 inches tall (88th%) and 17 pounds (67th%)

first time in the baby swing at Huizenga park. It was a crazy-warm day in January!

Loving attention from her big sister, Elise (most of the time!)

Messy, messy eater. But, so good!

Happy to play on her own and sit up to watch whatever we're doing

This is probably one of my most favorite baby phases. I love that Macy can sit up and play on her own and be included in things that we're doing, like playing games or reading books. She really just wants to be wherever we are, crying and fussing if she feels too far away from the rest of us. And, at 6 months, it feels like you're kind of "through" those grueling first stages. It's fun to see more and more of Macy's personality as she grows and is able to show us her true colors. So far she's still super-sweet and very laid-back.

Happy 6 months, Macy girl!

Swim Suits and Ice Skates

2012-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

What a great New Year's weekend!! Bryan and I sat down Friday night and made a game plan for the weekend. How dorky is that?! But, knowing how days can fly by without anything really happening, we thought that if we set out with some plans, we might have more fun. And it turned out to be a great family weekend!

We started at the Aquatic Center on Saturday morning. Elise was so excited to go to the pool, that she had to set out her swim suit and her towel the night before. Then we needed to try it on before breakfast that morning, and pack it into the bag a few times before we actually left. The pool did not disappoint. Elise loved splashing around and playing in the fantastic splash zone designed perfectly for her age. Macy also liked the pool, and enjoyed her first "swimming" experience.

Gotta love all the fun at the aquatic center!

Bryan and I rang in the new year with some fantastic friends at a pretty low-key party, wrapping up the night early at 10pm. Again, how dorky are we?! But, we got to bed on time, let our sitter get to a party after all, and were well-rested for our greeting responsibilities at church the next morning starting at 7:45 AM!! We both agreed that our days of big party new year's eve plans will come again in a few years, but for now, this fit the bill perfectly.

Today we took Elise ice skating. By we, I mean Bryan took her. I held Macy and the camera. :) Elise received skates for Christmas, so we were excited to get her out on the ice to try them out. She did fantastically, and even after a few falls, she says she wants to go back again sometime. While Bryan jokes that we should consider the winter Olympics 2032, I'm just hoping for some family fun over the winter.

Ready to skate!!

This "trainer" thing was very helpful, for Elise and for Bryan's back. :)

Still smiling after her time on the ice. She really liked watching the other skaters, too.

While 2011 brought some major changes for our family, I'm looking forward to a good 2012. I'm praying that our family will grow in our love for each other and our Savior, learn and follow where God is leading us, and that we will continue to know how very blessed we are while trying to be a blessing to those around us.

5 months old

2011-12-17T05:04:00.000-08:00

Macy turned 5 months old this week. How can that be?!

At 5 months old, Macy is:

Nursing every three hours and eating rice or oatmeal cereal twice a day

Sleeping all night almost every night

sitting up pretty well on her own

spitting up like crazy. still. :)

napping twice a day, morning and afternoon

cooing and smiling at us and her sister with any and all attention

working hard at growing some hair, she still has very little

wearing 3-6 month clothes

very good at taking off her socks, she can take any pair of socks off in a matter of minutes

having some stranger anxiety

holding toys and putting everything in her mouth

not rolling over yet, but pushing herself up on her hands very well

loving her tubbies with Elise in the big tub together

Love you, Macy Girl. We're so excited to celebrate Christmas with you sweetie!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

2011-12-09T12:37:00.001-08:00

First we celebrated Thanksgiving in Fort Wayne and had a fantastic time, even though I never got a blog post uploaded :)

playing BINGO at our first Christmas party
She really had a good time, even though she looks really ticked off in this picture

Our Christmas tree

which we went to pick out on a very rainy & cold Saturday morning

Making almond tarts, a very special (and delicious!) Christmas tradition in our family.

We're wearing our Christmas jammies

1st real snow of the season, so it was time to get the sled out and play!!

Only 16 more days until christmas, and we're enjoying every one!

It

2011-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

lessons in applesauce

2011-11-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

I made applesauce a few weeks ago. It went pretty well. We eat a lot of applesauce through the year, and the way we make it, it's more like apple pie in a jar rather than anything healthy. It's delicious!!

I took pictures during my little process, and I envisioned a blog post with pretty pictures and rows of beautiful applesauce all done and cleaned up. I have all those pictures, and they're very nice. But, that's not the story that this post is intended to tell.

No, the real reason I'm blogging about my applesauce Saturday is to tell you about the lessons I learned. Yes, lessons from making applesauce.

It began all fine and well. I cut up all the apples, cored them, and meticulously rid them of all that tough core/seeds/stems. Then I put those apples through the new nifty mill my mom bought. It worked great, except that my bowl of applesauce was filled with peel. It mashed up the apples just fine, but it also let tiny little bits of peel through as well. Not good. Not good at all.

I went a little nuts. All the work, all the $$ in the apples-and this batch is no good. I lost it. And as I explained the situation to Bryan, I threw the pan of peely applesauce into the sink. I threw it hard. It made a point, and I felt pretty good letting off some steam.

Fast forward a couple hours. New screen on the mill, the rest of the apples cooked, milled and canned. 11 pretty jars of applesauce resting on the counter, labeled and delicious.

Cleaning up the rest of the kitchen, I noticed water under the sink. A puddle of water. I was totally perplexed and wondered aloud to Bryan why there would be water under there. It took about 2 seconds for Bryan to assess the situation and come to the conclusion that there was a crack in our sink. A 12 inch crack, leaking water into the cabinet below. A 12-inch crack that came from a thrown pan a few hours earlier.

I felt an inch tall, ridiculously stupid, and completely sorry. I broke our sink. I cracked it in my anger over a some peels in the applesauce.

My husband is a saint. We packed up the girls, went to Lowe's, made a friend in the sink department and we were out the door for just under $400. Bryan switched out the sink, re-routed the plumbing, installed a new faucet......until 2am Sunday morning. Again, he's a saint.

Not once at Lowe's spending lots of $$, in the kitchen fixing, installing, cleaning, did Bryan get mad at me. Not a critical comment, not a shaming observation, nothing. He was gracious, calm, and practical. He is a blessing to me, even when I don't deserve it.

And, God gave me a daily reminder to control my anger. Every time I use our new sink I'm reminded of my stupid mistake that led to it's necessity. Every time I clean it, I remember how fast I can lose my temper and what trouble that anger can bring. I'm working on it. And, I think that this experience was just God enlightening me to one of my many sinful habits. It's amazing how easily sin can feel normal, no big deal, or harmless. But, really, sin is anything but that. I'm praying God helps me to control my anger. I'm praying that He enlightens me to other "un-noticed" sins. I'm also hoping that the next "enlightenment" doesn't cost so much money!

Four Months

2011-11-20T11:24:00.000-08:00

Macy was four months last week. At her Dr visit, Dr Greg started talking about starting her on rice cereal and baby food, and I couldn't believe she was already old enough for that!

At four months, Macy is:

eating mostly mommy's milk, although we'll start rice cereal soon

sleeping 11 hours at night, and taking two good naps a day

trying to sit forward, nearly rolling off from the couch where we sometimes prop her

holding onto toys and blankets

smiling and sometimes laughing

wearing size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes

loves to be outside, held, sung to, or bounced

crabby when not with mommy (she even gives her daddy a hard time!)

loves taking a bath

likes to be entertained by Elise "reading" books to her or showing her amazing baby toys

wants to be with us all the time-even sitting in her high chair while we eat

I'm enjoying Macy so much, and while the newborn stage is going by so quickly, it's a blessing to see her grow and discover her little world a little more each day. In this week of thanksgiving, I'm especially thankful for this sweet baby girl.

Happy 3, Elise!!

2011-10-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

Elise turns 3 tomorrow, and today we celebrated with our families. We had a strawberry shortcake party with lots of great food, cupcakes, presents, balloons......it was a GREAT party!

It's crazy how much bigger 3 is than 2, and how much more Elise can do than a year ago. At THREE, Elise is:

a great eater, eating almost everything. Her favorite is egg noodles with pesto, any kind of fruit, and frosted mini wheats.

She can put on her own pj's and sometimes her own shoes.

Elise loves to brush her teeth and can do so without any help.

She knows some letters and numbers, particularly the numbers 7 & 4, both numbers she watches for on her clock to know when she can wake up in the morning and after her nap. :)

likes to do puzzles, color, paint, make jell-o, do play dough, and set up a tea party or serve us food out of her grocery cart. She often takes care of her "babies" Alex, Marylin, Grace, & Nora, favoring Alex most of the time. (Alex is named after Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, her favorite show!)

Elise's favorite places to go include the park to feed the ducks, McDonald's, and the rivertown crossing mall for the carousel. Oh, and the gas station for popcorn and diet coke. :)

She still wears diapers and has NO interest in the potty at all....yet.

Elise chooses to read Jonah and the Whale every night before bed. She even "read" the story to me tonight and said her own prayer, thanking God for a fun day.

It's crazy how very three Elise is. She wants to do EVERYTHING on her own, and each day I'm amazed at what she really can do by herself. She has such a tender heart, is sweet down to the core, and she makes us laugh so hard we can't breathe. She is the best part of any day, and I thank God for her almost all the time.

Happy 3, sweet girl!

Dentist Disaster

2011-10-13T11:59:00.001-07:00

I finally made an appointment to take Elise to the dentist. Since Elise LOVES to brush her teeth, I thought this might be right up her alley. We talked about the dentist for weeks before the much-anticipated morning. We talked about the special chair, the dental assistant counting her teeth, opening her mouth really big to show off her beautiful teeth, picking out her very own toothbrush to take home.....you get the idea.

We arrived at the office and Elise was really excited about the train that runs around the top of the office. She asked a bunch of questions right away, totally calm and happy for the one-on-one attention from mom.

And then we went back to the examination room. There were probably 3 or 4 little kids all laying back in chairs while the dental staff worked on their teeth. Elise's eyes got BIG and she decided the dentist was not for her. She did not want to sit in the special chair. She did not want to taste the toothpaste or let the instruments tickle her teeth. She barely opened her little mouth. She was unimpressed that they didn't have a red toothbrush for her. She didn't want a pink one. And then, the dentist came over, put on a mask, and Elise LOST it. Crying, squirming, kicking- lost it. They managed to pry her mouth open for a quick look and some fluoride, and I left with a tearful, "I'm never coming back to the dentist again" determined little girl.

They said they'd see us in 6 months, but I'm pretty sure daddy will take her next time.

I did manage to convince Elise to sit in the chair for a picture, before the visit turned disaster:

3 Months

2011-10-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Macy is THREE months old today!

