Florida

Caleb had fun swimming underwater
Isaac was saying, "take my picture, Gwamma!"
The community pool where Nate's parents live- so nice
Playing at Ft. Myers Beach during low tide
Sanibel beach- Isaac would run into the waves, then run back and throw himself on the beach
Julia helped bury them in sand
Julia's turn!- There is now sand on every square inch of her body
Julia liked jumping off the edge
Swinging like a monkey
Caleb liked to hide out in the shade
Climbing to the top
On a bicycle built for 7
Playing in the waves
Look at that blinding, I mean alabaster skin! My family calls me the sunscreen nazi. :)
A great family vacation!


Last week we visited Nate's parents in Ft. Myers, Florida. The trip went great! We had beautiful weather, healthy kids, outings, and fun with the grandparents. We didn't sleep in during this vacation. Because Julia needed a nap in the afternoon (and b/c it was super hot in the afternoon!) we got up early and took a siesta later in the day. Since this blog is mostly our family journal, I am going to write out what we did each day so that we remember.

Sunday
We flew out of Kalamazoo directly to Punta Gorda which is just north of Ft. Myers. I still marvel that it took us 2 1/2 hours to get there when it would have taken us 24 hours to drive there. Right before we got on the plane, I discovered that Julia had a fever. Unfortunately there was no medicine around, so we just prayed she would do ok. She did fine on the airplane, mostly lethargic from the fever. The boys thought the flight was fun, although Caleb's ears bothered him on the landing.

Monday
We went to the community pool in the morning. The water was so warm, I wish every pool was that temperature. In the evening we went to Ft. Myers Beach and grilled out. We saw some stingrays in the water (from a distance) and had fun playing in the low tide.

Tuesday
We visited the Juice Store. Not sure if that is the correct name, but that is what we call it. The store mostly sells Florida citrus and fresh squeezed citrus juice. The highlight of the store is the free orange and grapefruit samples along with free juice samples- all very yummy. We then went to the Imaginarium. It is kind of like a children's museum. They had a touch tank with stingrays (with the stinger removed), starfish, and sea urchins. Stingrays feel slimy and kind of gross! That night Nate's parents provided Nate and I with a night out. They babysat the kids and gave us a gift certificate to a local restaurant called Parrot Bay. We had some awesome crab cakes there, haven't had any that good since Charleston. It was a fun restaurant, but Nate's parents mostly like it because the owners are Packer fans and they can watch Packer games there. :) The only bummer on Tuesday is that Julia had a fever all day and was fairly crabby. However, she was great the rest of the week!

Wednesday
We went to the beach on Sanibel Island. This beach was fun because of the waves and lots of shells to pick up. I thought the saltwater would bother the kids, but they didn't mind. A couple times they came up spitting and running to get a drink of water. We went to the pool again that evening. Caleb lost a tooth which is always exciting.

Thursday
We went to the Naples Zoo. They have their monkeys on islands so we did a 20 minute boat tour around the islands. The kids thought that was neat. We saw some alligators, thankfully we didn't encounter any outside of the zoo on our vacation! We went to watch the lion feeding, but that was a bust. I guess it was too hot for the lions to bother waking up. We spent the evening in the pool again.

Friday
We went to Lakes Park. It is hard to describe this park. First of all, it is huge and you only pay a minimal amount for parking. We let the kids play at the (massive) playground and then we rented a bicycle, if you can call it that. It reminded me of the Flinstones car. Four people pedal and the rest can ride. We had all 7 of us on the bike and we could have fit one more person. We pedaled around the park for an hour and enjoyed the scenery. We then went to the sprayground and let the kids get wet. Dad and I walked thru the Farmer's Market and got some watermelon and corn on the cob. I was confused, I thought it was spring and not late summer? The growing season in Florida ends in May, so odd.

That afternoon Nate and I took the boys to the movie theater for the first time. We saw African Cats. The movie follows a cheetah and her cubs and a lion pride. Caleb loved his first movie! Isaac mostly enjoyed the cherry slushie and was on a sugar buzz for the whole movie. Seriously, he could not sit still or stop talking. I don't think we'll take Isaac to the movies again til he is a little older. For his own benefit and for the benefit of the moviegoers around us. :) Most of you know that I really try to monitor the media our kids take in. Kids are so impressionable and I know that everything a person watches makes some kind of an impact. I try to keep Philippians 4:8 in mind, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Now I am not saying that I do this right all the time, but I want to give my best effort! And I know that the boys don't like scary scenes, so that knocks out most Disney movies. :) They have seen some Disney movies, but we only let them see G-rated movies and we watch the movie with them so we can turn off the scary/inappropriate scenes if necessary. I will now get off my movie soapbox!

