April

Critter Barn

Rudy, the monster guinea pig

Isaac's self portrait

Laughing brothers

We're halfway through April already!  The kids had spring break the first week of April.  We stayed home and did activities in the area.  One day we went to the Critter Barn which is free, bonus!  We saw lots of farm animals and the kids enjoyed petting the bunnies and chicks.  My Mom was at U of M so went spent one night in a hotel out there.  The kids love hotels- swimming in the pool, jumping on the beds, eating the continental breakfast, good times.  Thankfully my Mom is home and feeling much better.  We are leaving for Florida on Saturday and will stay with Nate's parents for the week.  Everyone is very excited to see them and to have warm weather!  We'll see how Stephen does travelling.

Stephen will be 5 months old in a couple days.  He can go 3 1/2-4 hours between feedings and gets very distracted by his siblings.  He eats baby cereal at breakfast and supper and sometimes a little baby food at lunch.  I'm making some baby food, but I'm not convinced it's saving that much money.  I bought a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to help tackle his nap issues.  He was back to only sleeping for 45 minutes and driving me crazy!  The book had some helpful tips.  The past couple of days he's taken longer naps.  His schedule (which will probably change next week!) is wake up at 7:30 am, take a nap around 9, another nap around 1, a short evening nap, and then in bed by 8 pm.  He wakes up once during the night to nurse.  It is hard staying at home so much because of his naps, but I also know this season won't last forever.  His hair is now falling out in the back and is still long on the top and sides, but I don't want to cut his hair just yet!  Stephen loves rubbing his hair while he's nursing, it is very cute.  He is a happy baby and loves attention.  He will laugh and smile at anybody.  He seems to be ticklish on his legs and has big belly laughs.  He enjoys playing in his exersaucer and putting everything in his mouth.  When he is happy to see me he tries to eat my face. It is hard to carry Stephen around in the car seat because he is so heavy, but I don't want to give up the convenience factor yet.

Last week I was on the phone and Caleb starts yelling, "Isaac is going to die!"  Isaac is crying and saying, "Is it true? Am I going to die?"  Among the hysterics they explained that Isaac had a glass marble in his mouth and accidentally swallowed it.  I was able to reassure him that he wasn't going to die and that he would poop the marble out in a couple days.  Ruth Ann was on the phone with me and got to hear it all happen live! We bought Isaac a (used) bigger bike and he is determined to see how fast he can ride it.  Thankfully we don't have any big hills in our neighborhood because I shudder to think how he would fly down them.  Caleb's first baseball practice was cancelled again tonight because of rain, now he has to wait til after Florida to play.  I think the anticipation of not knowing what to expect is getting to him! Julia is enjoying more freedom outside than she did last summer.  She seems more responsible and doesn't get into as much trouble.  Nate has been tackling our yard, trying to do some spring clean up.  Our gutters will be replaced next week and hopefully the windows later this spring?  

Easter

Caleb's first time feeding Stephen

New tile floor that Nate put in our bathroom

Our other guinea pig

Easter morning

Happy Easter!  We spent Easter at our house after a couple days of uncertainty.  My Mom is having a pancreatitis flare up and is at U of M.  Unfortunately she couldn't come home for Easter, but hopefully soon!  My Dad was able to join us for Easter lunch along with Tim.  Jenny was sick with the flu.  We enjoyed celebrating Christ's resurrection at our church.  I love hearing my kids singing along with some of the songs.

Nate is off for the week and has been tackling home projects.  He started to sand down the grout on our bathroom tile floor so he could re-grout it.  However, the tiles started cracking and popping up.  He then had to rip up the tiles, replace some of the wood underneath the floor and install new tiles.  Nothing like an afternoon job turning into a 3 day job!  Our bathroom looks really nice though.

Stephen started rice cereal a couple weeks ago.  I couldn't figure out why he wasn't napping well during the day.  As soon as I gave him cereal he started napping great, poor kid was hungry!  Right now we are trying to let him cry it out during the night, a frustrating experience.  He can make it from 10 pm- 6:30 am, but lately he's been waking at 5 am and just crying til I feed him at 6:30.  Maybe he's starting the teething process?  Who knows.  At his 4 month visit he was 18 lbs, 11 oz which puts him in the 89th percentile.  He was 26 inches and in the 75th percentile.  He grew alot since his 2 month checkup! 