At three months old, Macy is:

Sleeping about 10-11 hours each night

Nursing every three hours during the day

Smiling whenever we talk, sing, smile, or play with her

Loving her tubbies

Wearing size 2 diapers and mostly 3 month clothes

Reaching at toys, playing happily under her activity mat, and sitting up in her bumpo seat

Charming her mommy, daddy, and big sister every chance she gets!! I'm loving my new little family of four, and I'm so grateful for God's blessing on Macy RuthAnne.

How Sweet It Is

2011-09-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

Bryan and my parents harvested the honey from the bees last week. If you've never tried local honey, it's fantastic!! Here are a few pictures of the process:

This is a frame that the bees filled with honey. Our hive holds about 18 of these frames,

and the bees spend the entire spring and summer

building honeycomb and filling it with honey.

The bees cover the filled honeycomb with wax, preserving it. So, in order to access the honey, Bryan used a hot knife to cut the wax away, allowing the honey to drip out.

Elise tasted some honey right from the drippy honeycomb.

She thought it was delicious!!

This state of the art machine spins the frames so that the honey drips off the

frame and gathers in the bottom of the drum. Dad did a great job spinning!

Once the frames are all spun, the hone is then filtered through

this strainer and into a large pot.

Mmmmm, look at that golden honey!

Next, my mom poured the honey into jars. The 50 pounds of

honey that they harvested came out to be 36 pint-sized jars.

2 Months

2011-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Macy is 2 months old today!

At 2 months, Macy is:

-sleeping through the night almost every night

-smiling a lot

-holding her head up pretty well

-turning her head toward us & cooing when we talk to her

-wearing size 2 diapers and mostly 0-3 or 3 month clothes

-nursing every three or four hours

-tolerating all the many many hugs and kisses from her big sister

Macy went to the Dr. today. So far, she's been nothing but healthy. Macy weighs 12 1/2 pounds and is 23 1/2 inches long. (That's 80th percentile in weight and 93rd percentile in height!!) She also got her first round of shots today-poor baby! She did just fine, and after some infant's Tylenol and lots of love, she's napping soundly this afternoon.

Happy 2 months, Macy Girl!

It's not over yet!

2011-09-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Summer can't be over if we're still enjoying captain sundae in our jammies.....

Avery Leanne Lucas

2011-08-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

I love being an aunt, and I'm excited that my newest niece is so close in age to my girls. While they were supposed to be 4 months apart, Macy and Avery are only 5 weeks apart. Abby was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and had to deliver this precious baby girl at only 26 weeks gestation. She is doing fabulously well in the NICU at DeVos Childrens' Hospital, and I'm confident that some day Avery and Macy will be great friends. Today Avery weighs 1 pound 7 ounces and is just 10 inches long, while Macy is weighing in at over 10 pounds. In time, though, I doubt anybody will ever be able to tell that their starts to life were so different. Here is one of my favorite pictures of this sweet baby girl, Avery Leanne:

If you'd like to follow her progress, you can find her on care pages at www.carepages.com, and search averylucas.

One Month Old

2011-08-12T09:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a month since Macy RuthAnne joined our family. Let me just say that 2nd children are the best! Never mind that both me and Bryan are 2nd children. :) It shouldn't surprise me that Macy fits into our family perfectly. I know that the Lord planned for her to be our child since before our family came to be, and we're just living out that plan as we adjust to everything she adds to our lives.

My prayer for her is that she grows up to be exactly the girl/young lady/woman that God has intended for her to be. And, I pray that God guides me to be exactly what Macy needs to find Him and all that He has planned for her life. At one month old, it's a little hard to imagine her as a woman who God will use for His kingdom. For now, I mostly think of her as His child, and mine, too, and how very blessed I am to be her Mom.

At one month old Macy is:

Eating well and mostly nursing although we have the formula handy

Sleeping 6 hours at night most nights

Working hard to hold her head up

Cooing and turning her head to look at us when we talk to her

Wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes and has grown out of almost all her newborn things

Tolerating all the love from her big sister and Indy dog

Happy 1 month, Macy Girl!

Watch out Tim Allen....

2011-07-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Our last week could totally be a part, maybe a very very small part, of one of those pure michigan ads.

Bryan and I say over and over again all summer long how lucky we are to LIVE in a place that other people come to VACATION. The beach is such a great escape on a weeknight, and a quick trip to swim in the lake or walk on the pier is so easy when it's so close to home. We're loving the hot (so hot!) summer, and hope that the next month is as full of Michigan summer fun as the past months have been.

Blueberry Picking at Gold Barn Blueberries

Beautiful Michigan blueberries. Yum!

Wading into the waves in Lake Michigan

Macy's first trip to the beach. Although completely unaware,

I think she loved it as much as the three of us did.

Around here lately

2011-07-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a peak at what we've been up to over the past

week and a half as we're adjusting to our new family of four:

Bryan wasted no time putting both girls in the stroller to take a walk to the park. Elise was so excited to finally have her baby sister sitting next to her!

Here's the first of 12 pictures of Macy. My plan is to take a picture, just like this one over the next 12 months. While everyone is surprised at how big she was at birth, she still feels like such a little peanut to me!

Since it's been sooo hot over the past few weeks, we've spent lots and lots of time outside in the kiddie pool. Bryan even got in to cool off the other day, which Elise just loved.

This was rare moment to see Macy's dark dark blue eyes. So far, she's a very good baby. She nurses great and sleeps even better! No complaints from this mommy!

Since Macy takes a lot of my time, I have found myself suffering with some mommy guilt about all the times I have to ask Elise to wait or tell her that I can't do something with her because I'm busy with the baby. So, I tend to give in more than I normally do. For example, making Jello is Elise's most favorite thing to do in the kitchen, and, even though we didn't have anywhere to take it, we boiled up the water and made this orange finger jello. If you haven't tried orange finger jello in a while, I recommend giving it a try. It's delicious! :)

Meet Macy

2011-07-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

She's here! Macy RuthAnne Linn was born into our family on Tuesday, July 12, at 5:26am. She weighed 9 pounds 5 ounces, and is a very healthy baby girl.

Bryan and I are so blessed to welcome this sweet baby into our family. We're all adjusting well, and big sister Elise just adores Macy. In time, I'm sure Macy will adore Elise, too. :)

While We Wait

2011-07-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Baby Linn was due on Tuesday, July 5Th. Three days ago. Now we're looking into another weekend, free of any plans, and trying to come up with fun things to do to pass the time while we wait for our baby girl to arrive. And, yes, I've heard all the tricks to starting labor, and NONE of them work. (for me anyway) And so we wait.

We've had a great time keeping busy this week. The fourth of July started with breakfast at the beach with my dad's side of the family, and then Bryan, Elise, & I stayed for the afternoon and took full advantage of the gorgeous weather. What a perfect 4Th! Tuesday was a concert at Lawrence Street Park in Zeeland, where Elise braved the big amphitheater steps and sat with the other kids (w/o mom & dad!!) on a blanket near the musician. In my very pregnant state, that made me a little emotional. When did she get so big?!? Last night brought dinner downtown and the street performers with a few friends. Elise even got to run in the splash pad right before heading home. Tonight may just be errands for a few last-minute things and dinner at home.

So, we're staying busy and yet very very anxious to meet this little girl. I know everything about my little family will change the moment this child enters our lives. And, I love thinking about our new family of four and how we'll be. I love knowing that Elise will have a sister, and what a blessing that will be to them both. But, I'm also soaking up all this special time, just the three of us, before all that change arrives. Somehow it's a little sad to think life will never be this way again. Elise will share us for the rest of her life. We won't love her any less, but it may feel like it sometimes, at least to her, at least in the beginning. The thought of all that adjustment for her makes me quite nervous about the next couple days and weeks.

So, while we wait for baby Linn, I am enjoying my time with Elise. I'm easier to persuade into one more story at bedtime or an unexpected stop at the car wash for popcorn. She gets extra hugs and kisses, and lots and lots of time talking about how much mommy loves her and always will. We talk about the baby and how she'll need lots and lots of love and attention from us. She's excited about the baby too. So, so, excited. And as much talking as we've done, I can't imagine a child more prepared for what's to come. And, yet, she has absolutely no clue! The plan will be lots of love, lots of patience, and lots of prayer for understanding as we all adjust to this big change.

Hopefully my next post has our exciting news and pictures of the newest member of our family! I'll keep you posted. Until then, the waiting continues..........

Test Day

2011-06-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

Today's the day. Bryan's been studying for almost 12 weeks for the Series 7 exam. He left this morning, early, after a big breakfast to head to Grand Rapids to take the test. While he was calm and confident, I'm a little nervous. I know he'll pass the test. He's studied TONS in the last few months, giving nearly all his evenings to take practice tests and review the material. We hardly even celebrated his birthday yesterday, just because the test is today. But, it's just such a HUGE deal, knowing all that effort comes down to a few hours on a Friday morning. I can't wait to hear the good news and to know that he can relax and put that ginormous book away for good.

This series 7 test is just one of many licensing hurdles to go over in the first year of his new job. Even though studying and taking tests about rules and regulations is less than exciting, CapTrust has been such a great change for Bryan and our family. I love that Bryan enjoys going to work and that he works with such a wonderful team of people. He also loves learning, so even though I'd rather have all my teeth pulled than study for a test like the series 7, Bryan kind of enjoys this stuff, at least a little.

So, it's a big day over here. Lots of prayer and hopefully some celebrating tonight. I'm so very thankful for a husband who is dedicated to his job and has a great desire to succeed. God has blessed us in all that Bryan has accomplished and how he provides so well for our little family. I'm proud of him. He'll be embarrassed that I posted this. But, I'm counting on him being so relieved to have this crazy test behind him, that he won't really mind. :)

Happy 31

2011-06-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Birthdays seem to get a little lost when you reach 31 years old. It's not that you're truly less special than you were when you were little, but all of a sudden the world doesn't stop to celebrate you like it seemed to do 20 years ago.

That being said, I had a wonderful 31st birthday yesterday. Although it began super-early when I was woken up by Elise getting sick, the day got better and better. Elise made a speedy recovery and was pretty much back to normal by mid morning. (How do kids DO that, anyway?)

We spent the whole day together, Elise frequently reminding me that it was mommy's birthday and that she and daddy had made a cake. She also sang happy birthday to me several times all day long. So sweet! We played outside, read books, & had chocolate milk ( a very rare and special treat!) for lunch.

For dinner, the three of us headed downtown Holland for a little subsn 'n more outside. So delicious. Then back home for cake, singing, and my present.

How blessed I felt by the end of the day. No, nothing super-special took place. And, yes, I had my fair share of normal life: a vomiting toddler, laundry, yard work, dishes.....but, aren't all the normal day to day life happenings part of how we're so blessed in the first place?

