Saturday, December 29, 2007

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Last night Jason and I tromped through our woods with the kids. It was an awesome time. To see the kids curiosity and wonder was great. They loved catching the snowflakes on their tongues and marveling at the snow caught on the trees. We even managed to stay outside for an hour!

Friday, December 28, 2007

John Deere Green

Our family loves John Deere. Especially Logyn. This Christmas we received a package containing John Deere t-shirts for everyone. We tried to get all the kids to put their shirts on but we had a few that resisted (go figure!). Here are the ones that were willing. And our thanks goes to Aunt Beth for the great box of John Deere goodies!!

In case you can't read the shirts it says "You've never even thought of being this cool".

Thursday, December 27, 2007

This Christmas

So the Christmas season has come and gone. And now the toys are flooding every room in the house. What I want to know is why each toy has to be tied, taped, and sometimes screwed into each box? What gives!? It takes longer to open the dumb gift than to unwrap it. After many boxes were opened the kids are joyfully enjoying their gifts. We were blessed with many Barbie and Imaginext toys this year. What I want to know is, was there every a prehistoric Barbie?


Monday, December 17, 2007

It's Beginning to Look a lot like...SNOW!

Today we took our first trip outside. The kids were going stir crazy so we geared up (took about 15 minutes) and went out. I am surprised at how well they did. Last year Logyn wanted nothing to do with snow and this year he was flipping off his sled on purpose. Mallory was enamored with it. She couldn't get enough of going down the hill on the sled. Of course she didn't want to walk back up it herself, but who does? And to top it off they all got hot chocolate and marshmellows when they came in.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

My Little Elves!


Check out my elves at this link.
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1368558738

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

My First Haircut..By myself

So...the other day I discovered a dirty little secret stuck under my couch. Gross, right? Well, it turns out it was a large amount of Mallory's hair. I had been downstairs surfing the internet during naps when she came downstairs to find me. I noticed that she had a piece of hair on her shoulder but thought nothing of it. Then I went upstairs and was sitting on the floor with Mallory and Maddy. That's when I saw it. The huge chunk of hair. I examined Mallory's head extensively to find she had meticulously cut a chunk out of her bangs (whether she cut it or not is yet to be determined. Maddy says Mallory did it herself, but Mallory tells me Maddy did it). Luckily her hair surrounding the area covers it most of the time. So much for the bob style haircut I've been waiting to get done. Here are some before and afters. Enjoy the hilarity of it.


This is a picture taken a few days before the "haircut".

This is a close-up of the bangs.

Did I cover it good enough????

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

I am Thankful...

At this time of year it seems obvious to give you my list of thanks. But especially today I feel the need. My mom's friend just (literally like 4 hours ago) found out she has breast cancer. As I think about her, I think about all the changes that will happen in her life in the months to come and it makes me realize how mundane my life really is and I am thankful for that. I am also thankful for:
-My daughter's prayers at night when she thanks God for her mommy's hard work and that her daddy came home safely.
-My children's hugs.
-My husband's hard work so I can stay at home.
-My family's patience with me as a mother (some days more so than others).
-My children's health.
-Mine and Jason's health.
-My parents: I don't know where I'd be without them.
-My children's laughs.
-My children's imagination (even if it does totally destroy my house).
-My God who provides so generously for me even though there are times I don't deserve His grace.
-The ability to afford my house, groceries, gas (somedays), and to spoil my kids once in a while.

May you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and count the blessings that are right in front of you.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Jason's version

This would probably be Jason's song when it comes time for our girls to date as I wish for the fairytale.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjO9kX4npVY&feature=related

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Stealing Cinderella

I heard a song today called "Stealing Cinderella". I must admit that it really got to me. I was driving down the road after dropping off my kids at my mom's because I "couldn't stand them any longer". The song is about a man asking for his girlfriend's hand in marriage. It goes on to tell how the father lets him sit for a while in their living room looking at pictures of the daughter dressed up as Cinderella, running through a sprinkler, riding her first bike, having pillow fights, etc. And it mentions that he is seen as just a "fella stealing Cinderella". It really got to me and I immediately thought of my girls. My mother instinct kicked into overdrive and I vowed to myself then and there that no man is going to marry my daughters without being totally, utterly, and hopelessly in love with them. I want the guys to know about every little thing that my girls did. The way that they laughed as a child, the naughty things they did. I want someone that is amazed at the person that they will have become. I guess I want my girls to really have the fairytale. I know I'm talking about things that are very far off in my future but being a parent I can't imagine what my parents thought when I started dating Jason seriously. If you haven't heard the song take a peak at the video attached.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HtOy8R01fTA

Monday, November 12, 2007

Pillow Fight

I can't say that this little episode is our nightly ritual but it does happen often at our house before bedtime. After wrestling, we decided to have a little pillow fight. I would say the teams were a little unfair but the kids didn't seem to mind it was us against them. Jason and I perched on the couch and pegged them off whenever they ran in front of us. Then Loryn decided to get daring and taunt us from across the living room. The real good blows weren't caught on tape but you can get the gist of it. Mental note to self: do not buy pillows that are removable from the couch again.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Happy Halloween

Trick-or-treat! The night is always interesting and this year was no less. Jason took the kids trick-or-treating with our neighbors. They got a hayride to a nearby development and filled their buckets and bags until they burst while strolling in the rain. It was a great night by all and I give major points to my husband who did it without me. Although it probably helped that Mallory was overnight at Grandma's. Here are pictures of our little trick-or-treaters.