We then went to a Good Friday service. I was nervous because the service started at 7 pm, which is not a good time of day for the kids. However, we were armed with snacks and books and the kids did great!

Saturday
On Saturday morning we went back to Sanibel Island. We collected alot of shells and just enjoyed being at the beach. The boys decorated Easter eggs with Grandma that afternoon and she did an egg hunt for them. That evening we hit the pool again- can you tell we enjoyed the pool?!

Sunday
We got up early and drove to the airport. We had a smooth trip back, but we were sad to miss an Easter Sunday church service. Our Easter Sunday lunch was at a non-impressive restaurant in Kalamazoo. That was okay though because we serve a risen Savior!


On an unrelated note- we got the results of Isaac's blood test and he shows no allergy to milk. So, he will do a milk challenge on May 4. Please pray that he does well!

Cuteness

Caleb could go to work with Nate
Caleb said his parts so clearly and loudly
Caleb was a narrator for their play, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
Getting ready to take a bow
Looking adorable in her Easter dress
So cute in his new vest from Grandma
Look at our handsome boy!

Caleb had his kindergarten program today. The program showcases what they have learned this year. It is fun to watch little kids sing and recite lines. There are always kids who scream/sing. There were a couple little girls doing the screaming thing. I was having flashbacks of my sister in her kindergarten program. :) We are so proud of Caleb. He was nervous about performing in front of a lot of people, but you couldn't tell! He said his lines clearly and loudly- it was cute. I got a little teary watching him. I remember when he used to be shy and quiet in front of people. He has grown so much. We love our little munchkins!

Spring break

Julia loves water tables and was sufficiently soaked
The boys experimenting with water pressure
Cool little fountain
Look at those mountain climbers!
Family bowling
Julia really wanted to bowl, but she still had fun watching
Did someone call a plumber?
Isaac's method resulted in balls going very SLOWLY down the lane, but he knocked pins down!
Caleb practiced throwing the ball instead of rolling it
Watching my cousin Tyler's baseball game at Calvin
My cousin Scott (also at Calvin) and his girlfriend, Jenna, met us at the game


We had a fun spring break at home. The week started with Isaac having his annual allergist appointment. He is allowed to start trying apples again- yay! He was very excited to eat applesauce that night. :) He will have a blood test done to see if he is still allergic to milk. If the test is negative, he can do a "milk challenge" this summer. The challenge is done in the allergist's office and they slowly give him milk products to see how he handles it. The doctor seems fairly confident he will outgrow the allergy either this year or next. We're praying!

Nate was off on Monday, so we all went to the Curious Kids Museum in St. Joe. It is not a large museum, but the kids always enjoy going. We ate dinner at the Texas Roadhouse which the kids think is great b/c they can throw peanut shells on the floor. The boys don't like to eat the peanuts, they just like to peel them and give the peanuts to Julia.

On Tuesday, I took the kids to story hour at the library. I tried to convince Caleb that he would be bored, but he insisted on going. I think he just wanted to see what Isaac talks about every week.

On Wednesday, we met some friends at the Fennville Children's Museum. This one is even smaller than Curious Kids, but that is ok with me. It is basically one room so it is possible to keep an eye on all 3 kids.

On Thursday, we met some friends at our church gym and let the kids run around. It was nice to be able to chat with other Moms and let the kids be crazy. We then took the kids bowling that afternoon. Bowling was the one thing Caleb wanted to do during spring break. I had the highest score, but that might have been b/c we were using bumpers....

On Friday, we went to Dash and Splash at the gym and had some friends over.

Today, we went to my cousin's baseball game at Calvin. Caleb seemed to really enjoy the game. My cousin Scott and his girlfriend met us at the game. Julia wasn't so sure about them at first. Jenna let Julia play with her phone and she was then Julia's new best friend. :) It was fun to catch up with Scott for awhile. We talked with Tyler briefly after the game. I resisted the urge to embarrass him at the game and talk about how I held him when he was a baby and sang, "Welcome to the Family," at his baptism. :)

Some other news from spring break is that Caleb is learning to tie his shoes! He was practicing again in the car tonight and he seems to have it- so proud of him! We are also looking for a (used) new bike for him. He's going to learn how to ride a two-wheeler next. It is so rewarding to watch him master new skills.

