Running with the Bulls

So, I volunteered to organize a float from our school and it was fun and Jeff was amazingly helpful. (Even though he flat out refused to be the bull rider but instead opted to be the truck driver.) Our elementary school really is amazing. You shoot out a few emails and the next thing you know, your house is filled with moms making tissue paper flowers! :)

Thanks everyone.

(Dad G. for letting us borrow your trailer, Sheryl for dropping off a sweet yellow shirt and cape the day of the parade, Tasha for finding a matador hat at her church, Nicole, the art teacher, for making the incredible signs, and all the moms, dads, and kids who helped make the flowers and/or walked.)

(This dad, Tom, was an amazing matador.He had to act like he wasn't having any fun, but we know the truth! He had the most props of any float participant and held a rose in his mouth for the entire parade - 45 minutes!)

Getting Ready for the Big Parade

Here are the neighbor kids (& a couple of mine own)

using the trailer for their Rock Band.
These girls can jam!

Can my kids be average?

In a world where each child is pushed to excel at everything they do at school, at home, or on the playing field, can I ask just one simple question; can my kid be average or does she or he have to be excellent at everything?

You forgot how to read certain musical notes over the summer? Get out the flashcards and practice before piano lessons next week.
You forgot some of your multiplication facts? Hey, we got flashcards for that too.
Go to soccer practice to improve your ball skills.
Don't forget to read every night.
Get an 'A' on your spelling test every week.
Here's a math sheet for homework.

I'll admit most days I want my kids to exceed, excel, be excellent. But I also want them to be a kid. Just a fun-loving, care-free, average kid.

Chew On This

"Pride is forgetting the bigness of God and the smallness of you."

Fall Feast

Candy corn + peanuts =

Absolute Deliciousness

(It tastes just like a Pay Day candy bar. But looks more festive.)

Thanks to our dentist & friend for bringing this to a party and introducing it to our family. Is he trying to boost his business? :)

Professional Softball Family?

O.K. I never blogged about our family's crazy softball schedule this summer. M/W/F we were out on the softball field and the girls had fun learning how to play the game. (Their mom/coach had "fun" trying to teach them too!) The girls were very sweet but after yelling, "throw it to first, first base, first, go to one" and then watching them toss it to second, my patience was extremely tested. :) I also had one little player who after telling her to run out to her position, she stared at me and walked every so slowly out on the field. Grrrrr. I think I better wait a few years before I coach softball again. Maybe I should coach a sport I know nothing about ... Zoey's up to bat.

Paige's up to bat.

Crazy girls.

How I Know

This is how I know that I sent a little boy off to school yesterday and not a little girl.

• I had to remind him to try to hold in his "toots". (Seriously, it was our lunchtime discussion.)

This is how I know that I sent my baby off to school.

I was the only mom in the carpool line and since I was a few minutes early I asked the teacher if I was the first one. To which she responded, "No, most moms and dads are walking their child in for the first day." Alrighty then.

I stayed in my car. :)

I watched him run in all excited with his camo backpack looking like a little man.

I cried as I rounded the corner and drove away.

And They're Off ... to School!

1st day of school tradition; picture taken with sign.

One latest home improvement project; displaying the kids artwork.

1 Phenomenal art teacher at school + 2 creative little girls =

13 incredible pieces of art that are now proudly displayed in the basement.

My Boys

I thought I should post a picture of Zach doing something "manly" like washing the car since I posted a picture of him in a pink dress. Sorry little man. You look cute either bare back or in a pink tutu however.

Jeff and his mini-me.

Poor Boy

It's tough having older sisters. Here's to a life of dress up and tiaras.

Room's Done / IKEA Trip / Saying Goodbye

So apparently the word "submit" doesn't get the comments flowing! :) Here is a pic of the inside of our room. I really do love how it turned out and I can now finally walk around in a towel (or less) in my room without feeling like I'm on display. Good news for me; great news for my neighbors? My friend Steph and I headed to IKEA yesterday (great conversations + fun shopping = happy mommy) and we bought a lot of organization and kitchen stuff. The only bummer was that they were out of a few things I "needed": nightstands for our bedroom, curtains for the girls room, and a new area rug for our kitchen. I guess when I prayed at lunchtime for God to help me only buy things that would be useful, he was in fact once again listening to my prayers. As soon as I got back I changed my clothes to go to a funeral visitation for a friend from our former church. Tim was just 41 years old and leaves behind a beautiful wife and four kids. Please pray for Becky if you think of her during the day. Hope all you bloggers are well.

"Monkeying around" with more upper case living art.

Dirty Word?

Best sermon I've ever heard on the word submit. Thanks to Pastor Steve Armfield at our church for helping me re-think submission. If you have a few minutes , o.k. more like a half an hour, take a listen. (Be patient. It takes a few seconds to download.)

If I'm being perfectly honest, I've always struggled with the word "headship". After all, I'm a confident independent woman of the 21st century. I want to be the head of my own ship thank you very much. A funny example of this is when my dear brother-in-law called us about a year into our marriage and just a few months into his own and asked Jeff how he was handling being the "head of our household." To which Jeff moved the phone away from his ear and yelled across our dingy apartment, "Hey Laurie - am I the head of our house?" I think if you have to ask ... the answer may be NO! ;)

Maybe what my brother-in-law was asking wasn't how are you doing at being the "boss" and "ruler" of your home but rather, how are you loving your wife? Are you loving her like Christ loved the church? When you look at her do you see the cross right over her shoulder? I'm going to believe that is what he was asking and that we were too immature to understand the question. Because let's face it, the other alternative would make him somewhat less "dear" to feisty 'ole me. :)

The Zoo, New Hoosier & Wall Art

When did my kids get so blonde?Love us some free face painting!

