THE VELDERMAN'S

She's One!

2012-01-30T21:41:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe Jaelynn Joy is 1 year already! I wanted her to stay a baby longer. Although Jaelynn had different ideas about that since the beginning. I should have known I was in trouble when she starting crawling at 6 months. Then she decided she should start walking already at 9 months. She is my first climber and she definitely keeps me on my toes!

Jaelynn, your smile and laugh are contagious! I love how everything is funny to you! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Look Who's 3!

2011-12-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe time went so fast, but my little boy turned 3 this past Thursday! It was fun watching him get so excited about opening presents. For his birthday, we took Jace to Crazy Bounce so he could go "boing, boing, boing" (Jace's word's). For dinner, we took him to Red Robin. He smiled ear to ear when they sang Happy Birthday to him. At night we had a party with presents and cake and ice cream. That night we found him in bed sleeping with his new jammies and book....and also all of his other presents, including his new dump truck (which is HUGE!) We love you so much Jace! Happy Birthday!

1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-12T13:16:00.001-04:00

My little baby is growing up way too fast! Jordyn had her 1st day of preschool at FUN Preschool today. I will admit that I cried a little after she was out of sight! Jordyn, however, did GREAT! She had a good time and is excited to go back!

It's Been Too Long

2011-08-25T22:50:00.008-04:00

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!

I'm sure I've forgotten things, but I'll try not to go 7 months in between posts again!

WELCOME JAELYNN JOY!

2011-03-05T13:22:00.002-05:00

This post is long overdue, but better late than never!

On Saturday, January 22, 2011 we welcomed Jaelynn Joy Velderman into our family! She was born at 8:24 am after about 4 hours of labor.....and a week of false labor. She was 9lbs, 10z and 19 inches long! She was past her due date (something that is new to me) so we were extra excited to finally see her!

Welcome to our family Jaelynn!! We love you so much!!!

Jordyn's Christmas Program

2010-12-13T09:33:00.004-05:00

Last night, Dec 12, was Jordyn's 1st Christmas program at our church. Since she's only 3, a little shy, and this was her first program, I was going to consider it a success if she managed to stay up on stage throughout the whole program. She sure showed me!! She not only stayed on the stage but she stood and sat when she was supposed to and she sang the songs!

Way to go Jordyn; we are so proud of you!!

Happy Birthday Jace!

2010-12-08T22:15:00.004-05:00

Jace turned 2 years old today, December 8!

He loves Curious George lately, so we did a Curious George themed party for him. We asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner and he said "Pii - aah", which is Pizza. He is telling us all day that he is "two". Also, when I sat him down for breakfast in the morning and put toast in front of him, he looked up at me and said, "I want cake!". We had the great-grandparents and grandparents over for cake and ice cream and presents in the evening.

Unfortunately, Jace was sick with a nasty cold/fever for his birthday. He had a rough day and you could really tell he wasn't feeling good at all. He was a trooper though and hung in there for the party. Unfortunately, as excited as he started out for pizza, cake and ice cream, he barely ate anything at all. Poor boy!!

Some things about my handsome 2 year old:

Jace started talking a lot around 22 months. He has also finally learned to nod his head for yes (used to be all no whether he meant yes or no) but he still won't say yes. This took awhile for him to figure out and really makes communicating with him much easier now! Jace wants to do whatever he sees Jordyn do (favorite phrases: "me do", "my turn", "no, me", "me too").

Surprisingly, Jace is very mild tempered. I would never have said that about him 6 months ago. He will keep himself busy all day (never needs to be entertained). He will go to anybody and is always willing to give hugs and very sloppy kisses. He has really turned a corner and rarely throws those nasty tantrums anymore.

Jace loves to do puzzles and is very very good at them. He likes to dance and build with megablox. He always want to wear his Crocs or slippers but hates having socks on. He has been in a big boy bed for 5 months now; however, he recently started to sleep between his bed and the wall. He loves Barney, Blues Clues and Dora. He chimes in on the last word in a sentence with most songs, especially Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Loves Me. He wants to do everything himself without help and gets very mad if you try to help him out.....must start over completely.

Jace is also going potty on the potty chair when asked, but still doesn't tell us he has to go yet.

Jace, you have been such a blessing to our family. We love you so much! You make us smile everyday and I don't know what I would do without your famous hugs and sloppy kisses!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T21:55:00.004-04:00

This was the 1st Halloween that Jordyn was old enough to really look forward to. She told me long in advance that she wanted to be a bunny. I was certain she would want to be a princess, but apparently since she is a princess every other day, she wanted to be something different for Halloween. We carved pumpkins the week before Halloween.

Jace did not enjoy pumpkin carving. He liked drawing on his pumpkin, but as soon as we cut the top off and showed him the "guts" inside, he was appalled! He didn't want anything to do with his pumpkin anymore. This was very surprising since he LOVES to be messy!

Even though Jace didn't help after the "guts", he was still quite proud of his finished pumpkin! Jordyn was obviously happy as well!

Jace was a frog this year. He hated putting his costume on, but once he calmed down, he would hop all over the place.

Jordyn LOVED being a bunny! She hopped everywhere she went. She got frustrated that her ears fell off sometimes. She made a pretty cute bunny!

The kids also attended their first ever Halloween party at the Woudwyk's. They got to decorate candy bags, play a lot of fun games, eat cupcakes, and play with other kids their age. They had the BEST time!!

BIG BOY BED

2010-10-20T16:17:00.003-04:00

Jace recently started climbing out of his crib, so we decided that he must be ready for a "big boy" bed! We tried it for the first time for his nap this afternoon. He did EXCELLENT! Jer put him down for his nap and he stayed right in bed on the first try! Good job Jace!

Loving his new bed!

1st time sleeping in his new bed! Looks like he read a few books first!

Busted!! He woke up while we took pics of him napping....

no worries, he went right back to sleep!

Happy Birthday Jordyn!

2010-08-03T15:02:00.004-04:00

Jordyn turned 3 years old on Monday, Aug 2. It was a lot of fun for her and us since this was her first birthday that she was really excited for. She has been into princesses lately (thanks to her cousin Kendal) so we decided to give her a princess birthday.

She woke up to a princess breakfast.
We took her to her favorite place to play, DeAnna's Playhouse!

She played house, got groceries with daddy, put on shows for us, had story time and many other things.

We took her to Red Robin for dinner. She had her favorite...chicken strips and fries. The staff also sang Happy Birthday to her, gave her a free sundae and a balloon.

She ate the whole thing (minus the cherry) plus had ice cream again at her party....definitely Jer's child!