I'm finding that even though birthdays as I get older get a little less special, the blessings that I enjoy everyday are really what I can take joy in as I look back at the years behind me and anticipate years to come. God has blessed me more than I could ever ask or imagine, and, in that, is everything I need to celebrate.

Thanks, Nanny!

2011-06-01T17:41:00.001-07:00

I've been putting it off for a while. Elise's first haircut. Bryan's grandma, Elise's great-grandma, cuts hair, and so we thought we'd have her give Elise her very first cut. Elise talked about getting a "hairtuc" from nanny for weeks. We were all together over the holiday weekend, so it was as good a time as any. It's not that I dreamt of growing Elise's hair super-long, I just knew that once it was cut, she would look way older. And, she does!! She loved all the attention and did a great job sitting still.

For all the doubting ones....

2011-05-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

A few friends and coworkers have been questioning my Dr's declaration of this baby being a girl. I, however, am very confidant that baby Linn is, in fact, another little girl. I'm so sure of it, that this is her closet. Full of pink! I can't believe Elise ever fit into these things, and I'm so excited to put this new one in all of it and smell her baby skin, hold on to her tiny fingers, and sing her all the sweet baby songs when we're up together as the rest of my family sleeps. Only 7 more weeks to go!

Short Flight

2011-05-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Almost 6 months ago Bryan built a remote-control airplane for our brother-in-law, Paul, for Christmas. We've been waiting all spring for a good night for the inaugural flight. Tonight was the night!

***side note: Bryan actually built TWO planes. The first won crashed on a test flight that I insisted he do, so he had to quickly build another to give to Paul for Christmas. The given plane had not been flown at all****

After a great mother's day dinner orchestrated entirely by the boys/dads, the whole family drove out to Park Township Airport. Bryan, Paul, & my dad analyzed the plane and the controls for quite some time before actual take off.

Finally, Paul took the controls and initiated take-off. The first run tripped up in the grass and stopped on the nose of the plane. The next take-off got only about 5 feet in the air and took a sharp right turn directly into the ground. Inaugural flight over.

While it was exciting to be there for the flight, and while we all had fun with all the preparations and anticipation, the short-lived entertainment and cracked up plane was pretty disappointing. The guys have already set another date for a re-do: labor day. So, they have a few months to patch up the airplane and hopefully figure out what when wrong.

All in all, it was a great gift, made with love, that will hopefully fly again soon!

Easter Eggs

2011-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Since Monday brought with it an inch of snow, I figured it was the perfect day to celebrate spring & decorate Easter Eggs. :) I had never in all my life (that I remember) decorated Easter Eggs, so it was a learning opportunity for both me and Elise. Lucky for us, it was pretty easy. I'm kind of impressed that the little kit that I bought for a whole dollar had everything we needed. Who knew?! We boiled eggs, dipped them as gently as we could considering our excitement, and even double-dipped a few to make some other colors. Then, we had to let them dry, which was perfect since it was also nap time. After her nap, we used some of the 10000 stickers that came in the kit. So fun!

Happy Easter!

say cheese!

2011-04-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

I took Elise for some long over-due professional pictures last week. The ones on our living room wall are more than a year old! I was pretty nervous that she'd get all shy and wouldn't smile or show her true personality. Turns out, I had nOtHiNg to worry about.

The photographer was so wonderful, and super affordable. Check her out @ youbyjulie.com

Jesus Love Me

2011-03-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Elise singing her new favorite song. I think she learned it with her nanny (Grandma Bryan) while we were in Mexico. Thanks, Grandma Bryan, I LOVE listening to her sing it all day long!

There's No Place Like Home

2011-03-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

Going on a vacation is always always a treat. I so look forward to just being away. Away from all the daily stuff, away from work, kids, family, obligations ......you're just GONE, unable to make a to-do list let alone complete one.

Some of the best parts of vacationing in Mexico were never making my bed, sitting in the sunshine all day, reading 4 books, eating meals that I didn't plan, prepare, or clean up, going to bed and waking up whenever we wanted, and being completely unplugged from facebook and email for a whole week.

But, like Dorothy says, there's no place like home. And, after a week of being GONE, I was ready to be BACK. Turns out, I like my routine. I like having a plan to my day and knowing what's coming up tomorrow. I like cooking dinner and having exactly what I like on the table. I like, believe it or not, getting groceries and crossing items off my organized list. I like feeding Indy his breakfast and remembering to give Myrtle, our goldfish, her pinch of food a couple times a week. I like watching the neighbors and seeing the guy at the gas station where I get a car wash and a diet coke. I like getting the mail, picking up the toys, returning my library books, and giving Elise her tubbies. This is my routine, and, like most of us, I crave it. So, while vacation was pure bliss and I hope we get to return to Mexico sometime soon, I'm enjoying my daily life again, right here, in my own little world with my own little family. I like being HOME.

around here lately

2011-02-28T13:05:00.001-08:00

These are a few of our (aka, Elise's) favorite things lately:

Eating as much guacamole as we'll let her. She's learning the word "spicy" and loving it!

Making forts under the kitchen table

Sitting, laying, crawling, and pretend sleeping on the floor

Tubbies. We take lots and lots of tubbies!

Celebrating lots of February birthdays with friends and family. She loves to sing happy birthday, and eat the cake. YUM!

Playing in all the fun winter snow

Other fun things Elise is up to include: singing her ABC's, throwing and trying to catch a ball, coloring, painting, dancing, jumping, taking care of her two babies=putting them to sleep and feeding them pretend waffles, riding on dad's back, feeding Indy dinner every night, and talking about the baby in mommy's tummy. She's so much fun right now, and our days are full of new things to do and talk about!

The Linn Girls

2011-02-25T10:52:00.001-08:00

As we were growing up, my sister, Abby, and I were affectionately called the "girlies." I'm not sure if I'll continue that nickname for my kids, but I can't help but smile as I've talked about my "girls" the last few days.

Here are two of the best ultrasound pictures of baby girl Linn. For anyone who's had an OB ultrasound, I think you'll probably agree that these pictures make the baby look just like an alien, so it's kinda hard to get an emotional attachment to them. But, all the same, I loved watching her little heart beat and her mouth move open and closed while her hands and feet moved all over. The Bible verse about how God created us in our mothers' womb comes to mind over and over again as I look at my baby girl. What a miracle it is that she is in there, growing and being formed by the Creator of the world. Oh how I pray she will know Him as her creator and savior one day.

We are thanking God for a healthy report and for blessing our little family with this child.

off the bench!

2011-02-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

I once heard about a book called "My Mom Hates me in January." I thought, that's funny, I wonder why anyone would write a book like that. Then, I became a mom. :) January was a long month, and February is feeling long, too. It's not that Elise is naughty or anything, it's just that we're kinda stuck. Stuck inside. All. The. Time.

So, we think up fun things to do on these very very cold winter days. A favorite for both Elise and me is a trip to the Grandville mall. I get to sneak in a few minutes of shopping, and Elise gets to play at the tree and ride the carousel. Talk about fun!

The carousel is by far the highlight of a trip to the mall. Until today, though, Elise always picked to sit on the bench seat of the carousel. While I felt like a complete dork sitting on a bench while the cats, frogs, and horses paraded up and down around us, I just figured if Elise thought that was fun, so be it. Then, my two-year old totally surprised me today and chose to ride on one of the biggest horse on the carousel. She totally loved it and sang "up and down" the whole time. The horse is way way more fun than that bench. We actually rode twice. I don't miss that boring bench one bit, and I'm hoping she doesn't either. There's still quite a bit of winter to go.

We even got to share our fun day with some of our favorite friends, Aunt Angela and cousins Charlotte and Isaac.

Big Girl Bedroom

2011-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

I've been kinda worried about how a big girl bedroom would sit with Elise. She LOVES her crib and all her baby stuff. And, lately, her favorite word is "my." So, it's been: My crib, My chair, My mommy..... You get the idea. But, relief! She LOVES her big girl bedroom. And although I don't think I ever told her that the crib will be for the baby, she points to it now and says "baby crib." I should just learn that the stuff I get anxious about usually turns out just fine.

Here are a few pictures of the new bedroom....

Swimming in January

2011-01-19T17:26:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago we headed to the Holland Aquatic Center. For only $8 we enjoyed the pool for a couple hours. Elise thought the whole process was amazing: the lockers, the noise the lockers make when you slam them shut, changing our clothes into our bathing suits, the showers, and, of course, the water. While it took her some time to warm up to the idea of being in the pool, once she figured it out, she had the time of her life. She loved to splash, march, and jump off the side to her daddy. Next time she might even brave the slide.

an interview with Elise:

2011-01-03T05:35:00.000-08:00

Bryan's mom and dad gave us a DVD of all of the home videos from when Bryan and his sister, Angela, were growing up. It was a great Christmas present! Bryan and I watched all those home movies the other night, and it was so amazing to see the birthday and Christmas celebrations, along with all the little league games and family vacations. It inspired me to take more videos of our family as time goes by so quickly. So, I've been taking some short videos this week. We don't have a video camera, but the digital camera works just fine. Here's one of my favorites:

Christmas Highlights

2010-12-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas with lots and lots of family time. Elise understood way more this year, and she even knew that all the presents, trees, lights, stockings is because of baby Jesus. We talked about him every day, and my prayer is that she always knows that the baby Jesus is the center of not only Christmas, but of our whole lives.

Here are the highlights of our week...

Following tradition, we celebrated together, just our little family, on December 23rd

We gave Elise a baby be blessed doll. She's warming up to her slowly,

but I hope that baby Grace will soon be a favorite.

Grace came with Elise's name on her belly and the verse I picked out for her: 2 Timothy 1:7

The Bush family continued our homemade gifts tradition this year, and it was as fun as ever!

I made my dad MSU pj pants and a black leather braided belt

Jess made me 12 jars of delicious canned peaches and salsa. Soooo good.

Paul made Abby this gorgeous mirror. The brown edge is all wine corks. Very very cool.

Abby made Bryan homemade salsa, spicy just like Bryan likes it.

Bryan made Paul a remote control airplane. Lots & lots of work,

one crashed plane, and this one yet to be flown.

They're both excited to fly it sometime soon.

Mike made mom this really beautiful wood cutting board. I think it's walnut and maple.....

My mom made yet another one of her amazing quilts for Jess.

This one is for the boat, and it even has the boat name, "off the Hoek" stitched onto it.

My dad took a bowl-making class and made this wooden bowl for Mike. It's really really amazing how it was made: lots of little pieces of wood glued together and then shaped on a lathe.

