Giddy Up!

Yesterday afternoon we spent a couple of hours at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds enjoying the awesome HMI picnic. God is good because it stopped raining, literally, as we pulled into our parking spot. As we arrived the kids were in awe of all the cool stuff the picnic had to offer. HMI puts on a pretty great party! What the kids didn't understand is the fact that you have to wait in line in order to play on the many blowups and such that they had there for the kids. I think they are just a tad too young. Hopefully it'll be more fun for them in the years to come. They did, however, very much enjoy the pony rides. Kennedy was a natural and Kooper made it about two rounds before he had enough. Oh how I wished that I would've had my good camera along. Thankfully we had our pocket one and I was able to get a couple of pics. .

Father's Day Frisbee

Yesterday was a great yet busy day. After church we headed to my dad's for a tasty outdoor bbq and then went to Windstrom park to play a little frisbee. Bryan LOVES disc golf so it was only fitting. My dad and sister's had never played before so they wanted to try their hand at it. I think all enjoyed the afternoon in the woods. Kennedy and Kooper did great too! After frisbee we went back to my dad's for a bit and then later headed to Ross and Chris' to spend the evening with the Rotman family. Overall it was a great day spent with the fam!

Kennedy's Puffy Lip

It seems like whenever our kids are roughhousing one of them ends up hurt or at least crying when their play is all said and done. Yesterday as they were running up and done the aisles at church that's exactly what happened. Kennedy ended up biting her lip when her and Kooper collided. We think she nicked it on the top of his head as well. It bled for a good while and then ended up swelling up pretty good. It's even still somewhat swollen today but thankfully other than it looking funny it didn't seem to phase her much. I thought I'd capture the moment as this is the first time her lip puffed up.

Bedtime Smiles

Tonight as I was getting Kolter in his jammies I just had to snap a couple of pics. He's such a happy little guy. He was smiling and cooing away. Oh how we just love him SO much!

Two Months Old Already

Camo Kids

I don't have much luck when it comes to trying to get a cute pic of all three kids together. I dressed them up in some playful coordinating camouflage outfits today hoping for just one snap shot and with every attempt I got nothing. I did get a few of Kolter smiling, so that was fun. Other than that all I got were these fun brother and sisterly moments. One of these days we'll get a framer of all three.

Saturday before the storm...

On Saturday Kennedy and I met my sister's and crew at The Bridal Lane to do a little wedding dress browsing. My sister Ashley is getting married next June. It was a super fun girl's afternoon. I think Ash even found 'the' dress. I have pics but I'm not going to share so it'll be special when all see her in it on her wedding day. She looked beautiful in all she tried on, but we all agreed on one we especially loved on her. Kennedy also enjoyed trying on some fancy dresses. She is going to be the flower girl in the wedding so we're very much looking forward to that. The dress we're getting for her isn't one pictured but I thought I'd still share a couple pics of her playing dress up.

(taking a break with Auntie Bree)

Kolter's 2 month check up

Kolter went to the dr. today for his 2 month well child appointment and it seems he is growing like a 2 month old should. He was 11lbs. 10oz. and 23 inches long. He gained exactly 4lbs. since his two week check up which has now landed him in the 50th percentile for both weight and height. He had to have three owie shots today and one oral one. He loved the oral shot but didn't much care for the pokes. Who, I guess, does. He cried pretty good. The nurse had to let him catch his breath before continuing with the last shot. That will break your heart every time. I'd like to say it gets easier, but it doesn't. Newborn shots are easier than when they are administered to your toddler. Kooper is up next and that's not going to be much fun. Overall the appointment went well. The doctor said he looks great, so that's good to hear. My friend Amanda watched the other two so that was a great help. Taking all three into a small room is somewhat challenging. Thankfully Amanda lives close to our doctor so it worked out great. All three crashed on the ride home. Must have been the fresh, humid, air for Kenz and Koop and the shots that did it for Kole.

Just a big ole mess...