We had parent teacher conferences for the boys.  Caleb helped lead his conference and showed us the work he's been doing.  His cursive is so neat and he just learned it the past couple of months!  Both of the boys were described as joys to have in the classroom, hard workers who were liked by everyone, and kind.  Obviously we want our kids to do well academically, but it makes us so happy to hear about their character.  Julia didn't have conferences, but we've heard good reports from her teacher as well.  That she is kind to her classmates and listens well. 

Pinewood Derby

Caleb is in cadets this year and last night was the Pinewood Derby.  Each boy designs his car and then races it.  I guess this is the big event of the year for cadets.  Caleb told us he designed his to look like a whale.  While we were waiting for the race to start, I noticed the big scoreboard on the fellowship hall wall.  Each boy named his car and Caleb had named his Spermy.  That's right his car was a sperm whale named Spermy.  It was hilarious. Let's just say all of the adults were giving us a hard time and asking what we talk about at home with our kids.  When Caleb's car won a race we all had a laugh about his whale being a fast swimmer.  Fortunately Caleb had no idea people were chuckling every time his name came up on the board. When we got home I asked Caleb why he chose the sperm whale and not a killer whale.  He said because the sperm whale was in a book he just read and said "Mom, killer whales aren't blue, sperm whales are."  Of course, that makes perfect sense.  When Caleb is about 16 year old I'm sure he will love hearing this story. That's why kids are so fun, you can't make this stuff up! 

3 Month Pictures

Just wanted to share some of the pictures Jenn took of Stephen at 3 months old.

February Catch Up

Stephen 3 months, Julia 4

Big brother, baby brother

Giant snowman made by Dad

The snowhill in our cul-de-sac

Saturday morning cartoons

Isaac helping Dad in the basement rec room

Isaac's field trip where this chemistry student drew Newton's laws and the elements that make up water

Dance party to old DC Talk "Jesus Freak" CD

Weird dance move they made up- they look like squirrels

Stephen will be 4 months old next week!  He has been fighting the bottle, but we are being persistent.  He hasn't been sleeping well lately.  He wakes up consistently 45 minutes into his nap.  After asking friends for advice I am putting him down earlier for his naps.  It works really well in the morning, not as well in the afternoon.  Last night he woke up often and letting him cry it out lasts for 30 minutes before we're all ready for me to just feed him so he'll go back to sleep! He was very congested so maybe he's not feeling well. I took him to the allergist to get advice about milk allergy stuff.  She said his symptoms sound like a milk intolerance and not life threatening like a milk allergy so she wasn't worried about an epi-pen or testing him at this point.  She said when I wean him we can do allergy testing before giving him milk.  She said I should keep all dairy and soy out of my diet til he is weaned.  His 1st birthday seems a long ways away, ha! He was weighed at the appointment and he was 17 lbs, he gained 4 lbs in a month! At the beginning of March he consistently rolled from his front to back.  He sometimes forgets how to do it now.  When we put him on his back slightly propped he can roll onto his stomach.  He likes to sit in the high chair in the kitchen so he can watch us.  He can bat at toys and bring them to his mouth and of course he makes adorable noises and giggles.   

Nate has been renovating the rec room in the basement.  It was water damaged before we moved in so he had to rip everything out and start over.  It will be nice to have a space in the basement for the kids to play, we miss that from our old house.  We've had someone look at our old house twice now, just waiting for an offer!  It has been nice to have renters who keep the house clean for showings, too bad they aren't interested in buying the house.  We had a pest guy come because of a carpenter ant problem. Supposedly it will take care of the wasp problem we also had inside our house this past fall. 

Isaac's class went on a field trip at Hope College.  I think they are trying to indoctrinate them young!  The first half was looking at/touching animals which was great.  The second half was with a chemistry student and it was supposed to be doing cool stuff with liquid nitrogen.  Apparently this girl had never interacted with 5 year olds because the material she was teaching was high school level.  She referenced the periodic table and asked what elements make up water and their percentage.  She taught them about Isaac Newton and his laws, you know for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  The parents were all shaking our heads in disbelief, the poor girl had no clue she was talking over the kids.  The kids were so well behaved and polite though, it was awesome.  Yesterday was Isaac's 100th Day of school.  He was complaining of a stomach ache and seemed off, but convinced me he was ok for the party.  Before I even left the building the secretary found me and said I needed to take Isaac home because he threw up!  However, he has been fine since then, weird.  Tonight is Family Fun Night at school so he is relieved he won't have to miss it.  He still loves going to the enrichment class on Tuesday afternoons and is sad he won't get to stay at school all day after this month. 

