Life With The De Vries Family

Christmas

2012-01-20T19:47:00.003-06:00

Better late than never. We celebrated with my family on Christmas Eve with a nice big dinner first. After dinner the girls wanted to open gifts right away but they still have not learned that we need to take picture's first. Christmas day we went to church and came home and made a brunch. The girls opened their stockings will the food was cooking. After we ate we opened our gifts. I love seeing the girls faces while they open their gifts. This year Kenzie was not so happy about any of her gifts and she sure let us know. Corey always gets the girl's a little something from him. This year he went for "boy" toys a nurf guns, over the door basketball hoop, and a pink bb gun. Late afternoon we headed to the farm to do the chores for Coreys dad. The girls love going to the farm to help. Brooke and Ashley helped put the hay in the cow pins. After the farm we headed to Coreys parents house. We usually go sledding, but no snow this year so they did a scavenger hunt in the house. We opened stocking and then had supper. The kids couldn't wait to open gifts so we let them open gifts first. While the kids played with their new toys us adults opened out gifts. We had a great Christmas this year!!

Walt Disney World

2012-01-02T15:47:00.010-06:00

When Brooke was five years old I took her to Disney just the two of us. It was so much fun seeing Disney through her eyes and to have one on one time with her. Corey made the mistake and said "That I should do this with all the girls when they are five". Well we added Ashley after so that means two more trip's to Disney. This year was Kenzies turn to go. We headed out on December 4 - 10th. Kenzie never flew before and she loved it, maybe because I let her chew gum. She loved looking out the window and the snacks/pop we got. We had a direct flight from GR to Orlando and everything went good. We landed in 80 degree weather!!!! We got the the resort and had fun walking around and eating supper. We headed to Animal Kingdom the first day and then at night went to Magic Kingdom for the light parade and the fireworks. I think Kenzie is going to be a thrill seeker. She was not interested in the animals but wanted to ride the rides over and over again. The second day we headed to the Epcot in the morning and rode a few rides and then headed back to the hotel for lunch. The rest of the afternoon/night we headed to Magic Kingdom. We rode a few rides and got some character signature's. That night we watched the movie Tangled by the pool. The third day we stayed at the hotel. We slept in and had breakfast by the pool. We walked around the hotel to take a few pictures and then we went swimming for the afternoon. Kenzie made a friend by the pool but there was one problem she spoke French. This didn't stop the girls from playing together. That night we headed to Downtown Disney to eat at Rainforest Cafe and to shop. It got really cold and rainy while we were there and Kenzies stomach hurt so we only shopped for what we needed and headed back to the hotel. The forth day we spent the whole day at Magic Kingdom. It was cold that day in the 60's and boy did I hear about it from Kenzie the whole day "I'm so cold mom". Most of the day was spent getting all the princess signature's. Since it was cold out that day Kenzie had a sweatshirt on over they Mickey shirt I made her, but every time we got up to one of the princess she would say "I'm hot mom" and take her sweatshirt off. When she was done she would always put it back on. The fifth day we went back to Magic Kingdom in the morning to do a few things and then headed to MGM for the rest of the day. We went to the Little Mermaid Show and they asked Kenzie if she wanted to introduce the show? Of course Kenzie said "yes". We ended the night seeing the Osborne Christmas lights (5 million lights) along with falling snow. This was such a great trip with Kenzie. It was so much fun to see her excitement seeing everything. The weather was great in the 80's everyday except that one cold day. Her favorite part had to be seeing all the princess. She would always tell me "Mom, they look so beautiful" Everyone did well at home while we were gone. Brooke was ready for me to be back so I could pack her lunches again. Thanks to both grandparents for watching Ashley during the day's. Here a few pictures of the trip o.k. maybe more than a few.

Three Years Ago

2011-12-29T20:20:00.003-06:00

Three years ago today we almost lost our dear sweet Ashley to RSV. That night is so vivid in my mind. I don't think I will ever get those images out of my mind. We are so thankful that she is still with us today. Everytime she comes up and gives me a hug or a kiss I thank God for saving her life that night.

Above - Three years ago at 2 weeks old.

Below - Today at 3 years old and one healthy little girl. She makes us laugh everyday!!

Happy Birthday Brooke

2011-12-29T19:51:00.004-06:00

Our first born turned 9 on December 17!!! One more year and then we are in the double digits - yikes!! She had a good birthday, but she did say it didn't seem like her birthday since it was on a Saturday. On Friday Grandma Tubergan took her to get her nails done and to have some feathers put in her hair. We had a party on Saturday with the families. Some of the things she enjoys are reading, crafts, drawing, and writing. I think we might have an artist on our hands.

Happy Birthday Ashley

2011-12-17T14:36:00.007-06:00

Ashley turned 3 on December 4. I can't believe our baby is 3 already - sniff, sniff. We had a party for her on the 2nd since Kenzie and I left for Florida on the 4th. She loved having everyone over and made sure they knew it was HER birthday. She got lot's of gifts and had to play with all of them right away. It was so fun to watch her play with them, she didn't know what one to play with first. Happy Birthday dear sweet Ashley!!!

The Perfect Tree

2011-11-26T16:07:00.003-06:00

Every year we head out to cut a Christmas tree with my family. We have cut in blizzards, rain, and warm days. This year turned out to be a perfect sunny day to pick out our perfect tree. It's just not the same without snow thou. We had our tree's picked out within 15 minutes and the girls were upset that it didn't take long this year. We set the tree up today with the girls with candy canes and all.

Halloween

2011-11-19T14:32:00.002-06:00

It's a little late, but I still wanted to post about it. This year Brooke was a princess, Kenzie the witch, and Ashley the ladybug. We only stopped to my parents house and then headed to our church for Trunk or Treats. We made an early night of it since the both had school the next day.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-28T09:44:00.004-05:00

We headed over to my parents house to carve our pumpkin's a few weeks ago. The girl's were so excited to carve. Brooke was the only one that carved her own pumpkin. Kenzie picked all the pumpkin seeds out and Ashley rode bikes in the garage.Finished!!! Kenzie/Mom carved a cat, Ashley/Dad carved the face, and Brooke carved the haunted house.
Since my Sister-in-law has not posted in a LONG time (hint). Here is Jack sporting a pumpkin hat.

Cousins

2011-10-24T13:14:00.003-05:00

Here are a few picture's of the Tubergan cousins.

Art Prize

2011-10-18T13:02:00.002-05:00

A little behind here on the blog. Brooke and I went to Art Prize for a night with my mom. It was a beautiful night so it was great walking around GR. Brooke LOVES art so she gets into it by reading about each piece of art.

De Vries Chick's

2011-09-29T10:58:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shots of the girls I took last week.

Labor Day

2011-09-19T13:43:00.005-05:00

We never go any where over Labor Day, with the girls in school already. This year we ventured seven miles north with the trailer to West Olive. We camped in the in-laws yard for the weekend. We had so much fun, who knew there is so much to do in West Olive? The girls had a blast and we think it was their best camping trip of the year. We brought our "big" pool along and filled it up with hot water and the girls called it their hot tub. We went stooped to red neck level and set up a big slip and slide with tarps in the back yard. It might have been red neckish, but it sure was the highlight of the weekend by all. The girls got to play in the creek for the first time. We went hiking at Hemlock Crossing one morning. We ventured down the Pigeon River in canoes. We started at the in-laws and almost made it to the lake. From the in-laws to Hemlock Crossings was NO FUN. It's not cleared out so we had to walk in the river most of the way with sticks, trees, branches, and big holes that you don't see until your waste deep. The kids stayed in the canoes since they were so light, but the rest of us walked. Next time we will be starting at Hemlock. Other than starting out we had a great time of the river! Brooke wanted to shoot the bb gun, 4-10, and the bow so bad so we spent an afternoon shooting. We had a great time and we hope to do it again next year.

How can it be?