In the evening, we had a small party for her with family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDYN! I can't believe how much she has grown up over the past year. Jordyn is such a caring little girl. She is constantly "cooking" us food in her kitchen and LOVES to take good care of her babies. She has a great memory and actually "reads" books to us which she has memorized. We only have to read her a book a few times before she knows it. She can say all of her nursery rhymes, her alphabet and counts to 15. She also loves to sing songs to us. She listens her music in the van and before bedtime and has whole CD's memorized. Jordyn's biggest accomplishment this year was being potty trained. She was trained about 1 month after her 2nd birthday except for at night. A few weeks before her 3rd birthday, she started wearing big girl panties at night. So far, no accidents. Yea Jordyn!!

We love you so much Jordyn and pray that you will love God with all your heart. You have been such a blessing to our lives!

What We've Been Up To

2010-08-03T14:18:00.005-04:00

I haven't been good about updating the blog this summer. But here are a few things that we have been up to!

My mom camped at the Holland State Park for a week in June. We spent a lot of time visiting her and playing on the beach. Jordyn even got to sleep overnight in the camper with grandma!

We spent the 4th of July weekend at grandpa & grandma Dirette's cottage and the family. We did a lot of swimming and playing in the sun!

My family also came out to the Dirette's cottage for a Saturday in July and did some boating. It was a beautiful day to be in the water

I started my 2nd trimester in July. Hooray to feeling like myself again!!

Jer & I took Jordyn & Jace to the Ottawa County Fair. We walked thru the animal barns, went on rides, and of course ate junk food!

Jace cried after 1 time around on the carousel. That was the end of the rides for him!

Jordyn was brave and went on her first roller coaster ride all by herself. I was shocked that she did it and even more shocked that she stayed on once it started!

Jordyn also had her 1st real pony ride at the fair! Jace didn't want to go near the pony's.

This past weekend we camped for a long weekend at Baldwin Oaks with the Kraker's, Koeman's, and Essinks. We had great weather and a ton of fun!!

Jordyn also celebrated her 3rd birthday on August 2!

Jace - 18 months

2010-07-05T13:37:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe that my little baby is 18 months old already...not so much a baby anymore!

Jace recently had his 18 month check up. Here are his stats:

Weight - 26.9lbs (just above the 50th percentile)

Height - 34" (the 90th percentile)

Head - 50th percentile

Most of you who know Jace, know that he does not appreciate being told what to do, so Jace basically screamed throughout his entire doctor's visit! Fun!

A few things about Jace at 18 months:

- He got his 1st ear infection this month. He hated his medicine and I had to pin him to the ground and force it down him. I hated every second of it.

- Jace LOVES to give big wet kisses! He also learned how to do razzberries and loves to give those as well. Although, he occasionally slips in a bite when doing so. He also loves to give cuddly hugs.

- Jace loves fruit and eats it by the handful. He would probably eat himself sick with fruit if we would let him. He is also a big meat lover (any kind). He hates vegetables and won't even touch them.

- Jace has about 10 words in his vocabulary, most of which can only be understood by Jer or I.

They are:

Mama = mom or grandma

Dada

Nee = blanket

Maymay = baby

Mo = More

Mmmm = Milk or movie

Ehmooo = Elmo

Ahnee = Barney

Wywee = Wylie (our cat)

And there are probably a few more that I am forgetting.

- Jace is very attached to his blanket.

- Jace has started to notice that there are things he doesn't do like the rest of us (ex: sit in a big chair, etc) and refuses to do things differently anymore. Hopefully, he will do that with potty training soon (which we have not started yet).

- Jace is (I like to say) a "Dr Jekyll and Hyde". When he is good, he is sooo good. He can keep himself occupied for hours and just loves to sneak hugs and kisses in between playing. However, when Jace does not get his way, he throws a tantrum for the record books and does NOT get over it. I am lost at what to do with him sometimes. Either way, I love my Jekyll and Hyde!

We LOVE you Jace!! Thanks for a wonderful 18 months!!

# 3

2010-07-05T13:28:00.002-04:00

Jer, Jordyn, Jace & I are excited to annouce that we are expecting baby #3. We feel so blessed to have the 2 beautiful children that we have and are so thankful that God is blessing us with even more. God is so good!!

I am due on January 16, 2011....however, I'm thinking 1/11/11 would be pretty cool! We had our first doctor's appointment on June 23 and even got to have an ultrasound. So amazing to see a head, legs, and arms already!! So far everything looks good!

When we told Jordyn and Jace that they would have a new baby brother or sister, Jordyn was very excited! Jace didn't so much understand what we were saying :-). Jordyn's first words were "I would like a sister". We explained to her that we do not get to pick, God does....which is what she now tells everyone. She also came out of her room a couple weeks after we told her with her baby doll stuffed under her shirt and a blanket in her hand. She said, "Look mama, I have a baby in my tummy too! And I have a blanket for her whenever she pops outta there." I just love the things she comes up with!

Some people think we are CRAZY for having a 3rd so soon (yes, 3 kids 3 and under will be crazy), however, we left everything up to God and prayed for His will to be done. We feel that this is God's perfect timing for this child and our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WYLIE!

2010-03-24T21:07:00.003-04:00

Wylie had her 8th birthday today! Jordyn was quite excited about this, so we celebrated for Wylie by singing Happy Birthday to her, giving her some treats and a new toy, and also cupcakes for the family! This must have been her best birthday ever...hahaha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WYLIE! WE LOVE YOU!

Jace - 15 months

2010-03-23T10:49:00.004-04:00

Jace had his 15 month check up today. Here are some of his stats:

Weight: 24lbs (50%)

Height: 32 inches (75%)

Head: 50th %

At his last check up, the doctor was slightly concerned with his weight, but he is looking good and right on track now. We have also been concerned about a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. The doctor does not think this is the issue for him. We are trying a couple of other dietary changes instead (ex: no juice) to see if that helps him out. If it doesn't, we will go back to check for allergies.

Praise God for a healthy boy!!

Jordyn's Stitches

2010-02-16T13:53:00.006-05:00

Poor Jordyn ended up in Urgent Care last night at the hospital. She fell and cut her head above her eye open on our TV stand. I saw the whole thing happened but still am not quite sure why or how she fell. She ended up with 5 stitches.

It's hard to watch a little one when they are hurt. She had blood running everywhere, including into her eyes and she just didn't understand what was going on. She stopped crying once I was able to clean her eyes out and put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding.

I really didn't think she would need stitches because the bleeding stopped quite quickly and turned to just a slow ooze. I debated not taking her in, but when Jer got home from work and looked at it, he decided she should go in. I am thankful he made that decision because she ended up needing 5 stithces and the Dr. told him without the stitches she would have ended up with quite a large scar. She shouldn't have a scar now.

I asked Jer to take her in because I couldn't bear to see her cry again. I also figured she would need someone calm and he would be much more calm than me.

