Fall into Fall

Yes, I do like pictures of my kids playing in leaves. And I love reading books to my little dragon. Check out Zoey in her costume (she was looking down and so her face is completely hidden.) She has decided that since Halloween is coming soon, she needs to try on her costume daily. Two entries in two days - just for my friend Fabes who was worried about my blogging hiatus. :)

I am studying Acts in Community Bible study this year and found these passages to be inspiring this week. When we come to God and ask for something ... he will answer.
Acts 4:29 & 31:"Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

My Husband, the Indian Princess

Jeff organized a fun event this weekend for the Indian Princesses (now called Y Guides because it is more P.C.) This is Jeff & Paige's 2nd year of Y Guides and they both enjoy this father/ daughter group. They went letterboxing at Seidman Park in Ada yesterday. For those of you who don't have a clue what letterboxing is, let me briefly explain it. Letterboxing is an outdoor treasure hunt where you follow clues to find a box hidden in the woods. Once you find it, you read their log book and stamp your journal with their stamp and can sign your name and put your stamp in their log book. Here are just a couple pics of yesterday's big event ... and it was big baby. My ever capable hubby made homemade caramel corn, bought granola to eat on the trail, and packed an entire cooler full of picnic food. I was impressed and yet, a little bit mystified. After all, if he can get this all together on his own - why doesn't he help me more when we have company over? :)

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

Ladies and gentlemen ... it is with great pleasure that I report that after watching my daughters play ten soccer games - we finally have a W in the Guikema home. Oh yeah. The drought has lifted. The month of September found us 0-8 and a little concerned about the future of women's soccer. :) Paige's team finally won today but Zoey's team is still 0-5 (I blame the Coach entirely ... oh wait, that's me.) Both girl's are learning a lot and having fun and the highlight of each game continues to be having a sugary snack after it. Coaching five year old's has been interesting and I have to say my competitive side came out a little today when I saw a girl on the opposing team using her arms a bit too much. After watching her manhandle my girls and go on a breakaway right at me, I just had to stick my foot out and tell her to watch it with those arms. I didn't exactly stop the ball or her forward march down the field ... but I got her to pause, if only for a second. I know, I'm rude. Her mom asked if that was interference and I just laughed and said, "well, she needs to watch it a little." She nodded and kept cheering her "princess" on. (This little lady came strutting up to midfield at the beginning of the game and struck a pose, lost her shoe two times while kicking and made everyone wait while she put it back on, and got "injured" and laid on the ground for a full minute going "oh my gosh" - read as OH MY GOSH.) I feel my actions were more than justified. Wait, am I really trying to teach a valuable life lesson in the middle of a game? :)

Fall Collage

These are the beautiful fall colors found at our house. Our maple tree has four colors right now - green, red, yellow, & orange. In the words of Wheezie on 'Dragon Tales' - "LOVE IT!"

Ohhhhhhhhh Kids

This blog entry is entitled: Things my kids can say to me ... but if you did, it would just be wierd. (Remember, these are real quotes from my kids.)

1. "I don't have a peanut. I'm a girl!"

2. "I like your new underwear."

3. "I need more paper toilet."

4. "Look how big my poop is!"

5. "Why are your boobs so floppy?"

This picture is to document how two year old boys feed fish. This earned 'ole Zach a timeout and a spanking tonight. (By the way, no I did not even giggle a little because this was the third time we lost an entire canister of fish food. The first two went in the toilet followed by a big flush!)

Drum Roll Please ...

After purchasing this old barn window one year ago(at the Allegan antique show of course), I finally have professional photographs to display in it. Steph took these shots of my kids this summer and she truly captured each one of their personalities.
Thanks Steph! I am a bit giddy with this new decoration in my house and could hardly wait to clean up the window and put the pictures in tonight. I think I even scared the UPS man a little.

