We're only a few days into summer break, but the non-school schedule sure seems to agree with Jackson. He's been sleeping a ton! Maybe a growth spurt? It's been wonderful letting him sleep as long as he needs to. The last couple mornings I've gotten him out of bed at 9am - he was awake (not sure for how long) but just happy laying in bed, yesterday afternoon he took a 4 hour nap, and so far today he's at 3.5 hours and still going strong. I can hardly believe this is my baby that would only nap for 30 minutes at a time for a good portion of his first year. Maybe he's finally catching up on his sleep now...
So last week I got a call again on Tuesday about Logan having a headache. I wasn't home, so I headed home to get Tylenol then went back to school. I could tell it wasn't as bad as the day before, so just gave him the medicine and had him stay at school. I was starting to get worried that maybe we were dealing with a bigger issue (anxiety? migraines? eyesight?), but he's been fine since now, so it must have just been a bug. I am going to keep an eye on him because of his tonsils, though - one side is swollen a lot, he seems to almost always be congested, and Caleb says that he snores (I'm going to have to do some fact-checking one of these nights.).
On Wednesday I helped with Field Day at school and it was so much fun! I love getting to know all the kids better and call them by name. Our boys will likely be with a lot of those kids until they graduate, and I'm sure that's going to come way too fast! Jackson came with me and did just fine in his stroller. Phew. Levi's team was at my station right away, and I tried to help him through some shyness when it was his turn. When I saw him later he seemed to be getting along fine. His teacher said there was one issue when there was a false start on the race, but they worked through it. :) Caleb and Logan sure seemed to be having fun.
That evening I was finally able to make the drive down to Kalamazoo to visit my college friend, Jen, at meet her new baby, Scarlett! What a doll. I miss my boys being small like that, but I don't want any more of my own. ;)
Thursday was the last day of school. I got Jackson settled to nap for the afternoon at my parent's so that I could take Levi on his field trip to Playworld. Of course he was a little shy at first, but once he got playing he was fine. Caleb and Logan cleaned out their desks, and it shouldn't be surprising that Caleb came home with a ton of crayons/markers/pencils/pens just dumped in a garbage bag. I finally sorted through it yesterday.
Friday was a fun day as we ran a few errands, including stopping in at Byron Center Meats so we were able to do a little bit of the Kent Trail, and then we went to Mike's work for a cookout at lunchtime. And then he was done for the day - woo hoo!!
Saturday was our first visit to the cottage for the season, and it was a gorgeous day! Jackson did pretty well - he took a good nap for one thing, which is total opposite from last summer. He played pretty nice in the sand. I'm probably most worried about how he wanders without fear, and that he thinks he's better at steps than he really is. The water was a little chilly, but not terrible, and the other kids played quite a bit in it.
Monday we attended the Memorial Day parade in Jenison, and again had very nice weather. Jackson was NOT a happy camper. For about 30 seconds he did nice sitting on the side of the road, but then he wanted to just take off and run down the road with the parade and was very mad when we grabbed him. Mike and I took a couple turns walking him in his stroller to pass the time. Of course the other boys had a blast collecting candy.
Funny conversation from yesterday: Somehow we got talking about football (clearly not my thing) and Logan asked what you were supposed to do for the game. I said something like you're trying to get to your end zone with the ball, but the other guys can do whatever they want to stop you. Logan: "Does it hurt?" Me: "Yeah, some people get hurt real bad." Logan: "Then why do they want to play?" Good question, son, good question... :)
Had a great discussion with the boys over lunch today regarding God defeating Satan, how to go to Heaven, etc. I feel so inadequate to answer their questions! Love to see that they are thinking and using their brains. I try to play it cool, but on the inside I'm kinda freaking out and praying for the right words.
I almost forgot! Last week I won a book on the radio! I heard the announcer say something about a book "A Mom's Prayers for Her Son" and calling in to win. So I called, he answered, and I won! We talked for a few minutes, and I was so nervous the whole time thinking the conversation might end up on the radio. He said something about "Elizabeth from West Michigan" winning the book, but that was it. The next morning I had the radio on again, wasn't listening all that close and I heard someone say something about having four sons, and I think, "Cool! Just like me! I'd better listen up." Then, a couple more seconds and I realize it was ME talking. Didn't even recognize my own voice on the radio. So, my conversation did end up getting played, and I was able to record some of it on my phone, even though I'm not a huge fan of how my voice sounds. :)
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Monday, May 22, 2017
almost done
The school year is almost done, and I. Can't. Believe. It!!! I have mixed feelings about summer break. I am looking forward to it and dreading it all at the same time.
