Simply Blessed

Happy Birthday, Kate!!!

2011-10-06T07:50:00.008-05:00

Our sweet little girl turned 1 on Thursday. Where has the year gone? She is such an incredible blessing to our family and has won our hearts over a 1000 times. She adores her big brother and sisters just as much as they adore her. Kate has such a fun temperment and has a pretty go with the flow attitude.
What is Kate up to:

She is getting more daring with her walking, taking up to 7-8 steps at a time before falling.

Kate loves to dance and makes sure we all are watching her.

She loves to read books. Right now she loves the touch & feel books and a Little People Harvest time book...yes she's very smart and knows what season it is out on the farm. :)

Kate has a special purple blanket that is always close by and a great form of comfort.

She has no teeth but eats whatever we are having without any problems. Thankfully she is not a picky eater and will shovel in most foods very fast. The only thing she is not a fan of yet is whole milk. We are working on it as mommy would like complete freedom soon. :)

Can say mama, dada (her first word), hi while pretending to talk on the phone, CaCa for Erica and yumm and nigh-nigh.

Kate loves to climb and stand on things - especially going up the stairs, wear necklaces, carry purses (this is a new favorite) and rock in our little red rocking chair...usually while standing up. :)

She is still not sleeping through the night like I'd like, but who really needs a full night of sleep anyway? :)

And for those that want to know, Kate weighed 19 lb 4 oz and was 28" at her check-up.

I can go on and on about how special Kate is, but I will let you enjoy the pictures of her instead. :)

VanMersbergen Annual Campout

2011-09-08T22:29:00.005-05:00

We had another great VM camp out over Labor Day weekend. It is so much fun to get together as a whole family. There is always tons of good food and of course many laughs, but most importantly are the memories we are all making. We're already on the countdown to next year's camp out and memories that will be made. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

This year was a Christmas theme so everyone brought items to put in stockings for the kids. They of course loved it!

Our geo-caching crew showing off their loot.

The kids also got to make a leather craft.
Saturday was a bit rainy as evident by Bethany's matted down hair style. :)

Obviously the boys didn't mind the rain...the game had to go on. A lot of baseball was played over the course of the weekend.

Saturday morning was the annual Kids Fun Run & for the adults the 2 mile fun run.

Go Kate Go!!!! Here's the line-up of all the kids minus 2. I think Kate is jumping the gun a bit. :)

The Noteboom's outdoor sink for teeth brushing.

The boys spent a lot of time flying these little airplanes. It will be a sad day when Grandpa runs out of them.

Glow sticks are always a night time hit.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-08-24T21:37:00.005-05:00

Ok, so it really isn't the most wonderful time of the year. I definitely miss the kids when they are at school, but it was time to get back into a routine. I am very excited to see what God has in store for each of them this year. The two days that Erica goes to school is when I will notice them all gone the most. It will just be me, Kate and Aubrey, a sweet little girl that I watch. Those two keep me very busy between feeding them, playing, diaper changes & of course the jealousy issues that we are battling with both of them. :)

Kate absolutely loves climbing the stairs and exploring up there. Not such a safe thing though since we have not baby-proofed that area of the house yet.
Erica and her three wonderful teachers. She is so, so, so excited to go to school. Bethany & her best buddy, Daddy. Jaren, to cool to have his picture taken but decided it wasn't worth the battle with mom. 1st day of 1st grade! 3rd grade already! 1st day of preschool with her new backpack from town grandpa & grandma.

Enjoying the weather

2011-08-16T07:21:00.003-05:00

Enjoying the end of summer and the beautiful weather that God has blessed us with.

Kate waiting patiently to go outside.

Loving the new swing-set from Farm Grandpa & Grandma.

Content swinging for now. She would much prefer to be climbing like the big kids.

The kids being wild going down the slide. Thankfully no one was seriously injured even after the 100th time and I would not allow them to add Kate to the top of the pile. :)

Family Fun Day

2011-08-08T11:22:00.005-05:00

What a fun day we had on Saturday. Kurtis' plans got changed due to his tractor breaking down, so we went and had a lot of fun instead...miniature golf, the zoo, out for supper to Famous Dave's and then ice cream to end the day. Great memories!

Jaren starting us off on hole #1

Check out Erica's putting stance! :)

Having so much fun!

Sitting pretty by the flowers. Kate enjoyed crawling on the greens and trying to get the balls.

Bethany looking beautiful by the flowers.

Jaren got a hole in 1 on #14! To say he was excited might be an understatement. And not to leave Kurtis out, he got a hole in one on #2, but I forgot to take his picture. :)

Enjoying a lunch of hot dogs and pop in the clubhouse.

Then it was time to hit the zoo. These three braved to wobbly bridge.

Watching the little birds.

Kate loved the fish. She would wave and say hi.

Hatching

Taking a break on the caterpillar.

Erica, Bethany & Jaren getting cooled off by the elephants spray.

Our last stop at the zoo was the train.

Proof that I did go along on this fun day. :) Kate loved the train and was quite the wild child the whole ride.

Nine months already!

2011-07-18T21:47:00.004-05:00

Thought I would post a few things about Kate now that she is 9 months old. She is still a very sweet little girl and is now so much happier since she's learned to crawl and get into everything. She went from sitting around one day to crawling and pulling herself up by everything the next. The older kids could not wait for Kate to start crawling...I don't think they are quite as thrilled as they thought they'd be. Let's just say we had to do some quick baby proofing around here. :) Here are some pictures that tell a little about Kate.

She has beautiful blue eyes that will melt your heart. :)

She loves to read books...especially the touch & feel kind

She loves to be outside and sit in the grass. She does a very good job of not eating the leaves and grass, but instead just exploring them.

She loves pizza, fruit of any kind, waffles, toast, puffs, and pretty much any other table food you will give her. Don't the let the sippy cup in her hand fool you though. She is not a fan and it usually just ends up on the floor.

This is how we have found her sleeping a quite a bit lately. Yes, we do go in and lay her down since this does not look like the safest sleeping position.

Kate loves to swim. She burns a ton of energy in the pool kicking and splashing.

She is such a trooper when going anywhere. All she needs is a clean diaper, some food and maybe a toy or two and she's good to go.

Now I just pray that these next 3 months slow down because I am not ready for Kate to be a year old.

2011-07-18T21:41:00.003-05:00

Got milk?

A little update

2011-06-10T16:24:00.006-05:00

We have been keeping very busy so far with summer vacation. The kids are wrapping up a fun week of VBS and had such a wonderful time. It was so nice for me to have some alone time with Kate as we ran errands and hung out at home. She loved the one-on-one attention.

Here are some end of the school year, Bethany in gymnastics, summer fun pictures.

Chapel groups competing in friendly games...this is Jaren's group doing tug-of-war.

Bethany balancing an egg on a spoon for her team

The human worm

Bethany's graduation cake...so hard to believe she is going to be in 1st grade already!

Mrs. DeBruin talking with Bethany about her flip-flop costume. Each child draws a letter and has to come up with a costume to go with that letter. Bethany obviously drew the letter 'F'.

Bethany absolutely loved gymnastics these past three months. We are taking the summer off, but she would love to start up again this fall.

"Cochroach" during warm-ups

Once again on the balance beam. She was quite nervous at the beginning of the season, but she impressed us with constantly trying everything her teacher asked of her.

Kate has been kind of a pickle when it comes to eating baby food...especially the veggies. She would much rather eat table food like the rest of us.

Jaren is liking the independence he is given to ride Kurtis' 4-wheeler around the yard and to the hog shed and back. It's plenty big for him so I'm not super comfortable with him going to far or very fast.

Such a great father-son bonding time. They were having fun washing the vehicles together.

Just to show that the girls helped for a few minutes also before the swing-set called their names.

Just a cute profile pic of Kate :)

Hope you enjoyed the new pictures Aunt Arlene! :)

Tulip Time & Track Meet

2011-05-13T21:39:00.003-05:00

We had a great time again this year at Tulip Time. I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

Kate & Avery...it is definitely nap time. Sadly this is the only picture I have of Kate & myself dressed up. I might have to pull the costumes back out and take another one.

Jaren holding Kate, Luke, Erica, Bethany, Reagan, Lauren & Drew. We'll be sure to add Hailey, Brynn & Klayton to the picture next year.

Jaren & Bethany had a small track meet the other day. Both did such a great job and had so much fun in their races.

Enjoying the sunshine

2011-05-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Wow, what wonderful weather we've been having! The kids have been able to spend a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors and burning lots of energy. We are gearing up for a small track meet for Jaren & Bethany this week, baseball practice, gymnastics & best of all Tulip Time! Can't wait to eat all that delicious food and enjoy the fun parades. Kate & I are going to walk in one of the baby parades. She looks very adorable in her little costume. If only adult costumes would be that flattering. :) Hope you enjoy the pictures below. There are some of the park (minus Bethany because she was at a birthday party) and Jaren planting his tree that he got for National Arbor Day. Oh and I can't forget the kids' school concert. David & the Giants...not only Goliath but our everyday giants that the kids have to face.

The girls were thrilled to see William & Kate. They loved her dress. Erica was the most fascinated by the whole thing which is no suprise since she is going to move to Europe and become a princess when she grows up.

Bethany singing and I accidentally erased Jaren's picture so just use your imagination. :)

Having fun at the park

Hanging out in her stroller at the park. She loves watching people.

Digging the hole for his tree - Little Leaf Linden

Jaren & Linden, his official name :)

Fun Times!

2011-04-28T12:19:00.005-05:00

We've been having a lot of fun over here and keeping plenty busy. Baseball for Jaren finally started this week after getting rained out last week. He has had 2 practices and is loving it once again this year. Not to mention he is playing for DeBruin Electric...how fun is that! :) This year he would like to try and do a little pitching for his team so he has been faithfully heading to the basement to practice and is doing a very good job. Bethany is still very much enjoying gymnastics once a week. I've been having a hard time getting pictures of her because of the large number of other gymnasts that are usually in the way. I'll keep trying though. Erica and Kate are busy hanging out with mom. :)
We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our Savior's resurrection and the promise of eternal life. We spent the day with my family and the chaos of 11 kids running around. Thankfully it was a beautiful day so they could run around outside and burn all their energy.

All ready to go...Kate, Brynn, Lauren, Reagan, Bethany, Luke, Erica, Jaren, Klayton, Hailey, Drew
Kate checking out what's in her basket.
The "hunt" is on. There are not enough hiding spots so we just put names on the eggs and they have to find their own eggs.
Kate hanging out with daddy. :)
Getting instructions for the 2nd half of the hunt

Heading out to find our first Easter geo-cache

Every Friday morning the local skating rink has cheap skating for little kids. It's a fun little outing for Erica to enjoy while the others are at school. This particular Friday Bethany got to join us. Both girls had a great time as you can see by the smile on their faces. Kate thoroughly enjoyed just people watching in the stroller.

One more of our smiley girl.

What a great day!

2011-04-13T21:01:00.005-05:00

Today's weather could not have been better and we made sure to get out and enjoy it. Erica, Kate & I took a short walk to play at a park and then we picked Jaren & Bethany up from school and came home to enjoy the rest of the day outside. The kids had a great time on the swing set. Everything takes on a new found fun when ate is able to start being involved. They love having her around doing what they're able to do. I just can't get over the love that they have for her and Kate couldn't ask for any better brother & sisters.

We were also able to burn the big pile of sticks that the kids have found on our yard and over at the farm. To help ignite the fire our Christmas tree was also thrown in. Jaren had the privilege of starting the fire and I think it's safe to say that he really enjoyed it. What I don't have pictures of is Jaren taking pieces of paper and starting them on fire just for fun while waiting to start the big fire...Caramel Grandpa (aka Calvin) would be so proud! After the fire died down a little we roasted some hot dogs for supper and marshmallows for dessert with Farm Grandma. We are now ready for camping season to start and we even have a new fire starter.

~And just one more picture of Kate to show off her beautiful blue eyes~

2011-04-10T11:28:00.003-05:00

Wow, where have I been?!?! Most of my Internet time is done while feeding Kate and typing one handed is a slow process for me. There...that's my excuse. :)

We are really enjoying the beautiful weather that God has blessed us with the past few days. We have also unfortunately been dealing with sick kids for the past week. I thought today would be a great start to a healthy week but I was wrong. Bethany is down for the count again with a 103 temp and vomiting. To put it mildly...she's miserable. :(

Fun things around our house...

