Enjoying Life!

I know it's been awhile, but here's what's been going on...

We had a wonderful Christmas and received the best present a parent could ask for.  A few days before Christmas, Connor (and Kaden) asked Jesus to come into their hearts!  We've had many conversations about it before but really felt lead by the Holy Spirit to let them make the choice. We discussed what it meant and prayed the prayer of salvation.  Kaden was so excited he RAN around the island in our kitchen screaming, "Ya, we're going to HEAVEN!"

Ever since, Connor has been asking us so many questions.  "If my birthday is on June 30th, and Jesus is on Christmas, when's God's birthday?" and "Mommy, if you follow Jesus and will go to heaven, then why doesn't everyone follow Jesus?"  ---Priceless!

The boys have been loving Taekwondo and we all received our Green Belts just before Christmas.  We're scheduled to earn our Black Belts in August of 2010.  Meanwhile, we are enjoying learning our forms, practicing using weapons, and sparring.

Kurt and I just got back from the Virgin Islands in the Eastern Carribean.  We cruised their to celebrate his 30th birthday.  He doesn't turn 30 until April but he's so busy that time of year... actually, he's been extremely busy this winter.  We are just blessed to get away.  Oh, I totally see why Kenny Chesney loves and sings about the islands.  We traveled over to St. John's. We rented a Jeep and drove the whole island.  We went to Cinnamon Bay (where Kenny got married) and even saw his house on Trunk Bay.  Life is so beautiful their and water is magical.  The boys stayed with my in-laws the whole week.  We finally got to talk to them after 5 days but they were having so much fun, they weren't that interested in talking to us.  :(

Last week we went to see Rascal Flatts in concert and headed up north to Shanty Creek to ski with Kurt family and watch Brad in Special Olympics.  Both the boys learned how to ski (even went up the ski lift and skied all the down the mountain... about 10 times!).  Besides our trip to ER on Sunday after a 4 day fever with Connor, we had a great time.

Life is flying by and I pause in this ever fast-passing world, I'm grateful.  Blessed to have a husband has precious as Kurt and two boys that bring me such joy.  I knew my whole life that I wanted to be a mom.  I knew it would be great.  I knew I'd love them.  I knew it would NOT be easy.  And now that I stop and pause, I'm so grateful.  It's because of God's great love for me that I can love them.  It's because of God's great teaching that I can teach my boys.  It's because God forgave me that I can forgive others (and myself!) so that I can live the life God has planned for me.  My heart belongs to HIM.  These children do not belong to me.  They are a gift and I'm shocked everyday that God thought so highly of me to give me Connor and Kaden.  They drive me nuts at times but I'm sure I drive God nuts at times to... but he always loves me.  The years seem to fly by (ah, I'll be 32 this year) but every year seems better than the last.  

God bless you and your family.

Fall 2008

First, I appologize for not updating our blog lately. Our summer is over and we're into fall. The weather is beginning to change and the leaves are starting to turn beautiful shades of fall. I love the seasons here in Michigan. Our family is now into our new schedule. Connor is attending Young 5's every afternoon at Mattawan and Kaden loves preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Both the boys are so smart and make us laugh daily! It's such a joy being their parent. We made pumpkin shirts last week for Kaden's Pumpkin day at preschool.

Our family is still enjoying Taekwondo and we are testing next week for our Camo Belts! I'm so proud of our family! Kurt has been super busy at work. They remodeled the showroom last winter and are currently in the process of remodeling the entire service department. It's quick a project. For myself, I stay busy with the boys and leading a Mom's Group at our church. We pray that you enjoy your fall and enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Trip to Florida

Wow! What a great time the boys and I had in Florida. They LOVED the airplane ride, especially taking off and landing. Flying threw the clouds was a big hit, too. We arrived on Friday and eat dinner with my family then we ate ice cream and stayed the night with my Granny! She loved that.

Saturday was Lindsey's first birthday party (my best friends little girl). We had a great day in the sun and the boys loved playing in the pool. On Tuesday, Mom and I took the boys to Busch Gardens. They did AWESOME and we left the park at 6:00 (Mom and I were tired)!

We spent the rest of our time in Florida enjoying the sun, the beach, and spending time with my mom, Granny, and Kim.

We flew home on Monday which turned out to be quite an adventure. We crossed thru security at Tampa Airport and the boys were playing in the playground while we were waiting for our plane to board. Once they started, I told the boys to get their shoes on and lets go use the restroom... TOO LATE!!! Oh Ya! Kaden had an accident! He's been doing so well that I forgot to bring an extra change of clothes. We went into the restroom and there we were... the three of us in this 2x3 foot stole! Needless to say, I was not too happy but Connor gave me a great reminder. He said, "Mom, just make a good choice!" And I said, "You are right!" Of course the restrooms did not have hand driers so Kaden flew from Tampa to Detroit in a T-shirt, underwear (I did have an extra pair) and his Croks with no socks! We LAUGHED!!! What else was I to do!!!