Don't poop on us birdies.

Our find in Pentwater. A refurbished Hoosier cabinet.

Uppercaseliving art in the girls' newly painted pink room.

VBS Week

This week I'm leading games at our church where over 350 kids are coming every day. The first day I met my "assistant" who is entering seventh grade. Can you say baby face? He was late the first day and so I told him if he was late again I would make him run wind sprints. His eyes bugged out of his head and he said, "Oh no. I'll be on time from now."

Every time I picture his face, I laugh out loud. I love middle schoolers. They're so gullible.

Confessions of a Tomboy

1. I hate to paint my toenails. Really I do. It's uncomfortable, time-consuming, tedious work.
2. I spit when I run. My mom once told me that I wouldn't appeal to the opposite sex if I spit while I played college softball. Hmmmm, as I recall, I had a few dates in college.
3. I say the s*word that rhymes with spit while playing co-ed softball at the Christian Reformed Rec. Center. Usually quietly & just to myself when someone botches a play. I even yelled at my nephew when he cut off the ball when I was trying to throw someone out at 3rd base. Sorry Ross. Love ya - but get the rock out of the way.
4. I love to mow the grass. My husband will often be cooking dinner inside while I'm out mowing. I still remember my neighbor telling me that when her boys saw me out mowing for the first time they shouted, "Look. There's a mom mowing the grass!"

Long Jump Contests

Camping means joining in an impromptu long jump contest at the bottom of the sand dune called, "Old Baldy" (not kidding about that name & yes, I can think of other things that could be called that), talking about deep and not so deep stuff around the fire or around the picnic table as you battle it out gender vs. gender in cards, letting your kids stay up too late playing charades, putting your bathing suit on right when you wake up and leaving it on until after dinner, it's many moments ... sandy, sticky, silly, unforgettable moments.

If you get a chance, read this book, "Cold Tangerines" by Shauna Niequist. Her words are bursting off of every page encouraging you to celebrate everything in your life. She writes, "Today is your big moment. Moments, really. The life you've been waiting for is happening all around you. The scene unfolding right outside your window is worth more than the most beautiful painting, and the crackers and peanut butter that you're having for lunch on the coffee table are as profound, in their own way, as the Last Supper. This is it. This is life in all its glory, swirling and unfolding around us, disguised as pedantic, pedestrian non-events. Your life, right now, today is exploding with energy and power and detail and dimension, better than the best movie you have ever seen. You and your family and your friends and your house and your dinner table and your garage all have the making of a life of epic proportions, a story for the ages. Because they all are. Every life is."

Camping Part Deux

Wrapped up the camping adventure with my sister & her family. The cousins had so much fun together that Paige said we should live closer to each other. Cindy came back by saying we should move because we turbo through home improvement projects! Ha! I would love to bulldoze my house and build my dream home right on the same lot. Our neighborhood is just too great. Take today for instance; I asked my neighbor if we could borrow his chain saw to cut up a fallen branch and he said he would take care of it for me. Nice. Then I sit outside on my porch and watch my neighbor across the street chat it up with my kids and then hand them a bag of fresh picked cherries. Too nice. I love it here. (Don't worry Patti, I haven't forgotten about your late night contributions to my baking extravaganzas. Love ya too. And Tara, if you actually read my blog - I miss ya girl.)

Thanks Groots! We had a blast with your family and we love you lots. And thanks Te Slaas for letting them borrow your camper for the weekend.

Time to Reload

This post is dedicated to my neighbor & friend Patti who for some reason finds my life interesting. :) We are home for a day and a half from camping to re-load on food, clean clothes, and for the girls & I (their coach) to get to their softball game tonight. Today is picture day and we thought we shouldn't miss it. Later ...

Mr. Twisty in his sleeping bag.

Camping causes craziness.

The nine year olds; Maddie & Paige.

The 7 & 8 year olds; Zoey & Ellie. Dough boys are so good you want to lick the paper plate.

The hot mamas; Steph, me, Kim

The hot papas; Mark & Jeff playing corn hole. Could this game have a stranger name? :)

The crew (minus Jeff who was snapping this photo.)

Mark & Steph & their four kids

Us & our three

The Hoekstras & their two boys who came to visit for a day.

The Clampetts go Camping!

A pick-up truck is like cheating when going camping.

So easy to pack - love it.

Have I mentioned that I'm not afraid to be a little cheesy? :)

Fruit pizza flag for the 4th. Oh baby, it was good.

Dear Fellow Bloggers,
Hope y'all had a great 4th. Here's some pics of our fun day and a pic of my friend Kim & I who keep getting asked if we are sisters. Thanks to the Hoekstras for grilling up a mean steak & for paying their East Grand Rapids taxes so we could enjoy the fireworks display! I will be unavailable for the next two weeks because I will be working on my tan. Please try not to abuse my comment section by having miscellaneous conversations and musings. Actually, go ahead. I get more comments when I'm gone then when I'm around. ;)

Sulphur smell - yum!

Sisters? If only she had red hair and more freckles.

Boys are pyromaniacs.

Snakes, aka poops. The kids absolute favorite of all time.

Eight IS Enough & We Be Jammin'

(o.k. that's only 7 - where's Mikayla?)

I thought I'd share a shot of our kids & the cousins (all five of them) that we babysat while their mom & dad interviewed for a new pastor job in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They really are the sweetest kids and they were so cute when I told them I got some good ideas for their next birthdays by watching them play with our toys (remote control car and MP3 player). Until two of them told me they would like a trampoline and a Wii instead. LOL! Pastor's kids with expensive tastes - I love it! Thanks to Patti for having a tramp and always letting our kids jump on it. To wrap up our busy day we decided to make eight batches of homemade strawberry jam. The girls did a great job helping and 45 minutes later we were done.