Tagged Again

I've been tagged by my friend Stephanie to tell 6 things that people may not know about me. Hmmmm ... I am pretty much an open book (can you say TMI?) so this might take some deep thinking.

1. I was offered a scholarship to play DI softball after my sophmore year at Calvin & after a summer trip with Athletes in Action to Russia. My AIA coach was the head coach at East Carolina University (down in North Carolina) and told me she was looking for good softball players who also had Christian values (meaning : not a lesbian.) I turned it down because I didn't want to leave my family, my current boyfriend (who incidentally dumped me that fall) and because I was just plain nervous about moving.
2. I planted an entire vegetable garden and ten flats of flowers while eight months pregnant with my second daughter. All future pregnancies would involve bed rest - FUN, FUN!
3. I am on the PTO at my kid's school and will be the Vice President next year & the President the following year. I think it is an amazing group of selfless women (and one gentleman) but still never envisioned myself on the board. And yes, you may call me Madame President.
4. I was a rather poor R.A. in college. Boys in my room after curfew - yep. Low attendance at dorm events by myself - yep. Never drinking one drop of alcohol until I turned 21 and then coming home to my dorm room smelling like it - yep. (This one is kind of embarrassing.)
5. I have three moles in one arm pit. Yuck.
6. I sweat more than my husband.

I tag Amy, Chelle, and Brenda.

Zach's Team

Great day to walk and a great day to remember just how blessed we truly are by Zach's birth and his uneventful NICU stay. Thanks to all of your donations we raised $800 for the March of Dimes. Wow! Thanks. And thanks to our neighbor Patti & her son Nick, our friend Sarah & her kids Tyler and Megan, her mom Susan (photographer), and Grandpa Pettinga and neice Mya for walking with us this year. Zach's team rocks!

Great Book

Buy it, borrow it, but just make sure you read this book. Incredible.

"same kind of different as me."

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

Big, Beautiful Pantry

O.K. I'll admit that I actually went up and hugged this baby after it was installed. Thanks to Dad Guikema, my hard-working man Jeff, our neighbor Craig for "sweating some pipes" (whatever that means) and Mark Ver Merris - finish carpenter, my best friend's husband, and one of my college boyfriends (that's alot of titles!) for making my kitchen bea - U - ti - ful!

Some quick quotes from my kids:

Zach while scarfing down homemade chicken pot pie, "Thank you mama, thank you."

Zoey said this today, "Look Mom. I can do two things at once. Ride my bike and scratch my butt." (She is a very talented little girl.)

Paige: "Mom you still owe me five bucks that you borrowed out of my piggy bank."

I will post some more pics after the backsplash and countertops are in & share how Jeff almost burned down our neighbors garage.

A blog a day ...?

Your loving the 1970's tile aren't you?

Thanks Dad G. for hooking us up with new can lights & thanks Jeff for hanging out in the attic for while.

Current state of my kitchen. Stay tuned for after pictures. New hickory cabinets going in this weekend and granite countertops next week! Woo-hoo! And my husband is doing all the work himself. You the man Jeff.

Pampered Paige

For Paige's 8th birthday bash, we took the girls to get professional manicures & out to dinner. Paige's two best buddies - Caitlin & Lydia came along and the girls were cracking me up as they sat and chatted afterwards about how "pampered" they felt. The owner is a Buddhist (and a bit unique) and had an offering of sorts to a figurine of Buddha. When he found out it was Paige's b-day, he gave her the Baby Ruth candy bar offering while exclaiming, "Buddha love children." Even though we are Christians, it still tasted the same. ;)

"Love means loving the unlovable, or it is no virtue at all."

In light of what happened at Virginia Tech yesterday, this quote takes on more significance. I have wanted to share this prayer that Mother Teresa said daily ... today seems like a good day.

"Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say: 'Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.'

Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.

O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.

Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and it's many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.

And, O God while you are Jesus, my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each of your sick ... Amen."

Recent Pictures

What happens when you can jump down into the window well,

but can't get out? Your cousin has to get a bucket for you.

Come on Tyler, get some ups. ;)

Zach says, "This shop vac is really blows my hair back!"

Best snowman the kids built all year. The date: April 11. Spring where are you?

Yeah Zoey. That's what I think of April snow too.

My 1st Baby

Happy Birthday to my little girl, Paige Elizabeth. You are a beautiful, talented, smart, and funny little girl and we were so blessed on April 12 eight years ago today. I am so glad I am your mommy.

I wish we all could bottle up moments from our life. Moments when your heart is so full it almost aches. The feeling you have when you walk out of a great movie, the moment before a first kiss, the feeling of getting the big hit in a big game, singing your favorite praise song with the entire congregation, hearing your parents say they are proud of you, and holding your baby for the first time. Bottle it, bottle it, bottle it. Take it with you wherever you go and take it out when you need a little hope.

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

Welcome Baby Colleen

Quick post to say congratulations to Jeff's brother Steve and his wife Molly on the birth of their adorable baby girl Colleen Brigid (Irish spelling.) Each time I hold a newborn I am in awe at what God can do. Molly was on bedrest since Thanksgiving and staying home with their three other kids! Wow! Way to go Molly!

No Bunny Stops Here

Paige said this on Saturday after we made Resurrection Eggs and talked about why the Easter Bunny wasn't real and why they weren't getting presents, etc. on Easter Sunday;

"Mom, I think we are making Easter a little too Christian."

I guess we are doing it right then.

"Envision the moment. God on his throne. You on earth. And between you and God, suspended between you and heaven, is Christ on his cross. Your sins have been placed on Jesus. God, who punishes sin, releases his rightful wrath on your mistakes. Jesus receives the blow. Since Christ is between you and God, you don't. The sin is punished, but you are safe - safe in the shadow of the cross.

This is what God did, but why, why would he do it? Moral duty? Heavenly obligation? Paternal requirement? No. God is required to do nothing.

The reason for the cross? God loves the world."

Max Lucado

WE MADE IT THROUGH SPRING BREAK!

How my children look ONLY on a picture day.How they look in real life.

Ladies, (and any gentlemen that actually read my blog) give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. You made it through Spring Break, at home, in the April snow, with most, if not all your sanity in check. I will raise my wine glass and toast you all tonight.

And for those of you who are interested, I am happy to report that I did not have to give any hydrogen peroxide cocktails this time while dog sitting . (However, I am concerned that the dog and I are now as close as college roomates and seem to be on the same cycle.)

Best Quotes from our Trip

"Your belly is HUGE." (Said by Jeff to his sister Amy who was 9 months pregnant.)

"You are the only man that could ever get away with saying that to me." (Brothers get special priveleges I guess.)

"Wow, you should be a priest." (Said by Paige to Uncle Doug after a very lengthy and wordy prayer.)

"I think I would rather be a pastor." (After all, he does have five kids & one wife.)

"I never knew I would sleep with so many people after I was married." (Said by me this morning after 2/3 of my children came in and out of my bed all night last night.)

And Baby Makes Five!

We are back from Minnesota. Highlights included: the Minneapolis Children's Museum, the train station water park that every fifteen minutes sprayed water everywhere, spending time with Doug, Amy, and cousins, and being there for the birth of their fifth child, Daniel John. After playing all day at the water park, ordering pizza, walking to icecream, and playing cards - Amy went into labor at 5 a.m. at the hotel. It was about an hour drive to the hospital where they were to deliver and Doug was racing to make it there in time. Daniel John arrived a couple hours later at a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. and looks a lot like "big brother" Ben. (Who is not quite two yet.) It was once again a fun & eventful time shared with their family and we feel so blessed we could help out as they had their last (?) baby.