and... she's off

Its official, my mother has left the country!
We enjoyed a nice fancy dinner out last night to wrap up a wonderful summer together. We are sad about her departure, but wish her well as her and my dad enjoy some time in Europe over the next 5 months. Mark & I also say thanks for everything you have done for us in helping us to adjust to being a family of four. We truly appreciate all of the support, help, babysitting, etc... I could go on and on. We miss you already.

...7 years ago

Seven years ago today we were getting ready to head down the aisle.
Our wedding was an absolute blast and I would love to do it all over again.

We managed to have 'date' night last night, thanks to my Mom babysitting the boys. This was our first date since Cameron was born. We enjoyed a nice dinner and movie.

Cheers to seven years!

preparing for Nana Woolley to leave

Even though my Dad has officially retired, he just keeps on working. My Dad left last week for Europe, as he has taken a 6 month consulting job. Now we are preparing ourselves for my Mom to leave on Tuesday to join him in England. Her departure will not be an easy goodbye for any of us, especially since she will be gone till Christmas, which seems like a very long stretch of time. Zachary has been blessed with being able to spend numerous quality days with my Mom. Most days they go to Panera for a bagel and morning coffee together. Zach has especially enjoyed their Thursday evenings together of eating fish n' chips downtown Naperville before heading to the band concert, which is always followed by a sleepover. Actually most days he says, "Mom, can I sleep at Nana's tonight?... I'm trying to not be offended by this daily question.

We will deeply miss both my parents and look forward to their return at Christmas. My mom keeps trying to minimize the goodbye by saying that '5 months out of your life is nothing', but right now I find it hard to agree with that. I keep teasing her that she is going to miss Cameron's childhood and he will be crawling by the time she gets back.... well, odds are he won't be crawling by Christmas, but you know what I mean. Babies change a lot month to month.

sicknesses, doctor visits, and prescriptions...

In between all of our socializing with friends, we have managed to have a couple of weeks of numerous trips to the doctor. All of us, but Mark, saw the doctor within the last 2 weeks. Cameron for his 2 month appointment (and shots, which were a joy), me for my 8 week check up (which was also a joy, as internal exams always are), and Zach for a random infection. Zach started his week with a fever followed by a cold, then on Thursday I took him in as his left forearm was swollen, red, itchy, and hot to the touch. The doctor suspects it was a bug bite that he scratched, then bacteria got in there, and led to an infection. Yummy! So he is on oral antibiotics twice a day for 10 days, which is an absolute battle trying to talk a 3 year old in taking a teaspoon and a half of nasty medicine. Its such a great way to start and end my day! Oh, the joys of motherhood....
Thank the Lord for TGIF's and Dad's being home for the weekend!

friends, friends and more friends

Last weekend and this week we have been busy with visitors from out of town and what fun its been!

My dear friend Beth was back from Seattle making a visit. She was only here for a few days, but we managed to squeeze in several visits. We had a couple play dates with Zach & Grace, where they spent time picking crab apples from a tree in our neighbors yard, their collection is seen in the picture. We also met up at 'Storytime at the Riverwalk' downtown Naperville for a morning activity. Beth and I also managed to get together for some Mexican food and margaritas, a must for a girls' night out. It was wonderful to see Beth and her kids again, and sad that she had to go back to Seattle.

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My old college roommate, Sandi was visiting with her daughter Claire. They live in Montana and she boldly traveled out here alone for a visit. It was great to spend some quality time with her and her daughter. Claire is only a month older than Cameron, so it was great to hash out the struggles of having newborns. Sandi is such an amazing person and friend so it was great to see her again, and its hard to believe that we have known each other for almost 14 years! Sandi and I met during our first week at Calvin College, as our dorm rooms were next to each other. I was extremely relieved to meet Sandi, as we seemed one of the few who had attended a public high school. It was such a blessing to meet her. Her friendship was one of the main reasons I stuck it out at Calvin and returned for a second year. (I would of course mention my hubby, but we hadn't met yet at this point)

(in the group photo,, left to right... Me with Zach and Lauren Wiegers, Sandi & Claire, Elisabeth & Simon Cooper, Stacy & Chloe Wiegers. Cameron is unfortunately missing from this picture, as Nana Woolley had kindly taken him home for a sleepover at this point)

A day in the windy city

After dropping Cameron off at my Moms for a day of babysitting, Zach and I headed downtown Chicago on Wednesday for a day at the beach with my friend, Sara and her son Max. I love it when Sara visits from Amsterdam, as it gives me the chance to head downtown and enjoy some of the aspects of the 'big city.' Its also great to get together as our boys are the same age and for the most part play well together. Here they are, enjoying some homemade cupcakes before taking a dip in the lake. Sara will head back to Amsterdam in a few weeks, so we were sad to say goodbye and look forward to her next visit.





Bas, Sara & Max after a day at the beach

A Special Baptism

Sunday turned out to be a wonderful day with family and friends. We had Cameron baptised and it was made extra special as our good friends, Steve & Stacy Wiegers had their 2nd daughter, Chloe baptised as well. It was nice to be able to celebrate this occasion together, as our kids are so close in age.

