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Thursday, April 3, 2014

March Highlights

 March was a very low-key month.   Here are some pictures.
Anja liked the last taste of Daddy's coffee--sugary and sweet.
Joel and I celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss!  I gave him a little something to put in his new German beer stein.

I've committed to myself that I need to get more active, so I've been getting up early to exercise.  Kyper sometimes joins me.

Kyper had a fun field trip to a gymnastics place.  He enjoyed the trampoline.

And the blocks.

Kyper learned about king David at Story Hour and now he is a king most days.

Monday, March 3, 2014

January and February Highlights

If you ask me January and February 2014 was a little rough on us...we had some sickness and way too much cabin fever as polar vortexes came through!  But it is now March, so I am hoping that this month will bring us some relief.
First, January highlights:
-The first few days of January were spent in Holland.

Aren at the beach

Joel at the beach

Joel and I took Kyper sledding at my old stomping grounds: Zeeland Christian School.

Even Anja got outside

Joel was the horse to their carriage.
 The rest of January was spent in Dearborn.  I don't think Kyper had a full week of preschool the whole month with a sick day and a bunch of snow days!
  
Kyper sledding down the snow pile we have in our backyard!

Kyper and I did have fun going on a field trip on the 31st to the bowling alley!  It was a lot of fun, but I don't have the pictures off my camera at the moment.

February highlights:
GGMa, Grandpa P and Grandma P visited for a day

Kyper, Joel, Grandpa Pm and I went for a walk

Joel dug a hole in our snow pile.

Staying busy while confined inside due to cold.

We took Anja sledding and she loved it!
 We went back to West Michigan to celebrate the life of my Grandma VanFarowe.  She passed away on Feb. 21, just days shy of her 90th birthday on Feb. 26th.  It was not unexpected as she was in Hospice since September 2013, so although she will be missed here on earth we are so happy that she is now celebrating in Glory!
Kyper and Joel went to Holland State Park

Apparently, Kyper swung for almost 20 minutes.

Anja found a new little spot to perch.

Kyper handed out these for his Valentine's Day party at school.

This is what he made for Joel and I for Valentine's Day.  I love it!

Finally feel moved in after 6 months--organized the basement!

The other side of the basement.


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Christmas Festivities

December was devoted to Christmas festivities.  We did lots of fun things!  These pictures and high lights may not be in chronological order.

*Kyper was in 2 Christmas programs.  One with church (videos in previous blog post) and one with preschool.
Here one snippet of the preschool program:

*We decorated the tree (actually Kyper did about 90% of it) and the house.
Even Blub Blub got into the Christmas mood



I made this at MOPS event--Thanks to a friend for helping me do the letters.

*We got plenty of snow in December and enjoyed playing in it.




*We found a new game to play with the dump truck.
*We made different kinds of yummy food
Seafoam

Anja got to help clean up the seafoam.
Christmas cookies



Christmas wreaths

Christmas Eve steak dinner

Christmas day breakfast--sticky buns and candy canes


*We opened some gifts.  We give the kids a present on Dec. 6 (Sinterklaas Day) and then we opened the rest on Christmas morning.  We don't have any pics of Sinterklaas day.  The tradition is to give them new pajamas so they can wear them throughout the Christmas season.

Christmas morning-stockings are full
 




I wonder what JP got Joel from Germany?


*We played with some new toys
Legos
 Boxes
Piggy Bank


Candle from Germany

  

Monday, December 16, 2013

Church Christmas Program

On Sunday the 15th, our church had their annual Children's Christmas Program.  Kyper is in preschool and got to sing a few songs during it.  Unfortunately 2 of the 3 songs are not loading, but here he is jamming to the music and singing Wake Up, Shepherds!

Kyper jamming to the music


Wake Up Shepherds!

Monday, November 4, 2013

October Happenings--Fire Department and Halloween

I had to work one weekend in October and missed the fire department outing, sad.  Joel's parents came out with his grandma the same weekend, so they took the kids to the Fire Department.  The fire department had all kinds of fun activities and lessons about fire safety.  He got to try out the hose, see a fire truck up close, make a 9-1-1 call, and eat hot dogs.  He also saw a ton of his friends there.






Halloween was the next big event:
The 28th we carved and painted pumpkins.  No pictures.

On the 31st, a local church held a trunk and treat event.  It was perfect, because they moved it inside due to the crummy weather.  The bonus is that this is the church that Ya Ya attends--Ya Ya is the kids' daycare provider, so they knew someone handing out the candy.  Kyper dressed up as a penguin and Anja was a lady bug.  No money was spent on costumes!  For Kyper's costume I borrowed a black turtleneck and black pants.  Another friend had left over white felt I could use to cut an oval out of for the penguin's front.  I attached the white felt with safety pins.  I found an old black t-shirt and cut out some wings for under his arms.  I also borrowed a chicken costume, which had orange pants and bird feet.  I put the black dress pants over top and ta-da, black penguin legs with orange webbed feet.  To top it off (no pun intended) I borrowed a penguin hat from another friend.  Got to love my MOPS community and costume exchanges, because Anja got her lady bug costume from a costume exchange I did with our MOPS group.




The trunk and treat was a lot of fun and it was so nice not to go door to door in the rain.  After going around the truck to the candy stations, they had a cookie decorating table, hot dogs, and some games in the basement.  The also had a story time, which Kyper enjoyed. 



When we got home, we did o to the immediate next door neighbors so they could see the kids.  Then we headed inside and handed out one bag of candy to the last of the trick or treaters.   Up until that afternoon I wasn't sure we'd be able to as our porch light wasn't working.  But, the handyman came and fixed our light, so Kyper got to have fun handing candy out for a little bit.  He had just as much fun handing candy out as he did collecting it.  Actually, I had gotten 4 bags of candy originally, but sold 3 bags to a friend when our porch light wasn't working, when I saw the weather report, and when we finalized going  out.  So, we went through the one bag I had kept, Kyper was so disappointed that he offered to give some of his candy to the trick or treaters.  What a great kid!