Jordyn did an excellent job!! She just sat on daddy's lap while the nurses and Dr. checked her out. She let him numb the area. Then she laid on daddy on the hospital bed while the Dr. stitched her up. She never flinched or cried!! Thank goodness, because the doctor had warned Jer that if she were to get too restless they would have to put her under.

She was quite proud of herself and also quite excited about the hospital. She came home with some Dora stickers, some candy, and a big teddy bear with a band-aid on its eye as well. She also got a bowl of ice cream with daddy when they got home.

She bumped her finger this afternoon and after kisses to make it better she told me, "Me hurt me finger. Me need to go to the hospital to get it fixed."

Aquatic Center

2010-02-03T15:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Jer and I took the kids to the Holland Aquatic Center to get them out of the house and to release some of their energy. I wasn't sure how they would do since they haven't been swimming since this summer. Jordyn ran right in without hesitation. She even ran under the fountains and didn't care if her head got wet at all! Jace was unsure at first and didn't want to let go of mom. After about ten minutes, he got brave. After that he went nuts!! I've never seen him so happy or excited! He couldn't stop squealing, laughing and splashing. He went under a few times and didn't care at all! Afterwards, we stopped by Grandma Dirette for lunch. The kids were wore out and I got a nice long afternoon to myself while they napped!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-25T22:43:00.004-05:00

I am really late with this post and I really have no excuse other than maybe laziness. Christmas this year was extra special to me for many reasons. First, after being gone for 2 weeks, Jer came back home from Alabama the week of Christmas. We really missed him and were so happy to have him back. He surprised us by coming home early. He just showed up at the front door!!

Second, this year was so much more laid back than usual for me. Our parties were spread out from December 20 - January 2 and for the first year ever, we did not have more than one party per day! I also didn't have a newborn this year and was actually getting a full nights sleep on a regular basis!! Also, mine and Jer's families were EXTRA helpful while Jer was gone and I was able to get my shopping done way earlier than usual!

We got our tree and lights up early this year because we wanted to do it while Jer was still home. We got our tree at Post Farms. We usually go to Tuesink's Farm and I really missed that this year. They give hot cider and donuts away and have a petting zoo and hayride. We will look forward to that next year!

Decorating the tree

Jer also managed to get appendicitus a week before he left for Alabama. Here he is posing with the fruit basket his mom and grandma made him!

Playing in the snow!

I had to join the kids when we visited Santa. Otherwise, they were not going to sit by him.

We made sugar cookies and decorated them with Jordyn this year. She had sooo much fun. I think we have started a tradition!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACE!

2009-12-08T14:42:00.005-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACE!

One year ago today, we were blessed with a new baby boy, Jace H. Velderman! He weighed 9lbs 8oz and was 21" long. I can't even begin to tell you how fast this year has gone by.

One of my favorite things about Jace is his killer smile. He will flash it to anyone!!

Jace is also famous for his big, sloppy, wet kisses. Watch out if he comes at you with his mouth wide open. He has been known to "attack with kisses" especially if you are a little cousin!

Jace also loves to dance by waving his arms and crouching his legs and bouncing. He loves to "go crazy". Tell him to "go crazy" and he will wave his arms and shake his head. He loves to play with Jordyn's kitchen set. He loves to climb the steps. If we leave the gate down, he notices immediately! He loves to chase our cat, Wylie, around the house. He also loves to make a lot of noise by banging his toys against anything he can think of (must be a boy thing).

Jace has been walking since 11 months old. He also recently learned how to clap, wave bye-bye, and do so big. Now that he knows these things, he LOVES to show them off!

Jace has also recently started to eat and swallow solid foods. We had concerns at 9 months since he would not keep food in his mouth, so this is a big step for him!

Jace has been such a blessing to us! We thank God every day for you little buddy!! Your smile lights up my world!

December 2008December 2009

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-03T13:35:00.003-05:00

Guess Who's Walking?

2009-10-30T08:18:00.004-04:00

He's walking (and throwing in some kisses for Macie as well)!!

.....and falling (I see many bumps and bruises ahead)!

Big Girl Bed

2009-10-23T11:01:00.003-04:00

We decided to give the big girl bed a try with Jordyn. I was debating whether to use a toddler bed or go right to a twin bed, but then I found this toddler bed for a great price at a garage sale! Jordyn has been potty trained for 1 1/2 months now but is still wearing diapers at night. We decided before we try "big girl panties" at night, we would get her into a regular bed in case she has to go to the bathroom. So...ready or not...here we go! We, of course, still have the crib in her room also in case things don't go so well. So far, she loves it!!! But that will probably change when nap time comes around!

I'm not quite sure I'm ready for this because it means my baby girl just keeps growing up. Wish us luck!!!

Jace's 9 month pictures

2009-10-06T14:40:00.001-04:00

Check out Jace's 9 month pictures! We are very fortunate to have photographers in the family. Thanks for all you do Andrew & Tiffany!!

http://marcphotography.zenfolio.com/p922020655

Jace - 9 months

2009-09-16T21:19:00.003-04:00

Jace had his 9 month check up this morning. I can't my little boy is 9 months old already! His appointment went well. He weighs 20lbs 5oz (50%) and is 29 3/4" (75th%)....long & lean! I was concerned that he had an ear infection, but thankfully he does not. We figure it must be teeth. It seems as though he has been teething for 6 months now...still no teeth.

Another concern we talked about was his eating. He will not eat or even try to eat solids. He is making progress because he used to gag until he threw up and now he doesn't gag but just spits anything lumpy out. As of right now, we were told to just keep trying to give him solids. We were also told to work with him on consonant sounds such as "ma ma or da da". He doesn't do this yet which could have something to do with not using his tongue correctly. If we don't see progress on the solids and consonant sounds in one month we may possibly need to look into therapy. The doctor is not too concerned just yet but prayers that Jace may figure these two things out in the next month would be much appreciated.

Some other things about Jace at 9 months:

He is crawling everywhere (8mos) and now pulls himself to standing
He LOVES to flash big smiles to everyone
He will sometimes wave bye-bye
He loves to dance (wave his hands) and sing ("oooohhhhh ooohhhh") to music
His favorite toy right now is Jordyn's kitchen set. He loves opening and closing the oven door.
He loves to harass our cat Wylie and also splash in her water bowl
He loves to play in the water as long as it isn't a bath
He loves to give big, sloppy, wet kisses
He is very attached to mom or dad right now
He follows his big sister all over the house and really frustrates her when he tries to "help" her do puzzles.

We love you so much Jace. You bring so much joy to our lives. We thank God for you every day!

East Lake Camping

2009-09-16T15:53:00.004-04:00

We had our last camping trip of the season last weekend. My whole family spent a long weekend at East Lake Campground in Hopkins. It was a beautiful weekend and we had a wonderful time!