Maddy dressed up as Aurora from Sleeping Beauty (I think that's the movie). It took over a half hour to curl her hair!

Here are the four munchkins. Mallory is the poodle, Loryn is a unicorn, Logyn is a dinosaur, and Maddy.


These were shots from the hayride.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Harvest Party

This past weekend we invited friends and family to our house to have a "Harvest Party". Although there was not much "harvesting" we all got a good kick out of watching our kids participate in sack races. We had other activities planned but the weather was not cooperating. Here is a snapshot of the kids races.




My neighbor helped line the kids up. This was the 2-4 year age range even though I am just realizing Adrianna is in there and she's 5. Whoops!

Mal has been attached to the little Bible (the one that contains the New Testament and Psalms) and was intent on reading it at the party. Maybe she thought we were behaving badly or she was repenting early for all the mischief she was going to incur.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

I Love This Time of Year!

I love this time of year! Tonight we started a little bit of our own "Fall Clean-up". I will call this phase one because I guarentee we'll have lots more pictures of the kids playing in the leaves. Enjoy!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Carving Pumpkins

On Friday we went out and purchased some pumpkins. Maddy was dying to carve one. So during naps Jason and Maddy had a grand ole time out in the garage carving their masterpieces. Enjoy the pictures.






Later that night we played outside for a while and I couldn't resist posting this picture of Mallory.

Monday, October 15, 2007

No Cavities!

I must commend myself on a job well done. I took all four of my kids to the dentist this morning. And when I thought I had my children figured out they reminded me that they can change in the blink of an eye. Most of you know Logyn and how stubborn he can be and Loryn is known to be very laid back. Well today Logyn was laid back and Loryn was stubborn. Maddy accomplished her visit with no problems. Loryn was another story. I had to hold her down in the chair along with help from the hygienist and the dentist. The receptionist came in the back to see if she could hold Mallory for me because she was screaming her head off too. She wasn't even there for a check-up! Surprisingly Logyn climbed into the chair with no problems at all, did everything the dentist asked of him and jumped back down to pick out his prize. And there are no cavities among any of them. Now orthodontics...









Friday, October 12, 2007

Pumpkin Patch


Tonight Jason and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch/corn maze by our house. They loved it! We started out petting the animals around the farm. There was an area where they had a donkey, goats, two baby cows, and pigs. Then we went out to the maze where the kids led us through to the end. Our reward was a 4 acre pumpkin patch. It was a lot of indecision to decide what ones we wanted but we made it back to the barn in good spirits and bearing pumpkins.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Why do I bother????

Why do I do this to myself?! I always seem to think that whenever I take my kids out to run errands they'll behave. Have I not learned my lesson? Obviously not. Today was one of those days. I thought I would quick return a few things while Maddy was in school. Only none of the places I needed opened until 10am. So...to pass the time we wandered around Target. My kids gathered plenty of attention as they pushed the cart down the aisles with Mallory hanging out the back. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, "I wanna ride! I wanna ride!" So after that store I decided to head to the mall. As if that would go any better. I seem to think that if I tell them they have to behave they will. But they don't. We went into Kohl's and of course Loryn has to pee. So off we troup to the bathroom where Loryn and Logyn argue over who's going to flush the toliet. Meanwhile Mallory wants to get out of the stroller to join in the debate too. Then it's time to wash hands and Logyn runs down the entire counter and turns on every sink. We finally got out of the bathroom and returned our items. Next stop, Old Navy. I had stuff to return there as well. The cashier was sure to assure me that I am a saint for handling my children. Is she crazy!? Didn't she hear Mallory screaming to get out. I mean, she was SCREAMING! Logyn and Loryn are throwing the balls around that are in the bins by the check-out area while I'm trying to bribe Mallory to shut her mouth with some fruit snacks. Once we were done in there they have the audacity to ask if we can play on the playground. Are they nuts?! By then Loryn has to go to the bathroom again so off we head to Kohl's. Once we all got to watch her go number 2 we finally packed up and left. And then I thought I'd add insult to injury and drag them into Costco. They promised to stay by me...

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Isn't it precious?

Isn't it the most wonderful thing to hear your children pray? At our dinner table Maddy likes to take over that area for Jason and I. I can honestly say I don't mind. I get tears in my eyes each time she prays whether it's the Lord's prayer or her own. It really makes you think about their innocence. Enjoy this clip that I snuck last night during dinner.

