Four and fabulous!

The baby in our family recently turned four... my how time flies! Haley is still just as sweet as can be, and we are so thankful to have her as one of us. She really is a gift like no other. Her songs fill our house with sweet sounds, her laughs are contagious and we think she is down right adorable!

Happy birthday to our littlest love!

Ready to Celebrate!

Don't these two look ready for Christmas! We've been counting down the days since December 1. I have a feeling that this is going to be our best Christmas ever! It's not just because Jackson and Haley are more into presents than ever before. It's also because they love and know Jesus more than ever before, and they are ready to celebrate His birthday!

The other day, Haley asked Jackson why we get presents if Christmas is Jesus' birthday. He paused and then very matter-of-factly replied "Because that is how much he loves us!" Good answer!

Wise Words

I came across this poem today by Sharon Jaynes. I loved it and hope you do too!

Love, 1 Corinthians 13

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: but do not show love to my
family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love does not envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table
linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.

~ Sharon Jaynes

Our little reader...

Jackson has become quite the reader lately... and Haley has too! Remember this? (Isn't that the cutest thing ever??) Well, Haley has moved on from "Brown Bear" and has now mastered "Polar Bear." Here she is showing off her (memorization) skills.

Is it me, or does she just keep getting cuter? :)

Off to Preschool...

Take One: September 2008

Take Two: September 2011

Brotherly, Sisterly LOVE

We have our fair share of sibling rivalry in our home, but when all is said and done, these two are the best of buds, and I couldn't be more thankful that they have each other!

Tiny Turtles!

This past week we not only got to babysit for our sweet Lauryn, we also got to turtle sit for the week! It was so fun! Much better than dog or cat sitting... no mess to clean up, no noise, and very little work. Plus, I never knew that baby turtles were so cute! Today, our neighbors came home and we had to say goodbye to our new four-legged friends (which was especially tough on our firstborn). I think next spring I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a baby turtle roaming around... we would be happy to give him a happy home until fall. I'm not quite ready to invest in a home aquarium tank for the house to keep the turtles happy (and alive!) through the winter. They aren't quite that cute!

The Things We Do for our Kids

"C'mon mom, you try. It's easy. It feels cool."

Guess what? He was right!

Ouch!

Our Haley girl took her first summer spill... a face plant into the driveway. Poor thing. Good thing she is one tough cookie... and a sweet cookie at that! :)

I hope this is that last injury of the summer, but with all the hiking, biking, scootering, swimming, running and rough-housing we plan on doing this summer, there's probably more "oopsies" on the horizon. I'll just look at them as another reason to go out for ice cream! After all, mint chocolate chip makes everything feel better! :)

A Day for Dads

I could never put into words how much I admire Dave as a dad, so I won't even try. I'll just say there is no one else I would rather have as my partner on this wild adventure called parenting!

Happy Father's Day Honey!

My kids got a great dad, and so did I! Happy Father's Day Dad! We may be all grown up, but we are still your girls. We love you!

It's just a backpack...

Summer vacation started a few days ago, and yet I still have Jackson's backpack hanging in my kitchen... his dirty, torn, and put together with duct-tape backpack. I have been waiting for the past couple of weeks for school to be over so I could throw this thing into the dumpster where it belongs. But for some reason, I can't seem to let it go.

I'm not usually the sentimental type. I don't keep every picture my kids ever made me, and I don't plan to keep every tooth they lose. In fact I usually don't have any trouble throwing things away. So what is it about this backpack?

I think to me, this backpack represents Jackson growing from a little guy into a big guy. We've gotten a lot of life out of this bag (and it's not even a Jansport!) You see, Jackson has never gone to school without this blue, green and black piece of fabric. He used it for three-year-old preschool, four-year-old preschool and Kindergarten (Can you tell we are dutch?).

Here is the backpack's first appearance in our photos, taken on Jackson's first day of preschool...

and here is it's last, taken on his last day of kindergarten .

No, I'm not going to try and get one more year out of this raggedy thing, but I'm not going to dump it either. I'm going to hang it in the back of Jackson's closet and someday down the road, I'll pull it out and remember the days when I had a little guy. When I see that backpack I'll remember this:

But for now I'll enjoy (or try to enjoy) every second with my not-so-little guy... the one who is reading, doing math problems, and learning Bible verses better than I ever could have hoped. We got Jackson's report card this week and he did awesome!! We are extremely proud. There's only one thing he needs to work on.... working without disturbing others. Yep! That sounds like my guy!!

I know it's just a backpack, but to me, it's a symbol of my precious Jackson becoming everything God wants him to be... and that's priceless!

I want to be just like you...

... cause they want to be like me.

I love this song by Phillips, Craig and Dean!

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug

He calls me Dad & I call him Bub
With his faded old pillow & a bear named Pooh
He snuggles up close & says, "I wanna be like you"
I tuck him in bed & I kiss him goodnight
Trippin´ over the toys as I turn out the light
And I whisper a prayer that someday he will see
He has got a father in God ´cause he has seen Jesus in me

Lord, I wanna be just like You

´Cause he wants to be just like me
I wanna be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little boy can read
I wanna be just like You
´Cause he wants to be like me

Got to admit I have got so far to go

Make so many mistakes & I am sure that You know
Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try
With all the pressures in life I just can´t get it all right
But I am trying so hard to learn from the best
Being patient & kind, filled with Your tenderness
´Cause I know that she will learn from the things that she sees
And the Jesus she finds will be the Jesus in me

Lord, I wanna be just like You

´Cause she wants to be just like me
I wanna be a holy example
For her innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little girl can read
I wanna be just like You
´Cause she wants to be like me

Right now from where they stand we may seem mighty tall

But it is only ´cause we're learning from the best Father of them all!

Happy Mother's Day!

One thing is for sure... I hit the Mom Jackpot! My mom is the most caring, thoughtful, generous lady I know. I am so thankful that I am her daughter. Every good quality I possess as a mom came straight from her! Mom, all the sacrifices you have made for the past 3+ decades have not gone unnoticed. Sometimes I feel like I need you more now than when I was a little girl. I love you mom!

My prayer is that when Haley is my age, she and I have the kind of relationship my mom and I have today!

And a Mother's Day post would not be complete without a shout out my wonderful mother-in-law who brings so much joy into our lives! We are so thankful for you.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Never forget that we are creating cathedrals and that is a holy calling!

She

She is the littlest member of our family.

She loves going to music class, storytime and church.

She is still quite shy, but is starting to come out of her shell.

She will start preschool in the fall.

She is a precious gift.

She is loved!

Let's Party!

We are wrapping up a week full of celebrations in honor of our fabulous firstborn! We had a party with friends, a party with the Zuidema side, a party with the Pohler side, and our own little family party. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it! Too sleepy to write much tonight, but I hope these pictures show you just how much fun we all had... especially the birthday boy! He sure is loved!

Make a wish!

Cousins

Pizza Time

Grandma Z. makes the best cakes!

Another awesome present

Pinata time!

"Thank you!"

What could it be?

Yummy

Gummy worm cupcakes

The boys in Jackson's class. Yep, five boys and 13 girls.

It's going to be interesting when they hit 8th grade!

Tree frog cake pops... Jackson's birthday treat at school

The birthday boy!