Family Boat Ride

We have been loving the glimpses of summer we've been getting lately!  Last Sunday was just beautiful, so after Jack's nap, we packed up the boat and headed to Murray Lake.

Jack's first boat ride!  He wasn't crazy about the life jacket or the hat :-)

Hannah's favorite place to sit.

Daddy's little skipper. 

After the ride, we stopped in Rockford for dinner at the Corner Bar.

Yeah, that's our guy!

Kite Festival 2011

For the past few years, we've headed out to Grand Haven to check out the Kite Festival.  In fact, last year, the then three of us headed out there on a 90 degree day and walked and walked and walked in hopes of kicking labor into gear! 

We were excited, then, when we woke up to sunshine and nice temps for the festival this year.  Unfortunately, by the time we got out there, rain drops began to fall.  Hey, it gave us a chance to try out our rain cover on the stroller, where Jack stayed cozy and warm.

 

Hannah chose to brave the rain so that she could play on the beach.  After standing in the rain for awhile, we had to leave b/c "the beach was closing" due to the rain.  We had one very disappointed little girl, but we promised we'd come back again.

Before we left, we got to watch a freighter heading out into the lake.  Kind of made the trip worth it.

Window Peaking

Jack has figured out that he can peak around our curtains on our front door to see the world outside.

Often times, when Jason and Hannah head outside, Jack crawls right over to the door and peaks out to see them.

Funny guy!

12 Months Old

Oh my goodness.  That's all I can say.  A whole year has gone by since Jack made his entrance into the world.  Here's what Jack is up to at 1-year old:

*He has 7 teeth, 4 on the bottom and 3 on the top, with another one on the top very close behind.

*He is such a smiley guy.  He just loves life and takes everything in stride.

*Most mornings, he greets me with "da da da." 

*He has stood on his own for a few seconds on a few different occasions. 

*He cruises the furniture without a problem.

*His favorite game is pulling anything over his head and playing peak-a-boo.  He thinks he's so funny.  He's also loves to roll the ball back and forth.  He's actually quite good.

*He continues to empty the kitchen and bathroom drawers.  He's also discovered how much fun it is to unroll the toilet paper. 

*He is between 12 month and 18 month clothes and wears a size 3 shoe.

*He wakes up around 7:30, takes 2 naps, and goes to bed between 7 and 8.

*He gives baby hugs by tucking his chin to his chest, pulling his arms up and leaning in to put his head on your shoulder.  Melts my heart!

*He LOVES food!  He is never more vocal than at meal time.  He makes sure to let us know that he needs food!  He eats most everything that we eat.  We introduced whole milk in a sippy cup and even some peanut butter.  He loves them both.  He is now down to one bottle a day, right before bed.

His first birthday "gift."

I pulled this toy of Hannah's out of the basement today, and he loves it!

The last 12 months have been a whirlwind, but we have enjoyed every moment. Jack brings our family so much joy. God has given us a precious gift. We truly cherish this little guy and are excited to continue to watch him grow.  Happy birthday sweet boy!

(For some cake smashing, check this out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfBIDbGATIA )

Happy Birthday Kara (and grandparent visits, too)

It's hard to believe that our niece Kara is already 2 years old!  We helped the birthday girl celebrate at her Super Readers birthday party.

The birthday girl got a princess suitcase, backpack, and sleeping bag, just like Hannah's!

All of the kids had fun "helping" Kara open her presents.

After the party, Great-Grandma and Grandpa Oberholtzer came over to spend some time with the kids.  Jack had skipped his afternoon nap, so cuddling on grandma's lap was just what the doctor ordered.

Before we headed home, we stopped by to visit Great-Grandma and Grandpa Cramer. 

Unfortunately, Hannah wasn't up for pictures, but Jack was all smiles for Grandma and Grandpa.

Gym Jesters

We went to Frankenmuth a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Kara's 2nd birthday.  Before the party, she invited Hannah to go to gymnastics class with her, and boy did Hannah have fun!

Jumping into the foam pit.

Swinging on the rings.

Riding the zip line.

Climbing the mat mountain.

The big treat at the end was goign through the inflatable whale and going down the slide.  Above, Kara went down just like a big 2-year old girl.