1. Kate is now 6 months old. She is so much fun to have around! We have her dr. appointment tomorrow so I'll have the official stats then but I'm thinking she's 12-12.5 lbs. She loves the independence of sitting on her own and grabbing the toys out of her little box. She would like it if someone was sitting by her the entire day long, but after a few minutes of crying she usually calms down and realizes she can play on her own. She has discovered a love for the outdoors. This will come in handy in the next couple of months when we have ball games to attend. Kate thinks Erica is the funniest person ever and is constantly giggling at the silly things she does.

2. Erica just got registered for preschool. It's so hard to imagine sending her off to school, but she is so very excited. Finally something for her instead of just going to Jaren & Bethany's events. Erica is a riot and is constantly making us laugh. It's very hard to take anything she says or does seriously. Right now we have to play "What time is it Mrs. Fox?" every single day. Kate also seems to thoroughly enjoy this game. Erica stays busy by going to story time at the library once a week and KidShine every other week. Last week we ventured out to go roller skating. She loved it and was bummed that we had to miss this week due to her being sick. Hopefully this week we'll be able to go again.

3. Bethany is buzzing right along in Kindergarten. She has made so many good friends this year. I think we're going to have to have some playdates over the summer so this little social butterfly can play with her friends. Bethany is also participating in gymnastics once a week and is loving it. She wasn't interested in t-ball or soccer but really wanted to do gymnastics to we thought we'd give it a try. She has gone out of her comfort zone quite a few times with what the teacher has asked them to do (she's not much of a dare devil). Bethany had her first friends party this year for her birthday and had a blast. The girls could have danced the entire time. Something I'll have to think about for next year. :)

4. Jaren is so ready for spring/summer when baseball will start. He has 1-1/2 weeks until practice and about a month before his first game. He would like to try and pitch this year so I think we'd better get out there and work with him. Jaren still enjoys school...especially PE and recess. He is a great help at home but at the same time can be very frustrating with his know-it-all attitude that every child goes through. :) He is probably the most excited for the camping season to start. The roasted carmels w/ ritz crackers is high on his camping priority list. Jaren's biggest concern right now is "What will I watch if football gets canceled next season.?" :)

Sorry for the lack of pictures of Jaren. All the most recent ones are on my camera which has been misplaced - I'll find it soon and then do a whole post of just Jaren. :)

I'll try to be a little more faithful in updating the blog but I don't promise anything. :)

2011-02-03T14:53:00.006-06:00

I guess I should update my blog since I'm starting to get harassed about the lack of updates. I personally thought I was doing fairly well considering everything going on around here. :)

It's time to have a blog dedicated to our Betty Lou. She is such a blessing for God for our family. She is a great big sister, has quite the bossy disposition (typical oldest girl), very tender hearted and I could go on and on. She is loving kindergarten, unfortunately not for the learning aspect but for the social. She is so much like her grandmas. :) Bethany could spend most of her time doing craft projects. If you give her a container of craft supplies she would be a very happy camper for the whole day. Nothing is junk in her opinion; everything can be used for a craft. We have to sneak a lot of things out of the house. Bethany is growing up very quickly and is so fun watching what has in store for her life. Enjoy these wonderful pictures of our precious girl.

Bethany's class performed at the Christmas tea at school. Here they are performing "Little Drummer Boy"

Enjoying her time with Kate

Play dough cookies

Cornucopia

2011-01-12T06:58:00.008-06:00

Anyone know which of our children is going to be featured based on the title? Probably not since it has nothing to do with her actual name; it's just a new name that daddy likes to call her and she thinks it's funny.
There are so many words I can use to describe Erica, but I think she would want me to say that she is a princess. Between dressing up like a princess and playing barbies she is pretty set for the day. She walks around in high heeled shoes all day so we are always hearing the click-clack of the heals on the hard wood floors. She walks and dances better in those shoes than I'd be able to. Erica loves to make us laugh and thinks she is the funniest person in the whole world. :)

Bethany & Erica are best of friends most of the time. Here Erica came up with a great way to fancy herself up by hanging princess ornaments from their ears. (Don't worry, they were strings, not hooks.)
Erica, being the fancy little girl that she is, was delighted to go to her first real tea party. She's had tea parties before at Grandma's house, but nothing compares to going to a real one with pretty decorated cookies & your choice of tea flavors.
Yes, she still sucks her thumb though her time is coming to an end. Harsh reality will hit on approximately Feb. 3 right after her birthday. :) She also loves reading books.

Erica enjoys playing games on the computer. Just look at that ornery face. :)

Erica just being herself.

And the below picture just speaks for itself. She struck this pose all by herself and it just cracks me up. :)

2010-12-28T15:14:00.003-06:00

Yeah!!! We finally have our Internet back up and running normally. So now it's time to get caught up on pictures. This blog is going to be all about Kate. Check back soon for pictures of one of the other three monkeys we have around here. :)

Kate continues to be such a blessing to our family. She is getting more and more active everyday and loves play time much more than napping. She'll let us know when she's bored and wants attention and then just smiles and "talks" to us when she gets her way. :)

Kate is still a little peanut. I just weighed her on Sunday and she was exactly 9 lbs. We're hoping for 9-1/2 by Jan. 6, but I'm thinking that will be a long shot. She can still wear most of the newborn clothes and some of her 3 month outfits...though with her skinny waist some of the bottoms come off easily.

Kate loves laying on her play mat to play, especially if the giraffe toy is within playing distance. She loves to pull and chew on his long legs. She is also starting to sit-up with the boppy pillow for assistance and loves this new found trick.

Kate is by far my best sleeper baby wise. She goes to bed around 8:30-9:00 and sleeps until 3 or 4. She then goes back to bed for a few more hours. My other children made sure to get up about 3 times a night until they were at least 6 months old. God knew that I couldn't handle that now that I'm older. :)

Enjoy the pictures of our little Kate. She'll melt your heart just like she's down to all of ours. (I'm not biased at all.) :)

Kate was baptized on Nov. 21. We a blessing that we have to be

able to promise to raise her to fear and love the Lord.
I just love the way she likes to lay and kick nonstop.
And she loves it when we let her lay with very few clothes on.

This is Kate and her bear, Bella, at 1 month. I completely forgot to get her 2 month picture, but I will make sure to remind myself for the 3 month shot of her and Bella.

Kate got to experience her first snowfall/blizzard. I bundled her all up for a 30 sec. photo session. She was less than thrilled with the bitter winds, but I'm sure deep down she thought the snow was pretty. :)

Erica & Kate enjoying a cuddly moment. Kate is not a big snuggler so we take the snuggles when she hands them out.

I just love the big, wide-mouth smiles that she gives us. She is such a happy girl...most of the time.

All bundled up and ready to go for another car ride. Thankfully she doesn't mind the car seat once we're in the car moving.

still here!

2010-12-17T19:34:00.000-06:00

We are still here, but our Internet has been taking several vacations lately. This post is all words and no pictures...sorry to disappoint. You can thank the Internet for the lack of pictures on this post.

We have been very busy since the last post and loving most of it.

Jaren continues to love 2nd grade. It's hard to believe that Jaren will be 8 on Monday...that's half way to 16 already!!! He has adjusted very well to having three sisters, but still mentions that it would be nice to have a brother...sorry bud, it's not going to happen. :) He just lost another tooth so he's proudly sporting a toothless grin. He loves reading, especially about sports & history, but better yet the history of sports facts & figures.

Bethany is still our dramatic, tender-hearted girl. She loves school days and can't wait to go every day. When she's home there is always an adventure happening depending on what costume she picks. And when she's not out on an adventure, Bethany's busy coming up with craft projects. God has truly blessed her with a great imagination. She is learning how to read and loves impressing us with what she has learned.

Erica is our silly monkey. She lives for making us laugh and says some of the silliest things. She loves playing with Bethany and having Jaren read her stories. Erica loves playing princess or with her princess castle, dancing & singing. She loves to remind us that she is almost 4 and then it will be her turn to go to preschool. For now she is really enjoying Sunday school and KidShine at church.

Kate is such a precious little girl. Her smiles will melt anyone's heart and her little coos will win you over. Kate obviously has me wrapped around her little finger. She loves playing on her playmat, taking baths, and doing "so big". She also loves it when we sing to her, especially "Jingle Bells"...probably because we do silly faces and help her dance along. :) She does have her crabby times, but her happy moments definitely outweigh them. We had Kate baptized in November and it was such a special day for all of us.

Kurtis has been putting in very long hours between harvest and now trucking. We look forward to Sundays when we are together as a family. I enjoy my times with MomShine, our mom's group at church & SONshine Preschool where I serve on the board.

God has truly blessed Kurtis and me with beautiful, healthy children and we are so thankful. Our lives are busy, but so full of blessings.

We hope you and your families have a very blessed Christmas!

Happy 3 week & 32nd Birthday

2010-10-26T16:16:00.008-05:00

I've been trying all week to get this blog finished, but it won't let me post all the pictures for some reason. Stay tuned to another blog in the near future with more adorable pictures of Kate and Kurtis' birthday.

First of all I have to say happy birthday to my wonderful husband. He of course did not take the day off and is busy working until sometime late tonight again. I guess that's the bummer of having a fall birthday when you are a farmer. We do appreciate all the hard work he does to provide for our family.
It's so hard to believe that Kate has been with us for 3 weeks already. The time has gone very quickly and we have enjoyed every moment...yes, even when she's very crabby and won't sleep. :) Jaren, Bethany & Erica have adjusted so well and are very understanding when I can't help them with things right away. We've managed to get Jaren & Bethany to school on time even though some days are quite chaotic getting out the door.

Kate gets more kisses and hugs and there is always someone wanting to hold her. She is a very spoiled little girl who has won the hearts of many already.

Bethany looking at a book with her sisters...

...not such a baby friendly book though. :) I guess they'll all be prepared when that wild tiger comes after them. This is what I saw one morning when I came downstairs. Priceless.

Kate during one of her not so happy moments. I didn't want anyone to think that she never cries.

Our beautiful baby girl

2010-10-09T13:27:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, we were blessed with the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Kate Joelle. She is our smallest weighing only 7 lbs. I thought she was going to be closer to 8 lbs. but I think she was just very stretched out. :) Her brother and sisters think she is the greatest and love her so much already. I hope you enjoy the pictures of our newest miracle.

Kate Joelle - a blessing from God

Proud daddy...I hope his lap is big enough for his 3 little girls. :)
Erica & Kate

Playing dress-up in the hospital

God has blessed our family so much!

Jaren & Kate

Bethany & Kate

One very proud mommy!

Our great dr. who delivered all of our children.

First picture.

We're getting closer

2010-09-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

We're getting closer to meeting our sweet Baby Bella and the kids (meaning mostly the girls) are getting very excited. The kids are going to a siblings class tomorrow night and get to tour the OB department. I hope it's a good experience and they are more prepared to come see me and Baby Bella when the time comes.

I decided to try my hand at making spit cloths for her to use since I had gotten rid of all my old ones. They didn't turn out too bad as long as you don't look closely at the stitching. :) There are only a few things that I would love to have done before her arrival...paint the girls' room and I should probably pack for the hospital. The painting will come this week once we can all agree on a color. Bethany gave me a pile of samples that she approved and then handed me the pile of the ones she didn't care for. Let's just say we have different opinions in what shade of pink to use. She would love hot pink and black. I'm not going for it.

Here's a couple pictures of the spit cloths I made. I really like the fabric and how girly they look. :)

Last of summer fun

2010-09-09T12:38:00.006-05:00

Well, I think it's safe to say that summer is officially over. We took down the pool yesterday, had our final camping trip and the weather is perfectly fall-like. I'm trying to gear myself up for Kurtis' long hours of work, but they will still sneak up on me just like they do every year. Lots of patience is what I'm going to need this fall (sad that I know that already). :) The pregnancy is moving right along and it's hard to believe that in less than a month our precious little girl will be here. I think we are all ready for the most part and the kids are getting excited. Only time will tell when she decides to make her appearance.
Labor Day weekend was our annual VM campout. I think we had 47 family members there and only a few missing. It was such a great weekend and many thanks to anyone involved in helping organize it. We're already looking forward to going again next year! I don't have a lot of pictures because my camera batteries ran out, but I'll share what I have. Between all the great food & fellowship there was plenty of other activities to keep us busy...2 mile fun run/walk along with a kid fun run, crafts, 2 base whiffle ball, playground, geo-caching, minute to win it games and our own special church service. The kids had no problems falling asleep each night, but Jaren was also eager to get up early the next morning so as not to miss anything.

Grandma showing the kids how to play their minute-to-win-it game.

I got to be the score keeper. :)

Enjoying the wonderful food...this was our large brunch.

