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.