The Linns continued one of my most favorite traditions: Christmas Caroling on Christmas eve:

We caroled in Jon & Angela's neighborhood, and their neighbors were really friendly and enjoyed it. We all met at our house in Christmas for a full day of delicious food, presents, games, laughing, and celebrating. It was a great day to be all together. I didn't take many pictures, probably because I was too busy enjoying all the fun!

Now for New Years.........

christmas jammies

2010-12-21T17:30:00.001-08:00

Christmas jammies are the best. I love them. I Love buying them. I love the pictures on Christmas eve of all three of us in pajamas.

Elise loves all jammies. Tonight, she was especially excited to be wearing her jammies a little early, and by a little early, I mean before dinner. :) Here are a couple pictures of my cutie girl being a total ham in her Christmas jammies.

Expecting

2010-12-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

A little change is coming to the Linn family in July: a baby! We are thrilled to be expecting, and can't wait to see what life is like as we become a family of four.

opening doors

2010-12-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Elise learned a new very valuable skill: opening doors. She can now get into every closet and into every room. It's crazy that I used to be able to contain her by just closing a door. So not the case anymore. After a full day yesterday of closing closet doors, picking up things strewn around each and every bedroom, and trying to keep Elise inside on a very cold day, I was sick of Elise's new trick.

Then tonight happened. I had to stay at work a little late, so I pulled into the garage around 7 o'clock. My heart skipped a beat as my barefoot little bundle of sweet joy opened the door and ran to my car door shouting "mommy! mommy!" The simple art of Elise being able to open the door to greet me made my whole day.

Love her. Love her. Love her.

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

Everyone has their traditions. Our big one is going to cut down the tree. Saturday was our day, and I was, as usual, over-eager to accomplish our task.

We headed out to a place we had seen advertised on 100th street. As we drove in, I got a little nervous at the trees I saw. We trudged through the snow with Elise trailing behind, discovering that the snow was cold and kinda hard to walk in, looking desperately to find any tree decent enough to take home. Sadly, we couldn't find one. I made Bryan go back into the barn and explain to the very nice people that we just didn't find a tree in their very large field. It was then that they confided that they wouldn't buy a tree out of their selection, either.

Plan B. We drove back into town, bought a newspaper, and headed to Allendale to Bosch's tree farm. Talk about beautiful trees! Elise had fun riding on the sled out into the field, and Bryan did a great job cutting it down, and I hauled it back to the car.

Yes, our lack of a good plan cost us most of our Saturday. Yes, we paid way more money than we usually do. Yes, I lost my cool a little bit as I mentally crossed off all the other tasks I had hoped to complete that day. But! We got a beautiful tree, made some good memories, got to eat popcorn balls compliments of the Bosches, and now have our tree up and decorated to enjoy for the rest of the Christmas season.

mmmmmm!

2010-11-21T18:54:00.001-08:00

I remember watching my mom bake a cake. She always used her kitchen aid mixer, and I can still remember the green of the base and that silver bowl spinning. My mom makes the best homemade frosting. I have the recipe and I make it often, but it's never quite the same.

I had the privilege of making my mom a birthday cake a few weeks ago. Elise had just woken up from her nap, and she was pretty excited about a cake for grandma. Although she was a little frightened of the mixer (she hates all machines that make noise!), she warmed up when she got a taste of what the kitchen aid could mix up! What a treat!

It's always pink frosting. :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

I know that Thanksgiving is still more than a week away. But, I've been searching for Christmas cards for almost a month now. I love Christmas cards, and since we had Elise, I love photo Christmas cards. As difficult as it is to get that family picture of all four of us looking at the camera, (just ask my sister, Abby!) I think that the hassle is well worth it. And, I LOVE getting all of our family and friends' Christmas cards in the mail. While I love all the cards, the picture cards are my favorites.

Last year I took all the photo cards that we received and put them in a little photo book for Elise to flip through. This way we talked about all of our family and friends through the whole year. I think that Elise knows all their names better than Bryan at this point. :)

My friend Jill recently posted on her blog about a great deal that Shutterfly is offering to bloggers like us. Essentially, Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Here is the link if you're interested: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

I've used Shutterfly for our Christmas cards for the past two years. They have the greatest styles and they always print out beautifully. Also, the shipping is fast, so once I get that great picture, I know my cards are only a few days away.

While they have some of the same classic designs from years past, Shutterfly has some great new cards this year. To check them out, click here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery I'm having a hard time deciding on design for our 2010 cards.....

Another product that shuttefly offers is personalized birthday, mothers' day cards, and father's day cards. This year I sent all Elise's grandparents cards for these special days with her picture on it. Shutterfly even lets me enter my own text, like bible verses and special messages to each person. The cards aren't any more expensive than the Halmark cards we buy in the store, and I think these are so much more fun. Check out the options here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

Lastly, Shuttefly has some great personalized gift ideas. While I haven't ever done these projects, I'm considering a couple for some family members this year. Shutterfly makes it so easy, and I would be confidant in my order since Shuttefly's quality is always exceptional. Click here to check out the personalized gift ideas: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars

I can't wait for all the Christmas cards to arrive in our mailbox in just a few short weeks!

Thankful Tree

2010-11-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of thanksgiving, and at the recommendation of my very wise sister, Jessica, our family started a new tradition: a thankful tree. Every day we ask Elise to think of something that she is thankful for.

Even though Elise often says "thank you, mommy," she doesn't really understand thankfulness. She's only 2! But, she can think of things that she likes or make her happy. So, the first day that I asked her, she said "wawafs," which translates to waffles. Great! I wrote down waffles and attached it to our little tree. Day 2: "Elise, what is something that you're thankful for today?" Elise: "wawafs!" The girl loves her breakfast foods.

So, every day I try to have her come up with something other than waffles to be thankful for. I'm kinda tempted to just write down waffles every day and enjoy the laugh, but what if she forever associates thankfulness with waffles?!

The last few days have been things like monkeys, our fish Myrtle, babies, mommy (yes, a little coaching on that one), daddy (no coaching required), and swings.

I hope that as our thankful tree grows more and more leaves, so will our thankfulness to
God for all our wonderful blessings, even blessings as simple and delicious as waffles.

Happy Halloween & Yee-ha!

2010-10-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Halloween weekend. Between going to Trunk or Treat at Ridge Point, dressing up for playgroup, carving a pumpkin or two, and visiting a few neighbors, Elise got her full share of Halloween.

The funniest part was when we visited one of Bryan's coworkers houses tonight and they opened the door and Elise walked right into their living room! After that, we reminded her to stay on the porch. :)

Her most favorite part was answering the door as kids came tonight. She got so excited every time, running to the door, opening it up, and just staring at all the kids in costumes.

I love all the family traditions, and I can tell that my little family will enjoy Halloween for lots of years to come.

Happy 2 Baby Girl!

2010-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Elise's 2nd birthday. It was such a great day, filled with our families and everything wonderful about celebrating a little girl.

I remember those first few days with her two years ago. And, if I'm completely honest, those days were kind of painful. I was a stressed, tired, and very unsure new mom. I didn't know what I was doing, and I didn't understand why Elise did what she did or how to best care for her. I remember praying to God to give me a mother's heart. I know some moms are born with that amazing love for their kids, and I know I had some of that. But, really, I didn't feel it much those first weeks. There I was, spending nearly every waking minute with my beautiful baby girl fearing that maybe I didn't have what it takes to love her as a mother should.

Fast forward 2 years. Oh my. Talk about answered prayer. I still don't know what I'm doing. To say that I'm unsure is an understatement. I don't know when molars are supposed to poke through or how much milk she should drink. I have no idea what shots she gets tomorrow at her 2 year appointment or how to stop her from whining when she wants something. But I know that every bit of my being, at every moment of each and every day, I love her more than I ever knew was possible. The fact that God has entrusted this amazing little girl to me blows me away.

My prayers are a little different now, 2 years later. I still pray for a God-fearing mother's heart, yes. And I pray for patience, as any mother of a preschooler does. But mostly I thank God for Elise and how much joy she brings to my life. I thank God for her sweet smile, surprising sense of humor, and her strong confidence at only 2 years old. I thank Him for her healthy little body and that her brain works to absorb new things every day. I thank Him for our days together walking to the park and having tea parties in the living room. I thank God for blessing me with a little girl who is the best part of my day, every day.

Happy 2, Elise JoLea. Celebrating you today was such a joy.

my latest project

2010-09-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have a few friends who are super-crafty and even more creative. They amaze me with their homemade crafts and learning projects for their kids. (Haley, Jill, & Martha, you know I'm talking about you!)

So, in an attempt to be that fun, creative mom, I decided to make this magnetic chalkboard for our kitchen. After a few failed attempts and a couple trips to Lowe's, we got it right. My ever-supportive husband is also very patient.

Elise has just begun to enjoy coloring and getting her hands messy with glue and paint and everything else crafty. So, I hope that through the long winter months we'll be creating lots of fun things to post on our board. Maybe we'll even learn some colors and numbers while we're playing!

Labor Day Pictures (a little late)

2010-09-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Labor day is usually pretty quiet around our house. This year, it was especially quiet as Bryan and Elise headed to Terra Haute, Indiana to enjoy the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Bryan's lake cabin on Dietz lake. Sadly, I had to stay home as Labor day weekend was my holiday at the hospital.

It's no surprise that they had a FANTASTIC time with Bryan's whole family. Elise was so excited to go to Indiana in "daddy's car" to see Mamaw, Papaw, Nanny, Big Papaw, Aunt Angela, Uncle Jon, Isaac, and Charlotte. After a long 6 hours in daddy's car, they finally got to the lake cabin where they went fishing, swimming, took boat rides, hiking trail 5, won bingo, ate lots of good food, and sat around the bon fire.

Here are a few pictures (thanks Angela!) of Elise and Bryan's labor day away. While I missed them like crazy, I'm so glad they had a wonderful time. Maybe next year all three of us can go!

Superhero party for Isaac's 4th Birthday!

Fishing with Papaw and Isaac

Isaac, Charlotte, & Elise

Swimming with daddy

Charlotte & Angela playing Bingo

Elise, Daddy, & Mamaw hanging out on the swing

apples!

2010-09-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Monday was a beautiful day! Elise and I took advantage of the nice weather and headed to Crane's Orchard to pick apples. We picked a bushel and a half of apples (honey crisp and empire) and then headed to Crane's pie pantry for apple cider donuts. Unfortunately, Elise only wanted to eat the apples and not her donut (just like her daddy!), but we had a fantastic morning.

balance is everything

2010-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

What makes a good day? To me, it's all about balance.

It's getting the fulfillment of working hard all day and still getting to push Elise on the swing while she tells me about her great time at Miss Lauri's. (We love Miss Lauri!)

Balance is waking up early, but feeling rested and getting to relax in the evening as the dishwasher cleans up our dinner mess.