Always a game of football going on with the boys.

Great-grandpa requested that the younger kids sing a few songs. They did a really good job.

Jaren's turn at bat during 2-base whiffle ball.

Bethany up at bat...don't you just love her baseball hat that she stole from daddy. She is such a daddy's girl! :)

The girls loved hanging out in their special tent.

Jaren & Luke had a great time playing cards.

The younger ones finishing up their fun run.

On your mark...get set...GO!

Yes, even Baby Bella and Baby VM had to participate in the kids fun run/walk. Then it was the mommies turn to do the adult fun run/walk. All the kids got prizes for finishing so the kids are enjoying my bag of candy since I can't eat it. :)

End of summer...beginning of school

2010-08-28T15:26:00.004-05:00

OK...I had very good intentions of getting this blog updated with all the pictures from August, but I guess blogger had other ideas. I cannot get any pictures to load up except 4 right now so those will have to do until I have some time next week to finish. :(

Well, summer has ended and the kids just got done with their first week of school. The week went much better than expected, but today we have some attitude issues that go along with being tired. I'm sure that will get better over time. :) I thought I should quickly update my blog with some end of summer pictures and first day of school pictures.

August kept us busy with cousin Sara & Brian's wedding. The girls were asked to be bubble attendants and they had so much fun...and they looked adorable also. :)

The week after the wedding found us on a family vacation to the Ozarks with Kurtis' whole family to celebrate Keith & Gloria's 40th wedding anniversary. It was extremely hot there but thankfully we had two pools and the boat to use to cool us down. There was also the traditional mini golf game, go-karts and Dog Patch arcade.

We had one short week to get ready for the start of school, and I believe everyone was more than ready for a little routine around here. Bethany is thrilled to be in kindergarten. She goes three days a week to start and will eventually go everyday. She seems so old to me now until I see her in the school with all the older kids...then she looks so little. :) Jaren is now a 2nd grader. He was not looking as forward to starting school, but has adjusted very well. We are so blessed to have such wonderful teachers at our school and I am really excited to see what God has in store for the students, teachers and parents again this year.

Erica is going to really miss Bethany during the day

Erica and Jaren...the two trouble makers.

Erica helped make and decorate a cake to celebrate the first day of school.

1st day was a success!!!

Fun in MI

2010-08-07T21:35:00.005-05:00

Last week, we had the priveledge to go camping in MI with some of my aunts, uncles & cousins. The kids had an absolute blast playing in the lake, all the sand, frisbee golf and all the other fun activies we crammed in. There was a lot of laughing...in fact I think I laughed hard enough each day that I started crying. Great memories were definitely made by all. Here are just a few pictures since blogger doesn't seem to want me to add any more tonight. :) I will try to show some more after we get back from our next vacation. Jaren had a great time climbing up the dune and absolutely loved running down.
A beautiful picture of Bethany.

Our adorable little Erica.

Bethany & Kenzie had fun playing with sidewalk chalk.

Erica and her two alarm clocks. :)

June/July 2010

2010-07-11T21:05:00.006-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that the summer is half over already and I think the second half is going to go just as fast. We have been keeping very busy and it's only going to get busier...we love it. :) The kids have been doing a lot of swimming and just got done with their first week of lessons. They are all doing great and loving every minute of it. We just got back from our first weekend camping trip (see pictures below) and have 2 more camping trips (one to Michigan and one to Des Moines) plus a trip to the Ozarks scheduled yet between now and labor day. It's a little tiring just thinking about it, but all of it will be so fun and we are really looking forward to everything we have scheduled.

We had some of the cousins spend the night a couple of weeks ago. Luke, Reagan, Drew & Lauren cam while their dad worked and mom had to take a class. The kids had so much fun playing together and not a lot of sleep was done that night for some of the kids. Thankfully they didn't disturb Kurtis & me. They did some swimming, playing outside, playing Wii (boys), playing house (girls) and having a pizza/movie night. Jaren reading everyone a few bedtime stories.

The boys playing Wii. Notice Luke is still in his pajamas.
Playing in the sandbox. I love how they are all playing in one little corner of our big sandbox.

Swimming!!! It wasn't overly warm in the pool, but they didn't seem to mind one bit. Reagan would have stayed in the pool the entire time she was here even though she was freezing.

This past weekend we have a family camp out with my mom's side of the family. We had a ton of fun and hope to possibly make this an annual event...hint, hint. :) Bethany loving the great outdoors. They couldn't wait to finally go camping.

Everyone enjoying our dessert extravaganza on Friday night.

Erica loved the chocolate chip pancakes Becky made for breakfast Saturday morning. Sunday morning found us losing half our camping group due to the wind knocking down tents during the night. There was a LOT of monkey bread for those of us still there and we are proud/not proud to say we finished all three pans. :)

The kids had a water fight to cool down. The adults stayed in the safe zone so we didn't become targets...except for Kurtis who got sprayed coming out of our camper by Aunt Helen. He tried to spray her earlier but got Aunt Ruth instead so this was pay back.

We played some really fun Minute to Win It games in which we divided into 4 teams and competed.

Ryan got first place in the shoot out...yeah for my team! :)

Jennifer attempting to catch ping pong balls during Buckethead.

Tic Tac Pong

Stick the landing...very hard. Try to toss a water bottle onto a table and get it to stay there upright.

Our final competition was trying to get 4 noodles slid onto a piece of spaghetti without breaking the spaghetti noodle or dropping the other pieces.

Next it was the kids' turn for the competition.

Bethany rolling the marbles to see how many she could stick to the duck tape in 30 seconds.

Jaren bouncing ping pong balls to stick to the peanut butter sandwiches. He did it in record time...1.7 seconds.

The kids also loved playing at the playground.

This picture was to sweet to leave out. Bethany, Reagan, Erica and Drew holding hands and running back from the playground. Pure joy!

Roasting yummy campfire treats.

Happy 40th Anniversary

2010-07-11T20:44:00.004-05:00

On June 26, we celebrated Keith & Gloria's 40th Anniversary by taking a family photo, going out for supper and then going back to their place for a surprise party. It's really hard throwing a surprise party at the house of the ones you are trying to surprise, but we some help we were able to pull it off. It was a very fun evening.

Both girls modeling Grandma's going away dress.

Three of the four granddaughters modeling their matching dresses.

Weekend away in the Dells

2010-06-15T20:23:00.004-05:00

This past Thursday, Kurtis & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I feel very blessed to be married to Kurtis...he is such a wonderful husband, father and best friend.

For our anniversary we decided to get away for a long weekend just to spend time together without the interruptions of our wonderful children. We went to the Wisconsin Dells, my first time and Kurtis' 3rd or 1st however you'd like to look at it. He doesn't remember the first two times. :)

We thought we'd review the different places we visited while there.

We stayed at the Rhapsody Resort...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! They have some really neat theme rooms (and also family sized condos) such as London Bridge, Spa Retreat, Italian Renaissance and Asian Flair just to name a few. Our room was appropriately named Hog Alley...not after all the pigs that Kurtis gets to deal with on a daily basis. If you have a Harley fan in the house this would be the room for him/her. Check out http://rhapsodyresort.com/themes/theme-suites.html to see the room for yourself. The floor looked like black asphalt with the yellow lines painted on it. The walls were black with an orange stripe going around the room. The best part of the room for any male would be the giant orange garage door that had to be cranked down with a chain that served as the curtain. Made us feel like we were in a fancy garage. :) It did have a whirlpool tub that I took advantage of daily. Lake Delton was just feet from our patio and there always seemed to be someone fishing off the dock. It was a very relaxing atmosphere.

RESTAURANTS:

Moosejaw Pizza: Highly recommended! It has a log cabin atmosphere, wonderful pizza (bbq meat lovers was awesome) and dessert (I'm sure the other food is delicious also) and they brew their own beer and rootbeer which is way better than A&W's.

Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty: I think the name says it all. We tried their family style breakfast which is all you can eat homemade doughnuts, pancakes, eggs, ham, sausage, potatos, and biscuits and gravy. You will not need to eat lunch that day if you eat here. :) Kurtis loved this place and would highly recommend trying it out just for the atmosphere if nothing else...the food was good also. Obviously the meal sample below is not the amount they served for just the two of us, but would be more for 6. :)

Mr. Pancake: We also tried this restaurant for breakfast. It looked like a big paddle boat on the outside. I had the blueberry pancakes which were delicious, but I seriously don't know of anyone who could eat 5 very heavy, thick pancakes and not have to be rolled out of there. Kurtis' meal was very good also and the portion was a lot more managable. :) It was very busy and very loud in there so if you're not a morning person and don't like to deal with that first thing in the morning you might was to skip this place, but otherwise it's not a bad place to go.

Ishnala's: We went to one "fancier" restaurant over the weekend and decided that we just don't fit in at places like this. :) We choose this one because there was a beautiful view of Mirror Lake to you could see while dining. We got there before 5:30 and they had no window seats left so our view was extremely limited. They bring you cheese & crackers, fresh baked bread and salad to start your meal with. Kurtis choose a steak and it was very delicious. I ordered Chicken Marsala and ended up getting served Veal Oscar which had shredded crab on top. I almost lost my cheese & crackers at that point since I can NOT stand seafood. Kurtis thought they had brought a dead carcass to the table and was smelling his steak with caution. The smell lingered the rest of our meal. We sent that meal back and waited forever for my real meal to show up. I made Kurtis eat his steak while it was hot. The meal was disappointing for the price that they charge, but the dessert was absolutely delicious! :) Not some place we would recommend unless you like over priced food.

SIGHT SEEING:

Dells Boat Tour - Upper Dells: This was a very relaxing and recommended tour. The guides were very good at their job and seemed to actually be enjoying themselves also. The scenery was beautiful and we could just sit back and relax. There were two stops where you could do a little walking...Witches Gulch was very cool to walk through. Highly recommended.

Lost Canyon Tour: This was a horse and wagon 30 minute tour through the sandstone cliffs. If you need something a little less expensive to do this would be a good tour to take. We had some very funny little kids on the tour that kept us laughing.

Miniature Golf: No vacation would be complete without at least one round of mini golf. There is not a shortage of courses to choose from; we picked Pirate's Cove. The course we choose wasn't as challenging as we thought, but we both still came in over par. Oh, and just for the record...I WON!!! :)

Canoeing: We went canoeing for an hour on Saturday morning. It was so peaceful out on the lake and a wonderful way to spend time together. I thought I actually did a fairly good job helping stay on course.

The House on the Rocks: We did this tour on our way home. It's very impressive but you will have sensory overload by the time you are done. It took us all of 3+ hours and is not recommended for younger kids. We would highly recommend going here at least once just for the experience.

The whole weekend was so enjoyable and relaxing. The kids had a great time with Farm Grandpa & Grandma and were not ready for us to come home. They would like us to go away again for our anniversary...I told them maybe in 5 years. :)

We will definitely be taking our kids up this way in the next few years and then we'll enjoy the water & theme parks that seem to be in over abundance.

2010-06-14T21:09:00.006-05:00

Since it's been over a month since my last post, I thought I should take the 2+ hours that it will take me to update our blog. We're having serious computer problems so getting pictures is quite the chore, but hopefully will be worth all the troubles. We have been very busy this past month. Here's a bunch of pictures that shows what we've been up to.

Jaren's is getting ready to wrap up another baseball season. They have not been overly successful when it comes to winning, but I have seen major improvements for the whole team. This is the first year that the players do the pitching the second half. It has slowed the games way down, but it's a great way for the players to learn. You'll have to wait until another blog for pictures since those didn't get transferred for some reason.

We were also excited to find out that we'll be welcoming baby girl #3 to our family. If you ask Jaren what he thinks about having another sister, he will reply, "I can't wait to go to college." :) I told him that God would never give him 3 little sisters if he didn't think he was a good big brother. This summer will involve switching the kids' rooms around since Jaren has a much bigger room than the girls do. The kids are trying to figure out how they want their new rooms decorated.

Our delicious DQ Ice Cream Cake...decorated just for a girl.

Kurtis has been very busy on the farm with spraying, trucking and clearing trees just to name a few things. They had a large tub grinder come and shred about 1-1/2 acres of trees that they had cut/knocked down. It was quite impressive and Jaren has now decided he'd really like his own miniature version for little sticks.

Our hard working man!

The impressive tub grinder

The girls and I had to wait awhile for the next semi to come in so we had fun climbing on the logs and taking pictures.