2011-09-01T13:13:00.004-05:00

How can summer be over already? I'm sure I say this every year, but summer just flew by and we still have a list of things we would like to do yet. The girls went back to school this week. They were so ready to be back and I was ready too. I don't like the waking up early part and the driving them in every day. I don't know how I have a 3rd grader and a Kindergartner already. Kenzie goes 2 1/2 days a week. This is a big change for her going the full days. Kenzie's first day was Tuesday all day and she loved it. I picked her up after school and asked how her day went she said "Awesome and I didn't eat my sandwich" oh Kenzie. Ashley was lost most of the day with her sister's gone. It was so quite in the house no fighting which has been terrible the last few weeks of summer. Brooke had a good first day too. Her favorite part was Math and the least favorite part was all the reading they did. She seems to enjoy her teacher too which is good coming from a very high dynamic classroom last year. I hope and pray that all the teacher's and student's have a great year!Kenzie looking over her room on Monday before school starts.

A New Nephew and Cousin

2011-08-25T15:50:00.002-05:00

My Brother Brandon and his wife Kristin welcomed a baby boy into their family on August 4. They named him Jack William and he weighed 6 pounds and is as cute as ever. He was two weeks early which was a big surprise to all of us. If things couldn't get better for them that week Brandon also was hired full time by Ottawa County. I think they had a pretty good week!

Cadillac

2011-08-15T12:25:00.007-05:00

We spent a week camping at Cadillac with the De Vries family. This year it was nice and hot, which made having air in the trailer wonderful. The older girls loved fishing this year and they went out every morning and night with Dad and Grandpa. They caught a lot of fish so it was fun for them to go and a nice little break for me :) Most mornings while they were fishing Ashley, Grandma, and I went for a bike ride around the lake. We also went swimming a few times, craft time at the host site, Nature Center, naps, walks, and boat rides. Kenzie wanted to learn to ride a two wheeler while we were gone. Corey worked with her every day, but no luck. Corey went home for one day to work so it was just us girls for the day and we kept busy the whole time. On the way home we got a flat tire on the trailer so we spent an hour on the side of the road. I was in my car waiting which has no air and three girls all sitting next to each other which = not a fun time for me. We all made it home in one piece so I guess that's good. Sorry blogger wouldn't let me move the picture's so they are all over.

Remembering Grace Olivia Tubergan

2011-08-02T08:57:00.005-05:00

On July 23, 2010 we said hello and goodbye to our sweet niece Grace Olivia. To remember her one year later I picked up three pink balloons for the girls to color. On Saturday we went to the backyard and let them go. The girls all enjoyed doing this and it came with many questions about Grace. I had tears in my eyes seeing those balloons go up and knowing why they were doing it for their cousin.

Big Star Lake

2011-07-22T12:25:00.010-05:00

We spent another week at Big Star Lake with the Kerkstra family. As long as I remember we have been going up to the cottage with this family. The years have gone by and no more 24 hours of non stop knee boarding, tubing, swimming, diving, boat riding. These days consist of no more relaxing for me. During the week the girls got to go tubing a few times, boat rides which they drove (thanks Greg) we were all a little dizzy after Kenzie's driving which consisted of circles the whole time. The girls well Kenzie for the most part caught dead fish, frogs, and even dead worms. Corey was only up until Sunday night which met I was on my own the rest of the week. It was fun sitting on the beach watching Brooke and Kenzie play together and have fun, but I kept my eyes peeled to the water to make sure they didn't go any where. Every year gets easier with the girls growing up and not having to help them with everything. This year I made it the whole week!!! Thanks to my mom for helping and to older cousins that love to play with my girls!! It was not all fun and games this year. One night I was getting ready for bed and seen a snake IN our cottage. For those that know me I HATE snakes. I ran to the other cottage and my uncle and grandpa went to get it. They finally got it and they said "It was a small 2 foot gardner snake" (that's not small-it's large in my book). We didn't tell the girls until we got home. If the girls weren't there I would have packed up and gone home the next day after sleeping someplace else. I was curled up on the couch crying because I didn't want to go back to the cottage. My uncles tore the cottage apart that night and found nothing else. I won the brave mom award and slept in there that night, but didn't fall asleep until 4 in the morning. Every night I slept with a blanket under the door so nothing would come in. All in all it was a good week. It's fun to see my girls enjoying the cottage like I use to when I was little.

Let the Camping Begin

2011-06-28T13:11:00.006-05:00

We headed to Cadillac last week for a long weekend of camping. This was our first camping trip of the summer and the girl's couldn't wait. We went with three other couples from church so we had a total of 11 kids under 8 and 8 adults. Call us crazy, but we love it. All the kids get along so well and the only arguments were with their siblings. The kids did a lot of fun things this year that included riding bike, playground, fishing, nature center, bow shooting, tubing, swimming, fires, and so much more. The weather was crappy Wednesday and Thursday but was great the rest of the week. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Kenzie and Corey's catch one morning. Ashley loved swinging.Kenzie and Corey tubing. This was the first year we had a speed boat up and the kids loved tubing. For the first time Brooke went tubing without an adult :( She's growing up way to fast.Ashley enjoying her ice cream cone. She was covered with ice cream from head to toe. Kenzie was old enough this year to shoot bow.Ashley would spend hours riding her bike on the road in front of the trailer. Brooke doing what she loves to do - read.

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-24T10:16:00.002-05:00

The girls took swimming lessons for the last two weeks. They really enjoyed swimming and never wanted to leave. Brooke did an awesome job this year, swimming on her own and jumping off the diving board. Kenzie did a good job too. I think it was more of a social time for her. By the end of the two weeks everyone knew we had kittens and that she was going camping :)

ZCS Zip 5k

2011-05-27T09:24:00.009-05:00

Brooke and I ran the ZCS Zip 5K last week Saturday. We had a great time running/walking together. Corey and the girls were there to cheer us on, which was fun. I was a little worried that Brooke would not make it the whole way due to cramps (which she gets when she runs). I was going to push her the whole way because I knew she could do it if she was feeling good. Well news to me she was pushing me the whole way!! We finished in 43.15 minutes - not to bad for walking part of the way. We will be doing it again next year so hopefully improve on our time. I better keep running :)

Before the race. At the half way point. Notice Kenzie running with me in the back. She was so upset that she could not run with us. Well she ran with me for three feet and fell on the ground. Enough said :)Finish line!!!!FINISHED!! Enjoying our drink and food. Notice my face is bright red and Brooke looks like it was no work at all. Oh to be young again.

Art Prize Winner and My Girls

2011-05-24T11:57:00.003-05:00

The Art Prize winner this year was a Freedom Village doing face drawings. I took the girl's to get each of theirs done. I framed them and hung them in the toy room. Brooke really enjoyed doing this since she went to Art Prize this year and seen his drawing.

Tulip Time

2011-05-21T12:36:00.004-05:00

Tulip Time for us this year consisted of one night of taking picture's and the Wednesday parade. The girls were happy that they got cotton candy and never asked to go back downtown again.

Mother's Day

2011-05-15T14:59:00.004-05:00

I had a great Mother's Day this year. We celebrated with the Tubergan family on Friday and the De Vries family party was canceled. We had the whole day at home with the family. We picked up pizza for lunch which was nice and easy. I got a nap in while Corey and the girls went to the garden to work. After they got home they gave me their gifts. Brooke had a scavenger hunt for me which was candy. Kenzie and Brooke gave me flowers that they did in school. Corey gave me money towards a necklace with the girls names on. I have a few picked out I just need to decided and order it. Since we didn't have to go any where at night we decided to head to Grand Haven to walk the pier. We planned on only walking half the pier but it was such a nice day we walked the whole way. The girls were hungry after their long walk and wanted supper. We told them they could have ice cream for supper and they just looked at us like really. The girls are still talking about having ice cream for supper and asking when they can have it again for supper.

Let the Planting Begin

2011-05-10T17:15:00.004-05:00

Corey started the garden last week. He took Brooke and Kenzie with him to "help" plant. Brooke just loves being out there planting, weeding, and picking. Kenzie just loves to get dirty while at the garden. We said that we were going to scale down this year, but it's about the same size as last year. I just can't wait for those fresh veggies and fruit this summer.

This is Kenzies little garden that she planted.

They Get it!!

2011-04-22T09:54:00.001-05:00

I found this in Brooke and Kenzie's room this morning.