It's getting the mail and receiving our property tax bill but also the awesome jeans from my recent eBay purchase.

Balance is having great friends at work to laugh with and a surgery schedule to manage with interesting surgeries & unexpected challenges.

It's sandy toes in my bathroom at bedtime along with bible stories and prayers thanking God for mommy, daddy, grandmas, and grandpas....and Indy.

A great day is all of those things, and then tomorrow it will be none of them but a dozen different blessings that make tomorrow wonderful all by itself.

it goes so fast

2010-08-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

One day, Elise was all of a sudden big enough to do all kinds of big girl stuff. Like.....

Help me water the garden....

and climb the rock wall all by herself.....

and hang from the top of the slide.....

and climb the ladder.....

Everyone says that they grow up so fast, and I'm finally beginning to believe them!

Pretty Crafty

2010-08-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

So, this is my new thing, errr, obsession. My girlfriend, Haley, started me on these super-cute bows, and now I want one (maybe two) for every outfit that Elise has. Anyway, they're super fun and easy to make, and I just love anything that requires my hot glue gun. Check them out!

Summer Firsts

2010-07-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

This month has brought a few summer firsts to the Linn family....

First vegetables from the garden, just in time for some delicious hummus dip:

First Popsicle of the summer, and first ever for Elise:

Bryan and my first week away together since becoming parents:

First trip to the beach to swim in lake Michigan:

Looking forward to lots more fun, and maybe a few more firsts!

Celebrating 30 in Style

2010-07-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

We traveled from Zeeland, Grand Rapids, Boston, Magnolia, and Seattle to celebrate 3o together. And celebrate we did! Since college, life has taken us far from the people we used see every day, and our week together allowed us to reconnect, have a ton of fun, and remember why we became friends in the first place. North Myrtle Beach was our haven for a week, and the memories we made will last for the next year or two until we see them again.....

summer pics

2010-06-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Oh my, we are loving summer. It's wonderful to wake up and decide whether we will play in the pool, walk to the park, swing in the back yard, or meet up with our friends. So far, our days have been a little of all of those, and I'm so excited that it's only the very beginning! Welcome Summer, please stay forever!

The hose is Elise's favorite this summer, don't tell daddy that we sometimes play with it for hours!

Oooh, that's cold, cold, cold!

I just love her little belly and legs in her swimsuit!

Drinking from the hose means summer has truly arrived.

Indy doesn't ever miss an opportunity to ask me to play Frisbee. What else would I do while lifeguarding the baby pool and pushing Elise on the swing, right?

Badminton at its Finest

2010-06-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our 6th annual badminton tournament. As usual, we had over 40 family and friends come out to participate in Bryan and my dorky party. Thanks, everyone! They all brought their A-game, and it was no surprise that the championship round ended after a fierce dual that went into overtime between the raindrops. Mike and Abby Lucas are the new badminton tournament champions, and they took home the golden shuttlecock trophy with much pride. Congratulations, Lucases. You deserve it!! See you all next year!!

8 days left.....

2010-05-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

For my 30th birthday, Bryan, Abby, and Jessica planned a "30 days of blessing" count down to my birthday on June 2nd. Each day, a friend or family member plans to do something thoughtful for me as the blessing of that day. For example, yesterday my dad took me out to lunch and then sent me shopping for the afternoon while he watched Elise. Today, my coworker, Rachel, planned an ice cream sundae bar for all my surgery coworkers at the hospital. Salsa, flowers, a cinco de mayo party, gift cards, a step ladder, wine, Q'doba, books, lawn mowing, planted herbs, sangria, pj's, homemade meals, babysitting..... It goes on and on and on. Amazing, right? Needless to say, the last 22 days have been so fun. And I still have 8 days left!

At first, when Abby, Jessica, and Bryan told me about this surprise, I was skeptical that they could even find 30 people willing to do it. I actually asked Bryan if my friends were each taking 3 or 4 days. :) To my delight, it turns out that I do have 30 people who like me enough to participate.

After 22 days, blessed is exactly what I feel. Overwhelmingly blessed. It's not so much about the awesome gifts and thoughtful acts as much as a great joy in the wonderful people God has placed in my life. Somehow, even confident, social me doubts that anybody really likes me. We all have that, at one time or another, right? Well, going into my 30th year, I am blessed beyond measure with lots and lots of good friends and family that bless me way beyond what I deserve. And in that light, 30 doesn't sound so bad.

It Wouldn't be May with out a Tulip Time Post

2010-05-10T18:41:00.001-07:00

Tulip Time 2010 is over, and it was a great week. I love all the time downtown, dancing in my rock star alumni group, the junk food, the pretty costumes, and all the Bush family traditions. I know that it makes me a tick dorky, but Tulip Time could very easily be my most favorite time of the year. Here are the highlights:

Fun at the Park

2010-05-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

After a long lazy Sunday, we needed to get out of the house. So, Bryan and I decided to take Elise to Huizenga park here in Zeeland. If you've never been to Huizenga park, you need to check it out! There's not only the biggest wooden play structure I've ever seen, but a big pond with ducks and bridges.

I brought along some moldy hamburger buns, which I always seem to have in my house, to feed to the ducks. Only when we got to the park, there were no ducks. While we pondered where they might have gone, along came the answer. Two HUGE swans had landed in Huizenga pond. Apparently, ducks and swans do not care to swim together, and I'm assuming that the size of swans easily won them their spot on the water.

We got to feed one of the swans for a long time. The bird had no fear and nearly walked right up onto the grass to get to the bread. Elise thought it was pretty cool, and her shouting "Bird!" didn't seem to bother our new friend at all.

We had such a nice night, and it would have been perfect if it had ended there. But, with a toddler, we all know things never go so smoothly as all that. In the end, Elise ran into the water and lost her balance, plunging right into the murky water of the Huizenga pond. Mommy was the hero and ran in to get her, soaking her shoes and pant legs in the process. (Aren't daddies the ones that are supposed to rescue??) So, we headed home for tubbies and dinner, and hope nobody gets a weird rash from the brief dip in the water.

more like a little girl....

2010-05-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I think that I woke up the other day and Elise was a little girl. It feels like it just happened over night! Not only does she look more like a little girl than a baby, she does little girl things. She swings on the big kid swing, chooses her own snacks, kisses us (and anybody else who happens to be around) good-night, asks to go outside to play, feeds her doll, Marylin Cecilia, and learns a new word almost every day.

Here are a few pictures of the last couple days.

Looking very grown up, don't you think?

Marylin likes to eat everything that Elise likes :)

Elise loves the big kid swing

Her shirt says "everyone loves a dutchgirl"

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Bryan and I celebrated this year with his family in Fort Wayne. We usually spend Easter at home with a big get together at my mom's, but like Bryan says, traditions are made to be broken. We had a great weekend with Bryan's parents, grandparents, and his sister and her family. We are so blessed to have family that know the meaning of Easter and celebrate our Savior's Resurrection. He lives!

I'm Not Sorry

2010-03-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

I had lunch with my very wise sister the other day. She gave me some good advice: Don't be sorry. So I'm not, and I won't be. Or at least I'm going to try not to be.....

I'm not sorry for stepping on toes when I'm looking out for Elise.

I'm not sorry to decline invitations when my family just needs a night/day/meal/hour/weekend at home.

I'm not sorry if my enthusiasm blurs the focus or if my focus blurs the enthusiasm.

I'm not sorry for being honest, even though honesty, even very gentle honesty, is hard to hear.

I'm not sorry for saying no, saying yes, wanting good things, working too long, working a half day, paying too much, going the long way, taking time for myself, being sick, ignoring the clothes in the dryer, forgetting dinner, enjoying dessert, leaving the lights on....

There are way too many opportunities begging us to be sorry. Some of them count. Most of them don't.

17 months old

2010-03-19T10:50:00.001-07:00

Am I crazy for keeping track of Elise's age in months? To me, 17 months is way older than 12 months, but it's definitely not 18 months. I know, maybe I'm a little nuts, but in my short experience, I haven't found another mom who isn't.

At 17 months, Elise can say a few works clearly, but most require a translator. She can sign please, thank you, more, all done, book, pipe, and sleep. I love the signing, and I think it helps her communicate what she wants a little easier. While I'm excited for her to talk, it's nice to know what she wants even though she can't actually say it.

Some of Elise's new favorites include: being pushed around the house in her cozy coup, walking around outside with daddy, walking anywhere instead of being carried, singing the ABC's and chiming in with "D" (the only letter she knows) at the right time, reading books, marching with mom through the house, riding on Sandy the horse at Meijer, "helping" mom with the laundry, playing rough (the rougher the better!), and flushing the toilet.

Here are a few pictures of the last couple weeks. I say it every few months, but this age just might be my favorite. We're having lots of fun!

I've been thinking.....

2010-03-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

The last of the snow is almost gone. We've enjoyed sunshine nearly every day last week. Winter is definitely on the way out, and glorious spring is here. Spring!!

And I've been thinking, how is it that this is the 30th time in my life that winter has faded and spring returns, and yet I am surprised. I can hardly believe that I can safely put the boots and snow pants away. Did I truly believe that this was the year of never-ending winter? Is my memory so poor? Is spring just that exciting? Is winter just that long??

I think this is a reminder of how feeble our minds really are. It's a testament to how quickly I forget, even if it's the umpteenth time it's happened. I know that when I study the Israelites in the Old Testament, I can't believe how many times they turn their backs on God to worship idols and pagan gods. How many times does that happen in their history? And yet, the cycle of falling away and then coming back to God repeats itself dozens and dozens of times.

I'm not that different. God's telling me as spring returns and I recognize my very weak memory, that I am no different than those Israelites. How many times have I laid awake at night worrying about the future, even though every time God takes care of it, even the littlest most minor details of it. How many times have I decided that it was too much, only to be given more patience, more strength, more understanding at just the right time from my gracious God. He shows up every time. Just like spring. God has never failed me. And yet I forget.

Maybe I'll do better. Maybe I'll remember more often, or at least forget less. I hope that as Elise and I enjoy the sunshine this week, and as we welcome all the exciting sounds and smells of spring, we'll praise God for His complete faithfulness. We'll delight in a God who brings us spring every year.

Starting Good Habits

2010-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

So the pediatrician told us to start brushing Elise's teeth twice a day. Holy smokes. I thought we were stellar parents for brushing them nearly every day. Two times in one day seemed like a lot. The good news is that Elise LOVES brushing her teeth. And, for 16 months old, I think that she's pretty good at it....but I think that she's good at nearly everything. :) We're liking our new twice daily brushing, as you can tell:

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

Elise received a Valentine's Day Card in the mail from her Grandma and Grandpa Linn. She just learned how to "dance" last week, so we are having a lot of fun. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! Happy Valentine's Day!!