The kids have been busy staying cool by swimming in the pool and even had the chance to go down the slip-n-slide with their cousins. They were even able to talk dad into swimming with them and found it to be a lot more fun than when mom decides to get in. :)

Jaren is by far the rowdiest in the pool and burns tons of energy.
Erica loves wearing her floaties and hugging tight to Morgan the Monkey.
Bethany loves swimming and lounging in the tube to get a sun tan.
Some fun on the slip-n-slide.

Hopefully it won't take me quite as long to update next time, but I make no promises. :)

Picture Update

2010-05-04T16:11:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know that it has been over a month since my last update. Instead of bore you with lots of words, I'll just let the pictures show you some of what we've been up to.

Bethany's class with to a Russell Wildlife and Kurtis was able to go along. Bethany had a great time until the live skunk came out to play - stinker removed. :)

Kurtis had the kids come along a couple Saturdays ago to help summarize his livestock trailer and to burn all the seed corn bags that accumulated in the barn.

Our 3 Little Pigs

Jaren got to drive the 4-wheeler by himself for the first time.

All the bags that they carried out of the barn...sorry no pictures of the actual fire.

Jaren & Bethany had their spring program at school a couple weeks ago. This was Bethany's first program and she did an awesome job, along with Jaren who is the experienced pro. :)

Our lives have definitely not slowed down. Kurtis has been extremely busy between spraying, planting, and trucking that the time we do have with him is very valuable.

My pregnancy has been going very well for the most part. Of course I have the common pregnancy "troubles", but I am very blessed with how quickly it is going. We'll be finding out at the end of May whether we'll be adding a precious baby girl or boy to our family. We are all very anxious to know.

Hopefully I'll be able to update a little more frequently in the coming weeks since May seems to be filling up fast with class trips, baseball, and of course...Tulip Time. :)

Sneak Peak

2010-03-26T12:20:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be fun to give everyone a little sneak peak at our new bundle. It's amazing how much love you can have for someone so small - 2" long. :) God is really an amazing God and here is more than enough proof. We are very excited to meet this new little one right before bean cutting time. :)

New dance moves

2010-03-12T11:56:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday, Bethany had the wonderful opportunity to learn some new dance moves from the Shine drill team at the Christian high. She had a blast and is already talking about going again next year. Saturday night, everyone was invited to come watch what the girls had learned throughout the day. I was a little nervous that she wouldn't go out and perform that night in front of everybody, but she did such a great job.

Bethany was so proud to get two sets of flowers.

Bethany and Katelyn...thanks Katelyn for all the hard work you did!

Getting ready to start dancing

Playing duck-duck-goose while they wait to start the show.

Our princess is 5

2010-02-26T09:54:00.004-06:00

It's hard to believe that 5 years have gone by since Bethany was born. She woke up this morning the happiest little girl ever...not only was it her birthday, but she also gets to be the leader at school today. Bethany is definitely our princess, rock star. She loves pretend play, going to school, being a rock star, and especially cuddling with daddy (100% daddy's girl). Her smile will light up the room and her phrases will make you laugh out loud. It's so fun watching her grow up and we can't wait to see what God has in store for her future.

Happy Birthday Princess! We love you so much!

Birthday Party Fun

2010-02-21T17:22:00.004-06:00

The beautiful roses from my wonderful husband!

Last Sunday afternoon, we had a fun birthday party for Bethany and Erica. Erica wanted a princess cake and Bethany wanted a microphone cake for Hannah Montana. The girls had a great party and thanks Kurtis and myself several times afterwards. :)

Erica loves her new bike. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so she can ride it outside instead of in the dining room and kitchen. :)

I made each of the girls their own fleece blankets. They got to pick out the fabric.

Erica opening her first gift...a crayon tower.

Bethany loves her "American Girl" doll.

Bethany is also big into Polly Pockets.

The kids all decorated their own guitars for a fun activity.

Bethany with her microphone cake.

Erica's princess castle cake.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2010-02-01T20:29:00.005-06:00

Yep that's right, my little girl is turning 3 tomorrow. She has been such a wonderful blessing to our family. She is known as our spunky monkey, though she will whole heartily deny it. She is always saying such funny things very matter of factly. If you laugh at something Erica says or does she'll look at you and say, "I'm hilarious aren't I?" She's got big bright beautiful blue eyes that will melt your heart. Erica loves to play mommy kid, dollhouse, color, try to write her name (knows how it's spelled, but those letters can be pretty tricky to write) :), and read books. She cannot wait to grow up! If you ask her how old she is, she might answer 6, sometimes 4, but in general would like to skip past 3 and be 5 just like Bethany almost is. Here's a little trip down memory lane just to see how sweet and adorable our little girl is.

Happy Birthday sweet little girl!

Game Over

2010-01-29T16:44:00.003-06:00

Well, now that the school day has ended, so has the competition on guessing what Jaren dressed up like. Unfortunately for you, there were no winners. Jaren is excited because now he gets the bottle of Dr. Pepper (one of his favorites).

Now for the long awaited (ok so maybe not) picture of Jaren as a ...

CAVEMAN...dirty face, messy hair, and most importantly his club!

Guessing Game

2010-01-27T16:11:00.004-06:00

For school, we have to dress up. Try to guess what I am going to be. If you guess right you get 1 bottle of Dr. Pepper. Thanks for trying. Jaren

P.S. If my mom has already told you, you are disqualified from the competition! :)

It's about time!!!

2010-01-26T20:15:00.005-06:00

I know that I've neglected my blog for a month, but that also means that I have kept plenty busy doing other things.

Jaren and Bethany continue to go to school whenever the weather allows, Kurtis keeps busy with livestock, trucking and other daily farming work, and Erica continues to be dragged around everywhere.

I celebrated another birthday this month and had a wonderful weekend celebration. The Saturday was spent shopping and eating delicious cheese cake with my mom and sister. Thanks to my Aunt Arlene, I was able to go the whole day without any worries about getting home by a certain time to pick them up. The Sunday of my birthday weekend was spent at my parents house sledding with my whole family. My parents have the perfect sledding hill and the kids loved going down the hill over and over. Coming up the hill was another thing. Jaren would usually go down the hill and take a little rest before venturing back up.
Jaren and Luke trying to figure out who's going to carry the sled back up the hill.

The look of pure delight!

Bethany getting ready to go down the hill.

Erica, Drew & Grandpa attempting to go all together. They did not make it very far before they were all rolling off the sled laughing.

Bethany having a great time!

I thought I'd add a few pictures from the lovely ice storm. Most of you I'm sure have seen first had the damage that this storm caused, but for the few of you that missed out here some from around our yard. We were without power from Wednesday morning until Thursday night and then again Friday morning until Saturday evening but we have a generator so not much was different for us. We escaped for the weekend to Dubuque to go to the water park with the kids. They loved it and had so much fun. Even our timid little Bethany was braving the slides by herself. I unfortunately forgot my camera, but that left more time for playing in the water with the kids. :)

Erica and Daddy watching the weather report the day before the storm hit.

The whole side of Kurtis' trailer was a sheet of ice.

One of the larger branches that fell in our yard.

You can kind of tell how thick the ice was and I don't think this was even the end of the storm.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to update a little more frequently, but I make no promises.

Christmas Gatherings

2009-12-27T12:47:00.007-06:00

I thought I would just quickly share a few pictures from our family gatherings. We are so fortunate to have both sides of the family so close by and all of our siblings fairly close as well. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Erica got a new "puter" from us. She loves it and feels like such a big girl playing it.

Bethany really wanted pink legos and is loving building with them.

Jaren loves racing cars and up until now always used the treadmill for his track. :)

VAN MERSBERGEN CHRISTMAS

All 9 of the VanMersbergen grandchildren

Front row: Hailey, Brynn, Lauren & Drew

Back row: Erica, Reagan, Bethany, Luke & Jaren

Grandpa reading the grand kids the Christmas story with their own special book

Not the best picture, but it sure shows how excited Bethany was to receive the Polly Pockets Roller Coaster!

Chaos...but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Erica with her new princess carriage

Bethany loving her Polly Pockets

Jaren is excited to race his new monster trucks on the track

Grandpa & Hailey having a great time together.

Sweet little Brynn

Jaren enjoying playing Wii...our new family gift from my parents

DE BRUIN CHRISTMAS

Erica and Madelyn thanking each other for the gifts.

Playing games before supper

Grandma with her three granddaughters

Bethany giving Uncle Mark a big hug of thanks for the "credit card"

Bethany, Erica & Jaren opening the devotional gift from Grandpa & Grandma

Merry Christmas...what a sweet gift to open.

Kurtis showing the beautiful print from his parents

We hope and pray you have a great Christmas with your families and enjoy celebrating the upcoming new year the Lord has blessed us with. See you in 2010!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours

2009-12-24T16:23:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from our family. I did not get around to sending out cards this year so I hope this will do until next year. It's a little lengthy so feel free to just look at the wonderful pictures that I just had taken of the kids. :)

Jaren just turned 7 and is growing up in height and maturity every day. He loves to be in charge and usually runs the show with his sisters. He is in first grade this year and has been blessed with another wonderful teacher. He is excelling in reading and loves getting new books. Right now he loves reading the Magic Treehouse books, Flat Stanley and other adventure books. He loves to be active and runs around the house playing football by himself until either Kurtis or I sneak a quick tackle on him. :)

Bethany is our little princess and I don't think that will ever change. She is definitely daddy's girl and both of them love that. Bethany is very much enjoying her time in preschool this year and has made many new friends including the talk of a couple boyfriends that she's not sure she's ready for. :) Bethany loves making projects and abstract works of art...houses, people, flowers, etc. are to in the box for her. She likes to think outside the box. :)

Erica is our spunky monkey...though she will tell you that she is just Erica. She will be 3 in February and can't wait. She's really getting into playing with her dollhouse, doing puzzles, and of course whatever else Jaren & Bethany are doing. She loves "writing" her name...ok so it's just the letter E, but you have to start somewhere. Erica is excited to start going to Sunday School and KidShine in January especially since most of her friends are already 3 and going.

Kurtis is staying VERY busy on the farm. Between the hogs, late fall, and trucking he works plenty of hours. We are looking forward to winter when things will hopefully slow down a little. He loves trucking the livestock and grain and doesn't even mind little visitors riding along as long as it's one at a time. He is just finishing up his 3 year term of being a deacon at church and is still serving as a board member for Love Inc.

I am staying plenty busy this year and feel like I'm gone more than home. It's good that the kids are so flexible. I am currently serving my 2nd year on the board of the local Christian preschool which Bethany is attending. It has been an eye opener and very educational. I am also serving as the leader for our MomShine group at church. I love being involved and getting together twice a month with women in the community and am enjoying making many new friends. We just had our church Christmas program in which I was involved planning. The kids all did such a fantastic job and it went so smoothly. I had a wonderful team to work with!

As a family we love doing activities together. This summer we went camping quite a bit and love being able to enjoy God's wonderful creation. We have also taken up geo-caching. The girls are still a little young, but Jaren is catching on and loving it. We enjoy going walking and biking on the local trails during the warmer months and playing games during the colder months.

Well, I think this about wraps it up for this year. We pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jaren's 7!!! Where did the time go???

2009-12-23T07:29:00.003-06:00

There is so much I could post about that has happened since my last post. The most important thing that has happened is Jaren's birthday. I can't believe he is 7 already. I remember so well the first Christmas he was born and I loved going to family Christmases to show him off. We are so proud of the little man he is becoming and can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

Jaren at 7 likes:
1. Playing computer...especially his new game Rollercoaster Tycoon

2. Playing games with anyone he can convince to play
3. Reading and reading and reading!!!
4. PineCone Restaurant - a truck stop that Kurtis takes the kids sometimes when they ride with him in the semi
5. Legos and other building things
6. Monster Trucks - the theme of his birthday party. He is also counting down the days until he gets to go to Monster Jam with some of his favorite men. :)

7. Loves his family and spending time with us. I know this might (but hopefully not) change in the coming years, but I'm loving every minute now!

Breaking the pinata...the candy went flying!

Homebound until rescued

2009-12-09T15:22:00.002-06:00

Well, we're sitting at home for day #2 and day #3 looming very closely behind. We are at the mercy of certain relatives with the tractors to come blade us out after the plows have come through. If no one has seen us by Monday and you call and bribe them to let us out?!?! :)

The kids have handled being stuck home very well considering they are use to be out and about a lot. I'd love to show wonderful pictures of the drifts and blowing snow along with the cute pictures I took of the kids Monday playing in the snow, but I'm still without my main computer so those will have to wait.
We're going to attempt to decorate the cookies we made yesterday. We're pretty limited with our sprinkles on hand by I don't think that will stop the kids' creativity. Maybe we'll make a cute Christmas craft and who knows what kind of fun will be had tomorrow.