Caleb is bummed that spring break is over, but he gets TWO spring breaks this year. We are leaving for Florida in one week! We are going to visit Nate's parents in Ft. Myers. It is hard to believe it is 90 degrees there, what does that even feel like?

Early Spring

April Fools Day "Sponge Cake"
Visiting Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma J
There is no snow outside!
She's so cute in her boots
Say, "Korea!"

On April Fools Day, I played a little joke on the kids. I got the idea from the magazine Family Fun. I cut some sponges into circles and then frosted them to look like a cake. I went out for the evening, so I left a note for Nate to give them their sponge cake before bed. I fooled Nate, he couldn't figure out why the cake wasn't cutting. Caleb thought the joke was funny. Caleb had fun fooling us too. He would say, "Mom, I just put my backpack away- April Fools!" You have to appreciate 6 year old humor. :)
Last night I had a girls night out! And this isn't just any group of women, they are all Moms who have adopted children from Korea. Some of the women drove long distances to come, very impressive! We got together to send a package to the Korean adoption agency, Holt, that cared for our kiddos. Holt was low on rice cereal and Desitin and this group of Moms came through! Of course, the main event of the evening was socializing. I really enjoy getting together with adoptive Moms. We swap stories about bringing our kids home, sleep strategies, attachment, how much we bring our child's history into everyday life, etc. We all have slightly different parenting styles, but there is alot of support and encouragement. And we love sharing pictures of our kids. :)

I'm trying to remember what we've been doing since my Denver trip. Last weekend I took the kids on an impromptu trip to see my grandparents in Chicago. My parents came with and that always makes the trip more enjoyable! My Grandpa has prostate cancer and is starting treatment. I'm glad we had a chance to see him before the side effects kick in and he feels really miserable. The house my grandparents built and used to live in is for sale and we walked thru it during an open house. Man, I have big dreams after seeing it. The owners did alot of redecorating are asking way more than we could afford. But, you never know. Maybe they would accept half of what they are asking, Nate would suddenly get a job in Chicago, and we would sell our house instantly- it could happen, right?! The main reason I love the house is because of the memories associated with it.

Earlier this week Nate and I went away for two nights. I found a deal for a Bed and Breakfast that was too good to pass up. The B&B is called Songbird Praire in Valparaiso, IN. It is a really nice B&B. Our only issue was the breakfast. They do a (classy) continental breakfast, which I should have noticed on the website. The first morning they gave us a poached pear with a glaze on it and scones. Nate asked me if this was the first course and I assured him it was. Well, that was the main course. It was very good, but not the decadent french toast I was hoping for or the bacon and eggs Nate was hoping for! Nate and I always feel slightly awkward in the B&B situation. We were the only guests the first night. For example, are we supposed to make conversation with the lady or will she think we're rude if we keep to ourselves? It didn't take her long to figure out we weren't exactly "high-class" people. She kept hinting we should go to the expensive restaurants in town. When I told her we went to Olive Garden she did a pretty good job of saying, "oh, that's nice." :) During our time away we also did some outlet and mall shopping. I still get excited whenever we're in a big town/suburb. There are so many stores and restaurants, not just my South Haven Super Wal-Mart! During our shopping I was struck by the absurdity of womens clothing sizes. I tried on clothes at The Limited and I was a size 4! I don't know if I was even a size 4 in junior high. It was still a nice ego boost though. :) My parents watched the kids for us and they had a great time. After they left, Isaac asked to go live in Hastings or have G&G live with us.

Caleb is now on spring break. We aren't going anywhere, we'll go to FL in a couple weeks to see Nate's parents. Having some time away from the kids recently has re-charged my battery. I've been re-reading The Connected Child to gain some ideas for my interactions with Julia. Really though the book has ideas that work for all of the kids. Of course, having all 3 kids home for the next week will test my newfound resolve!

Denver

Skiing at Breckenridge- God's creation is so amazing!!
This is how I felt when skiing- although Steph assured me I didn't look like this :)
Steph was kind enough to let me use her goggles
Who said Moms can't have style?- Um, I only have style b/c Steph dressed me!
My "twin"

I just had a great weekend! I went to Denver this past Thursday-Sunday to spend some time with Stephanie. It is such a treat to travel by myself. Although apparently I relaxed too much because I left my carry-on at the security checkpoint. I am so used to checking luggage that after going thru the metal detectors I grabbed my purse and walked away to get lunch. As I sat down to eat my lunch I realized I didn't have my carry-on! I was very embarrassed to tell the guards I had left my suitcase behind. They didn't give me too much grief. My sister has a really cute apartment and it was just a relaxing place to be. I arrived in town on St. Patrick's Day so we got to watch all of the crazy, drunk people downtown. And the altitude did affect me. I had only one margarita and let's just say I was feeling it.