Wagon Ride!! Jordyn won ice-cream after the ride!

Jordyn & Kendal playing on the beach
Cuddling with daddy....her favorite thing to do!

Swimming....Jace's favorite thing to do...with anybody!

Can't keep them clean while we are camping!

6 Year Anniversary

2009-09-16T15:28:00.004-04:00

This post is quite late (I've been a blogging-slacker) but September 6 (Labor Day weekend) was Jer and my 6 year anniversary!! I can't believe it has been 6 years already. We kept it simple and celebrated our anniversary by going to Jer's parents cottage with the family. We spent most of the time enjoying the beautiful weather by the lake. Mom & dad did watch the kids for us though so that we could go out for our anniversary. We went golfing in the afternoon (sometime we both enjoy but don't have time to do much) and out to Clementine's in South Haven in the evening. Thanks mom & dad!!!

Here is a video of Jordyn driving a battery powered car that grandpa got for her. She figured out how to make it go but couldn't steer. She didn't want to quit driving but we were sick of helping out. Our solution...let her drive in circles. She went for about 15-20 minutes before we made her stop for dinner. Who knows how long she would have gone!!! Thanks grandpa!!!

Here is some video of Jace enjoying the water at the cottage. Even after a dunk under water, he still really LOVES to splash around!!!

Jordyn 2 Year Pics!

2009-09-09T15:02:00.003-04:00

Check out Jordyn's 2 year pics at http://marcphotography.zenfolio.com/p983559724.

Once again Andrew & Tiffany (Marc Photography) did an excellent job. Jordyn is one of their most challenging models :-). She's always on the move, doesn't much care for the camera, and only smiles when she feels like it! We decided to try and chase her around outdoors instead of trying to get her to pose in the studio this time.

Thanks Andrew & Tiffany!!

Jordyn's New Best Friend

2009-08-29T12:44:00.003-04:00

Couldn't wait for it to stop raining so we could take Macie for a walk outside

But we don't need to be outside to walk Macie. She has been doing this most of the day! Macie is being a good sport about it! Jordyn even held Macie on her leash while she sat on the potty. She was done of course by the time I got the cameraShe is making sure Macie is well fed at all times. No, we didn't get a new dog....Macie is Andrew & Tiffany's dog and we are dog sitting for her. Jordyn is not going to be too happy about giving her back though!
Andrew & Tiffany, you can rest assured that Macie is going to be good with your new baby! She has been more than patient with Jordyn and Jace!

Jace's 1st Haircut...or trim

2009-08-29T12:37:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post this but a couple of weeks ago Jace had his 1st hair trim. I can't call it a haircut just yet! My mom and Amber did it for me while I was at work. I had been trying to do it myself for some time and after several failed attempts and nearly cutting my poor boy, I gave up. He just had a trim around his ears and across the back.

Isn't he handsome???

Weekend at the Cottage

2009-08-29T12:29:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we had a good time with friends and family at Jer's parent's cottage. Even though the weather was cool and wet we still had a good time!

Andrew & Kendal
Amber & Elijah
Chad & Andrew after an exhausting tube ride!

Rainy Days

2009-08-08T14:06:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDYN!

2009-08-05T14:26:00.007-04:00

This past weekend, August 2, Jordyn celebrated her 2nd birthday. We celebrated with the Kraker family at Baldwin Oaks and with the Dirette family at home. Jordyn was more excited for cake than she was for presents! I can't believe how quickly 2 years have passed or how "grown up" Jordyn is already. I am truly blessed and thankful to be a stay at home mom so that I haven't had to miss a moment!!

Jordyn is learning new things so fast that I can hardly keep up with her. Every day she surprises me with something new. She is now putting full sentences together and talks non-stop. She gives me a running play by play of everything she is doing all day long and makes me repeat back to her whatever she says. She is very particular and everything needs to be done in a certain order or put back a certain way (hmmmm.....where does she get that from?) Jordyn loves to dance; we spend A LOT of time doing this...hey, at least I'm getting a work-out. She loves the water, talking walks with her baby doll, watching Barney, and having tea parties. She is also very proud that she sits in a big girl chair now to eat and eats all by herself. Jordyn also went "poopie" on her potty today for the first time. She is VERY proud of herself and wants to tell everyone what she did and that she "got candy". Big milestone since she has been refusing to even sit on the potty!

Jordyn is also a very good big sister to her brother Jace. She runs to his room as soon as he wakes up, brings him toys or his pipe whenever he cries, and always makes sure he is included. Whenever we do something she says, "And Jacey (she calls him Jacey) too!" If we leave him at grandma's to play, she asks for him the whole ride home.

Jordyn, we love you so much!! We thank God for every day he has blessed us with you and pray for many more days. Thank you for blessing our lives!!

2 day's old

1 Year2 Years

Jace - 6 months

2009-07-17T16:51:00.003-04:00

Jace is actually now 7 months, but I thought I would give a quick update since he had a doctor's appointment today. At his 6 month appointment, he was 28 1/4" long (95th%) and 17 lbs 5oz (50th%). He had dropped in weight from the 90th% to the 50% although he hadn't actually lost weight. The doctor was not too concerned since he was developing and growing taller but decided to have him come in a month later (today) for a weight check and head check (his head was growing too fast). We found out today that he weighs 18 lbs 13 oz, still in the 50th% but growing, so no concerns. He will just be tall and skinny. His head growth slowed down, so no helmet...yea!! He is developing well and everything looks great! We are having so much fun with our little boy.

Jace's 6 month pictures are also ready to view. Please check them out at http://marcphotography.zenfolio.com/p1007092746. They are pictures 1 - 24. I need suggestions on favorites because I LOVE them all. Andrew and Tiffany at Marc Photography did a GREAT JOB as usual!!!

Thanks for the great pics guys!

Camping

2009-07-12T21:45:00.006-04:00

This weekend we enjoyed a wonderful, long weekend of camping. We stayed at Conestoga Campground in Eastmanville with my mom and dad, Bryan, Katy and Rogue.

It was special for Jace (not that he'll remember) because it was his first time camping!

We did a lot of relaxing, swimming, eating, playing, and sitting around the campfire. The guys also tried some bow fishing but didn't have much luck. I can't wait to camp again in a couple of weeks!!

Jordyn watching us instead of sleeping

Jace's sleeping arrangements for the weekend

Fourth of July

2009-07-04T21:59:00.005-04:00

Happy Independence Day to everyone and Happy Birthday to my dad!!

On Friday, Chad & Amber invited us to their house to grill and swim. We had a lot of fun. Jordyn and Elijah are such water rats. They have no fear! We ate good food, swam, had a campfire, and even did some very mild fireworks for the kids.

