BIG BOY BED

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!