On Friday, we went skiing at Breckenridge. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I was loving it. I can understand why people would want to ski every weekend out there! I also enjoyed that Steph and I have similar skiing skills. We would rather enjoy a leisurely ski down the mountain than dying, I mean, challenging ourselves on harder runs. We both have a high sense of self-preservation. :) Even though we went down the "less challenging" runs, we were still sore by the end of the day.

I also had a chance to meet some of Steph's friends on Friday night. I was afraid I would feel really old, but it was fun. It helped that most of the group had graduated from Calvin or were from the midwest. This evening was also my first foray into the world of "skinny jeans." Skinny jeans have been popular for a little while, but I had no desire to join the fad, mostly because I would have to buy new boots and flats because regular shoes don't look good with skinny jeans. Way too much of a financial investment for me. :) Anyway, Steph convinced me to wear her skinny jeans and boots. I'll admit I looked cute, but I was very self-conscious walking down the street. I felt like everyone was staring at me, until I realized every other woman was dressed just like me. :) The highlight of my evening was when I told someone I had 3 kids and they were shocked. They said I was too skinny to have 3 kids. Thank you skinny jeans!

I was surprised how many times people commented on how alike Steph and I look. I know we have similarities, but I have never thought we look that much alike. One lady asked if we were twins and which one of us was older? I know she was trying to make me feel good, but it still brought a smile to my face. :)

Steph took me to a breakfast place called, Snooze. We waited an hour, but it was worth it! I should have taken a picture of my meal. I had sticky bun french toast with cream cheese icing drizzled over it. It was awesome.

I love my sister so much and I thank God for our friendship! She is a funny, smart, beautiful and God-loving woman. I am so proud of you, Steph and thanks for a memorable weekend!

New 3rd Day Adoption Video: Children of God

New 3rd Day Adoption Video: Children of God



I enjoy Third Day's music and I really like this music video. Watching this makes me smile and cry at the same time, love it!

Happy Birthday, Julia!

Elmo is now a 2nd birthday tradition
Grandpa and Grandma J came to celebrate
Tim and Jenny came too
Mmm, strawberry cake
Daddy made Julia a toy box and we gave her a book that features her name
Caleb had Cowboy Day at school. He wasn't allowed to bring the gun to school. :)

I feel guilty right now. I always try to post on the day of my family's birthdays, however that did not happen this time. I apologize, Julia. I could blame it on a variety of factors; that Nate was working nights, we had church that evening, and I had strep throat and felt horrible. Anyways, we celebrated Julia's birthday last weekend with my family. We made bulgogi and had the Elmo cake. I am a pro at the Elmo cake now, I get faster every time. :) Julia blew out her candles, although Isaac got excited and blew one of them out for her. She got a pair of rainboots from Grandpa and Grandma J that she loves to wear. She got a gardening set from Grandpa and Grandma D so she is all set for spring! She also received a personalized CD from Grandpa and Grandma D. Caleb received a similar one when he was little. When the songs started playing he said, "the songs are supposed to say, Caleb!" At some point we all learn that other people have songs written about them too. :) Julia enjoyed the birthday attention and is telling people she is 3, hmm.

Julia had her 2 year old physical and she is doing great! She weighs 27 lbs and is 33 inches long which puts her in the 50th percentile for height and weight, perfectly proportioned. The doctor is still very impressed with Julia's language skills. She also got a chuckle out of my description of Julia's strong willed tendencies. The doctor was very encouraging though too.

We are so thankful to call this precious girl our daughter. I sometimes look at her and am shocked at how big she is getting. I appreciate those times she lies on my lap and sucks her thumb. Julia is such a cutie and it is fun to imagine what she will look like as an adult. She enjoys having books read to her, although she flips the pages before we can read the whole page! Julia is starting to sing songs and likes having us sing her a song before bed. She will play with Isaac now, but doesn't let him direct her play- much to Isaac's frustration. :) Julia can be a little social butterfly and brings joy to many people. We love you so much, Julia and we pray God blesses your life in many ways!