Gracias, Honduras

2010-02-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's so good to be home. It's so good to cuddle with Elise and read the stories that I know by heart. I'm really excited to make dinner for my family and watch Jeapordy tonight. This is my comfort zone, and it's good to be back.

But, it was good to be away. It was good to be challenged to give up the comforts of home in order to serve people who have very little and need so much. It was good to meet new people and learn to trust and depend on them in ways I just don't have to at home.

I didn't change the world by spending a week in Honduras. I didn't save any lives or do anything heroic that anybody will remember. I assisted in hand surgery, hours and hours of hand surgery to repair, release, or graft tendons that were injured in accidents and machete fights. Because of a broken health care system, our patients needed some help to fix their injuries. We did that, and we hope that they heal well.

God becomes bigger to me when I go far away, and as I settle back in to my routine at home, I hope that God stays bigger, and that Honduras remains close to my heart even though it's very far away.

two days left

2010-01-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

I'm counting down the days. Only 2 more days until I'm Honduras-bound with some of the best doctors and nurses in west Michigan. We're leaving on Saturday morning to fly out of Detroit and eventually land in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. From there, we'll take a bus south to Gracias. On the map below, San Pedro Sula is near the north western border of Honduras, and Gracias is a 4-5 hour bus trip south. Gracias isn't on this map, but if it were, I think that it would be a little north west of la Esperanza.

Our brigade, which is part of the Lukes Society, is going to be working in nearby villages as well as a surgery center in Gracias. Some of us will be doing eye surgery and hand surgery, others will be traveling into the nearby towns and villages to provide general medical and dental care, and others will be doing some gastroenterology. I know a few of the members of our brigade, but I'm looking forward to serving and meeting lots of new people.

My awesome husband is staying behind, taking off from work, and spending the week at home with Elise. I'm going to miss them both like crazy, but I'm sure they'll have a great week together.

Please keep our team in your prayers. Some specific prayer requests include: travel safety, health while we're there, energy to complete the schedule planned out for us, and the opportunity to share the love of Jesus to the people who we are caring for.

2010-01-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

2010 came with a beautiful freshly fallen snow! Bryan and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and powder on new year's day and go out snow shoeing. Elise got to spend a few hours at her grandma and grandpa's house, and Bryan and I enjoyed our time together. I may be the only one in west Michigan hoping for more snow, but it would be great to get out again this year. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Christmas 2009 Highlights

2009-12-28T17:53:00.000-08:00

The last few days are kind of a blur. But, it was a fun blur. :) Bryan and I are blessed with families that celebrate Christmas very well, and I'm excited for Elise to grow up in that Christmas spirit every year. Here are a few (okay, many) highlights of our Christmastime 2009:

Christmas Eve morning at my parents' house

My parents and their grand kids: Ella, Noah, Elise, and Felmata. This was Felmata's first Christmas in the Hoekstra family!

I received beautiful jewelry made by my brother-in-law, Paul

Bryan made my sister, Abby, beaded serving utensils

I made a platter for my mom's famous "big plate" Sunday lunch

My mom made Bryan this amazing quilt.

Elise, a little worn out by all the excitement, enjoyed her Christmas eve dinner at
Burger King on our way to Ft Wayne.

Elise with her grandma on Christmas Day

This is Marylyn Cecilia, Elise's cabbage patch kid who was adopted into our family thanks to grandma and grandpa Linn. Elise loves her already!

As tradition, we donned our Santa hats to go caroling in Bryan's mom and dad's neighborhood Christmas night. I look forward to this all year!

The weekend ended with a colts game for Bryan and his dad. Unfortunately, they witnessed the colt's first loss of the season, but had a great time at the Lucas Oil Stadium.

Not a Santa Fan

2009-12-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

I've never been a Santa fan. I'm not anti-Santa, I just don't care for all the fuss about him. Bryan, on the other hand, grew up with Santa as a pretty big part of Christmas. Now that we have Elise, we were at a crossroads as to what to do about Santa this Christmas. We decided to take Elise to see him. It was a free picture, and she's so little, I reasoned that it wouldn't hurt anything to have a quick visit. So, on Friday we found out just how Elise feels about Santa, and I'm pretty sure that she's in my boat on this one...

it was too quiet.....

2009-12-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

I was being a bad mom on Friday afternoon. After a week of long days for Bryan at work, Elise was probably just as sick of me as I was of her. (and I mean "sick of" in only the most loving way) I just needed a small break from reading books, singing the alphabet of nations song, playing peek-a-boo, talking to, for, and about farmer Jed..... Yes, a bad mom for a few minutes. Anyway, as I was deep into facebook I noticed that the house was way too quiet. I also noticed that Elise was no longer playing in the living room, which means she's definitely in the kitchen. I got up from the computer and turned the corner to find her in this mess:

snow excitement

2009-12-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

West Michigan is finally covered in snow. It was so nice to have the sunny days and warmer weather through November, but now that it's December, it's time for the snow to fly. And fly it did! After only a few hours of snowfall, the houses, trees, and roads were layered with the beautiful white cover. There's just something so magical about the first snowfall. When Elise woke up from her nap yesterday she delighted by all the snow outside. I also decorated the house with all of our christmas stuff, so the timing was perfect. As far as she knows, the decorations just came right along with the snow. :)

Elise's new winter coat. So far, she doesn't mind it at all.

Checking out the snow from the front window.

Snowsuit time! I bundled her all up over top of her jammies this morning to take a walk with Indy in all the freshly fallen snow.

hope, hope, hope

2009-11-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

I received this quote in an email the other day from a friend who had lost his friend, mentor, and pastor after a long battle with cancer. It's a quote from a book that I don't remember by an author that I don't know. But, it made an impression on me that I can't shake, so I thought I'd share it here. As the Christmas season is here, and joy and peace are words on our lips more now than in any other season, I can't help but think of all the family and friends who are hurting. Doesn't it seem like hardship is all around us?? Maybe it's just us, but it feels like every time I talk with a co-worker, friend, or family member, they share some sort of trouble or family crisis. How is it that my little family and I have been spared? I'm so thankful for that, but also wonder at the grand injustice of those who have such long uphill battles ahead of them. Anyway, here is the quote I received:

"Hope and despair are not opposites. They are cut from the very same cloth, made from the very same material, shaped from the very same circumstances. Most of all, every life finds itself forced to choose one from the other, one day at a time, one circumstance after another. The only difference between the two is that despair shapes an attitude of mind; hope creates a quality of soul. Despair colors the way we look at things, makes us suspicious of the future, makes us negative about the present. Hope, on the other hand, takes life on its own terms, knows that whatever happens God lives in it, and expects that, whatever its twists and turns, it will ultimately yield its good to those who live it well. When tragedy strikes, when trouble comes, when life disappoints us, we stand at the crossroads between hope and despair, torn and hurting. Despair cements us in the present; hope sends us dancing around dark corners trusting in a tomorrow we cannot see. Despair says that there is no place to go but here. Hope says that God is waiting for us someplace else. Begin again." Joan Chittister

Thankful!

2009-11-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, this year has brought so many changes and new things to be thankful for! I'm excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and be thankful to the One from whom all our blessings flow. I am thankful for...

My awesome husband who not only takes care of our family, but loves his girls so well.

My healthy, happy, and adorable little girl.

My job at the hospital and my fantastic co-workers. I love working part-time, and some days I can't believe that they pay me to be there.

Bryan's job-not always easy, but Innotec is a great company to work for and we are delighted to be a continued part of their unique business.

The H1N1 vaccine.

Grandparents who love Elise to pieces and take care of her often so that her mom and dad can have a night out or a weekend away. They take good care of all three of us.

A church that has a continued passion to reach lost people for Christ. We are so blessed to be a part of that ministry and to see God at work in Holland and Zeeland, furthering God's Kingdom each week.

My sisters-they are who I call when I need a sitter in a pinch, have a question about their newest fabulous recipe, or I'm wondering what to do about the beads that Elise swallowed. Sisters are a HUGE blessing, and I have TWO!

Friends, friends, friends! Playgroup, high school girls, college roommates, innotec connections, small group....I am so blessed with great friends!

My new-found love of cloth diapers. Yes, a strange "thankful," but I really do love them, so I had to include this one.

Okay, the list could go on and on and on. Blessings to you this Thanksgiving, and I pray that our hearts would remain thankful to God as we head into the new year.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

What a fun weekend! Dress-up for playgroup, visiting daddy and Aunt Abby at work, Trunk or Treat at church, stopping in on the Hoekstra's pumpkin carving, passing out candy, visiting the neighbors, and having our friends over made for a great weekend. Here are a few of Elise in her bee costume...... and one at the end of her scary daddy.

Walking

2009-10-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

Elise has been walking for a few weeks, and until last night, I couldn't get a very good video of her on the move. Last night, with Bryan's help, we caught a few unsteady steps.....

One Year Old

2009-10-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

The balloons are still afloat and we still have some cake left over, but the party is long over and Elise is definitely not a baby anymore. We are amazed every day at the things she's learning and how fast she's growing up!

We had a great time at her party on Sunday, and our family and friends were so gracious to spend their afternoon with us celebrating our little girl's big day. Elise did great the whole time, sitting with us to open presents and eating over half of her little cake. She ended up going down for a nap a little before the party was over, but at one year old, we kinda assumed she would wear out before we did.

At one year old, Elise is officially walking. She's still pretty shaky, but she's becoming more and more brave every day. With a little more practice, she'll be chasing Indy in no time. Her other big accomplishment is that she can clearly say "daddy" and she says it nearly all the time. She just adores Bryan, and so it's no surprise that she often crawls around the house calling for him, even when he's not home.

I'm a little sad that Elise's first birthday is over, but it's so fun to have a one year old. I can only hope that her 2nd year is just as great as the first.

early birthday fun

2009-10-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

I just had to have one. Everyone said their kids adored theirs, and they played with it for years. But really, is it all that great? We found on on Sunday night.

We bought Elise a cozy coup for her 1st birthday. The beautiful thing about a 1-year old is that they don't know what the big red box in the living room contains, and they can't exactly ask. Elise has been climbing around and looking at her present for almost a month, happy as a clam to have something new and exciting to pound her hands on.

On Sunday evening, Bryan assembled the cozy coup. It is really the cutest thing! It has a locking door, a movable steering wheel, an open and close gas cap, and even a little license plate. It took no time at all before Elise was climbing in and out of it, pushing it around the house, and loving any ride that we're willing to give her in it. She can't quite honk the horn yet, but she's working on it.

So, they were all spot-on right. Our cozy coup is our new favorite toy, and I predict that it'll be a favorite for a very long time.