New Kitten's

2011-04-21T13:07:00.002-05:00

When Corey took Whiskers home last year he picked out a girl cat. I said to him "Why a girl, because we will be having kitten's every year" Well just little less than a year we have baby kitten's. We thought she was pregnant, but not a 100% sure. Well sure enough three weeks ago she had 4 kitten's. Kenzie was so excited about the babies - she LOVES Whiskers. The were born on Kenzie's birthday party so everyone kept going outside to see how many were born. Kenzie is so proud of Whiskers that she is such a good mommy. If Whiskers is not with the babies she will go out and find Whiskers and tell her "your not a good mom" and brings her back to the babies. They are now three weeks old and their eyes are open and trying to stand. I got to admit that they are cute. We will be getting rid of them after six weeks so if you know anyone that wants a cat we have four of them.

Really - April 18????

2011-04-19T16:16:00.004-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Kenzie

2011-04-13T13:28:00.004-05:00

Kenzie turned 5 last week Thursday. She was so excited that it was "her" day. She told me Thursday that she couldn't pick up or clean that day, because it was her birthday and you don't do that on your special day!! Leave it to Kenzie to come up with stuff like that. Kenzie choose to go to Russ' for supper on Thursday, just because she could get a milk shake. We celebrated with our family Thursday night and we had family over on Friday night for her party. She got a great birthday gift - Whiskers had kittens that night and she was SO excited and that's all she could talk about. Our lives would be so dull with us we didn't have Kenzie around the house.

Goodbye's

2011-04-10T16:39:00.003-05:00

We had to say goodbye to some good friends last week. Our neighbors left to move back home to Oklahoma. They were only here for 7 months, but it seemed like we have known each other forever. We did so many fun things with them and their little girl played so well with my girls. There's nothing better than opening the garage door and having your friends right there. It was so hard to see them pack up the truck and leave. They live about 3 hours away from Kansas City so I'm trying to talk Corey into going down there this fall to visit them.

One last swing ride with Brooke

Hugs before they take off - so sweet.

An Afternoon in the Woods

2011-03-24T12:26:00.004-05:00

Corey took Brooke and Kenzie out to his parents house on Saturday to look for sheds (deer horns). They both were so excited to go. They got their camo on and packs snacks so were all set for an afternoon hiking and one proud dad to take his girls. Corey took his 4-10 along so Brooke could practice shooting at his parents house. When they got home Brooke had some big news to tell me. She came in and said "I shot a bird" I was surprised that she hit something that small and killed it. Looks like Corey has a great hunting partner in the near future. Kenzie was not to be left out so she collected "treasures" on their walk to show me. Here are a few pictures of their afternoon with dad.

Butterfly Garden

2011-03-22T13:21:00.006-05:00

It's been a few years since we visited the Fredrick Meijer Gardens. We decided to go see the butterflies. We went with our neighbors who will be moving back to Oklahoma in a few weeks, so I'm bringing her to all the "cool" places around here before they take off. All the girls talked about on the way there were the butterflies and once we got into the gardens all they talked about was lunch. After the butterflies we had lunch and then headed outside for the girls to play on all the fun kid stuff. Before we left we went through the butterflies one more time. It was a fun morning outing with some good friends.

Gymnastics

2011-03-19T12:49:00.005-05:00

For Christmas this year Kenzie got a gymnastic class through Zeeland Rec for 5 weeks. She was not very excited at all to go, but once she got there and knew I was gone she was fine. We got to watch on the last day of class, but her orders were we had to leave first then come back to watch. We walked out the door and walked right back in and she was happy. It was funny to watch her - she's not very coordinated. I think we might try dance with her next. She is so theatrical and loves dancing around the house.

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-03-02T13:03:00.006-06:00

We spent two nights at Great Wolf Lodge this week with our girls. It was so much fun to see them enjoy the water park, games, story time, and ice cream. Brooke had a fever when we left on Sunday and got car sick on the way up, but once we got there she was ready to have some fun. She did run a little fever throughout the two days, but nothing to hold her back from having fun. Ashley LOVED the water. I think she did everything there besides the big water slides. Each morning when she woke up she said "suit" and ran to the bathroom and got it. Brooke did everything there and loved it all. Kenzie did everything but the two water slides. On the last day Kenzie wanted to go down the tube slides by herself so I let her not knowing how that was going to go. I went first and meet her at the bottom and she was smiling and loving it. When we weren't in the water park the girls liked walking around and playing in the arcade a.k.a. Chukie Chesse, and eating ice cream. Each night they had bedtime stories for the kids where they where their nighties and go down and listen to a story. All the girls loved doing that and they made sure we didn't forget about it. We had a great time with just the 5 of us. I don't remember ever going on a vacation with just us it's usually friends or family with us. Was was so great to see the joy on their faces!!

Valentines Day

2011-02-26T19:30:00.003-06:00

I kind of forgot about posting about Valentines day so here is how we spent out day. Both girls had school and handed out their Valentines cards to their classmates. While they were at school I was busy with making red cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries. The girls got home and had to show me all their cards and candy they got. Corey came home with 4 red roses one for each of his girls. We had a candle light supper with red spaghetti and red finger jello. We got done eating and Kenzie asks "Were are our gifts" leave it to her to remember those things. We got each girl a pet pillow and told them about our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. It was a great day with my love ones.

First Haircut

2011-02-26T19:20:00.003-06:00

Ashley had her first haircut this week. She is no different than my other girls with very fine hair and it dos not grow fast. She was a little hesitant to sit in the chair, but once sitting she did great. She even got a piece of candy afterwards.

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-07T09:45:00.004-06:00

The big winter storm of 2011 hit us and shut school down for 2 days. It was nice not have to run back and forth to Zeeland, but having all 3 home was something else. Brooke and I were were glad when school was back in session on Friday. We did venture out on Wednesday morning with Corey to his parents house. I was glad he was driving and not me some roads were impassable. It took Corey 2 hours to clear our driveway which usually only takes 20 minutes. I'm sure glad we didn't have to shovel the whole thing. Here are a few picture's that I took of all the snow.

Grand Rapids Children Museum

2011-01-16T19:31:00.004-06:00

Every year for the girls birthday's we let them pick out something special to do as a family. This year for Brooke's birthday she chose to go to Logan's and the Children's Museum. We went to Logan's a couple weeks ago and we headed to the Children's Museum on Thursday night. The girls had a blast with everything they did. Brooke had fun going around showing her sister's everything around since she has been there before. We spent about 2 hours there and when we told them it was time to go they all wanted to stay. It was so cute when we told Ashley that she had to get her coat on she said "no" very firmly and then that lower lip came out and her head dropped down.

Winter Fun

2011-01-16T19:17:00.003-06:00

We had a few nice days of sun around here so, we took advantage of it to go outside.

Our Christmas

2010-12-31T15:31:00.003-06:00

We celebrated with our little family on Christmas night. We had a party at noon so we got home around 4:00 and I made homemade pizza's for supper. The girls got make their pizza with what ever toppings they wanted. While the pizza was in the oven the girls opened their stockings. After supper we opened our presents. It's so fun to see the girls faces as they open each gift. Brooke has no expression on her face when she opens gifts so you can never tell if she likes it or not. Kenzie and Ashley both have the greatest expressions and says thank you after each gift. Every year Corey surprises them with gifts from just him. This year was no different - Brooke got some wood working crafts, Kenzie got a barbie set, and Ashley got a piggy bank. I love our little family Christmas each year!!!

Two Years Ago

2010-12-29T20:14:00.003-06:00

Two years ago we almost lost our dear Ashley to RSV. I remember it all like it was yesterday. There were so many awful memories of that day. You feel so helpless when your child is suffering and the doctor's and nurse's are trying to help her, but it's just not working like they would like and all you can do is stand back a watch. After they got her vented and the room cleared out of the 10 doctor's and nurse's that were working on her when she stopped breathing and her vitals were all going down fast. There where two nurse's remained in the room and they told us "Someone sure was watching over your little girl tonight and thank goodness she is a fighter" I will never forget those words. I don't think I stopped praying the whole time we were in the ER. God decided to let her live that night and he must have some big plans for her. Today will be filled with tears, but they are tears of joy that we have our daughter and tears of saddness with the memories and the sights of that day.