Well off to make some yummy frosting and make a mess in our now clean house.

For Aunt Arlene

2009-11-25T20:44:00.005-06:00

Okay, so my aunt Arlene (or better known as Old Aunt Arlene by Bethany :)) was giving me a very bad time this past Sunday for not updating my blog so I'm dedicating my update to her.Here's a blog update just for you!!! :)

We have so much to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving season (and really all year long :). God has blessed us tremendously. We have been blessed with three healthy, beautiful children who are full of spunk, love, sincerity and are each just so unique from one another. They are the greatest kids in the world and I would definitely take the bad days just to get to the good ones. I have a wonderful husband who works so many hours each day for our family so I can stay home with our children. I love that he is so willing to sacrifice for us. He is by far the best husband and I love him.

Life is keeping us hopping and I'm definitely looking forward to the long weekend of relaxing with not much of a schedule. Below are a few more pictures to show what we've been up to.

The girls & I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and going to the park in the afternoon before we pick up Jaren from school. For some reason I didn't get any real pictures of Erica on this particular afternoon.

Jaren & Farm Grandma both had their Fall Program last week. Everyone did such a great job!

We celebrated one of our Thanksgiving meals this past Sunday.

Grandma with Brynn & Hailey - 2 of the 9 grandchildren

Sweet little girl!

Jaren loves playing carpet ball and played almost the whole time.

Another sweet little girl

I liked this picture of Drew so I had to include it also. :)

Today Jaren's school had a Thanksgiving chapel and then broke into their chapel groups for some fun. Each classroom had an activity for the groups to do and they rotated every 10 minutes. I was privileged to help out in one of the rooms. Jaren's taking his turn at Pictionary...eating was his word. So FUN! I love being able to help out in the classrooms and can't wait to go back again. I was also able to then eat lunch with Jaren. He's been waiting all year for me to come so I'm glad I could do that.

Catching up

2009-11-02T20:38:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure where to begin. I finally got all the pictures off my camera and realized how far behind I am. To start on a sad note, Kurtis' Grandma VerMeer passed away on Oct. 22 after living a very full 99 years. She was a wonderful lady whose only wish is that her children and grandchildren grow up knowing and loving the Lord. Kurtis was blessed to go see her just hours before she passed. It is sad to not have her with us anymore, but her prayer of going to Heaven has been answered.

Great-Grandma with her Great-Grandchildren (some)

On a lighter, fun note...we've been busy having fun once again. My house usually shows the fact that we like to have fun more so than clean (at least the kids and I). I've been to Autumn Acres three times, helped in Bethany's classroom for a day, carved pumpkins with the kids (a first for all of us...or at least I don't remember doing them as a kid), went trick-or-treating along with all the daily things that happen around here. I don't have the time/patience to post a lot of pictures tonight so I'll just show you the costumes.

We had Cheer Bear (who looks a little crabby, but she really wasn't), Optimus Prime who was ready to tackle the candy, and Super Girl who was more than ready to conquer the world! Every time I took a picture of her this is how she thought she should pose. :)

The whole gang going for more candy. Despite the cold rainy weather it was lots of fun.

Harvesting continues

2009-10-20T19:53:00.005-05:00

We are so very thankful that we have been blessed with some nice weather and the guys can all be out in the fields getting tons done before the next batch of rain. We haven't seen a lot of Kurtis, but are managing by taking turns riding with him. Erica rode with him in the semi from 9-1:30 and wanted to go back tonight after supper. She's invading on Bethany's turf a little, but Bethany benefited by having me come help out in her classroom all day. It is so much fun to help out and watch the kids all interact and learn. Here are just a few pictures of the harvest so far.

Jaren checking his corn to see if it's ready

Bethany taking her turn

Erica & I rode with Kurtis earlier in the day. This was Erica's first time in the combine because last year she was terrified of it. This year...she loves it!

It was wet out on Friday so Kurtis and I took the kids bowling and out for ice cream. It was so much fun. This was Erica's first time actually bowling all 10 frames and she loved every minute of it down to her fancy bowling shoes. I'll let the last picture tell you how the game went. :)

They all loved watching the balls pop back up. Thankfully no one got bumped in the head!

The smile on Bethany's face sums up our evening...pure joy!

Okay...even though the scores are not great for the adults...I WON!!! I guess I'm entitled to brag every now and then right?!?!

Where to begin???

2009-09-29T20:10:00.006-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of September. The month has flown by and harvest is officially underway. Kurtis didn't get home until 1:15 am this morning...what a way to break me into the harvest season. :)
Let's see, what's been going on here this month? Bethany was the leader for preschool towards the beginning of September. As leader she gets to bring the snack (fruit snacks & string cheese) and a show-and-tell item. She asked Kurtis to bring in his semi for the kids to look at and climb through. She had it all figured out that only 4 kids could fit at one time and she made sure to let the teachers know this rule. :) Kurtis and Bethany have a very special father/daughter bond and the semi is a big part of that also. Bethany is very hesitant to let daddy go anywhere in the semi if she can not come along. It's a good thing she loves preschool otherwise she'd be very tempted to skip class.

Bethany sitting in the leader chair.

Checking out the outside of the semi

Patiently waiting their turns to climb inside

We helped celebrate our nephew Joshua's 1st birthday. We celebrated while watching the IA vs IA State football game. Thankfully Dordt College has the same colors as IA so the kids could all wear the appropriate colors.

Cheering for the Hawks must be a lot of work! :)

Eating the delicious cake and loving every bite

Jaren got his first black eye after showing off on his scooter. We had just arrived at our friends' house and he went flying over the scooter's handlebars. Talk about making a grand entrance. He cut open his eyebrow and had quite a bump on it. The black eye showed up just in time for school pictures. :) I didn't get any pictures of it since he was pretty upset and in a lot of pain, but maybe the school ones will show it off nicely.

Here are a few other random pictures from this past month also. October will hopefully be a little slower for the kids and me, but unfortunately things really pick up for Kurtis now. This is when we give each other a kiss and say, "See you at Christmas." :)

We are looking forward to going camping tomorrow through Sunday since both kids are off school for the Heartland Conference. The weather for the most part sounds beautiful if we can just get past the rain forcasted for Thursday.

Bethany feeding baby Lindsay her bottle. Bethany is truly a little mommy and loves to take care of other kids and babies.

I found this awesome K'nex set at a garage sale for cheap so I bought it thinking Jaren and I could have some fun putting it together. I'll show you a completed picture in 2-3 years. :)

This is the day (weekend) the Lord has made!

2009-09-07T20:29:00.007-05:00

The Lord truly blessed us this past weekend with beautiful weather for our annual Van Mersbergen camp out. I think we can all say that this was a great weekend for building memories. Between the kids fun run, the 2 mile race, geo-caching, rocket building/launching, notebook making, and our family church service, we still found plenty of time to relax and really enjoy each other's company.

We'll see you in a year at Ox-Eye!

Our group finding the first cache...we had such determined little searchers!

Relaxing on Sunday afternoon. Poor Hailey was stuck in her cage just like at the zoo. :)

Jaren retrieving his rocket after one of many launches.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Blast off!!!

The guys all had so much fun. It was fun watching the adult guys acting like kids again also.

Our camp shirts.

One of our potluck meals together. We have some really good cooks in the family!

Uncle Howard gave the message, but first made sure to bribe the kids with all the candy they wanted for the day if they sat quietly! "Uncle Howard's the best." quote by Jaren. It was fun to watch Erica and Bethany attempt to eat sour warheads!

Our time of praise & worship.

Katelyn, Alyssa & Mackenzie did a beautiful job with the dancing.

Drew & Bethany hanging out.

The girls had fun putting together decorative notebooks.

Erica & her buddy Mackenzie.

Kurtis & I in our matching running outfits.

Some of the group after our 2 mile run/walk.

And they're off!!! The kids starting their fun run.

Bethany on the winners stand.

Jaren's turn on the winners stand.

Erica receiving her medal. She ran the whole way with a huge smile on her face. :)

Anxiously awaiting their running bibs.

What a busy weekend! Good thing Grandpa makes a very comfy bed.

1st Day of Preschool

2009-08-25T21:10:00.004-05:00

Today was Bethany's first day of preschool and she LOVED it! It was a shortened day where they split the class in half and asked that a parent(s) come along to help ease the transition and see first hand what happens on a typical day of preschool. I loved that I was able to go along. It was so much fun to watch how Bethany interacted with the other kids. She makes friends very easily and will play with any girl...boys are not so much her thing right now. :) Bethany is very ready for Thursday to roll around so she can go back to school for a full day, lunch and all.

All ready to go to school. Proudly showing off her princess monkey shirt she picked out herself.

Heading into school for the first time as a student.

She found her name tag and book bag hook like a pro.

First activity she picked - coloring - this way she could observe what others were doing for the first few minutes.

Bethany made a couple new friends already, Anna & Hannah. Pretty easy to remember. :)

Mrs. C reading the group a story. On Thursday the whole class will be together for the first time.

Bethany with her wonderful teachers & aide.

1st Day of School

2009-08-23T16:29:00.004-05:00

Well, Jaren had his 1st day of school this past Wednesday. He is now in 1st grade and I'm very excited to see all he learns and how he grows in every way. He has a terrific teacher who has just as much energy as all the 1st graders...23 of them. Erica was really confused as to why we were leaving Jaren behind and kept saying, "Don't leave my brother." She's going to be just as upset this week when we start dropping Bethany off at preschool.

Tomorrow starts the first full week so we're going to really have to push the bedtime schedule otherwise there will be a very crabby little boy by mid-week. :)

Looking less than thrilled to have his picture taken. We even had to go back in the evening to take pictures when no one else was around. :) Before you know it he's going to be demanding me to drop him off a block away!

Our big goof ball

The girls looking slightly thrilled to have Jaren at school. Not really they were just being goofy.

Random things

2009-08-17T20:16:00.006-05:00

We've been keeping very busy over here, but having a fun time also. Last week we were privileged to go take care of Maddy for a couple of days while Karen coached volleyball. The poor girl (Maddy) was so confused Wednesday morning waking up to 3 kids playing with her toys and throwing her off routine. She was much happier when Karen came home and then the next day when she was use to us. :) We took the kids swimming in Nevada and had a great time.

Jaren, Madelyn, Bethany & Erica getting ready to go swimming

Jaren loved going down the water slides

Taking a little snack break

YEAH!!! I'm out of the water!!!

Jaren fast became Maddy's best friend...even to the point of her pulling him off the couch to play and crying when he went downstairs to change his clothes. :)

Bethany drinking the water...um Yum???

What's up with these two and their tongues hanging out?!? :)

Jaren decided to plant some corn in the sandbox this year. He found an old ear of corn in the cornfield and picked the kernels off to plant. It's been pretty fun watching it grow. We didn't think that any ears would grow, but most of them have tassels and ears of corn on them.

Bethany likes to have her picture taken by the corn but is really frustrated with Jaren for taking up the whole sandbox. She has threatened to pull it all out many times. Thankfully they have a reserve pile of sand elsewhere on the yard. :)

Bethany has been begging Kurtis to put together her playhouse for quite a few months. The playhouse got blown away during one of the many storms from last fall. Well, he had time the other night and I think the smiles on the girls' faces says it all. Thank you daddy!!!

Spunky Monkey

2009-08-05T11:10:00.004-05:00

For those of you who know Erica, you know that she is full of spunk, hence her nickname Spunky Monkey. We're never quite sure what she's going to say or do next so we always have to be on our toes. Keeping up with Jaren & Bethany makes it all the more interesting. Last week Jaren & Bethany had Bible School in the evening so I took advantage of just having Erica around and brought her to the park. For an hour straight she was running, climbing, swinging & sliding and eating up the fact that she had all my attention. Here are some fun pictures I took of her that night.

Her favorite way to swing...run, jump, swing.

The only time she allowed me to help her...walking the balance beam

Hurry up and take the picture! I'm going to fall!!!

Showing me her muscles. :)

She loves slides. The faster & taller the better.