Julia ended up having strep throat over her birthday.  She felt much better after the antibiotics started.  Right now I am watching Isaac, Julia and our neighbor kid basically roll around in the mud outside.  I foresee laundry in my future.  I'm glad spring is coming, but this property is one big mud puddle in the spring.  Caleb has joined Cadets at our church.  They just finished making their cars for the Pinewood Derby next week.  He can write his name in cursive now, it looks good.  On the Saturdays in February he participated in a basketball camp, it was just one hour each Saturday.  They worked on drills and scrimmaged.  It was low key and he enjoyed it.  Little League will start at the end of April. 

I've been getting more involved in orphan ministry stuff.  I am now on the board of the West Michigan Orphan Ministry Alliance.  The purpose of the Alliance is to encourage local churches as they care for orphans in various ways.  It's not a huge time commitment, we have 4 meetings a year but this is something I'm passionate about.  I also help out occasionally with events for a local orphan care ministry called Mosaic.  This week Bethany asked me to be on an "experienced foster/adoptive parent" panel to answer questions from families newly licensed.  I felt funny being on the panel because I don't consider us experienced. We've been licensed for 6 years and had only 1 foster care placement.  But, I reminded the families that this is a journey and don't ever feel like your contribution isn't enough.  And since we have also adopted and I know alot of resources for foster/adoptive families I guess that makes me a little more knowledgeable.  Bethany asked me to be on a committee to help plan these twice a year meetings.  I was flattered they asked.  I appreciate having outside "work" to do and it can't hurt to keep my face around Bethany in case I want to work there someday!

Julia is 4

Cinderella doll

Hello Kitty glittery, frilly dress

Sick on her birthday, but still having fun

Princess crown cake

Four years old?!  We celebrated Julia's birthday this weekend.  On Thursday she brought a birthday treat to school.  She chose chocolate chip cookies and helped me make them.  On Friday she got sick.  She's had a cold all week, but on Friday she had a fever, was really congested and throwing up a little.  Saturday was more of the same.  She chose chicken nuggets and fries for her birthday supper and Captain Sundae's for ice cream.  She managed to eat some.  She still declared she had a good birthday!  Today she is still sick, but we celebrated with Grandpa/Grandma J. and Tim/Jenny.  Julia is all about Cinderella so I made a princess crown cake. We gave her a Cinderella doll and the grandparents gave her Cinderella's carriage.  She loves them, but Isaac also enjoys playing with the carriage.  We also gave her a completely impractical dress.  It drops glitter all over the house, but she loves it which I knew she would.  Aunt Jenny gave her some Hello Kitty stuff and lip gloss/nail polish.  I've already told her that stuff has to stay in the kitchen drawer, no bringing it to her bedroom!  I remember my brother getting my nail polish when we were little and dumping it all over the dog.  She can't wait to go shopping with the money Grandma D. sent her, she likes to remind us it is HER money.

So how to describe our 4 year old Julia?  Like I said she loves Cinderella right now.  She likes to wear her Cinderella dress, she even wore it to the grocery store.  Julia role plays the Cinderella movie, but she acts out the step-sisters parts.  Not sure why.  I keep telling her she is beautiful and kind like Cinderella, not mean like the step-sisters!  Julia loves wearing dresses in general.  She is also obsessed with short sleeves and would love it if I let her wear them all the time.  She can't wait to go to Mexico in April and keeps telling everyone we are leaving "tomorrow." 

Julia is very strong willed and wants as much control over herself as possible.  Which leads to some interesting moments in our home!  Julia enjoys school and is a good friend to her classmates.  She also loves our church programs and participates with gusto.  It's fun to listen to Julia sing songs and watch her kiss Stephen on the head multiple times a day.  Isaac and Julia are becoming better playmates.  They fight often, but can also play together nicely.  She is quick to tell people she was born in Korea and we talk at home about how she was in a different Mom's tummy.  I'm glad we can lay the groundwork now so hopefully she will always feel comfortable talking about her adoption with us.  Julia is very curious and has questions about everything.  She loves talking to adults and we have to remind her to go play with the kids. She is 37 lbs and 40 1/2 inches tall which puts her in the 66th percentile for both height and weight. 

