This week...

It's monday...usually a laid back day for us and today is no different. For some reason I enjoy just hanging out at home with the girls on Mondays. We generally start the day off in my bed, watching a little TV before we head downstairs for breakfast.

This morning, the girls decided to pile up the two 'foof' chairs and take turns climbing on/sliding off. They really can play nicely together (when Regan decides she wants to play nice together). She asked if I could take their picture together and I actually got some nice ones of both of them smiling and looking at me!!
Last week, I purchase some Altoids candy (and a few other kinds) on clearance at Meijer's (for a project I had been wanting to do). As an added bonus, Sage has decided that they are incentive enough to start potty training! So, we are entering week two of 'big girl panties' and doing much better than Mommy anticipated! I was skeptical at first, not wanting to get my hopes up. But, I do believe we are entering the 'no diaper zone' of life! Hallelujah!

Hope your week is blessed!

A fun day!

Well, summer is 2/3 over already! Why does it always fly by so fast!!

Yesterday, we decided to have a fun family day. We got ourselves up and ready at a decent time and headed to the John Ball Zoo for the morning. This month is free for us, as part of the Cultural Exchange that our Children's Museum membership entitles us to. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there, seeing the exhibits, having lunch and snacks and enjoying ourselves at a leisurely pace. As naptime approached, Sage started showing the true signs of a tired two year old, but other than that we had a lot of fun. The weather was sunny and gorgeous! Daddy even enjoyed some fun playing monkey on a new skyline course the zoo has set up.

After the zoo, we made our way a few miles down the road to Millenium park. This was the first time we had been there and I think we will definitely return! It cost us $7 for the four of us to get into the beach area, and that included a super fun 'splash pad' that our girls are the perfect age for. (or the 'sprinklers' as Sage called it). We thought that was a very reasonable price for such a nice facility. It has a wonderful beach area, nice clean facilities, a funky cable/artsy looking play structure in the beach area and an amazing playground outside the beach area. There are trails and stuff at the park too, but those weren't part of yesterday's fun.

We finished our day off with dinner at Arby's in Walker before heading home for the night. We all had a blast yesterday and were completely exhausted when we got home.

Kids say the darndest things...

From Regan today..."Mommy, may I have a grand crapper?" - (translation, graham cracker) :)

From Sage today..."Thank you Jesus for ice cream and hot rod (aka...daddy's mustang)" - do you think this one is after daddy's heart or what?? :)

Holiday Weekend

We have enjoyed a wonderful 3 day holiday weekend. The weather was perfect and the days were mostly fun-filled.

Friday, the girls and I went to my parents cottage on Hess Lake. (Daddy stayed home to work on some projects without the nagging feeling like he should be spending time with us instead.) Our day at the lake was filled with activities. The girls enjoy playing on Grandpa's swings, riding in the boat, playing in the water, tractor rides and even had their first ride in the tube behind the boat. Sage didn't last long in the tube, but Regan would have been happy to spend the rest of the day there, going as fast as Grandpa dared.

We stayed long enough to enjoy the various fireworks around the lake and, of course, the annual ring of fire. Sage couldn't decide if she liked the fireworks or not, so we spent most of the show inside the cottage. Needless to say, the car-ride home was enough to put both exhausted girls to sleep.

My last smile for the day came when we pulled in the garage at about 12:30 am and Regan woke up to utter ..."and no story time tonight!" (meaning she knew it was a little late for bedtime story/devotions).

Saturday we enjoyed a nice time as a family as we rode our bikes to the Imagination Station in Grand Haven, ate our lunches there and played for a while. The ride home included pit stops for a loaf and free slice of Great Harvest bread and ice cream treats at McDonald's.

Late afternoon naps for everyone recharged our batteries enough to brave taking the girls to local drive-in to see the movie Wall-e. The girls did pretty well for the 9:15 - 10:45 wait for the movie to start, but then the fatigue and situation paid its toll. We have decided drive-ins aren't on the agenda again for a few years, but it was worth a try! It was cute to listen to the two girls in the tub this morning saying 'Walllll-eeee'...'Eeeeevvve', in their best robot voices!

Today our church held its worship service at a local park and had a pie fest/pot-luck afterwards for lunch. Another perfect day to be outside!

Hope your holiday weekend was filled with blessings too!

(P.S. I do realize it has been a long time since I have posted...I am just ignoring that fact! :) perhaps I will try to fill in the gap sometime later...or not!)