Antique-ing

Thanks everybody for hearing my desperate plea for comments. Except of course for you Steph - what are you busy or something? :) On Sunday, five ladies and one truck hit the road to the Allegan Antique Show. While the weather was less than perfect, the day was filled with "good finds" and "girl talk". Why is it that in our modern homes we decorate with chipped frames, rusted tea pots, & old barn windows? Probably 'cause it looks so cool. My dad however, is someone that just doesn't get it and keeps asking me when I am going to paint my table! (Keep in mind: This is also the man who when he saw the colors I was painting in our first house told me "you paint your walls with off white and decorate with color".) Love you dad, but I have my own style. Here are just a few of the couple of "finds" (which my husband calls "old junk") that I have got down in Allegan.

Hello?

If you are reading this, then you will notice that I changed my template again. Also, I think if you are going to take the time to read my blog ... you really should take the time to comment. I am waiting in eager expectation for your comment. :)

I've Been Tagged

My friend Stephanie (visit her blog at teslaa.typepad.com) has requested that I tell five wierdly interesting things about myself. I am realizing that I am not really all that wierd ... oh wait ... yes I am, but I don't want all of you to know that!

1.) I have never colored my hair. I know - you can shoot me now. I inherited my grandmother's red hair and so all I have ever had done is a few highlights in the gloomy winter months.

2.) My Dad, my best friend from childhood, and my husband all have the first name Jeff. I'm sure Freud would have some interesting theory about that.

3.) I can't leave my house a mess before I go on vacation. It drives my husband crazy as he sits in the car waiting while I make beds, load the dishwasher, etc.

4.) My Dad coached football for over 20 years at my highschool and when I was born the assistant coach came into the locker room and said, "Coach Pettinga had another girl ."(#5) To which the entire team booed. What a warm welcome I had into the world huh?

5.) I once got a red card while coaching Varsity Volleyball. Who knew you couldn't yell at the referees while walking out on the court? :) All the parents of my players kept asking me if I was Irish. (fiery temper = Irish descent I guess.)

If you read my blog and have one of your own, you have been officially "tagged." In the words of the recess playground - "you're it and no tag backs!" :)

Wood is Good

Alright, a friend of mine is always blogging about her husband's meat (grilled - get your mind out of the gutter people) SO, I thought I should brag about my husband's wood. (Once again sorry Dad and Mom Guikema - I couldn't resist writing that!) Jeff just got finished building this beautiful kitchen work station and we promised his co-workers that he would finally stop talking about it at work and just show a picture. :) He did a great job and even put in a huge drawer for me to store some "baggie essentials". We actually have had the butcher block in our basement for three years just waiting to be sanded and built. Our first house had this amazing butcher block down on the work bench in the basement. When we moved three years ago, we replaced this beauty with a new top for the new owners. (Before you feel too badly for them - keep in mind that this bench IS the size of my old kitchen. I wish I was kidding.) We just discovered the former homeowner's initials burned in the side of the wood and he has been deceased since the 1970's! We are proud to keep Mr. Hooker's craftsmanship alive and I am glad to have a new addition to my kitchen. So remember, next time you see Jeff you have my permission to say, "nice wood."

Goodbye Summer - Hello Fall

No summer scrapbook would be complete without these two pictures: kids running in the sprinkler and eating a 'smore.



While I love summer, fall is my favorite season. Here are five reasons why this is my favorite season.
1.) Putting on my jean jacket for the first time.
2.) Pulling on a pair of jeans and finding a ten dollar bill in them. Thank you very much.
3.) Eating candy corn or the candy pumpkins. By the way, they are supposed to make your teeth ache after eating all their sugary goodness.
4.) The new season of all my favorite television shows. Dancing with the Stars was great last night. Go Jerry Springer. :) Also, I can't wait for 'Grey's Anatomy, The Amazing Race, and Without a Trace'.
5.) Watching U of M play football and yes, I must admit I do watch the Lions faithfully too.

First Day of School

Quick post to show you the girls going off to their first day of school. I started writing a sign for them to hold when Paige was in preschool and now, the tradition has stuck. It is really helpful when you look back and wonder which "back to school" pic was from what grade. For those of you who have little ones ... another cute thing to do is have your kids stand back to back with you (with their backpack on) every year and watch them grow. My sister Lisa has done that with her four kids every year and it is amazing to see her 13 yr. old now almost as tall as dad. Hope everyone had a stress free/tear free start to their year.