De Vries Christmas

2010-12-27T19:43:00.003-06:00

This year we celebrated Christmas with Corey's family on Christmas Eve. We have a tradition of getting there in the afternoon and let the kids go sledding and then Grandpa pulls them behind the tractor down the driveway. This year Corey took the girls out bird, rabbit, and squire hunting. No luck hunting, but the girls loved hiking in the woods and looking for animals. It's so nice to get outside and enjoy family time during winter. The De Vries party is always very casual which is so nice. The girls always wear their Christmas nighties and we get into our comfy clothes. We had a great night of opening presents, great food, outdoor fun, and watching the kids play with their new toys.

Tubergan Christmas

2010-12-20T19:56:00.003-06:00

We had my family Christmas on Saturday night. My mom always makes a big meal which is always so good and we love it. The girls were so excited to open gifts especially Kenzie since Ashley and Brooke already opened birthday gifts this month and none for her. What the girls don't understand is that after dinner we need to clean up, make a fire, set the goodies out, and then the dreaded family pictures. We finally got everything done and it was gift time!! The girls love seeing their piles grow bigger and each time a new present comes theres a bigger smile on their faces. Ashley loved opening up her gifts again, but had a REALLY hard time waiting her turn. We went home with a car load of gifts again this year. Thank you Mom, Dad, Brandon, and Kristin for all the gifts.

Kenzie got a BIG box of paper from Brandon and Kristin. She uses so much paper so I think this will keep us well stocked through out the year.

The only picture of Brooke I got that night.

Pure joy on her face.

Brooke Turns 8!!!

2010-12-18T13:33:00.004-06:00

Brooke turned 8 on Friday, it's hard to believe that she's 8 already. Her birthday stated out on Thursday afternoon. We took her out of school a little early and surprised her to get her ears pierced. I told her in the morning we were going to pick her up early for a surprised. I seen her a noon and she was asking what she was going to do and I told her "it's a surprise"

She had a great day on Friday she passed her birthday treat out, class Christmas party, and to top it all off a family party at night. She had fun opening presents and even let her sisters help her. She wanted me to make her cake for her this year. I made my best attempt at it she liked it.

Birthday Party #2

2010-12-14T19:50:00.005-06:00

I promised Brooke a school birthday party last year. Thinking she would forget about it over the year, but oh no she remember. Why not through another party together in December :) I got to emit that I was not looking to forward to entertaining 10 girls. I finally got two crafts and games figured out and countless trips to Dollar Tree for supplies. I'm happy to say that the party went off without a hitch and it was a lot of fun. Brooke wanted Aunt Kristin to help so I had an extra help which was nice.

Look Who Turned 2

2010-12-05T19:59:00.003-06:00

Ashley turned 2 on Saturday. We worked with her all week to say two and hold her two fingers up. She just started saying two and hold two fingers up. After all that work she would not do it for our family at the party. We had a party for her Saturday night with both sides of the family. She totally got into opening of presents, but had to be close by Brooke to help her if needed. I wanted to get some pictures with just Ashley so I told Brooke to move over and Ashley would move over with Brooke too. We are so thankful that this year was a lot less eventful than her first year. She's starting to get a personality and it's looking like she has a little of Kenzie in her - Yikes!! She brings so much joy and laughter to our family.

Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T19:49:00.004-06:00

We went out Saturday afternoon to cut our Christmas tree with my family. It was a nice day out, but we could have had some snow to make it more Christmas like. The tree lot was not the nicest so it took a while to find the perfect tree this year.

We put the tree up Sunday afternoon with the girls help. Monday night we were sitting in the living room and there it went right to the floor. We had to decorate it again, hope this is the last time. We are known for our trees falling down. In the old house we tied it to the window and that worked well, but in the new house there's nothing to tie it to.

Shoe's

2010-11-28T14:37:00.003-06:00

Ashley has a new thing for shoe's lately. If there are on the floor they are on her feet. It doesn't matter if they are big or small.

Life Lately

2010-11-23T19:45:00.014-06:00

We sure have been busy this last month. Nothing to exciting going on around here just the normal every day stuff. Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing.

Brooke got new glasses a few weeks back. I hope these hold up better than her old ones did. We were always in getting them fixed. She got hit twice in the head this week and they still look brand new.

We still have Whiskers around. It's suppose to be an outdoor cat, but it ends up inside more than I like. Kenzie wakes up every morning and gets her from the garage and then wakes up Brooke and Ashley with her. I found her across the street the other day so hoping she doesn't go across to often.

Brooke made this cake all be herself one afternoon. We found Ashley on the bar stools that she climbed up herself and helped herself to the cake. We asked her who ate the cake? She said "don't know" with her hands up with frosting all over.

Brooke wanted to shoot Corey's 4-10 so bad. We took it to his parents house and let her shoot and then of course Kenzie wanted to try. Kenzie did not like it to much it was to loud for her. I think Brooke could have stayed out there all afternoon shooting. Corey might have found his hunting buddy.

So I don't get yelled out by Corey. He spent 9 days in Missouri hunting with some other guys. She shot a 9 point while there. We had a good time while he was away we kept busy with church auction, shopping, parents house for supper, and movie nights. The girls had some time with Aunt Kristin, Uncle Brandon, Grandma and Grandpa's house. They had a great time and so did I with some down time. We are so glad that Corey returned safe and sound!!

We have a busy month coming up with three birthday parties that I have to host, 7 Christmas parties, and everything else that goes with the Christmas.

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T19:29:00.004-05:00

Friday night we did our trick or treating. We headed to a couple family members homes and then went to our church which had trunk treats and supper. The girls were so excited about going this year. Brooke was a witch, Kenzie was Cinderella, and Ashley was a ladybug. Ashley was so cute this year she had a smile on her face the whole time. You could almost read her mind "people are giving me candy" towards the end she started grabbing hands full of candy. She got home and emptied all her candy out and justed looked at it. The next morning she would grad some candy and go hide in her room and eat it -sweet tooth already :)

11 Point

2010-10-28T21:26:00.003-05:00

If I didn't post this Corey would be upset. Corey shot his biggest Michigan buck on Saturday morning. He has not shot a deer in Michigan for the last two years. He was supper excited and so were the girls. I dressed them in their camo and headed to see what he shot. Ashley went running towards it and touched it no problem. Kenzie just liked holding the horns. Brooke was excited but did not show it (typical Brooke) Looks like we will be having another deer head on the wall. If I'm lucky it will go to the office with the other ones :)

Take 2 - Kenzie, Ashley, and Girls

2010-10-21T19:33:00.005-05:00

Take 2

2010-10-17T09:03:00.004-05:00

I was looking back at the pictures I took of the girls a few weeks ago and not really liking them. I think the setting was a little boring. So I decided to take them again and this time I love the setting. It was so gorgeous with the colored leaves and the barns. I took Brooke yesterday and did hers and sometime this week I'll go and do the other girls.

ARTPRIZE

2010-10-08T20:20:00.004-05:00

I spent the night downtown GR with Brooke and my mom touring Artprize. We covered alot of places from 4:30-8:30 when we left. We all had score feet at the end of the night, but it was well worth it. Brooke had so much fun I'm so glad I took her. Here are a few pictures of the night. We will be going back next year.

Jammin with Brooke

Brooke really wanted to sign the big card, so we waited for the one sharpie that they had.

Trying her hand at the piano. This was one of her favorite thing along with the ice sculpture.

Picture Day

2010-09-30T20:08:00.005-05:00

Corey was gone last weekend golfing so I decided to take the girls pictures. I took Kristin along to help me out with the girls. The weather was not the nicest it started to rain as I left and when we got to Spring Grove Park there was a wedding. Thankfully the wedding was just getting done and it stopped raining so it all worked out well. Ashley was in no mood for her picture taken that day.