PJ Hoffmaster State Park

2009-07-30T22:14:00.002-05:00

Last week Wednesday-Monday we went up to MI to camp with family at PJ Hoffmaster State Park. The trees up there are such a sight to see compared to the trees in Iowa campgrounds. The weather was beautiful, mid 70's, which made it great for being outdoors and sleeping with the windows open. We had a terrific time hanging out, going to the beach, playing frisbee golf up and down the dunes, but especially just being with family. I think to often we take our families for granted and it was such a great time just getting reaquainted. Bethany had it made with her two favorite Michigan boys being there...Uncle Howard and cousin Joel. By Friday I thought for sure we would need an emergency room before the weekend ended, but certain boys started calming down by then and the tree roots became more familiar. :)
Enjoy the slide show of our trip. I wish I had time to describe each picture in more detail but this will have to do for now.
Thanks Uncle Howard & Aunt Myra for hosting us again this year. We had a great time and Jaren's scheduling next years already...3 weeks long!!! :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

WOW! What a week!

2009-07-13T15:51:00.005-05:00

It's been quite the week with activities and lots of fun.

Our first highlight was getting the boat out for the first time in 2 years. This was Erica's first time on the boat and Bethany didn't remember the last time she had been on so it was a "first" time experience for both of them. I honestly did not think the girls would be okay on the boat and we'd have to turn around and end, but they all did amazingly well. Hopefully we'll be able to take the boat out a little more often now.
The smile says it all...he went tubing by himself and loved every minute of it.

The first time on the tube Kurtis rode with Jaren just in case he didn't like it. The constant laughter let us know that he was have a great time!

Jaren & Grandpa enjoying the ride.

Kurtis & Jaren were the first 2 in the water to check the temp...it was soon followed by the rest of us getting in and enjoying a little swim.

Grandma, Bethany & Erica getting ready for daddy to ski.

Second highlight of the week was the Cadet Counselor's Convention. Kurtis & I went as chaperones, Kurtis in the 10+ group and me in the 4-6 age group. It was a lot of fun and very exhausting. All the sweet hugs were definitely worth it. I had a group of 10 kids, 7 girls and 3 boys. Thanks so much to my helpers...Abby, Megan, Gloria & Helen. Kurtis had 3 boys in his group and 3 chaperones...they know how to work it out in their favor. :) We named our group the Little Green Martians which the kids thought was a great name.

Crossing the bridge at the zoo.

Riding the train at the zoo...definitely a highlight for lots of them and a great way to rest our tired little legs and backs for Megan & Abby. :)

Our transportation for the weekend.

Our little monkeys at the Rainbow play place. What a great way for them to burn their energy and have lots of fun.

Farmer Tony at Living History Farms talking about the sheep.

Playing games

Our animal masks that they made before heading to the zoo.

We are now home for a week before heading out to MI for a camping trip with some family. This summer is going way to fast and school is going to be starting before we know it. God is so good to our family and we truly enjoy the days He gives us together.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-06-30T21:49:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the long amount of time between posts, but as the title states we have just been way to busy for blogging. Jaren has finished t-ball for the season and now he and Bethany have moved on to swimming lessons two mornings a week. On top of that we had a couple of birthday parties for 3 of our favorite one-year olds and a fun camping weekend along with all the mundane things that need to be done around the house. This coming week will be filled with final preparations for the Cadet Counselor's Convention where we are going as chaperons. It will be lots of fun I'm sure and I'll make sure to share pictures after the event. Now I'm going to leave you with a bunch of pictures for our past couple of weeks.

It was really hot this weekend camping so Kurtis filled this container up for the kids to splash in. I also bought water guns for them but unfortunately they didn't work at all. :(

Erica being her natural self...she's such a goofy girl!

Working on their tans

Bethany loves giving horsey rides. She can handle Erica, but found out later that week that Jaren was a bit much for her. :)

Madelyn's birthday party...can you see she swiped a cupcake while we sang to her. :)

The 5 cousins...Erica, Bethany, Joshua, Maddy & Jaren

Enjoying the pool & hose at Luke & Reagan's house

Drew & Lauren were not impressed with our singing. They were by far more impressed with all the fun things on the table.

Birthday girl Lauren

The ornery birthday boy...also known as Drew

Jaren & Erica had a good time in the pool the other day while Bethany was napping. Jaren was actually getting Erica back since she started the water fight.

This is the picture that should be first.

2009-06-15T15:37:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we were able to go to Mi to enjoy Joel & Sarah's wedding. Bethany was asked to be the flower girl and did a fantastic job! She loved every moment of dressing up like a princess, wearing fancy jewelry, the sparkling tiara and having her hair done up like the bridesmaids. The smile of her face when she looked in the mirror was precious & priceless.
Jaren had 1 loose tooth when we left for MI. On the way home it fell out and now he has 2 more loose teeth all on the bottom. Biting on the seat belt helped the tooth along a bit...we're still not sure why he bit the seat belt but as parents we have learned no to question too many things our kids do. :)
We had a great weekend and wish Joel & Sarah many happy years together bless by God.

Love is in the Air!

2009-06-15T14:33:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Random pictures of our life

2009-06-10T20:09:00.005-05:00

I know it's been awhile since I last updated. You'd think with it being summer vacation I'd have more time to blog, but the days are flying by and blogging is not one of my top priorities. :) I'll just let the pictures do most of the talking tonight as I have a lot of things that should get done before we head off to MI this weekend for a wedding. Look for pictures next week of a beautiful bride and the most adorable flower girl you've ever seen. :) Besides today is Kurtis & my 9 year anniversary so I'd rather be spending my evening with him once he gets home.

Taking a break from biking and getting ready to go into the woods to geo-cache. Thankfully we were successful this time since 4 out of the 5 attempts were failed. I guess Jaren & I have some challenges ahead of us this summer.

Bethany & Erica were having fun taking pictures while we were biking. I made sure to delete the half dozen or so that they took of my rear-end. :) I thought this picture was kind of unique and worth sharing.

Pistol Pete as we like to call her.

Jaren thought this was a fun tree to climb in and I saw it as the perfect picture opportunity.

This is a picture just to make any boaters out there jealous of the 100% perfect skiing conditions that we saw.

The kids love to throw rocks into the lake when we go camping. Thankfully no one has gotten hit in the head yet by flying rocks.

Erica was very persistent in trying to pick up rocks that weighed more than her or that were mostly buried under sand.

This is just a picture to remind me that Jaren & Bethany can be very sweet to each other even though they do their fair share of fighting. Notice he's even reading her a Barbie book. :)

The 2nd to last day of school the kids competed in fun field events with their chapel groups. Here's Jaren's group waiting for the games to begin.

The worm race

Tug-of-War...Go Navy Blue!!!

Summer

2009-05-29T18:31:00.003-05:00

Well, summer is officially on us. Jaren is now finished with school and they are all geared up for having fun this summer. I am filling their pool up right now so they can hopefully play in it tomorrow. We have our first camping trip reserved for next weekend. The kids can hardly wait for the long bike rides, endless hours at the playground, geo-caching and the yummy food that mom only buys when we go camping.
Look for pictures coming soon of the start to our summer fun. Our days are filling up fast so I know that this will fly by and then I will have 2 kids in school and I will be a very sad mommy. :(

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-25T21:15:00.004-05:00

Well, Jaren is down to 3-1/2 days of Kindergarten and can't wait to be done! If his teachers ever read this, please note that he thoroughly enjoy Kindergarten, but is just ready to see what Miss S has in store for him in 1st grade. He has had a terrific year which is only possible because of the wonderful teachers, Mrs. DeBruin & Mrs. Harris. He has blossomed so much this year socially, spiritually & academically which as a parent is a great blessing to see.

On Friday, they had a small ceremony for the kids. Each child drew a letter out of a hat and had to come up with a costume representing that letter. The kids were so creative in what they came up with and many parents put a lot of time into making the costumes. Jaren drew the letter "U". He first wanted to be an umpire, Kurtis encouraged him to be a pair of underwear, but he finally decided he would really like to be the United States of America. I outlined the United States on poster board and Jaren helped color the individual states in. He topped off the costume that said "Future President". Mrs. DeBruin took the time to interview each child about their costume. It was so fun to see and hear what the kids had to say. Then they recited a bunch of memory verses that they had learned throughout the year. Mrs. DeBruin then had the kids come down one by one to read what their favorite memory verse was and why. It was a special teacher/student time where Mrs. DeBruin said a special good-bye to each one. She ended the ceremony by singing a very special song that talked about living in this moment because you don't know when it will be the last and the time goes by so fast. If I can find the words sometime I will post them because it was such a neat song.

The future President proudly waiting his turn to interview

Mrs. DeBruin (green) & Mrs. Harris (blue) pulling memory verse items out of the bag. These items were used to help the children remember the verses.

Most of the 26 students in alphabet costume.

What graduation would be complete without a cake?
The 3 most important men in my life!

Mrs. DeBruin's interview with Jaren.

Mrs. DeBruin had to come up with all her questions/comments on the spot because she did not know ahead of time what the kids were going to dress like. She is a very creative woman!

Let the games begin

2009-05-21T20:52:00.004-05:00

First of all let me apologize right away if there are any grammatical/spelling mistakes in this post. I'm exhausted from spending the day at Blank Park zoo with Jaren's class and about 500 other classes that choose today as well. I give Mrs. DeBruin & Mrs. Harris a ton of credit with keeping up with these kids all day 5 days a week. What a job!!

Now to the main point of this post...Jaren's t-ball games have officially began. His first game was Tuesday night and then he had another one tonight. The highlight for him on Tuesday was that he got to play against Carter's team (Kurtis' cousins son & good friend of Jaren's). It was such a nice surprise since we live in two different towns. Jaren has improved so much from last year and it is so fun watching the games. I'll try to get some video at one of his games so you can see him in action, but for now here are a few pictures from his first game against Carter's team.

Great game buddy!

Carter batting, Jaren in the pitcher position

Monkeying around...OUCH!

2009-05-18T12:24:00.004-05:00

Bethany is our little monkey. She loves hanging upside down on the treadmill handles, trying to climb the fridge and many more monkeying around antics. Yesterday she paid for her moves. Not quite sure what happened, she somehow had her legs weaved through the legs on the bar stool and flipped the chair, which landed on her. At first we thought she was fine until we saw the blood on her chin. Not know if she would need stitches or not since the cut was small and not deep, just wide, we opted to take her over to Dale & Nancy's for a quick exam. After looking it over it was thought best to take her to the doctor. Unfortunately this was almost 9:00 at night so the only option was the ER. Thankfully after examining the cut, they decided that using glue would be the best option. I was very relieved since I would be the one holding her down. She was a champ and couldn't wait to tell daddy about the magic purple glue the doctor used. Bethany has also decided that she would like to try and make some of this special purple glue at home just in case she ever gets another cut.

Erica in the meantime was at home showing Kurtis all of her ouchies asking to go to the doctor. :)

Today has not slowed her down either. I feel like I'm constantly reminding her that if she's not careful she might cut her chin back open and need to go in for stitches. I guess she's just a monkey at heart.

Drivers...Start Your Engines!

2009-05-17T14:45:00.003-05:00

Jaren & Kurtis got invited to go to the opening night at the Iowa Speedway by a good friend & his son. If Jaren's expression on his face when he got home last night tells me anything about how he liked the race then I'd have to say HE LOVED IT! He was still smiling ear to ear when he arrived home at 11:00 last night. He was excited to tell me about the fiery crash that happened, how the race ended and how the nachos were very spicy. :) I think one of the first things Jaren asked Kurtis after the race was, "Can we come back again sometime?".

WOW! What a week...

2009-05-10T21:02:00.004-05:00

I think the title sums up our week nicely. We've had a jammed pack week of fun and not so fun at the time. We started the week off slow and ended very fast. Jaren had his first week of t-ball practice and is loving his 2nd year. He's got another wonderful coach(s) and I give these guys a lot of credit going out and teaching 5 & 6 year olds the fundamentals of baseball. I'm excited for games to start. Jaren has improved so much from last year.

Wednesday night I participated in the Klompen Classic which is a fundraiser 5K raise for Crossroads in Pella. This is the first time I have participated in something like this and was nervous going in to it because I was not able to train near like I wanted to. I finished the race in 36 minutes being able to run at least 3/4 of it. I ended the race saying that I was never doing that again, but after some cold water and time to cool off I started thinking about training more and attempting it again next year with a 30 minute goal...kind of lofty, but it gives me something to shoot for. (this being the not so fun part of the week) :)

Thursday Jaren participated in his first K-4 track meet. He raced in the 50m dash and the 4x50m dash. He had so much fun and loved racing.

Part of the student cheering section

Jaren running the last leg of the 4x50m dash

Waiting with his running partners.