Boys & Overalls

Why are little boys so darn cute in bib overalls? We are starting to a get some cool nights around here and so the bottom of the drawer was once again discovered. The kids have had the best summer and to finish it off with a bang, they decided to sell water balloons. (They came up with this idea all on their own.) They started to go door to door until we told them to stick to people we know and the ones that actually have kids. They did sell four to some nice retired people on our street before we stopped them though.:) The grand total: $6.00 that was divided four ways and quickly spent at Target. Kids after my own heart - I always spend all my money at Target too!

One FUN week!

Our last hurrah of summer began on Sunday when we headed out to a beautiful cottage in Holland and hung out with friends Dave & Kim and their two kiddos; Micah and Luke. After putting the kids to bed, we snuck out and went up on the dune overlooking Lake Michigan. The sunset was spectacular as was our entire stay at the "mansion by the sea". (Kim's mom's accurate description.) On Wednesday, just Jeff and I headed out to Birch Run for our big 10 year anniversary celebration. I know, Birch Run, not very romantic but I was given three choices; bed and breakfast in South Haven, Serenity Springs (the Te Slaa baby-making station!), or save money on the lodging and in my Dutch husband's words, "spend more money shopping". Game over ... we have a winner. :) We had a great time relaxing, shopping, and deciding our own schedule. I answered yes to all these questions: Have a drink before we head out to dinner. Late movie. Hot tub dip after the movie. Wake up and shop some more. At the last minute, go to a Tigers baseball game. Life without kids is so ... hmmm ... what is a good word for it? I will just stick with different. Very, very different.

Our final destination this week was to Binder Park Zoo with the kids in tow. They had so much fun and Zach was a trooper walking nearly a mile through the African Safari area. Feeding the giraffes was the highlight and spending some good 'ole family time.

Next week real life begins ... getting kids on the bus to school, making lunches, starting up Bible Study, coaching Zoey's AYSO soccer team, volunteering on the PTO, leading a Sunday night small group, and leading games every Wednesday night at church. I miss summer already. :(

CAPTIONS/Pic #1: "Good 'ole family fun". Pic #2: Zach using his non-verbals to say, "pick me up Daddy". And pic #3: Giraffe saying, "Feed me!"

Things that make me Happy

1. Watching my daughter learn how to ride a two-wheeler on her own.
2. Hanging out with friends at the cottage (aka: "mansion by the sea") they rented.
3. Passing on my love of books to my kids.
4. Planning a get away with my husband and knowing I get to ride in the car without kids.
5. Hearing Zach "sing" the ABC song and it sounds like this ... uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. But the tune is spot on!
6. Watching Zoey race around with the neigbors with her training wheels on.
7. Knowing that school will be starting in two weeks.
8. Waking to find that we have caught/killed another mouse. (O.K. happy may be too strong of a word for that one.)
9. My neighbor boy (former Abercrombie model) washing his car bare back. :)
10. You blogging nerds that read my blog and comment on it.
11. Watching Zach eat ice cream. And making daddy clean him up afterwards. (nice chocolate goatee huh?)

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

The mouse has left the house. Yesterday morning we awoke to find that a mouse had got into our bread drawer in the kitchen. YUCK! He had eaten right through the bread bag and left behind some "black rice". (aka: mouse droppings) I called my husband right away and told him, "You are the man of the house. You must KILL this mouse!" Sensing my urgency, he went out last night and bought the traps and loaded them up with peanut butter. We went to bed ... and about ten minutes later we heard one of the traps snap shut. Oh yeah baby. The mouse had returned to the scene of the crime and met his fate. The funniest part of this story (sorry to my in-laws if you are reading this) is that we were ... you know ... when the trap went off. It kind of killed the mood. :)

Time for a new DO

With the fast approaching arrival of fall, the new school year, and just because I get plain bored with my hair ... I have a new DO. I think my hairdresser gets a little excited each time I come in and say, "I am ready to try something different". She went a bit shorter in the back than I thought she would and when she saw that I kept getting quieter and quieter she got a little worried. Since I am so tactful, I said to this woman (who has devoted her life to cutting hair and making women feel better about themselves) "Oh, don't worry. It's just hair. It's fine. My hair grows fast." Nice huh? :) "Just hair"? It looks "fine"? I am sure I made her day with my compliments.