A Simple but Fun Week

Sometimes, life just feels very ordinary. This was one of those weeks...but I'll take ordinary, it's OK by me!!

We started our park play-dates with the mom's group this Tuesday. We chose to meet at Rycenga park, partly because it is never busy. Well, this week was a different story. The Head Start program was having their end of the year picnic there.

It was crazy busy, but we still had a great time. The group was kind enough to share their bubbles and chalk and such with out kids. Sage, in return, provided the ladies with some good laughs as she proceeded to eat the bubbles...more than once!

She continued her antics at home the following day. At nap time, it is not uncommon for her to get out of bed and come out to tell me that she needs her diaper changed. I usually listen closely to the monitor, so that I can get to her before she gets in any kind of trouble. Well, my listening ears must not have been so keen on this day.

She climbed out of her crib (in our bathroom), went into our bedroom, around the bed, grabbed the lotion from Paul's nightstand, back around the bed, back into the bathroom, closed the door, climbed back into bed (with the lotion) and proceeded to help herself to a 'little' lotion! I am not sure what actually made me decide to check on her, but I am glad I did! I walked into the bathroom to her little 'grin' and "Mommy help??"

We wondered for a long time if she was going to be as smart as Regan. I am beginning to think she is going to be even smarter...and not necessarily wiser! She's just luck she's cute!

Regan had her ears and eyes checked in preparation for starting school in the fall. When I told her about her appointment, she was 'less than happy', to say the least. After about 10 minutes of crying and carrying on and being warned to stop, she finally asked "do I have to get shots?". 'No, not today' was my response. I didn't figure it was a good time to tell her she will be needing those later!! The appointment was a breeze and she passed with flying colors.

Yesterday, we enjoyed a day with Crissa and the kids. The girls always enjoy having them over and playing with them. Regan would be content to have them stay everyday and read her entire book collection to her! She introduced them to baseball and bowling on the Wii. It was nice for them to have something they could all do together. We finished our time with some outdoor play, a peek at mama duck on her nest, feeding the fish and some fun with playdough. (and after 3 1/2 hours of trying, Sage did eventually take a short nap before dinner).

So, there you have it. The highlights of our ordinary life. Hope yours is as blessed as ours!

It's MAY!!

It's May, and I think Spring is finally here to stay! I am also noticing that I desperately need to change my header! :)

Sunday was a 'milestone' moment for Regan, as she lost her first tooth! I have to say, I wasn't quite ready for this yet! She is on the early end of kids loosing teeth. She told me a couple of weeks ago that it was loose and I didn't believe her! Had to check for myself, and, sure enough, it was loose. It finally came out Sunday morning. She didn't even notice it came out, until Paul pointed it out. We have no idea where it went or if she swallowed it.

A visit to the dentist yesterday went well for her. She was actually excited to go. Something to do with watching cartoons, getting stickers and a new toothbrush. Can you tell we haven't had any cavities yet? I hope that continues for her. I was also informed that she has 4 more loose teeth. Looks like this will be the summer of the toothless grin! (the tooth fairy has not come yet...she's not asking about it, so mommy isn't worrying about it...for now!!)


Sage is just too stinking cute for her own good! She is a typical two year old, complete with the attitude and meltdowns to go with it. We just laugh and call her faker...to which she usually responds with a laugh. I have also starting putting her in the chair for a 'time out' until she stops crying. For now, this is very effective. In about 10 seconds, she stops and tells me 'all done cryin'. Last night was a milestone for her too, as we said bedtime prayers. We usually read a devotional and then one of the girls says 'Now I Lay me' prayer and the other 'Thank You Jesus' prayers. Regan has been dominating the 'Now I lay me's' leaving Sage with the 'Thank you's'. Up until last night, the thank you prayer usually went some like this: 'Kank ou, Jesus' (for) 'kitty food' (and) 'Cloe's house' (and...what else) 'don't know' (Daddy) 'Daddy'.....an on down through the family. Kitty food is her response to our leading her to say thank you for the food. Cloe is the dog who lives outside at our old duplex. So 'Cloe's house' is her response to us leading her to say thank-you for our house. Try keeping a straight face during those responses every night!! :) Well, last night, her prayer was 'Kank ou, Jesus' (for) 'play outside' (and) 'car' (and....Daddy) 'Daddy', etc. It was the first time she thought about something in her own day that she was thankful for. She had played outside with Regan and Daddy and rode in the electric car. It's one of those rare parenting moments when you think maybe, just maybe, you are doing something right!! :)

This week was bittersweet for me. My mom's group that I have been leading has come to an end. We had a wonderful brunch and fellowship on Tuesday. I had been processing and praying about whether I was going to return as the leader in the fall. I had reached a decision to do it for another year. Shortly after, the girl from the Church who started the group contacted me to let me know they were going to seek someone from the church to lead it. They are going to combine with a small group of older ladies. It wasn't anything to do with my leadership, just a decision that the leader should come from within the home church. I can understand their perspective, but it still makes me sad. I know God has something else planned for me, now to just figure out what!!

