10 years of bliss

Mark & I hit 10 years of marriage yesterday!
I know everybody says this, but its hard to believe that its been 10 years already.

Highlights & events of the past 10 years
-3 beautiful children
-3 moves
-3 job changes
-4 different cars
-awesome vacations including Hawaii, Mexico, Kohler Spa, The FL Keys, Door County, & many trips to Phoenix
-loss of all our grandparents
-addition of nieces & nephews

Over the past 10 years we have been blessed with health, happiness & many memories to cherish. We are both extremely thankful for both of our families who support us in many, many, un-thank-able ways & as well as some of our dear friends who help us sort out this whole parenting thing.

Although I do have to give props to my hubby on our special day, who's ego I don't publicly boost that often, for his ability at being an absolutely amazing father over the past 6+ years. The boys can't get enough of him & regularly choose daddy over me, which I really don't mind. And sometimes is a blessing! We will see what his little princess will be like, but so far she too can't smile big enough for him when he looks at her.

We look forward to many more years together & for what the future holds for us.
However, the immediate future holds a celebratory fancy dinner out tonight followed by some drinks with friends!
A good start to the next 10 years...

summer days

Indigo Girls Concert!
Not a great picture of Amy & Emily, but none the less a great show!


Indigo Girls has been one of my favorite bands since early college days & attending their show on Saturday brought back many memories of Calvin days. Numerous hours of singing along to their cd's in the dorm & in our college house with my many roommates... the good old days!

We, with some of my Calvin crew, Kristin Zandstra, Kris Haartman, Sara Buikema, Jessica Groen, & I, braved the heat & humidity on Saturday night and managed to avoid thunderstorms to thoroughly enjoy the evening at the Morton Arboretum. We brought our own chairs, table & snacks to complete the event.
It was such an enjoyable and relaxing evening that I hope we do it again next year.






The boys swimming the summer days away. We have done a month of swimming lessons and they both are turning into little fishes. Zach is working on mastering all of the strokes and Cameron is learning how to float and kick on his own. They both, however, are avid jumpers off the diving board!





Of course I can't my little Lindsey who also enjoys spending time outside. She has officially been moved to her own room & crib. It has been fun making a little girly room for her & I am quite happy with the final outcome.

The boys, I also must say, are also doing well with their adjustment to rooming together. Long may it continue...

Roomies?

We will see...
We started a new chapter of parenting tonight.... We have bunked up the boys together!! Should be an interesting transition.

I have been dragging my feet moving Camers out of the crib, as he was as happy as a clam in there & still taking solid naps. Meanwhile, Lindsey has been living in a borrowed smaller crib in the guest room. She is starting to grow out of it & reluctantly, I admit, she really needs to be moved into her own space.

So, I spent the weekend moving all of Cameron's clothes and belongings into Zach's room (which is a bit of a tight squeeze) and the excitement has been building for both of them. They were so excited tonight, they were asking to go to bed.
Shockingly enough though, they both crashed and I have two sleeping angels.
But in case this doesn't work out, we do have a back-up plan, we will move Zach into the guest room, re-decorate it, and make it his "new older-er boy room."
Keep you posted on that status!

However, I am excited to give Lindsey her own 'girly room' and I am getting ready to slap on some pink paint tomorrow! Bring it on Princesses, Tinkerbell, Little Mermaid, or whatever it is that girls like! Pretty much whatever your little girly heart desires Lindsey Lu... (current nickname)

when its so HOT outside...

And you try to take the family to the pool, but only to arrive 20 minutes after its been open, to find out somebody (we hope a small child) pooped in it and its been closed while they drain it, fill it up again, dump a bunch of chemicals in it & shock the you know what out of it... no pun intended...
to hopefully open it back up sometime later in the day on the hottest Saturday of the summer!!

The boys in my house resort to indoor trampoline jumping in their bathing suites.

Could it be any hotter outside?

Good Friends

So glad we have them!
We spent another fun weekend in Grand Rapids visiting our friends, Brad & Bradi & their beautiful 3 girls (however I missed getting both of our middle children on a picture)

We have gotten together many times, both here & there, and made many memories together since our departure from GR, which has been 5 years already. Its been fun to see each other through having 3 kids & all the challenges and fun it brings. However, now when we get together we have to be quite creative about where to sleep all the little ones, but its worth it.

I came across this picture the other day of Zach & Raegan and had to post. This was taken in July 2006... They look so old now!

5 months

Lindsey 5 months today!
Hard to believe we are close to 6 months already.

She is doing great, slowly creeping back up in the weight percentile after a low weight check in last month. However, for what she lacks in weight, she makes up for it in height & her head circumference, as with both of those she falls in the 90%tile.

We continue to work on 'her tone,' as the doctor put it, as she is getting better at holding her head up, but still isn't a big fan of being on her tummy & completely rolling over.
She is as sweet as can be as she gives you the biggest smiles when you get her out of bed or whenever you make eye contact with her. She is loving her big brothers & spends hours watching the fly around the room and they too, love to dote on her & help soothe her.

4th of July

Another great family weekend with the Leys' clan. In addition to going to the parade, watching the fireworks, flying kites, & hiking the sand dunes, we celebrated the 4th by recognizing Mark's parents 40th wedding anniversary with both of Mark's brothers, our sister in law and nephew & niece. We had fabulous weather & spent many hours on the beach. Even miss Lindsey seemed to enjoy her time in her little tent with the breeze blowing through.