A Year in Review of my Hair: December - straight & med. length, July - long and curly, Mid August - Straight and short!!!

ANIMAL KINGDOM

While my husband Jeff was out mowing the grass he found FOUR yes, four baby toads in our lawn. He thought it would be fun to show the girls and so he kept bringing them one by one to Zoey. She decided they needed a "home" and so she got a Cool Whip container to put them in. Being somewhat humane (after dropping them several times from her waist high), she let two go and then took two inside . (Where was I you ask? I do not know.) About 20 minutes later we heard the battle cry that a toad "escaped". Did I mention that they were "baby" sized? :( So far, no toad. Minutes before the "toad incident", we saved a baby cardinal who had fallen in our window well and couldn't fly out. Mama Cardinal was screeching at us and we just kept yelling up to the tree, "we are trying to help your baby!" "Please don't poke our eyeballs out!" Baby made it safely out after getting scooped up in a bucket. Then while watching t.v. last night we heard distinct scratching inside one of our walls. Hello little mousey! Welcome to Animal Kingdom. Enjoy your stay.

We survived the "big blow"

I swear that is what they are calling it ... at least the funny t-shirts they had printed after the big storm Monday called it the "big blow". We survived 80 mph winds and being evacuated to a senior citizen center in downtown Pentwater! After "the storm", we did have some great beach days, read some good books, ate way too much food including monster cookies & Vander Heide cheese, played cards for hours, and even got a little deep while sitting around the campfire. What a great time and what great friends we have in the Te Slaa's. Even though they live way out in Jenison and we don't get together as often as we like, we still can pick right up where we left off. The kids played so wonderfully together too; Paige & Maddie and Zoey & Ellie were bosom buddies the whole week.

I suppose I should keep this a secret but I just love camping at Pentwater. Small campground, a short walk to the beach, cute boutiques and shops, sand dunes to entertain the kids, and ice cream shops within walking distance. Who could ask for anything more?

Camping with the Te Slaa's

The kids (minus napping Josie) having a
little color time during a rain shower.








Our humble home away from home.
By the way, I think the dictionary defines pop-up campers as "humble"! :)

These pictures were taken last year at the annual Guikema/Te Slaa camping trip. We had such a great time last year - the weather was great, the kids had so much fun, and everyone got along perfectly. We are hoping for a repeat! Pray for us to have a positive attitude even in the heat & humidity. One positive about the high temps. we have been having lately, the lake should definitely be a lot warmer than last year.

Summertime Projects

We are "project" people. Let's face it, when you buy two older homes you have to be. Jeff let the girls get into the action by painting the first coat of the back of the shed. (Don't worry, we didn't leave it, we do have neighbors!) Actually, it did turn out kind of cute.

I have decided that I only like to blog when I have a cute picture to go with it. Can anyone else relate?

I think my grass was saying "ahhhhhh" last night when it was raining. I know I was because now I don't have to drag around the hose & sprinklers. Jeff has got in the habit of calling me from work and telling me that he turned the sprinklers on so could I, "keep it going". I think I'm getting the short end of this stick ... I mean how hard is it to start something and then leave for work? :)

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th everyone! Jeff and Paige walked in the big Cascade parade this morning so I thought I would post some pictures. Aren't I on the ball? :) The rest of the family waited patiently (about 45 minutes after the start - oh my) and got to see the Y Adventure Guides go by and rake in all the candy. Hope everyone had a great Independence Day. And by the way, I spent less than 50 bucks total at IKEA this weekend. A new record low for me ... I did find a new bed frame I want but it couldn't fit in the mini-van with six ladies and all our bags. Detroit IKEA - look out - I am coming!

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?