After the baptism, we hosted a BBQ with family and friends. It was an absolute beautiful day with low humidity and clear blue skies. It was nice to have my sister and kids in attendance, as I have never been able to make it to one of her kids' baptisms. Unfortunately, neither of Mark's brothers were able to make it, but Mark's parents made the trip down from Wisconsin and represented the Leys' family. Our Amsterdam friends, Sara & Bas and their son, Max also celebrated the occasion with us, which was also a rare treat! Once again we are reminded how blessed we are with our family and friends, and we are so thankful for all the people in our lives. Thanks for all the support and prayers as we have adjusted to becoming a family of four.














All the kids had a good time splashing each other in the pool, only a few minor tears were shed. Kiera managed to hold her own as she was the only girl in the pool with Zach, Max, Dirk, and Seth Haartman.

Were your ears ringing today??

This blog is solely dedicated to my good friend Beth, who moved out to Seattle. Amanda, the kids, and I got together today and your absence was deeply noted! When we weren't talking about baby stuff, we talked about how it stinks without you and how much we both miss you. Of course we are really looking forward to your return visit next week!






Zach and Isabel watching Wylie try out the 'Bumbo' seat


Cameron and Wylie (1 month older than Cam), not at all aware of each other

"Where's my cousins?"

"Where's my cousins" was the theme of the week. Zach was continually asking where his cousins were any time they were separated, it was pretty cute. We had a great week with my sister and kids, filled with many hours of swimming, playing, sleepovers, and attending a few local events. To celebrate my oldest niece Dayna's 9th birthday we had a picnic downtown Naperville at the local band shell before listening to the band concert. On Friday night we saw the smash success 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' by composer Andrew Lloyd Weber at North Central College here in Naperville. All four of the kids loved the show and learned a little bit about the Biblical story about Jacob and his 12 sons. Even though we had minor battles between Zach and Kiera (mainly instigated by my little angel, I must admit), it was an extremely fun week and we were all sad to see them go, as I'm not sure when we will see them again. Thanks for coming and safe travels back to New Mexico Zylstra's!
(slide show below of some of the moments we captured)

Captured Cousins

Boys only allowed

My college friend Sara and her son Max are here in Chicago visiting from Amsterdam. So they came out to the burbs yesterday for some swimming at my mom's pool. The boys had a good time swimming together while Sara & I chatted away.

Afterwards we came back to my house where our other college friend, Elisabeth and her son Simon, came by to visit. Although a chaotic time of day with the babies, us girls managed to have a happy hour cocktail while the boys either played or fussed. Somehow it makes the fussiness much more manageable.... nothing wrong with that right?














(From left to right) Max, Simon, Cameron and Zachary

A few highlights to see!

Hot weather, perfect for the beach

Hot weather for the 4th of July, which made for perfect conditions at Lake Michigan. We had a great 5 day trip up to Wisconsin and were so lucky with perfect weather. Zachary had a ball at the beach, proudly making sandcastles and flying a kite. Cameron on the other hand was a little more high maintenance at the beach as so much stuff was needed to keep him content and shaded. I forgot what a challenge it is to have a baby at the beach!
Mark's parents kindly stayed up at the house with the baby the majority of the time, allowing us to spend time with Zach at the beach. And I must admit, I ACTUALLY got a bit of reading done which is the first time in about 2 months. All in all a nice break from the daily grind!

Heading for the beach

Happy 4th of July! Mark has taken the rest of the week off and we are heading out tomorrow for a nice long weekend on the beach. We are taking advantage of Mark's parents living on the beach in Wisconsin and we are looking forward to some relaxation in the sun. Zachary loves the beach and will be as happy as a clam over the next 5 days. We will hopefully get some rest as when we get back my sister and kids will be here and it will be busy, busy, busy....

Cousins fly by

My sister and family stopped by today on their way up to Michigan to see her in-laws. They have left New Mexico for 5 weeks to spend some time visiting family in the Midwest. They briefly came by today to say hello and meet Cameron. They will return next Monday to spend the week with us. Zach thoroughly enjoys having some bigger playmates around and was sad to see them go today, as its hard for a 3 year old to understand that they will be back soon.


Talking to Nana & Grandpa Woolley in Phoenix on the webcam



Kiera, Zach, Dirk, Dayna and Cameron posing for the camera

Two Good Things!

Two good things happening here at the Leys' household.

One.... Cameron is starting to smile. Parenting becomes so much more enjoyable when they are responsive to you and give you a big toothless grin!

Second (And a big Praise the Lord for this one!).... I'm almost afraid to say it out loud and blog about it, but Cam slept from 8.45pm last night till 3.45am this morning! A whoopin' 7 hours straight. I woke up at 3 am in a panic and ran into his room to check that he was still breathing as we hadn't heard a peep from him. I'm sure it was a fluke and I'm not banking it happening again tonight, but I can only hope we are starting to make some type of progress.