THE VELDERMAN'S: 2011

So...it has been 7 months since my last post! Way too long. We have been so busy and had such a crazy year. I will try to just update the highlights.

I'll start with Jordyn since she is the oldest. Jordyn turned 4 years old in August. She will be starting preschool this fall. Momma is not ready for this, but Jordyn is so excited! I can't believe how fast my little girl has grown up. She is such a big helper to me and loves to take care of Jace and Jaelynn. She is really big into princesses right now and truly believes she will live in a castle when she grows up. She calls herself "Princess Cressella Jordyn". She is really starting to come out of her shell when it comes to talking to other people and other kids. Of course she is still our "Kraker-like" Jordyn. She told me she wanted to go to preschool by herself without any other kids there because she doesn't want any new friends. She also told me she liked her new friend on the playground because "she does whatever I tell her to do." Jordyn's favorite things to do this summer are swim, swing, ride her bike, have a pretend store, play with Polly Pockets, play Just Dance, and play "Jordyn" with me (where she is the mom and I am the Jordyn).

On to Jace! Jace was 2 1/2 in June. Jace is at the best age! He says the funniest things and has really developed his own personality. He LOVES Jaelynn...too much most of the time. He smothers her and will not leave her alone. He and Jordyn are best friends and worst enemies depending on the day. Jace's big accomplishment this year: he is potty-trained! He was trained around March and I would have to say that boys are much harder to train than girls, but he DID it! I'm so proud of him. Jace is very into Cars (he loves Mater) and Thomas the Train right now. His favorite things to do right now are: make forts out of couch cushions, play with his Thomas train, play t-ball and run the bases, play with dolls (he's surrounded by girls, what can I say?), and destroy things. We call him Jace the Destroyer and he truly lives up to that name!

Jaelynn is growing up way too fast! I hate to say it, but the year has actually been quite difficult with her. Jaelynn was a difficult baby up until about 6 months old. She was only happy if she was being held and sometimes not even then. Ok...I got the bad part out of the way....on to the good. Jaelynn turned a corner at about 6 months and is much more content now. She is a very smily girl and she giggles (sometimes uncontrollably) at just about anything...especially Jace! Jaelynn is an excellent sleeper. She started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks old. She now sleeps about 13 hours per night and still takes 2 really good naps during the day. Jaelynn has her 2 bottom teeth in and she eats like a champion! She also started crawling around 6 1/2 months. Too early for momma! Jaelynn's favorite things to do are: eat, sit in her activity center/bouncer, crawl, squeal quite loudly and giggle, and swim/take baths.

We have also had my niece, Kendal, living with us part-time this summer. We love having her stay with us and the kids are having a blast with her. She is such a sweet girl and a wonderful helper! She's also better than all of us at Just Dance!! We will miss having her around as much when school starts up.

Now on to us boring adults. Ok...I'm really boring. I have nothing to update about me except that I'm finally NOT pregnant! Oh...me and the kids did take a vacation to W. Virginia with Andrew & Tiffany and my mom and dad. We missed Jer, but we had a great time!!!! Jer has been busy this summer. He started a new job in February, driving truck for Bremer Sugar Distributors in Zeeland. He loves it and the hours are so much nicer than Cedar Crest. He has also been doing some side painting jobs and cement work. Jer went on a trip this summer to Virginia with our youth group. They did white water rafting among other activities. He had a blast!