Julia is such a blessing and we can't wait to see how she'll grow and change this next year!

The rest of January

Cute grin

Showing off the shirt Aunt Steph gave him

6 week pictures

Jenn did a great job with the pictures!

Hey cutie

Sporting a mohawk for crazy hair day at school

Cool hair dude

Brotherly love

Isaac practicing his photography

34 years young

Mmm, cake

Big sister

How does time move so fast?  I've meant to update the blog multiple times, but finding a quiet moment is hard these days!  Stephen is 11 weeks old today.  And to celebrate he slept 7 hours straight last night!  I fed him at 10 pm and he woke up at 6:15 am.  Let's hope he continues this pattern.  Stephen will drink formula now which is great.  It's nice to have a little more flexibility.  He follows us with his eyes and moves around excitedly when we talk to him.  His baby smiles and laughs are adorable.  He's losing a little hair, but not much.  Everyone comments on how much hair he has.  He had his 2 month checkup and is doing well.  He is 13 lbs which puts him in the 75th percentile.  His height fell into the 25th percentile which is surprising.  However, I think he was measured too long at birth because none of the nurses came up with 21 inches at his follow-up visits. 

I celebrated my birthday on the 17th.  Nate took me out to dinner a couple days beforehand.  We went to Boatwerks which is right on the water.  I'm sure it's busy in the summer, but not in the winter.  Nate had to work nights on my birthday, but he made supper before he left- very sweet.  I made my favorite strawberry angel food cake.  I don't feel any different at 34, maybe more tired! 

We finally have snow and in came in force.  We've had 3 snow days in the last 2 weeks.  The snow is piled up into a hill in our cul de sac which the kids think is awesome.  Last week the snow was melting so the city came and took our snow hill away before the next big snowstorm.  Isaac and Julia watched the trucks despairingly.  "Why are they taking our snowhill away?!"  Thankfully it snowed the next day so all was well.  Nate took the kids sledding at Zeeland Christian School.  It has a good size hill that is still easy for the kids to walk up.  Nate took the boys snowskiing a couple weeks ago.  Caleb does great on his own.  Isaac was off the harness, but Nate still skiied close to him.  Isaac has a tendency to point his skis straight down the hill and see how fast he can go.

Caleb was very helpful last week.  I had to feed Stephen during the kids normal breakfast time.  Caleb got all of the cereal stuff out and fed his siblings breakfast.  He even made Julia's toast with nutella.  I was impressed and thankful!  I should start a weekly piece called "Julia's quotes from the pulpit."  The pastor does a kids sermon in front of church every week.  Julia now has to sit next to the pastor, even if that means squeezing in where there is no spot.  She has also discovered that the whole congregation laughs at everything she says- "ooh, I have an audience now!"  She can't help but answer every question the pastor asks and interject comments whether they are relevant or not.  One week the pastor asked what nicknames parents called the kids.  Julia said, "My Dad calls me Daughter."  Which Nate usually says in his "I mean business" voice.  The next week the pastor said "what would we do without families?"  He wasn't really asking the question but Julia piped up and said, "Get a babysitter!"  This week the pastor was showing the kids sign language for a Bible verse.  Julia interjected and told him how he could do the motion differently.  The pastor was then talking about Jesus dying on the cross and I was holding my breath.  Julia is fascinated by blood these days and often says, "Jesus died on the cross and there was blood. And did you know there was blood?"  I was just waiting for her to make a blood comment, but thankfully none came.  One other comment from Julia happened during Stephen's doctor appointment.  The Dr. was asking Julia questions about the baby and asked, "what makes Stephen cry?"  Without skipping a beat Julia said, "when I punch him."  I couldn't believe it.  I maintained a calm face, re-asked the question and she gave an appropriate response- "when he is tired, hungry, etc."  The Dr. glanced at me during this exchange, but thankfully she has interacted with our family enough to not be concerned.  Nate was joking that protective services is going to show up at our door now.  Never a dull moment around here.