Signing Success

2009-09-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have been signing with Elise since about 6 months. I think that she recognized the signs, but, until last week she didn't sign them herself. Her first sign was "all done," which she'll sign as soon as she sits in her chair, so I don't think she really gets it, but it's a start. Today I taught her "please," and she has been doing it all day. Again, not sure she really understands, but the fact that she's excited to communicate and she's learning is a success in my book. Here she is at her afternoon snack signing "please":

These are a few of my favorite things.....

2009-09-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Elise has always been a happy little girl, and over the past few weeks we've noticed a few things that really get her all excited. It's so fun to discover her personality as it develops. It seems like she's doing something new nearly every day! Here is our picture list of Elise's favorite things at almost 11 months old:

Feeding Indy

Climbing up and down the stairs all by herself!

Getting into the fridge every chance she gets

Climbing into her toy basket or any other basket that she can fit herself into

Sitting, kissing, playing with, and petting Indy

Watching Jeopardy-it's the only show she'll watch, really!

Watching daddy mow the lawn

on the move

2009-08-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

This is Elise's latest thing. She has figured out her push toy, and she loves to "walk" around the house. This video isn't great, but you'll get the idea. Now, if we could just teach her how to turn......

"International" fun

2009-08-24T12:14:00.001-07:00

We've had a little bit of 'international" fun the last two weekends. First, we traveled to Canada to visit a college friend of mine. The DeVrieses, Nymans, and us left on Friday evening and drove to London, Ontario to visit the Kooys. Between the four families, we had 5 kids under 2 1/2 years old. Elise was the only girl! Needless to say, we had a very busy, fun time with everyone. We spent a better part of our day on Saturday at Storybook Gardens right in London. It was a huge park with animals, storybook statues, a train, a jungle gym, and a splash pad. The kids had a riot, and Elise enjoyed playing with Bryan at the splash pad. It was Elise's first time to stay in a hotel, and she did very well. We never really love sharing a room with her because she's kind of a noisy sleeper, but we all slept well after playing so hard. It was a short weekend as we left right after brunch on Sunday, but we all promised to do it again soon.

Elise loved playing with her daddy at the splash pad. The water was cold, but she did great!

The girls: Tara (with Luke), Beth, Erica, and me. Rooks girls forever. :)

Our picnic at the gardens: this picture doesn't quite capture the chaos and mayhem. :)

Our next little "international" adventure took us to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek where we met up with Bryan's whole family for the afternoon. We met for a great picnic lunch at noon on Saturday and then enjoyed the zoo all day. The best part of Binder Park Zoo is definitely the "Wild Africa" exhibit, which requires a tram ride to get to and entertained us for most of our stay at the zoo. We saw all kinds of African animals, and the best part was feeding the giraffes. They are right at eye level and eat out of your hand! Elise wasn't afraid of any of the animals, and it was no surprise that the wild dogs kept her attention the best. She also waved at the goats and laughed at the prairie dogs. I think that the zoo may become a favorite outing in the years to come.

The best way to see the zoo is definitely on daddy's shoulders!

Gma and Gpa Linn with their grand kids: Elise , Charlotte (2yr), and Isaac (3yr)

Waving at the goats. Okay, so this is kind of a silly picture, but I was just so surprised how much she actually paid attention to the animals. :)

A Few Firsts

2009-07-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

A few firsts for Elise this week included spaghetti dinner, climbing up all 14 of our stairs and surprising mommy at the top (daddy was "watching" her!), feeding the ducks, a new big girl car seat, and, unfortunately, a fever. I took a few pictures of the spaghetti dinner and car seat, but I didn't have the heart to take a picture of her sick-she was just too miserable. Thankfully the fever/cold ended on Monday afternoon, and she is back to her happy self today. We had her 9 month appointment on Monday and she's doing great! She's still tall, 65th percentile in height, and thin, 25th percentile weight, which we don't understand because she eats all the time!

She loved to climb in and out of her new big girl car seat as it sat in the kitchen.

Hopefully she'll like it just as much inside the car.

Feeding the ducks at Huizenga Park. Daddy had to hold Indy back or none of the ducks would even come near us, and mommy had to hold the bread or Elise would have eaten it all!

Spaghetti...what a mess! She LOVED it and even figured out how to slurp the noodles into her mouth, too cute. Notice Indy standing by.....

She stopped just long enough for me to take her picture, and then it was off to the stairs! She's sporting her Calvin t-shirt. Thanks Aunt Angela!

He's Home!

2009-07-20T12:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of our new nephew, Felmeta Judah Hoekstra, who came home from Ethiopia on Saturday.

Bryan and I had prepared ourselves to meet a shy, crabby, and overwhelmed 3-year old little boy who had just traveled over 30 hours. We figured we'd need to give him some space, be gentle and not too affectionate. We couldn't have been farther from the truth!

Felmeta is a very energetic, happy little boy who was so excited to see all of us. He came right up to the large group gathered at the airport and gave us high-fives. He immediately took Noah's hand and even said both Noah and Ella's names. He was excited to show off his light-up tennis shoes, and eager to check out everyone. He even gave Elise a kiss and put her shoe back on. Jessica says that he "has a smile that won't quit." He is going to be such a fun part of our family!

Jessica is an excellent writer and has kept a really good account of their adoption journey thus far. Her blog is linked to mine, if you want to check it out.

9 Months ago......

2009-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Elise Jolea is 9 months old today! I say it every month, but holy cow is she growing fast! In the last week she has learned to wave (mostly at herself in the mirror), clap her hands, and get into anything and everything that's less than 3 feet from the floor. Life around the Linn house is more fun and busy every day. :)

Nine months ago I was 10 days overdue, uncomfortable, and slightly annoyed at my sister Jessica's excitement day after day about the baby. I know the Bushes and the Linns were all very excited to meet our baby girl, but nobody was as excited as Jessica. At the time I thought she was just crazy. She was crazy enough to call every day, drive past the hospital looking for our car, wake up in the night wondering if we were in labor, and drop by in those last few days with treats to brighten my day.

Now the tables are turned. Jess and Paul are on their way back from Ethiopia right now. Their plane took off about an hour ago, and I can think of little else than the little boy sitting between then in seat E, on his way to a whole new life with the Hoekstras. And I might be going a little crazy. Crazy enough to check my email almost hourly, constantly figure out what time it is in Ethiopia, and look at Felmeta's pictures over and over again. I just can't wait to meet their newest son.

Turns out neither one of us is crazy. Sisters are just like this. It's in our going crazy that we show each other how much we love them.

I can't wait until tomorrow. I can't wait to see them walking up the gate, probably tired, holding on to the newest Hoekstra. I can't wait to see this boy from halfway around the world make his place in the Hoekstra family.

Finally, I can't wait to see what the next nine months will hold. In 9 months Elise will probably be talking. And I bet that she'll be able to talk about her cousin, Felmeta, who looks nothing like her but is as much a part of our family as she is.

busy girl.....

2009-07-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I were trying to get dinner cleaned up, and we found Elise entertaining herself IN the dishwasher. It was hard to tell her "no" when we're both laughing and taking picttures. :) Her other love is the refrigerator. She is such a busy little girl, and we are just trying to keep up!

Weekend Fun

2009-06-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to live in west Michigan. Bryan and I have said so many times over the last couple weeks how nice it is to live where people come to vacation. One of the best parts of the weekend was taking Elise to the beach for the very first time. She just loves being outside, and so we were pretty confident that an evening at the beach would be a lot of fun. We picked up a $5 pizza and made our way to the Holland State Park. Watching boats, listening to the waves, dodging poorly thrown footballs, and a walk on the pier and up the shoreline made for a great night...hopefully the first of many over the summer.

Eight Months!

2009-06-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is already eight months old! Elise has changed a lot in the last month.

The biggest change is that she is very very mobile. Poor Indy gets "chased" around all day by our little mover. As soon as Elise gets close to Indy, he gets up and goes to the opposite side of the room, and so Elise just turns herself around and heads toward him all over again. It's entertaining and exhausting all at the same time.

Elise has decided that she really prefers to feed herself. She has pretty much abandoned being spoon-fed and throws a fit if we try it. She is basically surviving on formula, cheerios, bananas, and frozen waffles. I'm trying to get a little more creative, and introduce things like peaches, avocados, peas and carrots. So far she has just one front tooth, and we're hoping for more to follow soon.

Some new favorites of Elise's include her swimming pool, the wipes wrapper, standing up her crib to look outside, saying "dadadadadada!", playing with her friend, Leyton, and feeding Indy from her highchair....a battle I will not win.

We are so thankful for our happy, healthy little girl. Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks....

Seriously?!

2009-06-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

I went garage saling last weekend to get a few new toys for Elise. She was gone for the weekend with Bryan's parents, and it just felt good to shop for a few fun things for her. I found some great additions to our already overflowing toy basket.

So, tonight I introduced her to my exciting finds. She humored me for maybe 10 seconds and then headed straight for....

....the dog's bone: Indy's chewed-up, sometimes left outside dirty old dog bone.

Go figure!

Crawling!

2009-05-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

Elise started crawling last night, and she's really getting around! Check out this video from today....

80 degrees and Sunny!

2009-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

How wonderful is it that it's springtime!?! I just came inside from being out on the deck, finishing a good book, and the windows are open.....oh how I hope for this weather to never end!

I ran to Meijer last night to get a few groceries, and I think it's so funny that after just a couple days of really nice weather so many of us have bad tan/burn lines! It just shows how desperate we all are for some sunshine after a long winter.

Bryan, Elise, and I have enjoyed a few of the best parts of summer already. We enjoyed ice cream at Captain Sundae, cleaned up the yard and spread bark (it looks so nice!), taken a couple walks with Indy, and had the top down on the convertible almost all week. We're looking forward to a fun memorial day weekend in Indianapolis for the race on Sunday. This is Bryan's most favorite event of the whole year!

Springtime has been so fun with a little girl! Elise is seven months in May, and all of a sudden she is bound and determined to move. She isn't crawling officially, but she can move around just enough for us to start thinking about baby gates. New favorites include her outdoor swing, the Velcro on her tennis shoes, her toes, anything paper, mom's purse, mango dessert baby food, singing-anybody singing anything, and Gerber puffs.

A quick bee update: the bees are doing great. They're making honey and honeycomb, laying eggs, the queen is healthy and happy, and so is the bee-keeper.

Tulip Time Fun

2009-05-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Tulip Time is well-underway, and we are having a marvelous time!