Kenzie's New Adventure - Preschool

2010-09-13T20:51:00.001-05:00

Kenzie started Preschool last week. She will be going three afternoons a week. She was so excited to start school this year . She has seen Brooke go the last few years and she always has to go back home with me. Monday I went with her for a hour and she was a little nervous, but had fun. Wednesday was her first day by herself and I was so ready for her to cline to my leg like she does for Children in Worship and Sunday Sunday, but she surprised me!!! It's so much easier leaving her when she is having fun and not in tears. Before I bring her into her class we go visit Brooke on the playground and Brooke gives her a hug and Kenzie will say "time for me to go to school now" it's so cute. She loves coming home to show me everything that they did that day. Her teacher made a comment that "This school thing is for Kenzie" I think it will be a great thing for her.

We made this ABC box the first day. She loves doing crafty thing so this was right up her alley. She spent the whole time doing her box and didn't want to play with the other kids.

Back 2 School

2010-09-03T20:33:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Brooke's a 2nd grader this year, time just flies by. We started our school routine again on Tuesday morning. We went to school on Monday to meet her teacher and bring her school supplies in. Of course it had to be in the 90's when they start school with no air conditioning in the rooms. They were treated with Popsicles on Tuesday to cool off a little bit. She was kind of disappointed that she didn't get the teacher she wanted and her good friend was not in her class this year. She has a great teacher this year. He plays the drums and guitar during class which they learn through songs. She came home the first day and had to show me an experiment that they did during a Bible lesson. I hope her class and teacher have a great year together.

Weekend at Home

2010-09-01T19:44:00.004-05:00

Corey and I wanted to go camping for a weekend with just the two of us, but all the State Parks were full. I didn't want to spend much money so private campgrounds were out of the question. We decided to stay home and do things around here. Friday morning I wanted to sleep in so Corey went to work for a little while. We packed the boat up and went fishing in Grand Haven. I caught 3 fish and Corey caught 1. Yup if your keeping score that means I won!!! I had Corey take pictures so there was proof, but his truck got broke in on Monday night and they took his camera so there goes the proof. After fishing we ran a few errands, which included some Christmas shopping. We went to Crazy Horse for supper and then we sat by the channel at the beach until dark. It was so relaxing I don't know why we don't do that more often. Saturday we got up early and headed to Ludington with Brandon and Kristin for the day. The guys went golfing in the morning and us girls rode along with them. I don't think I laughed so much as I did during this golf game. After golf we went downtown and ate lunch at a Pub which was so good. We headed to the State Park and bought tubes and we floated down the river. It took like two hours and we didn't even make it to the lake Michigan. We hiked around Lost Lake before we headed out. We got home around 10:00 that night. Thanks to my parents for watch our girls last weekend. It was so nice to have some time to ourselves.

Dutch Village

2010-08-29T18:31:00.007-05:00

We had free passes to Dutch Village that the girls got from the library. The summer is almost done so we finally decided to go last week. None of the girls have been there before and it's been a long time since I have been there. We meet up with Lois and her kids for a morning full of fun.

The girls loved the swings. The whole morning was pretty much spent on the swings and the carousel.

Life's a Beach

2010-08-16T18:50:00.007-05:00

Sunday after church we headed out to the beach to spend the afternoon. We picked up lunch and ate it on our way. The water was so nice and the waves were awesome! Corey took one girl out at a time to the deep and have them jump waves with him. I think they could have stayed in the water all day. Ashley played in the sand and went swimming with me for a while. I even went out and jumped a few waves. It was a perfect afternoon!!! Today we took a last minute trip to the beach with my sister-in-law. We went to a private beach on Lake Michigan. It was so nice not have to beat the crowds at the State Park. I kept hearing on the news how bad the undertow was today, so I was not sure if I really wanted to go. I only let the girls in water up to their shins. We played a lot in the sand digging BIG holes. We went for a couple walks and looked for seashells. I forgot my camera yesterday so I brought it today and got some cute pictures. Sorry heavy picture heavy. Thanks Kristin for asking us to go with you last minute. The girls and I had a blast :)

Camping Flash Back

2010-08-11T20:03:00.006-05:00

We had a flash back to our younger years this past weekend. We went camping at Tri-Ponds with about 20 couples from church. It sure has changed since we have been there say 15 years ago. It a great campground to bring kids to, they have so much to offer. Our girls had a blast again they had fun having tons of kids around to play with. A bunch of us were sitting by the pond talking about the days when we were in the pond swimming and playing in the sand. Now it's our kids swimming and playing and we are talking about school, busing, houses, etc... funny how the tables have turned.

The girls went fishing a couple times. They didn't have much luck all they caught was a blue gill and a turtle.

This was the big hit of the whole camping trip the big Bouncy Pillow. You had to buy wristbands to use it and I told myself no, but I gave in. The girls LOVED jumping on it.

We spent most mornings at the pool and the afternoons by the pond. Above is Kenzie jumping off the raft. Brooke was to scared to go out there because she heard there was seaweed out there and fish. Corey got her to go out with him later on and she found out there was no seaweed so she spent a lot of time out there. Ashley loved playing on the beach and she got braver in the the water and would walk out further and further each time.

Saturday night ended with a hayride and playing on the playground. The girls also enjoyed the petting zoo, and painting a flower for Brooke and a dragon for Kenzie.

Cadillac

2010-08-01T19:42:00.007-05:00

We spent a week camping in Cadillac with Corey's family. We a had a good time, the girls had a blast. The girls stayed busy with riding bikes, fishing, swimming, playgrounds, and having fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Corey spent some time golfing, shooting bow, fishing with the girls, and got some work in between all his fun. Corey had something come up at work so he headed home Monday night and came back Tuesday night. I decided to go with him and spent some time with family for the day on Tuesday. There are so many pictures of our vacation so here are a few.
The girls LOVED to go out fishing with Corey every afternoon. Their goal was to get a pike which they did. On this day they caught this walleye and the girls talked Corey into keeping it and eating it for supper that night.

The girls made homemade ice cream one night. It turned out pretty good for never making it before. They ate it all up!!

Me and my girls!!

Camping take a lot out of little miss Ashley.

The nights were nice a cool for a fire every night. The girls loved making smores by themselves this year.

Big Star Lake

2010-07-19T19:21:00.009-05:00

Me and the girls spent a week at Big Star with my mom's extended family. The weather was perfect for swimming and sitting on the beach. The girls kept me busy for the week, they never sat down. You would think that they would crash at night - oh no they couldn't settled down most nights. Here are a few photo's of our week.

Corey stayed Saturday and Sunday so he had some play time in the water with the girls. Here is my brother Brandon throwing Kenzie into the raft.

Our cottage had this little slide and Ashley loved going up and down in the water and on land. The other girls loved putting it on the dock and sliding off of it there.

Kenzie's little "project" for the week was finding dead minnows on the shore. This picture was taken on the first day so just think what a collection we had after 6 days!! She kept them in a bucket and towards the end of the week it was starting to smell pretty good. She wanted to take them home and show Corey. I left without her thinking about her fish.

Someone caught this turtle while fishing. Brooke was brave enough to hold it - to my surprise.

They do love each other :)

You can never be to safe. She would swim out to the deep with all this stuff even the wagon went with her. Leave it to Kenzie to come up with this.

Brooke wanted to go tubing this year so if Brooke goes Kenzie needs to go too. They had so much fun when we were done they always wanted to go again. This was Kenzie's first time tubing and she did great. As you can see they were getting pretty brave towards the end of the week.

Ashley's 18 Month Picture's

2010-07-05T14:29:00.004-05:00

I decided to take Ashley's 18 month picture's this time around. We went to a little park in Holland and I think they turned out pretty good. Now the hard part is to pick which one I like.

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-04T15:42:00.003-05:00

Brooke and Kenzie took swimming lessons for the last five weeks two days a week. It was busy running them back a forth and they started at 5:00 and were done at 5:45 so those nights were suppers on the go. Brooke can swim the length of the pool two times with no flotations and she loves swimming under water. Kenzie was more excited about playing with the toys. The last day we were able to watch them so I got a few pictures.