The end of the week was spent with 2 days of Pella's Tulip Time. I love Tulip Time and the kids do also. They were very well behaved for the most part. Bethany had the opportunity to ride a float on Friday afternoon. She saved her waves for only a very few number of people so if she waved at you feel privileged. They also loved the candy, cheese, etc. that was being handed out during the parade. By parade #3 Erica had it down that the farther she stood into the street the greater her chances of getting candy. ;)

My dad works in the Blacksmith shop at the Historical Village during Tulip Time so the kids love to go there and watch him and walk around. Their free rope samples were a hit...literally. At least they only hit each other and not the thousands of other people around.

Bethany & Erica posing in front of the tulips. They were much too busy playing with their ropes for me to get a good picture of both of them. Jaren opted to stay out of the pictures...I guess it's not a cool thing to do. :)

Bethany, Aunt Arlene & cousin Levi riding the float. She's can't wait to ride it again next year. See what you can do Aunt Arlene!!!

Jason, Kristin, Brynn & Hailey...Jennifer, Drew & Lauren all walked in the Dutch Doubles. Maybe next year I can convince Kurtis and his twin brother Jason to walk in it also. I don't think they've been in a Dutch costume since they were 4.

Today ended with a great Mother's Day. We had lunch with Kurtis' extended family in Pella and then all came home and crashed. It's a good day when all three kids take a nice nap, except now they are all still awake in bed talking. Kurtis was so thoughtful and took time out of his extremely busy schedule to get me some roses and a DQ ice cream cake...the only cake I really love! God has blessed me so much with 3 wonderful children and a terrifically loving husband.

Sorry for the slightly blurry picture. Jaren took this one of the girls and me tonight before we cut into the delicious cake.

Blessed by family

2009-05-03T20:29:00.003-05:00

I tried to post this last week, but it wouldn't work for some reason...so here we go again.
Jaren was blessed to have Grandparent's Day at school a week ago. We are so blessed that we have family right by us to be able to have them join in on these fun days along with the multiple activities that Jaren and soon the girls have at school and extra events. We all to often take close family for granted until something like Grandparent's Day comes along and you see that some kids aren't as fortunate to have Grandparents there. Thanks Grandpas & Grandmas for taking time out of your busy schedule to bless the kids with your presence.
Jaren also had his spring concert on that Friday night. They performed in the afternoon for the Grandparents and then at night for the parents. My dad was not able to make it to Grandparents Day so he came to Jaren's concert that evening at then out for ice cream. He even chaffered Jaren to Dairy Queen in the big tree spade. At least he didn't run out of diesel fuel until after we had our ice cream. :)
The concert was great and a big round of applause goes out to Mrs. G. and all the others that helped put together another wonderful performance.
I can't get the pictures to download for some reason, so you'll have to wait for those until another day.
Well, I think it's time to go to bed and get ready for another very busy week of daycare kids, t-ball practices, Klompen Classic, track meet and of course TULIP TIME!!!

Time to have fun!

2009-04-24T14:15:00.005-05:00

It seems that I only blog about the fun things that we do around here. Rest assured, some work does get done, but usually only half hearted. :) Spring is in full swing around here with the planting, spraying & field cultivating. Hopefully the corn will all be planted before the major rains starts to fall tomorrow. Kurtis already told me not to get my hopes up though of him being home because of the rain...he has 4 loads of livestock to haul next week. This is why we cherish our summer vacations together as a family. It's a time for us to all reunite before fall arrives. :)

Jaren is in his final weeks of Kindergarten. Today is actually grandparents day and tonight is his spring concert. Pictures will be coming soon. On Wednesday he had Wild West day. He had so much fun dressing up as a cowboy.

Watch out girls, there's a handsome young cowboy coming your way. :)

This little guy is another sign that spring is definitely here. Each spring we get to have a groundhog living under our front porch. Who knows how big his family is or what other animals have made their home there. Maybe we should start renting out the space under the porch.

Last week we got together with our cousins Carter, Alexis & Lisa for a fun time at the park and then lunch at McDonalds. The kids always have a great time and Lisa and I like the socializing part. :) This is definitely going to be a reoccurring event this spring/summer.

Jaren walking across the wobbly balance beam.

Bethany loves the slides, but even more so she likes to make new friends. We were there less than 5 minutes and she had already made at least one friend. She's our social butterfly.

Jaren & Carter taking a quick picture break before running off.

Erica loves the slides more than anything. This was her favorite...probably because it was the biggest.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Easter, Baking & other random things

2009-04-17T07:07:00.006-05:00

I thought that since I finally got the pictures of the kids in the Easter outfits, the Easter egg hunt and all the other pictures off my camera that it was time for me to update our blog. We've had a busier week due to me having meetings, Jaren in school every day, extra kids here to play, and all the other typical things that go on. It's fun, but I have to admit I kind of like this morning a lot with Jaren not having school and us not having to be anywhere until at least 9:30 and that's just the park to play! I could get very use to this...that is a big invitation for summer schedules to arrive. :)

I'll start with Bethany's baking adventure. Since I was in the kitchen baking, she decided that she would like to bake a little also. This was her own concoction...Chicken Pot Pie. Don't let the name confuse you though since no chicken was present in her ingredients list. :)

This is towards the beginning of the process.

Daddy was the lucky one to get to try this. They tried to get me to eat it, but since I watched her put it together I just couldn't stomach it.

Bethany taking her first bite and the verdict is...

"Mommy, you have to try this. It is soooo good!" I bet you all want to know what was in it so here it goes. Fruit snacks, peanut butter candy egg, flour, sugar, baking powder, water, salt, strawberry milk, strawberry pop, mt. dew, one grape, vegetable oil and to top it off, almond flavoring. Her catering business will be opening very shortly so if you'd like a one of a kind eating experience for the special occasion, please give Bethany a call. :)

Decorating Easter eggs with Farm Grandma

Very proud of the finished results.

With the two new additions to the VanMersbergen family, we are now up to 6 girls and 3 boys. Grandma should have a lot of fun shopping with this whole crew in a few years. Hope you have your credit cards ready. :)

Bethany getting to hold Brynn for the first time. She has waited nearly 4 months for this day.

Uncle Kurtis getting his cuddle time in with Brynn. They are such sweet little girls.

Aunt Jennifer and Bethany checking out Hailey.

Erica having fun with Drew & Lauren while they're thinking, "What is this goofy cousin of our doing?"

Jaren is really big into Geo-caching so for part of the Easter egg hunt this year, Grandpa hid a cache for Jaren & Luke to find. It took them to 3 different locations before they found the rest of their treasures.

Erica showing off her basket of eggs.

Lauren & Drew loved having all this fun stuff brought to them.

Bethany having a good time finding her eggs & other goodies.

Erica & Bethany showing off their new Easter dresses.

Jaren posing with his IA football. He's turning into such a handsome young man...not that his attitude always reflects this.
I had some fun the other day taking pictures of Jaren & Bethany in their new Easter outfits. I don't have pictures of Erica yet. Erica has to be in the perfect mood in order for something like this to take place and be pleasant. Maybe tomorrow I'll get it done.

Here's our sweet princess, Bethany. She loved her new dress and was very picky when we went to the store to buy one. There wasn't a whole lot for selection here in town, but we did find this one and she loved it...especially how well it works for a twirling dress.

Easter Cookies

2009-04-10T17:11:00.002-05:00

As we remember the death of our Lord today, we can also look forward to His resurrection and the hope we have for eternal life because of Jesus' death and resurrection.
I received this recipe at my Momshine group and thought it was such a neat idea and a great way to get the true message of Easter across to young kids. I encourage you if you have a chance to make these with your children.

Easter Story Cookies
(to be made the evening before Easter)

1 cup whole peacans

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

Ziploc baggie
Tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300° F

Place pecans in Ziploc baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 10:28-30.
Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus dies because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with the mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matt. 27:65-66.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9.

Pinewood Derby Car Races

2009-04-04T14:12:00.003-05:00

Today Jaren got to experience what it's like to race pinewood derby cars. For those of you that have been in cadets you know exactly what I'm talking about. Grandpa VM gave Jaren a couple of cars to spruce up for the races. I'm very proud of Jaren for taking the painting job very seriously and thinking it through before just slopping on some paint. He was very excited with how they turned out. This morning Grandpa picked Jaren up for the registration and then the girl's and myself joined them later to watch the actual races. Although he didn't win any trophies this year, he is looking forward to next year in the hopes of winning on then. He did receive a participant ribbon and then a nice man from our church, Gene DeBruin, gave Jaren his medal that he had won for showmanship. Thanks Gene, you really made his day! Thanks Grandpa for taking time out of your busy schedule to to bring Jaren to the races today. He had a great time!!!

Jaren & his classmate, Angela, lining up to race their cars. Congrats Angela on a 1st & 2nd place finish!

Jaren's car is the 4th from the left. He placed 4th place in his division.

Jaren & Bethany watching carefully, hoping for a good end.

Jaren and his cars that he painted by himself. Great job buddy!!

Jaren showing me his participant's ribbon.

First question when we got home, "Can we make a trophy case?" :)

Bowling...again :)

2009-03-30T10:41:00.005-05:00

We went bowling again this past weekend. Now before you think to yourself, "Don't they have anything better to do," let me just tell you that each time was with different family/friends so it was a different experience each time.

Bethany was loving the fact that there were older girls that paid a lot of attention to her and even danced with her. Jaren was taking his bowling game very seriously as it was a close bowl between him and Grant. Erica was the night time entertainment. Between the bowling, air blower and the stripping (because she wanted her diaper changed) she made sure everyone was humored. :)

Erica had fun styling her hair

Very excited after a good bowl

Bethany, Katelyn, Anna & Madeline playing ring around the rosie in between their turns.

Bethany feeling sorry for herself because she was done bowling

Jaren's awesome bowling style

Bethany's unique bowling style.

Yogurt Shots

2009-03-27T17:02:00.002-05:00

Today, Kurtis and I got a laugh out of Bethany giving Erica "yogurt shots." Let's just hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Finger lickin' good!

Bottoms up!

Swinging the new bin

2009-03-27T16:52:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, the guys put up a new bin to hold gluton for the cattle. The kids and I went over to watch the crane put the bin in place.

Hooking it to the crane straps

Slowly lifting the bin

Making sure not to hit the other building

Sliding it into place

Admiring a job well done

Great Family Fun

2009-03-22T18:46:00.007-05:00

This past weekend was filled to the brim with fun family times. On Friday we met up with Kurtis' family at Honey Creek Resort down by Lake Rathbun as a gift from Kurtis' parents. THANK YOU!!! This is a new hotel with a fun indoor water park that was just perfect for our kids. Everyone had a great time except for maybe Madelyn...give her a year and she'll have no fear. :) We had a great supper at the restaurant and then ate breakfast there also. It was so nice not having to think about making any food, just like a real vacation should be.

On Saturday evening, we met up with some of my extended family to celebrate my Grandpa's birthday. We went bowling and then to my parent's house for some cake & ice cream. Erica was thrilled that she even got to bowl a few frames. Jaren will be sure to let you know that he got a 95 which put him in the winner's spot for the 2nd game on our lane.

Tomorrow is going to be hard on us. Having no schedule for the whole week of spring break was great. I know it's time to get back to reality, but it's been a fun week. It makes me a little anxious for summer!

Some of the girls enjoying the nachos that Aunt Sharon won for bowling a strike.

Erica showing great excitement being able to bowl like the others

Mommy & Erica waiting our turn...it's a hard thing when you're 2! :)

Bethany taking her turn. She loves being able to use the ramp with Grandpa's help.

Jaren's bowling form...run & slide

Never a dull moment when Aunt Arlene is around!

Jaren doing his pirate pose...notice the one eye closed ;)

Practicing his balancing skills

I tricked Bethany into going down this slide. She loved it and went down most of the time.

Erica is our no fear child. The bigger the slide the better. She tried to go down the "big" slide, but I informed her she'd be 20 before she was tall enough for it. :)

This big slide was one of Jaren's favorite things to do over and over.

The look of delight!

Bethany making a new friend...this comes very easy for her and is so cute to watch her act like a little grown-up.

Jaren doesn't believe in a lazy river...it has been renamed the racing river! It was great exercise trying to keep up with him.

Enjoying our wonderful breakfast buffet.

Grandpa & the girls hanging out in the lobby. We were trying to see if Grandpa's arms were still able to hold 2 kids at the same time just like when daddy and Uncle Jason were little.

The girls were hanging out on our "private" patio waiting for everyone else to wake up.

Chuck E. Cheese - FUN!?!?!?!