Once we returned home, we picked up Emma, our new puppy! She is doing Great and the boys just love her! It's so nice to finally have her home. Connor asked me on the to get her if she would grow up and get married. I said no and he questioned that if she was going to have puppies some day she HAD to get married! How funny is that!

Kaden's latest quote, "Oh my Pickles"

Memorial Day

Hello Friends and Family. We had a wonderful weekend. The boys and I were in the Portage Memorial Day parade with ATA (Taekwondo). Here is a picture of Connor, Luke (a friend), and Kaden waiting for the parade to start. Afterwards, we joined the rest of our Taekwondo school for a picnic.

We are really enjoying our summer. The days are flying by. We enjoyed going to the park and riding our bikes. Next week the boys and I are flying to Florida for 10 days! The boys are excited to fly on a plane.

Funny Kaden Story: The other day, after getting dressed, Kaden was waiting to get his teeth brushed in the bathroom. He was looking at himself in the mirror. The left side of his hair was fine... but the right side was ALL over the place. When I walked in, Kaden was standing there with his head tilted to the right. "What are you doing Kaden?" I asked. "Mommy, my head is heavy! See!" Kaden said as he LIFTED his head with his right hand. And, of course, when he let go, his head fell back to the right. After brushing his hair, he said, "Mommy, my head is LIGHTER!" Where does he come up with this stuff??? ...THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW!

We are getting a new puppy. She is a Shih Tzu and her name is Emma! She's only 6 weeks old and will come home with us when we return from Florida. The boys are so excited and have not been bugging me about her. Connor understands that she needs to stay with her Mommy for a little longer. Emma is the second puppy from the right.

A lot going on!

Grammy came to visit for a week and we had so much fun! We adventured over to the Nature Center and the boys loved that... well, the wild turkey's scared Kaden, but we thought it was funny! We also went to a Dairy Farm with Connor's preschool class. They showed us how they get milk from cows and where they house the cows. We even got to visit the babies! Some of the kids, including mine, were a little puzzled about the whole "milking cows" process!!!

On Saturday, May 3, Kaden turned 3 years old and we had a small "Pirate Party" for him! The kids dressed up like pirates and even adventured on a treasure hunt! But our favorite part was the pinata! Kaden did get his very own John Deere Bike which he is so proud of.

We also tested for our Orange belts in Taekwondo and as you can see the boys past... mommy and daddy, too! The boys were so excited and we were so proud of them. They have been working extra hard and deserve it!!!

Today, Connor graduated from Third Reformed Church Preschool. I'm so proud of him and how far he has come in the last two years. His teachers, Mrs. Modderman and Mrs. Penning, are great with him. They have been a blessing to our family. Even though we are excited for Connor we are a little sad that he won't have them for his teacher. But, they get Kaden next year!!! Can't wait.

spring break

What a wonderful Spring Break we had. The boys and I along with Kurt's parents and brother (Kurt had to work) traveled up to Double JJ Ranch, an indoor water park. We had a blast! We visited with Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue (Gary's brother) and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at their home. That night we stayed in a lovely log cabin home at the "Ranch". The boys REALLY liked that. In the morning, we had a home cooked breakfast then off to the water park! The rides were great and the boys loved splashing the water! We even taught the boys how to swim... in the hot tub!

On Friday we traveled to Chicago by train! The boys loved waiting for the train to arrive. Carol, Gary, Brad, Aunt Tonilyn, and Grace (3 weeks older than Kaden) joined us. In Chicago, we visited Shedd's Aquarium. The aquarium is BEAUTIFUL. The boys did awesome and loved seeing all the fish and especially the baby beluga!



This past Saturday, the boys and I traveled down to Fort Wayne, Indiana to compete in the ATA Taekwondo Regional Tournament. The boys did AWESOME and I was so proud of them. They weren't nervous at all. They each received a trophy. Kaden won the "Most Sportsmanship" and Connor won "Best Leader". I love it. That's soooo their personalities! I placed 1st in Forms, 2nd in Sparring, and 2nd in Weapons.

Spring Has Arrived!

We are so happy that spring has arrived! We're getting outside every day and loving it. Just yesterday we went for a bike ride and enjoyed the playground with Rosalie! Connor is on spring break from preschool so we are heading up north today to the Double JJ Ranch for the night with Kurt's parents. On Friday we are taking the boys to Chicago (BY TRAIN!!!) to visit the aquarium! I can't wait to see their face then get to ride on a train.

I pray that everyone is enjoying their spring break and we'll update the blog soon with picture of ours! Love you all.