Sunday was not a good day at our house. We woke to find a flooded basement. For those that know us well, our basement was just weeks away from being totally finished. Something we very much looking forward to. When we went down and discovered the mess we didn't really know how to react. There wasn't time to sit and cry. Basically we just starting moving stuff out. Thank goodness for the third stall garage and the barn. We are guessing that water at one point was up about 3 to 4 inches. Enough to take all the baseboard off the walls in the family room. There was about 2 inches of sitting water in the bedroom that wasn't yet carpeted. Bryan sucked up about 70 gallons of water with the wet vac. We don't exactly know if this is the result of the sump pump (the power was off for awhile) or if the storm sewer somehow backed up. Whatever it was, it sure made a mess. Thankfully we have such awesome friends! Matt, Tim and Brad came to the rescue and worked their buns off. They managed to get all the carpet up and out of there. We aren't sure if our insurance is covering any of the damage as we're still waiting for the adjuster to come out. I guess time will tell. Thankfully our upstairs is livable as it could've been worse. I think now of what those affected by hurricane katrina went through. I know our wet basement is nothing compared to that, but it's the closest we've personally experienced. Here are a few pics. Pics don't really do it justice as you can't really capture water all that well.

Bumbo Boy

The Bumbo seat is one of the couple small purchases I made prior to baby Kole's birth. We pretty much already had all the other needed baby accessories. I don't think this seat was around 3 years ago or I wasn't aware of it if it was. Anyway, the bumbo is great and something I'd recommend to a new mom. I got it out for the first time yesterday and Kolter was able to sit up in it so nicely. He seemed to really enjoy it too. It just gives them a whole new view. As he's only 2 months he's pretty much limited to being held, tummy time and his bouncy seat, so it was nice to change it up a bit. I'm thinking this may help him sit on his own a little sooner too. Just thought I'd share a couple of pics of our big boy chilling in his bumbo.

Enjoying the Summer like day...

After lunch today we decided to head outside to fill up the pool. I filled it from the hose outside so it wasn't the warmest of water. The kids didn't mind one bit as they were in it before it was even full. They had a blast splish'n and splashing about. I do think we need to upgrade a bit and buy a tad larger pool. It works for now, but I think they'd enjoy one with maybe a little more room to move.

A couple more smiles...

Bye, Bye Bravada

Today we said goodbye to the Bravada... a nice couple from Jenison came last week to see it and decided on Monday that it was the ride for them. Boy were we glad!! Thankfully other than craig's list, which happens to be free, we didn't have to pay to advertise it. Now the fun of van shopping will begin. We figure a van will be a little more practical for our growing family! Hopefully whatever we purchase will be as good to us as the Bravada was.

Smiles

Kolter has been smiling for a few weeks now and I think every time he lights up it melts my heart even more. One of my favorite times of the day with him is when he first wakes in the morning. He is typically so very happy and smiles non stop while I'm talking to him as I change his overfull diaper. The kids are also enjoying the fact that he now smiles in response and also that he's starting to talk some. He doesn't literally talk, but he'll make noises and kick and move about when he gets excited or when someone if talking to him. Each little milestone is just so much fun. We're looking forward to hearing his giggle. I can't recall when they start doing that, but I'm thinking sometime soon. I'd have to pull out one of the kids baby books to be certain. It's crazy what you forget in 3 years. Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of his smiles with you.

Tagged..

So it appears that I've been tagged.. honestly I didn't think I'd have time to even respond to this but it's looks as if I'm going to give it a go. I'm supposed to share 10 tidbits of info about myself with all of you who check this blog.. I'm going with a love theme just for the heck of it...

I love my daughter Kennedy.. I love her sweet little personality. I love how she talks constantly... I also love to hear her pray out load- it's the sweetest thing.

I love my son Kooper. I love how busy he is and how naughty he can sometimes be. I love that he's a mommy's boy and that we share a special bond. I also love that he's all boy! Having Koop as shown me just how different a girl and boy are.

I love my baby Kolter. I love how sweet he is and how needy he is. I also love how he smiles at me when I talk to him. It melts my heart every time.

I love being a mom. As you can see it's such a joy even on the day's when I think I might loose my mind. I thank God each and every day for the gift of children. I cannot imagine my life without them.

I love the beach. I love sitting in the sand just basking in the sun. I love walking on the shoreline. whether it's a sandy Lake Michigan beach or a Caribbean beach.

I love all-inclusive resorts... need I say more?

I love free-falling from 10,000 feet. Bryan and I went sky diving the summer before we got married. It's a memory I'll treasure forever.

I love camping. I think we camped like every other weekend last summer from July- August. Bryan said that was too much and put his foot down this year. We only have like 4 trips planned. :-)

I love God and I strive to be more like Jesus each and everyday.

And last, but not least, I love my husband, and best friend, Bryan. He is literally the best husband (and father) ever and I'm so very thankful for him.

So there you have it. Ten things I love. I'm supposed to continue the game of tag now and tag someone but all my blogger buddies have been tagged. I'll tag Bryan and if he gets some time maybe he'll share some stuff with you all. If not, well, at least I played the game.