Grandpa & Grandma w/Rogue & Jace

Jordyn swam until her lips were purple!Jace...smiling...as always!Jordyn & ElijahJordyn & Elijah popping Snap-It's
Our "big-time" fireworks display
Jordyn's reaction to the fireworks

Kiddie Pool

2009-06-22T15:13:00.002-04:00

Jordyn loves her kiddie pool, but she refuses to sit down in it!

Memorial Day Weekend at Silver Lake

2009-05-29T13:46:00.004-04:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend at Silver Lake with our family. We had such a good time just being with family and enjoying the beautiful weather!

The guys spent a lot of time fishing

Jordyn enjoyed the sand!

She wasn't thrilled for the boat ride at first but ended up liking it.

Feeding the fish with dad

Jace sporting his new life jacket.

The sun and all the action wore Jace out. He slept most of the time

There wasn't a lot of sleeping room so he did some of his sleeping in the shower!

CLEANING

2009-05-19T14:14:00.005-04:00

She might get her good looks from her daddy, but she gets this from me (not sure if I should be proud of that or not!)

Jordyn "helps" fold the laundry and even sets it nicely on my pile when she is done!

She also loves "keening" (cleaning) her chairs with the water bottle.

This actually keeps her busy for very long period of time~

1st Visit to the Dentist

2009-05-18T15:13:00.003-04:00

Jordyn had her 1st dentist visit today. I made an appt for her because her left lateral incisor (one of the teeth next to her front 2 teeth) never came in. She has had her front teeth since 6 months and her right top lateral since 9 months. She also has most of her other teeth. The dentist wanted to get an x-ray to see if her baby tooth had not developed & to see if an adult tooth was developed. I almost cancelled the appointment thinking there is no way they are going to get an x-ray. She won't even let me help her brush her teeth!

I decided to give it a try. Jordyn did very good at first. She sat in my lap on the chair and proudly held her new tootbrush and stickers. The dental assistant got to look at her teeth while Jordyn showed off how she says "Ahhhh" and "Eeeee". We practiced before we went in :-). However, Jordyn got very upset when they put the "blanket" on her for the x-ray, and even more upset when they tried sticking the paper stuff (whatever it is) in her mouth for the x-ray. We tried about 3 times and failed. They asked if I wanted to give up or try again. I said I would try to calm her and then we could try one more time.

I got her calm by playing "circle, circle, circle...dot, dot dot" on her back. She allowed me to continue tickling her back while the assistant's got an x-ray!!! Jordyn was so proud of herself and I am so proud of her too!!

Turns out that her baby tooth is up there and developed fine. It is slanted just the slightest bit which is maybe causing it to be slow in coming through, but everything looks good. We should see her new tooth soon!!

Way to go Jordyn!!!

ICE CREAM!

2009-05-18T14:47:00.006-04:00

Tulip Time

2009-05-01T20:49:00.004-04:00

I think we might have a future dutch dancer!

Happy Belated Easter

2009-04-20T13:37:00.004-04:00

I'm about a week late, but I just wanted to post some pictures

of Jordyn and Jace all dressed up for Easter!

FUN IN THE WATER

2009-04-10T13:51:00.006-04:00

The Holland Aquatic Center

Jordyn was a little hesitant to get wet at first...

...but once she got in there was no stopping her!

Drying off...not by Jordyn's choice

New Kids on the Block - Happy B-day To Me

2009-04-07T14:01:00.005-04:00

This past weekend my friend Kristin and I rocked out at the New Kids on the Block concert!! It was my birthday present from Jer. Best birthday present ever!!! We sported our NKOTB t-shirts (which we made ourselves). We were feeling pretty cool! I LOVED NKOTB in about sixth grade...way too young for a concert according to mom & dad....so now 20 years later....here I am...still lovin' them!!! I'll be forever their girl...ha!

All About Jace

2009-03-22T22:40:00.005-04:00

Jace is 3 1/2 months old already! I can't believe how fast time flies. I don't have as much to fill you in on about Jace as I did Jordyn...mostly because he still doesn't do a whole lot.

We are thru the difficult newborn stage. Jace has adjusted to his new formula and his colicky nights are pretty much completely over. He has also learned that he doesn't need to be held all of the time and actually loves kicking and playing on the floor all by himself. He also enjoys his new swing which has been a huge relief to me. He is sleeping from 10:30pm to 7:30am....yeah!! The only thing we haven't quite figured out yet is getting Jace to sleep. He seems to need to be rocked to sleep while he screams. Sometimes he surprises me and lets me lay him and he will fall asleep on his own.

Jace is probably the most smiley baby I have ever seen. All you have to do is look at him and he will give you the biggest grin. He is also giggling out loud now. I LOVE it! A few other things he has learned is to copy faces that I make at him, sit up in his bumbo chair and stand in his activity center. He has also made the move from his bassinet to his crib....a sad day for mom. (I have trouble with this step...I guess because it means he is growing up so fast).

Some of Jace's favorites are standing up on his feet, sucking on two fingers, sitting in his swing, laying under his fish and grabbing at them, and sitting in his bouncy seat in the window watching the cars go by. However, his absolute favorite thing is having someone talk with him!

We are so blessed to have Jace in our family. Jordyn has adjusted well to him and absolutely loves him as long as he isn't crying when she wants our attention. We love you Jace!!

Enjoy some pics:

All About Jordyn

2009-03-17T13:36:00.010-04:00

Jordyn is growing up so fast! She is 19 months already. She is in this stage where she just wants to help. She helps with everything from loading the dishwasher, putting her shoes away, dusting, scrubbing floors, bathing Jace, putting trash in the garbage and dirty dishes in the sink, and changing Jace. It is so cute to watch her concentrate so hard on these chores!!

She is also starting to say a lot of words. Some of her favorites are "Hiiieeee" (Hi), "Nigh-nigh" (blanket), "Bah" (Barney), "BeBe" (baby), and "cheez" (which causes her to pull a really funny Jace). The list could go on forever.

Today I told Jordyn I had to put Jace to bed for his nap. I guess she knows my routine quite well, because she ran to his room, pointed to the fan for me to turn it on, and then patted on the rocking chair for me to sit down. She then held her finger to her lips, said "Shhhhh" and walked out of the room closing the door behind her. After I put Jace down, I opened the door to find her dusting the house with her toy duster. How cute!

She also gets frustrated quite easily when she can't do something or if something is different than usual. She noticed after her shower (yes, shower) the other day that her fingers were wrinkled. She walked around looking at her hands saying "Uh-ohhh" over and over again.

She had a tantrum Tuesday afternoon after lunch because something was different. I always push up her sleeves when I put her in her highchair for lunch. When I take her out of her high chair, she makes a point of helping me pull her sleeves down. Today, she wore short sleeves for the first time this year. She pulled and pulled on her short sleeves trying to get them down. She cried and cried saying "deeves, deeves" (sleeves, sleeves). She did this over and over. I finally had to give her some strawberries to calm her down.