2009-03-20T09:20:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, my sister and I decided to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Their new slogan should definitely be "Where a kid and be a kid and a mom can lose her mind!" The place was like a zoo. I'm not sure why so many people decided that Wednesday night would be a good night to go. We went thinking that it wouldn't be very busy. It didn't help that we had five kids, all with different interests. The kids had a great time though and that is what was important. They can't wait to go back. I told them they could go again only if daddy comes along to help. :) I only got a few pictures due to all the running around making sure all the kids were still around.

Erica taking a little drive with Chuck E. Cheese

Jaren riding one of the rides

Bethany & the bird...this was her favorite band member

Luke, Jaren & Bethany watching the band perform

Aunt Jennifer & Erica

Jaren, Reagan & Bethany posing with Chuck.

Fun in the woods

2009-03-16T20:20:00.004-05:00

Sunday afternoon was way to beautiful to stay inside so we went with my dad geo-caching. The kids had a great time and Jaren thoroughly enjoyed the muddy trails. We found out after hiking about 1/4 mile on a very muddy trail that it is important that the correct coordinates were entered...right Dad? :) Oh well, the extra hiking was good excercise for us.

Kurtis had never been to Big Rock Park before so of course we had to go and show him the fun of the big rock.

The kids had a great time going up and down the rock...only one minor slip which was quite impressive considering how muddy their shoes were.

Grandpa showing Jaren how close the GPS unit says we are to the cache.

Bethany had it easy between daddy and grandpa carrying her. The mud was quite difficult for her to try and get through without falling.
Taking a much needed water break.

Jaren following the path. He loved to walk right down the middle of the path where the most mud was. He ended up having to strip down to his underwear in order to ride home in the van because he was so muddy.

Bethany showing off her new friend, Mr. Pickles.

Grandpa showing Jaren how to use the GPS unit. We told him to look in the sky for the satellites. :)

Days of Fun

2009-03-11T21:11:00.004-05:00

Well, we've been having quite a bit of fun over here the past few days. I'll just highlight a few of the things. This past Saturday night, Bethany & I went to the PCHS drill team spring performance. The team did a fantastic job and now Bethany can't wait to take dance lessons and be just like Katelyn, our cousin who's on the team. Erica was feeling a touch left out, but daddy made up for us leaving her at home by letting her eat a brownie in while watching a movie.

Jaren is on his last week of having Wednesdays off. They have spring break next week and then he will start going everyday. He's excited and sad about this because he really likes that break in the middle of the week...wouldn't we all. :) Today we all went over to the farm to help Kurtis, Scott, & Grandpa unload the baby pigs. Jaren is a pro at this and knows exactly what to do. The girls weren't so sure about the whole thing but by the end Erica was petting a pig and Bethany was chasing them into the pen.

Erica was saying hi to the piggies and was trying to perfect her "oink."

Looking at his job well done...you can just see the delight in his eyes of being able to work with daddy.

Bethany now safely behind one of the gates...relief!

After lunch Kurtis was home waiting for someone to come so he had some extra time to join in on our craft for the day. Jaren had found this idea of a marble golf game in his Highlites magazine last month so we went to work on putting it together.

Bethany & Daddy worked hard together...notice the sand, water, dirt & lava traps on her golf course. Jaren did the same thing. Their courses are meant for the extreme professionals only. :)

This one's for you Luke...boy humor!

2009-03-07T17:03:00.002-06:00

This is one of the many things Jaren learned at school...not from his teacher. It's gross but of course any little boy would think it is hilarious.

Beautiful Weather

2009-03-06T16:09:00.002-06:00

Well, we've been spending much time outside the past couple of days due to the extremely nice weather God has given us. Yesterday we went with Kurtis for a while so he could teach the kids how to burn the terraces. They of course thought that was great fun and actually Bethany is off with Kurtis again this afternoon on the 4-wheeler doing some more burning. Just look for the cloud of smoke and you'll find them.

I was excited to actually be able to run outside today instead of on the treadmill. What a difference that makes. I think that's what I needed since I was starting to get discouraged and was really doubting my ability to run in a 5k. Any running tips would be appreciated. :)

Jaren is off to a friend's birthday party. Bethany is off with Kurtis. Poor Erica is stuck home with mommy. She was a touch bummed about that so I made her a big glass of chocolate milk to make up for it.

Workout Update

2009-03-02T14:06:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure if any of you are following along with the No Excuse Workout, but if you are I did just update what should be done for this week. If you think about it, could you please drop me a comment if you are doing this so I know who to go to for support when it starts to get really tough! :)

Brithday Fun!

2009-02-28T11:42:00.006-06:00

Bethany got to celebrate her birthday three different times this year. What a lucky little girl. Since her party was 2 weeks ago, I wanted to make sure we had fun closer to her birthday as well. Thursday was her actual birthday, and it was cold & rainy the whole day. She was a touch crabby that day as grandma found out when she called. If you didn't say happy birthday to her right away she wouldn't talk to you on the phone. :) Daddy got up early and went to town to get doughnut holes but he couldn't find any, so he opted to get doughnuts instead. Bethany was mad that it was just a regular doughnut. At this point I'm thinking that it is going to be a long day. She is normally not like this, so I'm thinking that she was just having issues with turning 4...boy is she old. :) That afternoon, we spent a special time together making a book about camping. She received this book at her birthday party and has been asking everyday if we could do it. I thought her birthday would be a good time.

Friday was our fun day in Des Moines with Grandma & Reagan. We started off by going and getting her 4 yr. pictures taken. She did an awesome job. Then we went to pick up Grandma & Reagan and headed over to Red Robin for lunch. Then it was off to Build A Bear. This was a new experience for us and it was so much fun. Bethany picked out a panda and Reagan picked out a bunny. They went through the whole building process and then it was time to dress them up. A ballerina dress is what was in store for Bethany's panda, and Reagan opted to get a basketball outfit. They were so proud of their new friends, Beary & Trix. Then it was off to the play place to burn off some of our lunch before we hit Cold Stone Creamery for some delicious ice cream. Bethany was all smiles the whole day and couldn't believe how much fun she was having.

(this is the look of a little girl with a tummy ache from eating too much ice cream)

We ended the day by going to the OSCI auction. The kids got to play with the 8th grade girls in the kindergarten room while Kurtis & I put some bids on some fun things.
Lots of fun + lack of naps = crabby kids for the parents the next morning! :)

Happy Birthday, Princess!!! (a day late)

2009-02-26T12:09:00.005-06:00

Today is Bethany's 4th birthday. She is such a joy to have in our lives and we are blessed that God gave her to us. There is not usually too many dull moments when she is around.

Bethany facts at 4:

1. She loves to use her imagination.

2. Bethany loves to eat fruit and lettuce is one of her favorite vegetables. (She loves going to Pizza Ranch so she can eat a healthy supper...no pizza for her, only lettuce, cottage cheese and peaches. :)

3. She weighed in at 31 lb and 40" - tall and skinny just like everyone wants to be.

4. She loves practicing writing her name. She told me a few weeks ago that she didn't know how to write her name, then in church that Sunday she was sitting on Kurtis' lap writing it very neatly...little stinker!

5. Bethany is terrified of pretty much any animal.

6. She is getting very excited to start preschool in the fall with her friends.

7. Bethany is very good at riding her bike and is interested in trying without training wheels when the weather allows.

8. Her favorite color is pink, which goes well with her princess status. :)

9. Her best friend is Jaren...they play so well together.

10. Bethany is very loved and we are so thankful for this little girl!

Look for pictures of our fun day in Des Moines later tonight or for sure by tomorrow.

No more excuses

2009-02-23T12:47:00.002-06:00

Today is the day that I am starting the "No-Excuse Workout." I just got done doing the first day's workout and I have to admit that I loved it. I was dreading it since I'm so out of shape, but it eases you in so even someone like me who hasn't faithfully exercised in years can do it. It is a run/walk program that will also help you lose any unwanted weight. Within 12 weeks I should be able to run a 5K...just in time for the Klompen Classic!!! It's great to have a goal in mind to help keep me motivated.
I will post a week by week schedule on a sidebar for any of the rest of you that might be interested in following along also. I'd love to have some running partners. :)

Dedication

2009-02-16T12:56:00.003-06:00

As my family prepares to say a final good-bye to my wonderful grandma this week, I thought it was only appropriate to dedicate the two birthday cakes I just made to her (I told Kurtis that I have never had such difficult time emotionally decorating cakes). Why you might ask. Well, my grandma taught me a lot of things and how to decorate cakes and cookies was one the the major highlighted ones. I spent many days, especially in the summer months over at her house watching her decorate cookies & cakes for others, always allowing us a sampling, eating her homemade cinnamon rolls and playing with the daycare kids that she took care of. That was a great perk of living within a couple of blocks from my grandparents. We'll miss having grandma around, but I'm trying to look at it as more of a blessing for her. She will get to be in heaven with Jesus with a new body...able to talk, walk and sing praises to him once again. We love you so much grandma and can't wait to see you again some day in heaven.

Birthday Party Fun

2009-02-15T17:28:00.004-06:00

Last night, we had a joined birthday party for Bethany & Erica. The girls didn't pick the easiest theme to combine...Elmo & Tinkerbell. :) They got many very nice gifts that they are having lots of fun with and the food was pretty good if I must say so myself. :) Happy Birthday girls. Daddy & Mommy love you very much!

Uncle Jason (Kristin's)...I needed you there to get the perfect blowing out candle picture.

Special story behind this gift: Jaren recieved some money from Uncle Tim & Aunt Lonita for his birthday. As he was walking through the toy store trying to decide what to buy he came across this little princess doll. He looked at me and asked, "Mom, do I have enough money left to buy this princess for Bethany. She'd really love it!" After counting up what he was buying for himself it was decided that yes, he did have just enough (I really did not put any money towards this...it was all Jaren). I get tears in my eyes everytime I think about that extremely loving gesture this big brother has for his little sister.

The girls waiting for "Santa Clause". My dad had to quickly go out to the car to get the rest of Erica's gift so the three little girls all ran to the window waiting in great anticipation.

Igloo

2009-02-14T15:01:00.003-06:00

How many milk jugs does it take to make an igloo for 2 kindergartners? Well Jaren's class how fun collecting the milk jugs over the past few weeks and then constructed the igloo. I haven't heard the final count yet, but it's pretty impressive and I think the kids really enjoy having the addition in the classroom. Jaren got to show off the igloo to Bethany & Erica the other day.

The True Love of God

2009-02-06T17:27:00.004-06:00

Each month at Oskaloosa Christian the different grades take their turns at leading the chapel. Each class represents a different country that they "travel" to for the chapels. The kindergartner's country is the Netherlands. It was their turn to talk about the Netherlands, but especially about true love, God's love. Jaren had a speaking part to welcome every one to chapel. There were some very difficult words for him to say, but he made sure to practice hard and did a FANTASTIC job...all the kids did. Mrs. DeBruin & Mrs. Harris always have their work cut out for them with 26 excited kindergartners. They did a great job of getting all the kids involved.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2009-02-02T13:52:00.008-06:00

Our crazy, silly, adorable, beautiful, one-of-a-kind little girl turns 2 today. It's hard to believe that she is 2 already...my the time sure flies by. Erica is definitely growing up more and more each day. For the past week every time I asked her how old she was going to be she replied, "three!" with this cute little stinker grin knowing that she was giving the wrong answer. She has finally accepted the fact that she is only 2. Here are some facts about Erica at 2:

1. She loves Elmo & her blankie

2. She is a mommy's girl

3. She can say many words and can carry on a conversation with us

4. She is a wiggle worm and cannot sit still...go, go, go is her motto

5. She loves her brother and sister very much and is so proud when they include her

6. She is opinionated, but can be swayed the other way if asked in just the right way

7. She loves to act silly and pull funny faces just to get a laugh out of us

8. She mimics her siblings a lot

9. She is a picky eater, but loves her fruits & veggies

10. She is loved tremendously by her family

And now lets take a stroll down memory lane and see how our little girl has grown!

Erica Marie De Bruin - One of our greatest gifts from the Lord!

Our week...one joke

2009-02-01T19:22:00.003-06:00

Bethany heard this joke this morning while playing computer. It sums up how our week went. Erica has been sick since Monday night. Friday Bethany came down with the same thing...fever & cough. They are both doing better today, but are still running low grade fevers and cough a lot. I stayed home from church with them obviously not wanting to contaminate everyone around us at church. :)

God made all of us

2009-02-01T19:10:00.003-06:00

The K-4th Sunday School classes sang this song the other Sunday for Sanctity of Life Sunday. The kids have been singing it around the house ever since. Jaren was willing to sing it for you guys. It's got a catchy little chorus that I'm sure you'll be humming for a few days. Hope you enjoy.