Monday, September 24, 2007

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by TINA. Here's the deal; I have to list something for every letter in my middle name. Luckily it is a short one, Joy. This might not be as easy as I think. Here goes:

J: My husband is Jason. Easy enough but there is so much more that could be said about him. He is my strength in the years that we have been together. During all the hard times he lets me fall on him. I wish he would lean on me more often but maybe he feels that would not be true to his nature.

O: What do I say about this?! Let's see...I am officially done having children. Maybe that sounds crass to some of you but 7 years ago I was told I would most likely not have children on my own. I went on to have 4 in three very short years. I am blessed beyond words no matter how stressful my life may be at the moment.

Y: Yikes! My youngest is running naked in my basement right now. That is a sure sign I have been blogging too long today.

I will tag Kim D, Stacey, and anyone else. I don't know that many bloggers yet. But I leave you these images of my JOY.


Monday, September 17, 2007

BBQ & Apple Fest

This past weekend we headed up to Silver Lake again for their 2nd Annual BBQ & Apple Fest. They have BBQ pork cook-offs, craft booths, and an antique car show. It was pretty chilly this year but the kids loved walking around and checking out all the goodies.





Jellystone park had face painting and a moonwalk that the kids got a kick out of.

We took a ride up in the dunes on Friday night because the wind was blowing like crazy. The waves were pretty big and the kids got a kick out of seeing them crash on the shore.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Happy Birthday Mal!

Over the holiday weekend we celebrated Mallory's birthday. She turned into the terrible two's but we gave her two parties anyway. Here are a few of the highlights of the parties.

Everyone deserves a little solitude on their birthday.


For some reason she was scared of the candle but...

that fear didn't last too long.

Friday, August 31, 2007

2 Years Old

Mallory seems to be the main topic of a lot of my blogs. She is a very interesting child to care for as some of you can see. But she turns 2 tomorrow and I had a friend of mine take some pictures of her. They turned out great! Tina did an excellent job. You can check out her pictures at http://tinavinkportraits.smugmug.com/.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

She's a Maniac

Mallory never seems to surprise me lately. Maybe it's because she's the baby of the family, I'm not sure. Today I was standing in my sister's doorway watching my kids play nicely outside when I see this:



For those of you that know Mallory this is right up her alley. She simply found the skateboard and decided to hop on it and take a ride down the driveway. Will she never cease to amaze me??

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A Good Reminder

Today was one of those days when it seemed like I couldn't accomlish anything and nothing I did accomplish went right. I would dare say that most of my days repeat this pattern. And at night while I'm rocking Mallory I finally get a minute to reflect on my day. It was tonight that I started to think of each little mishap as a reminder of what life is like for my children. Here's what I think they are wondering throughout our days together:
-Who cares if I spill milk all over the dining room chair? It'll dry.
-What's the big deal if I want some candy at 9:00 in the morning? I'm still hungry.
-Why should I get wiped up after dinner? I don't care if I have ice cream sandwich all over my face.
-Why can't we run naked around the house after bathtime? It feels good.

It's at these moments when I try and recall what it was like to be young and I can't. Now I know that some of you may be thinking, "My word, it wasn't that long ago" but in truth it was. I have grown into a mother, a wife, and an example for my children. But when I look at my kids I cannot get over the overwhelming love that fills me. No matter how bad my day, no matter how messy my house is or how messy my kids are I love them. It's nice to be reminded of that once in a while. If you know me well you know that I can talk about my kids for hours upon end. I can tell you bad stories or funny stories but I could talk about my kids all day. I wonder what they'd say about me?

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

First Day of School

I can't believe it but Maddy started her first day of Kindergarten this morning. I don't know if she's ready to have a schedule after the way our summer has been but she popped right out of bed when I woke her up this morning. Here are a few snapshots of the first day.



Each Kindergartener has their own frog nameplate outside the classroom so they know where to hang their backpacks and coats.



This is where Maddy will sit. There are 4 kids at each little table.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Mallory



There isn't much to say about these photos. I just thought they were cute.


Thursday, August 9, 2007

Grand Haven



Every August my grandparents stay at a cottage on Lake Michigan that has been in my grandma's family for years. This past Monday I packed up the kids and headed out for a short visit. We stayed for two great nights. It was awesome to watch my kids interact with my grandparents, their great-grandparents. I'm not sure how many people can say they remember their great-grandparents so I'm trying to make sure that my kids can. I took lots of pictures of them together. We went for ice-cream, got a visit to the candy store (Fortino's in downtown Grand Haven), went to Chinook Pier and saw the charter boats come in with their catch of the day, and even had the excitement of cutting down a tree that fell over the driveway. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the time there and keep asking when we are headed back. I guess that's the best outcome I could hope for.

The kids are enjoying their ice cream.


Hanging out on the channel watching the boats pass by.


Rolling "Hearts" with Great-Grandma