Last, I tried to do some finger painting with Jordyn this morning. I thought I had a great idea and that she would love it. Well, it lasted for about five minutes. Apparently, Jordyn does not like dirty hands. She wanted her wash rag and wanted nothing to do with the paints. She was finally happy once I had her hands washed off. I think she must have gotten this from Uncle Andy.

Enjoy some pics of Jordyn! (Don't worry...I'll do a Jace update soon also!)

Still lovin' her box

Having cake with Kendal at Jace's baptism

Loving her baby brother

Say "Cheez"

Her beautiful finger painting that she hated doing. I think I did most of it trying to get her to help!

BAPTISM

2009-03-17T13:11:00.004-04:00

Jace was baptized at Overisel CRC on Sunday morning, March 8. We invited family to witness his baptism and we had lunch in the church basement afterwards. Jace was awake thru the whole service and did not cry! Amazing!! He actually entertained the people in the rows behind us because he was flashing big smiles most of the time. Jordyn also sat thru the whole service. I was worried about her because she usually stays in the nursery. It was a beautiful day. Praise God for his promises for his children!

Cousins

2009-03-04T13:44:00.007-05:00

We haven't been doing anything too exciting around here lately. We are just waiting for the warm weather to come. Jordyn has been spending time with her cousins, Elijah and Kendal.

It's so cute.

They race each other around the house on these things.

I know, Jordyn has lovely hair!

Visiting Elizabeth at the hospital.

I'm not so sure they enjoy sharing the chair.

We acquired some boxes at Christmastime.
Jordyn and Kendal LOVE them.

Just hangin' out on Jordyn's bench.

Not sure what the excitement is about this, but they love to just sit there.

Jace & Rogue don't do a lot of playing yet,
but I'm sure they will be running around together in no time!

Jordyn & Elijah goofing around!

Welcome Elizabeth Marie

2009-02-17T13:14:00.003-05:00

We are so happy to announce that my brother, Chad and sister-in-law, Amber welcomed a new baby girl into their family this morning! Her name is Elizabeth Marie Kraker. She weighed 5lbs, 6oz (pretty good for 4 weeks early) and is 19".

We praise God for a healthy baby and that Amber was able to make it to 36 weeks.

Congratulations you guys!!!

Jace's Pictures

2009-01-31T22:02:00.002-05:00

Check out Jace's newborn pictures at Marc Photography.

http://marcphotography.zenfolio.com/p1007092746

Thanks again Andrew & Tiffany for doing a wonderful job!

Snowy Day

2009-01-12T21:05:00.006-05:00

Jordyn has been cooped up in the house for a couple days now because of a cold and a cough. Today she seemed to be feeling better so we decided that it would be good for her and her cough to get some fresh air.

I think it took more time to get ready than what we spent outside

Jace even came outside (don't worry grandmas...we kept him nice & warm)!

We did lots of fun stuff, like go for a walk with Jordyn's new sled, made snow angels, threw snowballs, and went sledding down a hill...

...but Jordyn had the most fun doing what she does best....pushing the stroller. She hasn't been out for a walk in quite a while but this is still her favorite thing to do!

Here is a video of her sledding...she had fun, but is quite expressionless!

1st Bath

2009-01-05T17:41:00.004-05:00

Jace finally had his first official bath in the bath tub a couple of days ago. It took a while for us to be able to soak him in the tub because his belly button needed to be cauterized to get it to dry up. Jace actually liked the tub which was surprising because he would scream whenever I washed him up before. Jordyn was such a good helper!! She didn't stay very dry though!

Happy Holidays & I'm Back

2008-12-28T15:02:00.006-05:00

I'm back to blogging...hopefully. I haven't posted in a while because it has been a crazy couple of weeks. Having a new baby at home and chasing around a very active 16 month old would have kept me busy enough alone, but on top of all that we had Christmas parties, Christmas shopping (I procrastinated), and snow plowing. I normally LOVE the snow...especially snow storms, but this year I could have done without so much right at Christmastime. Jer ended up plowing pretty much around the clock for a week straight. I actually think I got more sleep than he did even though I was staying up with Jace at night. I procrastinated on the shopping...mainly because before I had Jace it took all my energy just to walk into the store. I couldn't imagine actually doing some shopping too. Needless to say, I could have used Jer home to help with a new baby, Jordyn, Christmas shopping, and present wrapping but that was not the case this year. The holidays flew by and we stumbled through them. Hopefully now that the snowstorms are over for now and the parties are mostly done, Jer and I can settle down with our new family....and maybe I will post on the blog more regularly again!

Anyway, things are going well so far with Jace. He is a very hungry boy!! He is growing and healthy and that is all we ask for! Jordyn is adjusting quite well. She has her moments, usually when Jace is crying. When he cries, she cries...but it is a really face cry. I think she just wants some of the attention that he is getting at the time. She is quite a little helper already. She loves to bring Jace his bottle and pacifier and she always lingers at the diaper changing table to hand me everything I could possibly need and more for Jace's diaper change. Aside from that, she is keeping pretty busy in her new box (why did I even buy her Christmas presents??). She hangs out in her box with her books, dolly, pots and pans for hours at a time. It's quite entertaining.

Jer took some time off from work for the holidays and to help out with Jace. It's a good thing he did that since he spent most of his time off so far plowing. They don't have a ton of work right now so he might take another couple of weeks off. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I love having him home right now. We will see what happens though because he tends to go stir crazy very quickly!

Other good news in our family is that my brother and sister-in-law, Bryan and Katy, had a daughter, Rogue McKenzie. She was born 2 days after Jace on December 10. I'm sure Jace and Rogue will have a lot of fun playing together soon! Congratulations Bryan & Katy!! (Rogue would have gotten her own post, but things got too crazy around here. Sorry Rogue...we LOVE you!

That is our house in a nutshell for right now. Here are some pictures:

So far, Jace hates having a bath

Jace and his new cousin, Rogue

Welcome Rogue!!

WELCOME JACE H VELDERMAN!!

2008-12-08T15:30:00.005-05:00

Jer, myself, and Jordyn are so happy to announce that we welcomed a new baby boy into our family at 4:54am this morning (12/8/2008). His name is Jace H Velderman. He is 9lbs, 8oz and 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing wonderful!! My water broke at home at 1:00am and I started having contractions about 1 hour later. We got to the hospital at 3:45am and I was dilated to a 9 and I had him an hour later. He came so much quicker than Jordyn! Jordyn is staying at Grandma Dirette's house and is probably being spoiled!! She was already here to see her new baby brother. She was more excited about his balloons though! Here are some pictures for you:

We are so blessed. Praise and thanks to God!!