Bryan's Uncle Dave and his wife, Lisa, and Lisa's mom, Betty visited us this past weekend. They had never been to Holland before and came to check out the tulip festival. So, we toured them around Holland as best as we could and enjoyed being tourists in our own town! We spent most of Saturday downtown, watching the dutch dancers, shopping, admiring the beautiful tulips, and taking a trolley tour through the city. We ended the day with a visit to Veldheer Tulip farms where we bought the smallest wooden shoes I have ever seen....a perfect fit for Elise. Sunday brought us to windmill island and then a delicious lunch at New Holland Brew.

This week has been busy so far with dutch dance and meeting friends downtown for junk food. I don't recommend trying the Italian sausage on the same night as trying the onion rings.....just a thought.

Elise has been a pretty good sport with all the stroller rides and changing clothes into and out of her dutch costume, but I've found that she pretty much hates wearing it and will put up a fuss just to be released from all that lace. I won't even mention how she feels about her hat.

We enjoyed scrubbing the streets this afternoon with my dad, sisters, and my niece and nephew. It turned out to be a beautiful day! We always say that we might skip it, but then we always end up going and having a wonderful time.

The rest of the week will be more of the same: dutch dancing, junk food, friends, parades. FUN, FUN, FUN! Here are a few pictures of the last couple days:

Elise and Me in front of the house in our costumes, some day we'll have matching!

Thef amily: Dad, Ella, Abby, Noah, Jessica, Elise, and Me ready to scrub the streets! (we missed mom this year, she was home vacuuming water)

My niece, Ella

My nephew, Noah

Me, Jessica, Abby

My dad, carrying a tired Elise through the parade

Our family downtown...some year Bryan will have a costume, too!

Six Months Old

2009-04-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Elise is six months old today! My how time flies! Everyone tells you to enjoy your babies because they grow up so fast, and a few months ago I thought they were crazy, but now I totally know what they were talking about.

In just one month Elise has changed in so many ways. Elise can now sit up on her own, take tubbies in the big bath, eat baby food (she loves all foods that start with "p"-pears, peas, peaches...), ride in her jog stroller, pet the dog, fake cough to get attention, put her own pacifier in her mouth, and sleep from 8:30 pm to 7:00 am!

Bryan often says that every time he's with her, she's doing something new and amazing. We are very proud of Elise, and feel so blessed to have such a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Bee-Keeping 101

2009-04-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

They're here, and they're happy! Three thousand bees arrived at our house just after the church service on Friday night. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was such a surprise to see so many bees in such a small mesh box! Because it was later in the evening and close to dusk, we couldn't hive the bees Friday night, but they needed somewhere to stay, so they rented a downstairs closet for the evening and were no trouble at all.

On Saturday, Bryan and my dad hived the bees. It was a perfect day-sunny, calm, and 62 degrees. Hiving the bees basically means that they transferred the bees from their temporary mesh travel box into the hive, where the bees will build honeycomb and eventually make honey. Bryan got all suited up in his gear(my dad went without-so brave!) and introduced the bees to their home. They also provided the bees with some food for now until they can go out and collect pollen to make their own.

On Sunday, we had our annual Easter gathering with tons of family and friends, all of whom were quite interested in the bees in the backyard. After our lunch, we all headed back to the hive so that Bryan could check on the bees, make sure the queen was still okay (very important!), and show off his new hobby. It's probably a good thing that the bees are staying at my parents' house. I think that if they were just outside our door, Bryan would be too tempted to visit every day! As odd as this all sounds, it was really a lot of fun, and I hope that our bee-keeping days are just beginning. The best part of all the bee activities this weekend was that nobody got stung!!

The Bees are Coming!!!

2009-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, the bees are on their way. That's right, bees. This endeavor began when Bryan and I watched a program on PBS last spring about the honey bee crisis. Apparently, honey bees are dying in droves every year, threatening the pollination of all of our flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The Bee Movie actually did a very good job at explaining what's happening with the honey bees. After a lot of encouragement from my family, Bryan ordered the bee stuff and the bees. The hive box came in a billion pieces that we (Bryan) has to paint and assemble, which he is going to do this weekend with the help from my dad and a friend. He also ordered all the gear so that he can take good care of the bees (doesn't he look cute in his veil??) Then....the bees will arrive Easter weekend! I think that the hive comes with a couple thousand bees, including the queen. I've named her Deborah, which means "honey bee." Now, a note to all our neighbors: our bees will not be living in our backyard. They will be out at my parents' house where the bees will enjoy feasting on the blueberry farms and my dad's tomatoes. We'll let you know when we have honey to share!!

Florida Fun

2009-03-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it may be snowing outside, and the laundry is a little overwhelming, but it's good to be home! Bryan, Elise, and I had a great time in Panama City Beach, Florida, with Bryan's mom and dad. Elise did great in the van on the way there and back. I kinda figured she'd sleep most of the time because a car ride usually has that effect on her, but I think she was just too excited to be on vacation, and so she was pleasantly awake for a lot of the trek.

Our time there included lots of firsts for Elise: first boat ride, first time to the beach, first time swimming, and first night away from mom and dad when she roomed with her grandma and grandpa for a couple nights. Overall, we had a very relaxing week with plenty of sunshine. We golfed a little, shopped a little, relaxed by the pool, read a lot, played cards, ate out, slept in, walked on the beach, boogie boarded in the ocean, and enjoyed lots of good time together-which is what vacation is all about. Here's a few of my favorite pictures of our time there:

life with a 5-month old

2009-03-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

While Bryan and I feel like life has been speeding by the past few weeks (maybe months!) Elise is already 5 months old! She is getting more fun by the day, and she's always revealing something else amazing that she can do. Sticking her tongue out at me, splashing in the tub, and giggling are a couple of my favorites. Screaming and spitting her cereal back at me...not as much. :) She's still sleeping through most of the night, and she can even sit up all on her own. She definately feels more like a little girl than a baby. Our friends comment that she has "quite the personality," and we're proud to agree.

Bryan is still working really hard at Innotec. Although his stress isn't much better, he is able to sleep most of the night now, which is a huge improvement from a few weeks ago. He's enjoying some big 10 basketball in Indianapolis today and tomorrow with his dad and mine. It'll be soooo good for him to be with a couple of his favorite people, relaxing and enjoying some good games. It's sometimes so hard to know how to best support him through this tough spot, and I'm so glad he can feel good about taking the time off from work to go have fun.

Overall, Bryan and I have always been really good about not being too busy or being over-commited. It just seems that this season of life is just that: super-busy and speeding by. I'm not sure how to get it back under control, and I fear that maybe this is just how life as parents will always be. We're trying to be intentional about our time and commitments, and I really hope that as the weather turns nice, we'll be able to slow down a little bit. In any case, we're thankful for our healthy little girl, our good jobs, and our wonderful families. Life is good!

Here are a few pictures of the last couple weeks.....

Elise and friend, Leyton Gritter

Sitting up with Indy close by

4 and 1/2 months old

Cereal fun

It's been a big week!

2009-02-07T06:36:00.001-08:00

We've had a fun week. Our most exciting news is that Elise has slept through the night for 7 nights in a row! I keep waiting for the trend to stop, but so far it seems that she likes it just as much as I do.

Our next big milestone came on Thursday when I realized that her feet were finally big enough for shoes! I was so excited for her to wear the little robeez that have been sitting in her closet for almost 4 months just waiting to be worn. I actually had a very difficult time picking out which shoes to wear each day, and I even kept them on for naps. :) So far she doesn't seem to mind them, and they really make her look like such a little person, not the little baby we met 3 1/2 months ago.

As if sleeping through the night and wearing shoes weren't enough, this morning she topped off the week with rolling over! She was playing under her Einstein gym, on her back, and all of a sudden she turned to her left and rolled over onto her belly! She was very proud of herself and even liked being on her tummy for a while. I've tried to get her repeat this very impressive stunt for Bryan, but it seems that she'll only do it when she wants to. Daddy will just have to wait and watch for her to do it again.

I used to wonder why moms got so excited for things like rolling over, but I'm right there now, and I just can't seem to contain my excitement for these things. Elise is becomming her own little person each day, and before we know it she'll be working on her first words and taking her first steps. I can't wait to celebrate all those milestones in the months and years to come.

Fireproof

2009-02-01T08:14:00.001-08:00

So, Bryan and I finally watched Fireproof. What a fantastic film! I can't believe that a church community is capable of creating and producing such a life-changing movie. I guess it just shows that when God is in charge, all things are possible.

At the beginning of the movie, Bryan and I were kind of making fun of some of the acting. (not Kirk Cameron, I love him and may or may not have had a bigger than life-size poster of him in my bedroom as a middleschooler) As the movie progressed, though, we forgot all about the poor acting and really took in all that the story was telling us. We both agree that we have a great marriage, and although since having Elise we're more than just a tick distracted, we're far from any marital crisis. Even so, I can sense that each of us has a renewed excitement in our marriage. Isn't it amazing that a two-hour movie can bring about something like that? I think that the best message that I took away from the movie was the idea that you love your spouse with your actions whether they deserve it or not, whether they're reciprocating or not. This isn't anything new for me and Bryan, but it's good to be reminded and to remember how easily our attitude can transform our marriage.

3 months old!

2009-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Elise turned 3 months old this past weekend, and although 3 months doesn't exactly call for a party, it's amazing to me how fast 3 months has gone! She isn't a tiny baby anymore, and she has developed a personality stronger than I expected any infant to have....no idea where that comes from. :) So far I have learned that Elise loves to be sung to, hates her winter hats, prefers to close her eyes when she eats even though she isn't sleeping, likes to stand up all the time (I think that she would sleep standing up if she could!), loves tubbies, tolerates Indy kisses and likes to watch him when he comes to check her out, loves to suck on her fingers, she'll copy you if you stick out your tongue at her, hates when I have to put the onesie over her head when getting her dressed, and although she's quite serious most of the time, she'll smile at her daddy any time of day or night.

2009-01-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

While it's snowing outside and Elise and I are considering a 3rd nap for the day...hers, not mine...I'm figuring my way through this new world of blogging. How fun!

It's been 12 weeks and 3 days since Elise entered our world, and I'm finally feeling like a mom....at least Elise's mom. People start calling you a mom as soon as you have the baby, but I think that it takes a few weeks...maybe months....before you really feel like one. I'm not sure what exactly happens that makes you a mom, but it might have something do with..... deciphering a hungry v tired cry, making all the noises to go with the animal picture book, taking pictures every day, singing head and shoulders, knees, and toes for the 10th time today with just as much enthusiasm as I had this morning, praying praying praying for Elise's health and well-being. I don't know for sure, but I can imagine that this mom thing gets more and more real as time goes by. So far, my identity as a mom seems like a novelty and a little awkward, too. But I bet that it becomes more a part of you each day....a natural, constant, wonderful and forever part of you.