IKEA here I come!

I sometimes wonder if anyone else loves IKEA as much as I do. I don't think so! Tomorrow my four older sisters, myself, and my mom are heading to Schaumburg, IL to relax, eat out, and of course, SHOP! I am really looking forward to this girls weekend away and after this little goof ball (see picture to the left) pushed his way out of his high chair today and spilled his whole bowl of Fruit Loops on the kitchen floor - I was ready to pack my bags! :) Five minutes later he decided to dump the fish food on the floor. Ahhh ... little boys. I love 'em but this mommy definitely needs a break. I'll try to contain myself at IKEA but, then again, maybe I should just cut loose like Stephanie did at the Pottery Barn Outlet. What is the magic number I need to stay under in order to maintain marital bliss Steph? :)

Camping Fun

zach & grandpa just kicking back by the fire.

zach enjoying a beautiful sunset ... throwing rocks!





We made it back from camping with a tan, three happy kids, and at least five loads of dirty laundry. Our kids just love to camp and they loved it even more since Grandpa and Grandma were camping right next to us. I highly recommend camping with helpful and fun parents that also have a HUGE fifth wheel/trailer! :) Seriously, Mom and Dad you were so great and we had the best time. Let's do it again next summer.

LOVE my family!

While I am on the "love theme" I thought I would post a couple pictures that were taken at a family birthday party. The five little kids are all FOUR in this picture. Yes, my four sisters and I all had a baby in one calendar year! WHOA BABY - love was in the air that year. :) And the picture with the absolute gob ton of kids is my parents picture of their 14 grandkids. We took that biblical mandate,"be fruitful and multiply" seriously! Two entries in two days ... wow ... don't expect any until next week when we are home from camping. We are heading to Young State Park on Lake Charlevoix - hope the water is not too cold!














In order of birthdays - June, August, February, May, & May

LOVE my neighborhood

For those of you who don't know me too well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I am a nomad at heart. I like to move ... I like meeting new people ... and to me, change is fun! BUT, and yes read this as a big BUT, I love our neighborhood and don't plan on moving anytime soon! We have the best neighbors that continually amaze me with their friendliness and desire to include everyone in on the fun. Friday night we had a big, end of the school year picnic and campfire. And today I just got back from a "slip & slide" party with other stay at home moms and one token stay at home dad. :) Even though it was a little chilly for the kids in their bathing suits, they certainly enjoyed all the snacks! And if I wasn't loving our neighborhood enough already - we just got new, next door neighbors that have two kids almost the exact ages as our two girls! YEAH. Almost every night we would pray for good neighbors to move in next door. We praise God that he heard our prayers and a wonderful family has now joined "the neighborhood".

You are always welcome at our house!

Ten Years of Wedded Bliss

O.K., maybe it hasn't always been "wedded bliss" but it sure has been fun. Tomorrow is our 10 year wedding anniversary. WOW! We have lived in about 8 different cities, two different states, renovated two homes, experienced the blessing of three child births, and the sorrow of two miscarriages ... and I can honestly say, there is no other person I would rather share my life with. Who knew that when our parents were next door neighbors - that some day we would end up marrying each other. I actually was looking through my husband's baby book and saw that my parents gave him a sleeper when he was born! His family ended up moving away when he was only a few months old and even though we both went to Calvin (can you say small world) we never met until he switched colleges and dated my college roomate. Lucky for me, he had a bit of a wandering eye ... that now, no longer wanders! :)

Cheers to Us!

All better!

Well, we did survive hand/foot/mouth and Zoey so far, is blister free. Unfortunately, we did pass off the fever to baby Ben (sister-in-laws youngest kiddo). Sorry Amy! Jeff's dad just had a heart surgery today and as he was being prepped he was told it was going to be a five or six hour surgery. News to him and thankfully, he didn't have time to stress out about it . He came through great and is now resting. Thanks for your prayers. Zoey turns the big 5 tomorrow and I just have to say that parenting her for the past five years has been joy - filled. She is such a fun kid and we hope that she never loses her fire and enthusiasm for life that seems to match her fiery red hair!

Wanted to share this picture of Zach in his tye-die shirt. Why is it that kids look so cute wearing it and adults look kind of ridiculous?