It's Finally Done!!

2008-12-02T13:50:00.007-05:00

As most of you know, Jer and I recently decided to open up and remodel our loft (previously used for storage). We needed to make room for another addition to our family! We decuded the best thing for us to do would be to move our bedroom upstairs. Anyway, as of this past weekend, our loft/bedroom is finally completed. Here are some before and after pictures:

BEFORE

AFTER

Also, Jer got our outside Christmas lights up this weekend. Jordyn was quite teh little helper. Here are some pics of that:

Prettiest Mom

2008-11-29T14:42:00.002-05:00

This is a poem that my mom forwarded to me. It is so true....you look at things so differently when you become a mom and you find a whole new appreciation for your own mom. Thanks Mom!!

I just wanted to share it with all the other moms reading.

Prettiest Mom

Before I was a Mom:

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom:

I had never been puked on, pooped on, chewed on, or peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom:

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy ove r a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom:

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom:

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom:

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

Don't forget to give your child a hug today!

SNOW!!

2008-11-25T13:40:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we got quite a bit of snow. While it snowed, Jordyn sat by the window saying "Ohhhh, ooooohhhh" over and over again, so Jer took her outside to see what all this white stuff was all about. She wasn't too sure if she liked it or not since she couldn't really walk in it.

Tip for Moms

2008-11-20T23:09:00.003-05:00

Jordyn has had a cough that gets much worse at night for the last week. She is not sleeping at night because of it, which means I am also not sleeping at night. This is fine with me since I am up most of the night for bathroom breaks anyway, but I hate that she is not getting a good night's sleep. Anyway, last night after an hour of non-stop coughing, I got desperate! My grandma had mentioned that she heard rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of their feet and then putting socks on them will stop the cough. It seemed silly to me, but I actually found myself at Family Fare at 11:00pm buying Vicks Vapor Rub last night. I ended up trying it on Jordyn. It was a little scary for me since I am one of those paranoid moms who always follows the doctor's or medicine label's directions and my doctor did not recommend and the label said for children over 2 years. So of course after I applied the Vapor Rub I sat up with her for a little while to be sure she didn't have any reactions. I also sat up for another hour after putting her back down listening for her breathing on the monitor and checking on her every so often before I could finally sleep. Yes, I know, PARANOID! Anyway, I have to report that the Vicks worked wonders. She didn't cough even one more time!! She slept until 8:30am.......a good night's rest!

Ahhhh....now if only I could get a good nights rest!

2008-11-17T04:48:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted in a little while now, but I don't have much to update you on. Jordyn continues to learn or do something new each day. It is amazing to watch her grow and learn. Jer continues to have work for now, but please keep praying for more as he does not have much. Jer went to the MI game on Saturday, but other than that he has been busy getting the house ready for baby. The baby and I are doing well. I am quite sore and tired, but I really can't complain. Everything has been looking very good at the doctor's appointments. Anyway, that is our life right now. I'll leave you with a few pictures:

Jordyn loves to "type". She will sit by the computer for hours if we would let her.

She also found the pots & pans cupboard. I put soap bubbles from the sink while I wash dishes into the pan for her and she "washes" the cupboards with them.

Jordyn has recently taken up reading. She will sit and look at her pile of books for hours.

Reading with dad & cousin Kendal

A couple weekends ago, Jordyn made her daddy very proud by choosing to play with the football over all her other toys.

Ready for church!

Helping dad winterize the boat

She will probably hate me for this one day, but what a cute butt-crack!

BIG GIRL POTTY!

2008-11-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

I bought a potty chair for Jordyn a couple of months ago knowing that she is pretty young to start training, but thinking that it doesn't hurt to set her on it every once in a while to get her used to it. Plus, she loves sitting on little chairs so I figured what the heck! Anyway, we tried a few times a couple of months ago and she would sit on it and look at a book for a few minutes at a time. I ended up putting it away for about a month. We took it out today for the first time again and after about 3 minutes, Jordyn went potty!! (Yay!!) She was reading a book and I'm pretty sure had no idea that she even did anything, but I cheered for her anyway. I wanted her to know what I was congratulating her for so I had her stand up and showed her what she did. Before I could stop her, she immediately bent down and splashed her hands in it....GROSS!! So we also had a shower this morning :-)

Obviously this is my first time training and I will try to be quicker the next time. I'm sure I will have many more gross-outs to come!! In the meantime....

CONGRATULATIONS JORDYN!!!!

CARVING PUMPKINS & HALLOWEEN

2008-11-02T21:59:00.001-05:00

Kendal & Jordyn picking out their pumpkins

Jordyn is really concentrating on getting all the seeds out

Our finished pumpkins!!

Our little lady bug!

Dr. Kendal & Jordyn

Jordyn sharing her candy with Elijah

Adam, Peyton & Jordyn

(Peyton loved Jordyn's antennas)

Jordyn's 1 Year Pictures

2008-10-26T21:37:00.001-04:00

I am very late with these since Jordyn turned 1 on August 2nd. Technically, I am right on schedule since I have done all of her pictures late. Anyway, I need help! Andrew and Tiffany (www.marc-photography.net - check out their website; they do great work) took Jorydn's 1 year pictures and I can't decide which to pick since I love them all. The session was especially difficult since Jordyn was not in the mood for pictures and would not stay in one place. Andrew pretty much had to quick point and shoot which makes these pictures even more impressive. I have posted my favorites. Give me your input...please!!

You can check out all of the pictures on the website, http://www.marc-photography.net/ or on my facebook page. Thanks for your help!

Oh yeah...this one is not really in the running, but is too funny to leave out!

HE'S NOT LEAVING!!

2008-10-16T20:50:00.001-04:00

For those of you who don't know, Jer has been preparing to leave for Pennsylvania for his job for the next month. I have been dreading having him gone during the 2nd to last month of my pregnancy and he wasn't too excited about it either. Well...we recieved some good/bad news today...The good news is that the project is off and Jer will no longer be going out of town. What a relief to know that he will be around for Jordyn and I as we prepare for our new little boy! The bad news is that his company does not have any work lined up for the next couple of months since they planned on being in Pennsylvania. Please send prayers of praise for keeping Jer home and prayers also for work for Jer here in town so that we can pay our bills :-)

Yes, Katy, this means that Jer will bowl for you whenever you want!!

Pumpkin Fest

2008-10-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late with this one, but here goes. A couple weekends ago we met up with Chad, Amber & Elijah and grandma for the Pumpkin Fest parade. We weren't sure how Jordyn would do since it was her first parade. She did quite well. She danced to the bands and loved the animals. It really helped that they threw out candy, so the sucker kept her quiet and sitting! It was a beautiful day for a parade.