First Camping Trip of the Summer

2010-06-29T19:43:00.003-05:00

We headed out for our first camping trip of the summer this past weekend. We went with a group of friends to Cadillac for a long weekend. Between all of us we had 11 kids and 8 adults!!! We were talking about how our lives changed since we first started camping 10 years ago. It's a little busier now, but all the kids play so well together. The weather was great sunny everyday and the only rain we got was on Sunday while we were packing up. The kids enjoyed fishing, boating, biking, and swimming.
Here's a picture of all the kiddos. Not the best picture of all the kids, but what do you have expect with 11 kids all under the age of 7.

Ashley's first boat ride.How high can Ashley go? She loves being in the water!!!

Father's Day

2010-06-23T12:57:00.007-05:00

We had a great Father's day with the family. We finally got to go to church as a family, everyone was healthy again! At noon we had my family over a dinner which Corey grilled steak and pork which was so good. Corey choose to spend the afternoon at the garden weeding. Not my way of spending an afternoon, but he says it's relaxing. At night we went to Corey's parents house for supper and let the kids play.

Corey with his girls!!

We attempted to do a family picture after dinner. You should have seen us trying to figure out the timers on the camera. This is the best one that I got.

One last picture of the girls :)

Princess Camp

2010-06-21T19:31:00.004-05:00

We bought a week of Princess Camp through W.E. Dance Academy from our church action and gave it to Kenzie for her birthday. It was a week long dance camp for two hours every morning. They were able to dress up as princess everyday. I thought Kenzie would LOVE this - well she clung on to my leg every morning when I dropped her off. The teacher would have to carry her in everyday, but once she was in she was fine. I was told that she was talking and laughing by the end of the second day. After class they all got a little princess gift and they did a princess craft. We were able to watch her on Friday at their Gala that they put on. It was so cute watching her do the ballet moves and bow after she was done. During class they were asked what their favorite part was and Kenzie answered "Snacks" a typical answer of hers.

Strawberry Pickin

2010-06-18T20:14:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon we headed out to pick strawberries with all the girls and my mom. Brooke woke up with a fever and was not feeling well at all. I needed to get the strawberries this week because the rest of the month is shot with vacations. I was the mean mom and took Brooke with us even though she didn't want to go (I don't blame her). While we picked she sat under a tree in the shade and maybe picked five strawberries. I picked about 8 pints for our family. Kenzie amazed me, I thought she would pick for about five minutes and start complaining at she wanted to go. She picked a whole big bucket herself and didn't want to go. Ashley had fun taking my berries out and throwing them out. Thanks to my mom for helping me get my jam all done that afternoon yet. Our freezer is full of 20 jars of jam!!!

T-Ball

2010-06-15T19:24:00.003-05:00

Brooke is playing T-ball again this year. She never wants to play, but when she starts for the year she loves it. She is playing a lot of girls from church. I forgot how long t-ball games go :( I could have signed her up for couch pitch this year or t-ball. I thought we would do one more year of t-ball, but I think I should have done couch pitch. Oh well she's having fun, but I think she gets a little bored with it sometimes. Only 2 more games to go so the season is almost done.

Good Bye First Grade

2010-06-06T09:14:00.005-05:00

Brooke said good bye to 1st grade on Friday. I can't believe that we have a 2nd grader already! She had a great year and made some great new friends. We can't believe everything she has learned this year, she has come such a long ways from the beginning of school. She learned how to read really well thanks to some extra help. She started reading at a level 4 and is now reading at level 18! She also learned how to write, addition, subtraction, factions, Bible memory work, field trips and so much more. Her teacher was great this year she did a great job with the kids this year. Above is what she wrote the first day of school and the bottom one is what she wrote at the end of the school year. It's fun to see how far her writting has come.
They had a field trip on Thursday to the Children's Museum and the Zoo. I went along with the class for the day. We headed to the museum in the morning and then headed to the zoo for a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon at the zoo. The girls loved seeing all the animals and petting the sting rays. It was a joy to see Brooke enjoying herself with her friends.

Gardening 101

2010-05-25T19:55:00.003-05:00

We decided to do a garden this year with the whole De Vries family by Corey's parents house. We spent the other night planting all the fruits and vegetables. Our girls were so excited to help plant and I'm sure they will do their part in eating from it also. We had a great night with the family doing this and the kids were full of dirt from head to toe. Now we'll just have to wait and see what comes up.

Meet Whiskers

2010-05-21T20:08:00.004-05:00

Since we moved here Corey always wanted to get a pet. Last summer we had this nice cat that would come by every now and then and was very good with the girls. We have not seen him since the fall so we figured something happened to him. Corey wanted to get a pig yes a pig I said there is no way we are getting a pig. He promised the girls a kitty this summer. I'm not to fond of cat's so if we got one I told Corey I'm not going to take care if it, plus I'm allergic to them. Lastnight we were by the in-laws working on the garden and Corey came later with a seven week old kitty. He seen a sign on 96th Street that they had free kitten's, so he stopped by and picked up one. The girls faces were priceless when they seen it. I have to admit it's so cute. Kenzie was in heaven with this kitty, she kept her eyes and hands on her the whole time. We got home and put it in a little box for the night and Kenzie had a make sure she said her bedtime prayers to the kitty - so sweet. They woke up this morning and opened the box and Whiskers jumped out. I had two girls in my room screaming that the kitty got out and didn't want to get out until I put it back in the box. I spent most of the day watching the kitty. She kept jumping out the box so I put her in a big rubbermaid and by the end of the day she found her way out. She liked hiding under the chair and Kenzie cried every time she was under there thinking she would not be able to get out. At the end of the night she was playing around with a string and jumping around. We put her in the garage for the night and will probably stay there until she gets a little bigger to be outside.

Snakes, Frogs, Fish, Owl, Turtles, and Bunny

2010-05-14T20:07:00.004-05:00

What do all these have in common? A field trip Outdoor Discovery Center. I drove for Brooke's field trip last week. She's been wanting me to drive for a while now so I thought this might be a good one. We took our lunches to Huizenga Park to eat and then they got to play a while until we were ready to leave. It was so fun to watch Brooke interact with her classmates and raising her hand to answer questions. She talked and laughed in the car all the way there and back. We walked on the trails for an hour to see all the different habits that animals and plants have. After our walk to went inside to see all the different animal classifications. The kids got to pet each animal classification. Brooke took right after her mother no petting the snake.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T19:23:00.002-05:00

I didn't have the best Mother's Day this year. I came down with the flu on Saturday and I was out for the count that day. I spent most of the day in bed or in the bathroom. We were suppose to go to my brother and sister-in-laws that night for Mother's Day. I didn't end up going, but Corey and the girls went. Sunday morning I felt a little better, but I stayed home from church with Brooke and Ashley. We had to go for lunch at Mom and Dad De Vries' I felt good enough to go so we all went. We were there probably a half hour and Brooke thou up all over so we cleaned her up and I took her home. We spent the rest of the day in bed. The girls were so excited to give me their gifts. Brooke wrote a poem and two other books which were sweet. I gave Corey a list of things that I would like for my Birthday/Mother's Day. I wrote down mini van and a camera. I opened the gifts and I got a hot wheel mini van, disposable camera, and a new chip for my camera. To tell the truth I was a little up set that Corey got me "cheap" gifts. Next year I think I need to be more specific . After stirring for a while Corey brought in another gift. He bought me a new camera I was sooo happy!!! Finally a nice camera to take pictures with, now I just need to learn how to use it. I'm so thankful for my 3 wonderful daughters and a great husband.

Cabelas, Splash Universe, and IKEA

2010-05-07T19:40:00.005-05:00

We spent a long weekend with the De Vries family last weekend. We all piled into the motorhome - yup all 11 of us don't worry all the kids were in car seats. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express right by Cabelas. We spent Friday afternoon at Cabelas with the family. Our girls loved looking at all the animals and the fish. Brooke took Corey's camera and took TONS of pictures. Kenzie and Ashley just liked to roam around and look at everything.