Uncle Todd even got in on the fun! 

Thanks for inviting us, Kara.  We had a blast!

Silly Boy

Jack is such a funny boy these days. 

 He thinks he's pretty funny standing on his head.

He loves to be free to roam outside but does not like the feel of grass on his knees.  Instead of crawling, he bears crawls across the lawn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otvbK4E8Lik

38 Months Old

Hannah is turning into such a big girl.  Here's what she's up to:

*She has started making up songs about anything and everything.  Most recently, I've heard her singing about her baby and the sky.

*She loves to sing SOLO.  Many times when I start to sing with her, she will demand that I stop so that she can continue by herself.

*She loves Children and Worship at church and comes home singing new songs like Fishers of Men and The BIBLE.  I love that she is learning songs that I grew up singing in Sunday School!

*Her favorite color continues to be pink.

*She is getting better at cutting with scissors and enjoys cutting and glueing.

*She is quite independent.  When she makes up her mind, it is very difficult, if not impossible to change it.  I'm hoping that being strong-willed will be a positive characteristic when she's older, although at this stage of the game, it can be very challenging. 

*She insists on buckling herself into her carseat.  This can make loading up the car a very long process.

*She is a great shopper.  When I take her clothes shopping with me, she enjoys playing dress-up and being a princess in the mirror.  She also is very helpful at the when shopping for groceries, as she carries the basket of goods at the bread store and farmers market and puts things in the cart at the grocery store.  This actually is quite helpful when I have my hands full with Jack.

*Every reference to things that occurred in the past, whether it happened yesterday or last year is "last summer."

*She says grace every night at dinner, and it's always the same - "Dear Jesus, thank you for Jacob and Claire.  Amen."

Mothers' Day 2011

Mothers' Day was perfect.  Jason got the kids ready for church and let me sleep in.  Bliss!  When we got home from church, the kids (and Jason) gave me a wonderful present, one that I've been asking for for quite awhile - a clothesline!!

After church, we went down to Holland to check out Tulip Time.

It was a perfect afternoon to eat lunch on the porch at The Curraugh.

Jack was such a big boy in his high chair.

A little love from Sissy.

Ok, get away!

Jack's first ride on Daddy's shoulders.  Can you tell that he LOVED it?!?

So, we didn't get too many great pics of the kids with the tulips, but we tried.

Aren't they just stunning!

Love my guys

We headed to the Kinder Platz after lunch, where Hannah got her first ink - a pink flower.

Another attempt at some sibling love.

Can you feel it??

What a perfect day.  Really, though, I wouldn't need any of it.  My kids and husband are gifts enough.  They are the best, and I love them so much!  I couldn't be more blessed.

We are also so thankful for our moms, who have modeled for us how to be loving, fun, caring parents.  We are so grateful for the role they have played in our lives and now in the lives of our children.  We love you.

Randomness

By some miracle, both kids actually went down for a nap this afternoon, so I have a little time to finally catch up on some long overdue posts.  We haven't been up to much in particular but more just a bunch of odds and ends.

Hannah modeling her new apron.  Our MOPS year came to a close at the end of April.  I was on the Steering Team, and one of the fun perks of the team is that all year long you have a "Secret Sister" who showers you with gifts and encouragement.  At our year-end party, we got to reveal who we had, and my wonderfully talented friend Rose, my Secret Sister, made Hannah and I matching aprons!  (If you look closely you can also see the scratched nose and knees courtesy of a run-in  run over by the dog).

One of Jack's favorite spots to hang out.  He just barely fits under the table standing up.

We had lots of rainy, cold days at the end of April and beginning of May.  Getting tired of the same old thing, I filled up the sink with water and random kitchen containers and let Hannah have fun "washing dishes."

The horsey ride is a big hit around our house.  Even the dog likes to go for a ride :-)

Hannah got her very own scissors.  We now have lots of little bits all over, but it keeps her busy.

We had mulch delivered last week.  That evening at dinner, Jason asked Hannah what happened during the day, and she told him that a truck came and dumped trash in our yard.  Pretty close I guess.

Now that the weather seems to have finallly broken, we're looking forward to being on the other side of this door quite a bit.