After that, we visited the petting zoo for a little while. Jordyn was not that interested in the petting zoo. She really just wanted to push Elijah around in his stroller, which kept her quite occupied for a good amount of time.

What a beautiful day for a parade!

At It Again!

2008-10-05T21:19:00.000-04:00

Thursday afternoons have become our "unofficial" canning/freezing date for the girls. So far we have done Strawberries, Strawberry Jam, Grape Jam, Raspberry Jam, Tomato Sauce, and Pizza Sauce. Soon we will be doing deer meat (none for me...ick!) and applesauce. This past Thursday we got together and made more pizza sauce since our last batch turned out so good...oh, and we had a ton more tomatoes! There were no burning hands (see previous blog) this time....only a cut finger. I made sure Katy got stuck chopping peppers this time, but she was smart and wore gloves, so no burning for her! I just thought since we have been spending so much time canning that I would post some pictures of us at work....or just hanging out!

These cans are harder to open than you might think...just ask Amber!

Katy is hard at work cutting up tomatoes before we cook them

Candi and Mom hard at work!

Break time! Our favorite! Yes...that is wine...no it wasn't for the preggos!

Getting our finished product into the cans

Admiring our finished product!

BURNING HANDS

2008-09-26T09:29:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-laws, my mom, and I got together yesterday afternoon to can pizza/tomato sauce using the tomatoes from Katy's garden. I helped out by chopping up the hot peppers. While I was chopping, they asked me if my hands were burning at all because normally theirs do if they didn't wear gloves. I told them that my hands didn't burn at all and that I had never heard of such a silly thing. Well...around 7:00pm last night (about 5 hours after I chopped the peppers), my hands started to feel a burning sensation. It kept getting worse....so bad that I couldn't even take them out of cold water for a minute. It felt like I stuck my hands in a firepit! I tried all of the solutions listed on the internet that I could think of (apparently this is a frequent problem with peppers), but nothing worked. I finally tried to go to sleep on the couch (so I wouldn't bug Jer) with 2 bags of ice, one in each hand. Needless to say, it was a painful and sleepless night. They finally stopped burning around 4am. I wished I wasn't pregnant so that I could take some sort of medicine to knock myself out with. Oh well, I am feeling much better today. I just thought I would warn everyone....wear gloves!!! And Katy, Amber, and mom....next time around, someone else chops peppers!!!!

RANDOMNESS

2008-09-22T13:32:00.000-04:00

We had a laid back and busy weekend at the same time (if that makes any sense). I'll try to fill ya in...

Jer and I are continuing to be youth group leaders at our church, so on Friday night we had our Fall Kick-Off. We attended the Zeeland/Hamilton Football game as a youth group to cheer on some of our members. After that, everyone was invited to our house for food and games. Don't worry, we only have about 9 members in our group. On Sunday evening, we had our first youth group lesson. We started out by making our teens brush their teeth with Crisco...which led into our lesson on Mercy. I really wish I had remembered my camera!!

Also on Sunday, we attended an open house for my cousin, Haley Frego. She is leaving on Friday for Macedonia with the Peace Corps. We wish her well and are sending lots of prayers her way.

That was the busy part of our weekend. We actually had a pretty laid back day on Saturday afternoon. We spent some time just enjoying the wonderful weather and playing with Jordyn.

Here are some random pictures from the weekend:

We discovered that Jorydn really enjoys bubbles, but only if she can do it herself.

Jer finally hung up Jordyn's swing, which was a birthday present from Grandpa & Grandma Kraker

She liked the swing, but would not let go of the bubbles!

She also had a wonderful time in her new playhouse (it's a mess, but for $5.00 I couldn't go wrong)

After that, it was time for a shower (not a bath...see previous blog)

She just cracks me up everyday!!!

I also started my 3rd trimester this past week, so here is a look at my belly :-)

Loft update...we have a closet and built-in dressers!! We still have a ways to go, but it is getting there!

Tubby Time

2008-09-14T22:19:00.000-04:00

Jordyn recently decided she no longer likes bath time. She used to LOVE to play in the tub and did not care at all when we dumped water over her head or anything. She recently decided she hates any water being dumped on her and absolutely does not want to sit down in the tub (it's much more fun to get in and out). Since then, she has been taking "big girl" showers and walks back and forth under the shower head instead of sitting in her bathtub. I'm not sure what the difference is, but that water is okay to hit her head.

Much to my surprise, Jordyn must have decided that she missed her bathtub because when I told her it was "tubby time" this weekend, she decided to get the bathtub ready all by herself!

It didn't last though....she still ended up taking a shower after about 2 minutes of tubby time! Oh well!

NOT FOR SALE!

2008-09-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

So after 2 years of being on the market, we finally decided to take the House For Sale sign down. I am actually quite relieved...no more cleaning!!! We decided to take the house off the market for now because Jer will be out of town on and off (more on than off) for the month of October & November, we are remodeling the loft so the whole house somehow is a complete mess, and being that I am due in December, I won't have a lot of time to keep up on housework and Christmas parties much less have house showings. I wish it would have sold, but I was so sick of having it on the market. We will try again next spring.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the remodeling we have been doing:

We connected the dormers on the front of the house so that we could stand up in our loft. Jer and I will be moving our bedroom to the loft, Jordyn's bedroom to our current room, and the baby to Jordyn's nursery...which we will not be leaving pink!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

2008-09-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

A LONG WEEKEND....HOORAY!! I have been extremely excited for this holiday weekend and being able to spend some time with Jer. He has been working A LOT of overtime lately. We didn't do anything exciting for the weekend...just spend some time together and worked on our loft / soon-to-be bedroom...but an uneventful weekend is just what we wanted!

We ended up watching Ellie for Chad and Amber for the weekend. Jordyn had a great time playing fetch with Ellie and her squirrel. She would hold the squirrel up and wait for Ellie to grab it. After Ellie grabbed it Jordyn would squeal with delight and clap her hands. Ellie of course was sick of it by the time I thought to get a video.

Jordyn also got to play with her buddy, Lukas, on Saturday morning. Lukas' dad, Jacob, came over to help Jer with some electrical stuff in the loft. They had fun talking to eachother on the phone!

Since it was so hot, we decided to take a break from remodeling o n Sunday afternoon. We headed to Chad and Amber's pool for the afternoon and just relaxed and swam with Andrew and Tiffany.

Like I said, it wasn't an eventful or exciting weekend, but it was exactly what Jer and I wanted!!

I finally did it....I think!

2008-08-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally joined the world of blogging. I think I must have just felt left out because everyone I know has a blog now.

I can't promise anything....I may just abandon it like Bryan did, but I am going to try to keep it updated on our growing family. We are not that interesting, but what the heck! I figure maybe I will have time now that I am a stay at home mom...which I am loving by the way.