Friday night and Saturday we spent most of the time at Splash Universe which was connected to our hotel. The girls had such a great time. We could not get them out of the water to eat or go to bed. Brooke was going down all the waterslides all by herself on the first day and was swimming by herself the second day. Brooke also loved to stand under the big bucket when the water came down. Kenzie was scared right away but then Corey pushed her down the slide and she wanted to keep going no scared Kenzie any more. I went down a double tub ride that was pitch black all the way down. I asked Kenzie "Are you scared" she answered "no, Jesus is with me all the time" Love her!! Ashley was not to fond of the water, but after she was in for a while she loved splashing. Ashley shut down the kiddie pool for 8 hours on Friday night because to pooped in the pool. I had a swim diaper on but it must have not helped. Oh well I guess we have a story to tell to her when she gets bigger. It was so fun this year because the girls are old enough to do everything and enjoy it.

Sunday morning I girls wanted to go swimming again so Corey took them to the hotel pool while I packed everything up. We headed out around 11:00 and were on our way to IKEA for a few hours. Ashley had a rough ride home she was sooo tired and couldn't fine it. Corey took her back to the bed and within 10 minutes she was out.

Motor Movements

2010-05-04T20:39:00.003-05:00

Kenzie took a Motor Movement class for 6 weeks at Zeeland Rec. There was only one other girl in her class and she stilled loved going every week. The most exciting part of Motor Movements in Kenzie's option was the stamp that they got every week on their hand. Today was her last day so we got to watch her for a little while. She had a smile on her face and was bouncing around the whole time. She thought she was so "cool" because she got a ribbon and a certificate for completing the class. She had to show it off to everyone today - so proud.

Tulip Time

2010-04-26T20:29:00.004-05:00

I took the girls to get their pictures taken with the tulips since they are perfect. Here are a few unedited shoots that I got.

Who Needs a Pool When.....

2010-04-15T20:27:00.003-05:00

You have a "pond" in the backyard everytime it rains hard.
They had so much fun "swimming" today. To bad it's not as clean as a pool. They went right to the tub when they came in. It was well worth it to hear them laughing and running and jumping in.

Happy Bithday Kenzie

2010-04-07T20:21:00.003-05:00

Kenzie turned 4 years old today. I say this every year, but I don't know where the time goes. We had a Birthday Party on Friday with the families. We were going to go to the Zoo today, but with the rain no such luck. We headed to the Library on River and the girls sat there for 1 1/2 hours reading and doing puzzles. Kenzie choose Mc Donalds for supper so we picked up and ate it at home. Tonight she opened our presents and had cake that we made today. I think she had a great day. Thanks for all the presents, phone calls, and cards that she got today - she LOVED all the attention today.

Kenzie loves playing with Barbies, Polly Pockets, Babies. She will play with these for hours by herself and she loves roll playing with them. She has no intrest in her numbers, letters, or spelling her name. She will count to 20 if you ask her, but that's it. We need to work on this before school starts. She LOVES her daddy and she makes sure she lets me know that. Corey will come home and she always says "Daddy your my buddy" Everything is with daddy and not with mommy.

Crazy Weather

2010-04-07T20:09:00.004-05:00

We sure have had some crazy weather lately. Yesterday the girls were so excited to see the hail come down. They do not like thunderstorm during the night, but love them during the day. I had all three girls looking out the window watching the rain, lighting, and the hail. Probably not the safest place to stand. Today I sent them outside to play for awhile and they loved playing in the "pond" in the backyard. I finally had to tell them to come in when it started to rain. We hope to get outside one of these days of Spring Break.

Not the greatest picture with the rain on the window.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T20:15:00.002-05:00

Hiking and Caving in Kentucky

2010-03-29T19:27:00.005-05:00

Corey and I celebrated out 10th anniversary on the 24th. We decided to hit the road for a few day just the two of us. We headed to Kentucky with no plans only a few places in mind. We headed to Cumberland Falls first. We did some hiking there and found some great waterfalls. This was totally different hiking for me under rocks, over rivers on stones, and no paths to follow. It was a great to see such beautiful country. I was so scared that we would see a bear since there where signs all around warning about them, but thank goodness we did not see any. On Thursday it was raining and cold so we headed to Mammoth Cave for the day. This was so much fun. We took a two hour tour and it was great tour. It was a little tight going for a whole, but then the cave opened up a little bit. It's just so hard to believe that this cave is 8,000 to 10,000 years old it just blows my mind. On Friday we went to Lost River Cave in the morning. This was a cave that had a river in it. This cave use to be a night club way back in the day. It still had the stage and steps carved out in the cave. After the tour we hiked around there and then headed back to Mammoth Cave for the afternoon. We did some hiking in the Mammoth Cave Park. While we were hiking we seen a deer and a snake and some other cave openings. Saturday we headed up to Louisville for the day and night. We got there around 11:00 and got a hotel for the night. We went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour. We went to a Pub for lunch and then headed back to take and nap. We walked down to the Ohio River Park this was a great park in a big city. We ate a late supper at another Pub downtown and of course had to stay until the end of the KY basketball game. We headed for Hard Rock Cafe for desserts and drinks after supper. We had a great time together and it was so nice not to be a mom for 5 days. A big THANK YOU goes out to both grandparents for watching our girls while we were gone. Only one mishap while we were gone so not so bad. It was great talking to the girls every night - well Brooke at least Kenzie didn't want to talk to me. Kenzie would always say to me "May I please talk to dad" boy I feel the love. 10 years ago I would have never imagine that we would have 3 girls and everything else that we have done together. Sorry picture over load, but there are so many cool pictures.

We're Still Here

2010-03-11T19:18:00.007-06:00

I know it's been forever since my last post, but nothing is really going on. Here is what we have been up to these last few weeks.

It's reading month at school so Brooke has been writing and illustrating her own book. They invited the parents to come and listen to them read their books out loud. The kids were excited that they made a stage, microphone, and had a spot light on them while they read. Brooke's book was about a girl that had glasses and no one wanted to play with her because of that, but then she told her sister and then she had a smile on her face again. I asked her if it was a true story, but she said no.

Nothing is really new with Kenzie. She has been taking a Motor Movement class through Zeeland Rec. she loves going every week. She can play with dolls, polly pockets, and barbies for hours by herself. She is always in her PJ's - I dress her in the morning, but by noon she's back in PJ's. She was excited today because she won a book from the library so we picked it up today and she thought she was so cool.

This is what Ashley has been up to this week. Saturday she had a 102 fever and it finally broke last night. She went for her well being check up on Tuesday and she had a double ear infection. We did a lot of cuddling and naps this week. Today she finally is acting like herself. Her is one last picture of Ashley - guess who's idea this was?

Sledding

2010-02-13T15:10:00.004-06:00

We took the girls sledding at Zeeland Christian this morning. We left Ashley at my mom's house since she had a bad cold. Kenzie didn't wait to go she wanted to stay at grandma's, but the first time down the hill she did not want to leave. Brooke enjoyed showing us what she does everyday everyday during recess. They have been working on a fort outside for weeks now with all different different rooms including a jail. This was Kenzie's first time sledding down a big hill and towards the end she was going down herself and walking up by herself. It was fun sledding the Zeeland hill again. Sorry tons of pictures I couldn't pick out just a few.

Gymnastics

2010-02-13T14:57:00.003-06:00

Brooke took a gymnastics class for 5 weeks through Zeeland Rec. She loves jumping around at home so this was perfect for her. She had a great time and she concord the cartwheel this year. It was fun watching her this year because they are starting to do the real gymnastics moves.

Rollerskating

2010-01-30T19:54:00.004-06:00

Our church had a Skating Party this week so we decided to take the two older girls. They were so excited to go even thou they had no idea what it was about. We dropped Ashley off at my parents for the first half of the night then they brought her to the rink later. They girls did great skating Brooke caught on pretty fast. Brooke was ready to go on the big rink with us soon after she started. By the end of the night she was skating by herself on the big rink. At the end of the night she was falling most of the time and was super tied. Kenzie, well she never really got the hang of it. She was more interested in doing the splits and kicking her legs in the air while we held on to her. One thing she could do well is walk baby steps in her skates - well it's a start. Once Ashley came we pushed her in the stroller on the rink. She loved looking up at the lights and hearing the music. When we got there we had to wait outside to get in talk about going back to our middle school days. Neither one of use have not been skating since middle school it's just like riding a bike it all comes back to you. We hope to do it again soon. The pictures didn't turn out the greatest but here are some.