Paul is doing well, but still working 6 days a week. He will have Memorial Day weekend off and every other saturday off during the summer. That will be a nice change for us and hopefully some opportunities for some more family time. We are going to a Tigers game Memorial day weekend, so that should be fun and interesting, with a 2 and 4 year old!! :)

Well, if you are reading this, then you are someone who is special to us and we hope and pray life is filling you with blessings!!

It's me again...finally!

Wow! Has it been almost two months already!! Where does the time go. Well, here is what's going on in our world:

Regan is doing well. She has managed to stay healthy for most of the winter, except the sniffles here and there. She still enjoys any type of crafty activity. We try to do the 'special' things, painting, perler beads and such while sister is sleeping and can't make a mess. She is learning to write her whole alphabet. I gave her a notebook that has lines (like we used in school), and a sample page, so she could practice. She is doing very well, with little instruction.

Yesterday, daddy bought her first gun! A tiny .22 that is pink! She asked me yesterday if I thought it was 'bubble gum' or 'barbie' pink!. I asked her what she was going to shoot? She said a turkey! I didn't have the heart to burst her excitement by telling her that things bleed when you shoot them! (she is still deathly afraid of blood). She and daddy tried shooting a pop can today, but her coordination isn't quite ready.

Sage is turning into a little stinker! and she knows it! You have to have one eye and one ear on her every minute. If things are too quite, you know she is getting into trouble! When I caught her in the sunroom making a mess this week I said 'What are you doing?' - 'notty, pankin, buns' was the response. Translation? "Being naughty, you need to spank my buns!" Today, she snuck in the pantry unnoticed and consumed about 40 mini marshmallows before we found her! (don't think they are settling too well, as she has throw up twice since.)

Her vocabulary has astounded us the last month or so. She is starting to put a lot of 2-3 word phrases together. She loves to make conversation with you. Her favorite story to tell us is of a bird we saw stuck to a wiper on a car at Meijers and how it got off and flew away.

She is sleeping in the 'big girl' bed, on the bottom of the castle now (Regan has moved up top). She was climbing out of her crib anyway, so we figured we may as well move her and get rid of the crib. We had a couple weeks of challenges, with her getting out of bed and climbing up top. We seem to have turned a corner with that problem now. Yesterday, I had to start safety pinning her PJs zipper to prevent being woke in the middle of the night, to her in only her diaper, freezing cold!

Paul's work is going well. They are still selling lots of fireplaces, so that is a blessing. I am even more excited that, starting in May, he will be able to start taking some saturday's off! It will be very nice to have a little more time together again.

He has been enjoying some weekly 'playtime' with his old buddies. They have a soccer team together. This is their second season doing this. It is nice for him to see his old friends again. Occasionally, he joins them for their night-cap, them beer, him pop! :)

I am really enjoying my position with Scrap Girls! We are now called Layout Artist's instead of Layout Designers (apparently people were confusing us with product designers). I found out this week that 2 of my layouts will be published this fall, in different magazines. Then I also found out, by complete surprise, that I had already been published! I submitted a layout to a magazine last fall and never heard back from them. I found it in the magazine this week when I was browsing it for some other Scrap Girls work!! It was pretty exciting! It is not standard procedure to publish something without contacting the artist. The company seems to be working out some bugs!

The Ladies Bible Study I am leading is going well. I have two 'virtual' members joining us. Two girls I have met from Scrap girls. One is in Tennessee, the other in Luxembourg (Europe). Everyone seems to be enjoying the book. I have taken on the added responsibility of writing extra questions. The book is wonderful, but lacks much scripture lookup/study. Some of the ladies wanted more than just personal/thought provoking questions that the book provides. So, the extra questions are for those that want something a little deeper.

Well! I guess that is enough for now! I will leave you with a few layouts...

This one has been published:


this one will be published in the fall:



This one, just for fun!!