Look who's walking and has a tooth

2010-01-26T19:41:00.004-06:00

That's right Ashley finally got her first tooth last week. It only took her 13 months to get one, but it's there. Hoping that all her other ones come in soon. Below is a picture of her tooth it's hard to see but it's there.

She started walking the last few days. She stands by herself and raises her arms and screams with a big smile it's so cute. Tonight she started out by herself and no help.

Ashley's 1 year Pictures

2010-01-16T08:48:00.003-06:00

For those of you that are wondering Ashley's MRI came back normal!!!! A true answer to prayer.

MRI for Ashley

2010-01-07T19:15:00.004-06:00

Ashley had her first MRI on her brain Wednesday. She did great cindering that she couldn't have anything to eat after midnight and nothing to drink after 7:00 a.m. that morning. Her MRI was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and we had to be there at 9:30. She did good for a half hour and then she turned into a crank. With all the toys that they had for her to play with she wanted nothing to do with them. She got her sedation medicine around 10:45 and it took her about 10 minutes to fall asleep. The MRI went well they found nothing abnormal and she laid very still for them. We could hear her crying down the hall as they wheeled her back, but I got her back to sleep and she slept for another hour. It was so funny when she woke up and for the rest of day she was unbalanced and a little loopy. I would sit her on the floor and she would tip over it was funny. The worst part of the whole day was watching her being wheeled out and she had oxygen on it brought back so many memories of last year.
Sound asleep on my lap.

One Year Ago

2009-12-29T12:06:00.004-06:00

One year ago we almost lost our dear Ashley to RSV. I remember it all like it was yesterday. There were so many awful memories of that day. You feel so helpless when your child is suffering and the doctor's and nurse's are trying to help her, but it's just not working like they would like and all you can do is stand back a watch. After they got her vented and the room cleared out of the 10 doctor's and nurse's that were working on her when she stopped breathing and her vitals were all going down fast. There where two nurse's remained in the room and they told us "Someone sure was watching over your little girl tonight and thank goodness she is a fighter" I will never forget those words. I don't think I stopped praying the whole time we were in the ER. God decided to let her live that night and he must have some big plans for her. We are so thankful for all the Doctor's, Nurse's, Social Workers, Aero Med Team, Friends, Family, and our Church that helped us and Ashley during this time. We are so blessed to have her in our family this past year. Today will be filled with tears, but they are tears of joy that we have our daughter and tears of saddness with the memories and the sights of that day. I put up this saying above her crib and it sums it up nicely "Such a big miracle, in such a little girl"

Christmas

2009-12-27T18:56:00.003-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a busy Christmas. There were so many pictures so I thought a slide show would be easier. We had a total of 7 parties and over the last week. The girls are very tired and on toy overload. We had the Tubergan family Christmas on the 19th which included a nice big meal, fire, and many gifts. We had the De Vries family on Christmas Eve which included sledding, fire, and many gifts again. Some of Brooke's favorite's gift this year are her American Girl, Nintendo DS, Latch Hook, Piggy Bank,Flannel Sheets. Kenzie's favorite's are her Bitty Baby, Little bunk beds for her dolls, Polly Pockets, Tinker Toys. We were the mean parents and Ashley got clothes, diapers, wet wipes so not to may toys for her this year, but I think her favorites were the boxes.

Happy Birthday Brooke

2009-12-21T20:04:00.005-06:00

Brooke celebrated her 7th birthday on Thursday. She stayed home from school in the morning she wasn't feeling well. I brought her to school in the afternoon since she was feeling better. She was so excited that she could pass her birthday treat out on her birthday. She didn't fell like going out to eat so she choose to pick up Wolfies for supper. She opened our gifts and was so excited that she got a MP3 player. She has been asking for one for awhile. We had her party with the grandparents, uncles, and aunts on Friday. Aunt Kristin made Brooke's cakes this year. We had a great night and Brooke got a lot of good gifts.

Christmas Program

2009-12-14T20:10:00.003-06:00

Brooke was a light bearer this year and Kenzie was a sheep. This was Kenzie's first program and she did so good. Kenzie is my singer she sings even if she doesn't know the words. Brooke had a line to say and she totally forgot what to say right before the program. I think the nervous got the best if her. It was so cute watching all the little kids up front.

Ashley's Birthday Party

2009-12-05T21:05:00.006-06:00

We had Ashley's Birthday Party last night with the family. She really enjoyed unwrapping her gifts well the first couple then she just played with the boxes. Brooke and Kenzie were right in on the action helping their little sister unwrap. Her Birthday cakes.

She ate her cake like a little princess. She would take little pieces at a time and never really got that messy with it. Corey went to take it away and she started to cry and kick her legs so he gave it back to her and she got a huge smile on her face and kept eating. She knows what to do to get her way.

These are all her gifts she got. Yup she's the third girl and gets diapers and shampoo. Ashley you are such a joy to have in our lives. You are starting to develop your our personality. It's so fun to watch you interact with you older sisters and stand your ground with them. You are starting to get into everything. You are walking along furniture, but not standing by yourself. We hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you.

Happy Birthday Ashley

2009-12-04T13:51:00.003-06:00

Wow where did this year go. Your first month dragged on with waiting for answers, countless doctor visits, 2 hospital stays. We don't know where the rest of the year went it just seems like yesterday you were born. You have been such a blessing to us and your sister's. We can't image life with out you. We hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you.

It's hard to believe that you only weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces at birth, but you also were 2 weeks early.

Bronner's and Cutting Our Christmas Tree

2009-11-28T20:06:00.004-06:00

We took a little road trip with the girls on Friday to Bronner's Christmas Store. We didn't tell them where we were going and they were excited to see all the Christmas stuff. Each girl got to pick out an ornament that represent something that happened to them this year. Brooke picked out a girl playing soccer, Kenzie got a ballerina the closest thing to gymnastics, and Ashley got a helicopter for her trip in Areo Med. It was crazy busy, but I guess that what happens on Black Friday.We cut our Christmas tree today. I was a nice warm day to pick one out. It sure does beat those times when it's so cold out that we pick the first one we see.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T20:27:00.004-06:00

I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. We had Corey's family over, I figured if I messed up they would not care. I'm proud to say that everything turned out great and I didn't even mess the turkey up. It was great to stay home this year and not be running around to all different parties. We had some great games on the Wii between everyone and of course we looked at all the ads. We have so much to be thankful for this year our girls, family, friends, Corey's new job, health, and many more things. Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. Here are a few pictures of our Thanksgiving.The girls made these Pilgrim hats for a little snack after dinner. Brooke made most of them while Kenzie ate the marshmallows.

Missouri 2009

2009-11-11T12:35:00.002-06:00

11 Months and New Tricks

2009-11-04T20:02:00.006-06:00

Ashley turned 11 months today. I can't believe that in 4 weeks she will be 1 where did the time go. She is such a layed back girl, she just watches her sister's and everything else going on around the house. She always has a smile on her face all you have just have to look at her and she just beams. She is starting to pull herself up on things and crawling super speed. She does not have any teeth yet, but she still eats great. Here are some of her new tricks that she does.

You tell her to go night night she will lay her head on the floor. She will do this like 10 times in a row. It's so dumb cute.

Climbing into the entertainment center.

Puckering her lips. It's so funny when she does it that we laugh at her and then she keeps doing it. We might have problems when she grows up.

Halloween

2009-11-02T19:58:00.005-06:00

The girls wanted to get dressed right away when they got up on Saturday. They had a hard time waiting until 3:30 to get dressed. We went to Brandon and Kristin's and then we went to our church for Trunk or Treats and supper. It was inside this year due to the cold weather which was nice so the girls didn't have to bundle up. We then headed to mom and dad De Vries' house along with their cousins. The girls had a blast this year they would look in their pumpkin buckets to see what candy they got. At one point I heard Kenzie tell Brooke "We can't eat it all at one time because we might get a stomach ache"