Two Saturday's ago Mike was able to complete the second leg of his kayaking adventure down the Macatawa River. This time his cousin Joe went along, and of course, Caleb and Logan again. They started where they left off at the Adam's Street Landing, and went all the way to Lake Macatawa. Levi, Jackson, and I were able to see them at 120th and welcome them in at the end.
The next day was Mother's Day, and my guys took me to Red Robin for lunch. We were initially thinking of Olive Garden, but at 11am there was already a line outside, and when dining out with four little boys, not having to wait is a crucial part of whether it's an enjoyable meal or not. :) In the evening our church had a great concert by a men's choir from California Baptist University - they were so good!
Last Tuesday I was able to be a driver for Caleb and Logan's field trip to the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo. What a great place for kids! We're going to have to get back there as a family sometime. I was exhausted by the end of the day, didn't help that I had just come down with a cold.
Friday morning Levi had a friend from school over, and then that evening we went over to their house to hang out for a while. The dad is out of town for a couple weeks, and Mike was planting for my dad every evening, so us moms needing something to do with the kids!
Saturday morning we went to the Walk for Life for Alpha Women's Center - this was the second year that we've raised money and participated, and I'm so glad we did! It's a great organization, and I really appreciate having something our children can be involved in.
We left straight from the Walk for Life for the other side of the state. Fortunately, lunchtime coincided with a Chick-fil-A in Lansing. :) We got to our hotel in Auburn Hills later on, the big boys did some swimming while Jackson took a nap, then we went out for supper and ended up at a hole-in-the-wall type place with some of the best pizza I've ever had! After supper the boys did some more swimming, and then we attempted bedtime. This was probably the best hotel room we've stayed in as a family, as there were two separate rooms and the bathroom could be accessed from both rooms. The big three went to bed fine, but for some reason Jackson was really jazzed up. The next morning we were able to be leisurely about getting ready and having breakfast, then we headed out to Steve and Erin's church for our new niece, Anna's, baptism. We were fortunate enough to be there on "Music Sunday" so we enjoyed a number of great musical pieces. I especially enjoyed the handbell choir as that's not something I get to see very often. After church we headed to Steve and Erin's house for lunch and had a nice time with family and some of their church friends. Thankfully the drive home was fairly uneventful after we got through some heavy rain at the beginning. Turned a movie on for the boys, Levi fell asleep for quite awhile, and Jackson was mostly content. All in all, a great weekend!
This morning was the start of our last week of school for this year! After dropping Caleb and Logan off, Levi had to go to his 5 yr check-up at the doctor. Guess what? He's a healthy, growing boy! Love when the doctor says, "Just keep doing what you're doing!" :) Levi is 48 lbs, which is 89th percentile; and he is 3' 10", which is 95th percentile. Not surprised. :)
Not long after getting home from the doctor and groceries, I got a call from school that Logan wasn't feeling well with a headache. I headed over there to give him some Tylenol, hoping he'd then be able to stay, but he was pretty upset and in tears over it, so I just took him home. He seems to be feeling pretty decent now, so hopefully he'll be fine to go back tomorrow and not miss more of his last week of 1st grade!
Two Saturday's ago Mike was able to complete the second leg of his kayaking adventure down the Macatawa River. This time his cousin Joe went along, and of course, Caleb and Logan again. They started where they left off at the Adam's Street Landing, and went all the way to Lake Macatawa. Levi, Jackson, and I were able to see them at 120th and welcome them in at the end.
The next day was Mother's Day, and my guys took me to Red Robin for lunch. We were initially thinking of Olive Garden, but at 11am there was already a line outside, and when dining out with four little boys, not having to wait is a crucial part of whether it's an enjoyable meal or not. :) In the evening our church had a great concert by a men's choir from California Baptist University - they were so good!
Last Tuesday I was able to be a driver for Caleb and Logan's field trip to the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo. What a great place for kids! We're going to have to get back there as a family sometime. I was exhausted by the end of the day, didn't help that I had just come down with a cold.
Friday morning Levi had a friend from school over, and then that evening we went over to their house to hang out for a while. The dad is out of town for a couple weeks, and Mike was planting for my dad every evening, so us moms needing something to do with the kids!
Saturday morning we went to the Walk for Life for Alpha Women's Center - this was the second year that we've raised money and participated, and I'm so glad we did! It's a great organization, and I really appreciate having something our children can be involved in.
We left straight from the Walk for Life for the other side of the state. Fortunately, lunchtime coincided with a Chick-fil-A in Lansing. :) We got to our hotel in Auburn Hills later on, the big boys did some swimming while Jackson took a nap, then we went out for supper and ended up at a hole-in-the-wall type place with some of the best pizza I've ever had! After supper the boys did some more swimming, and then we attempted bedtime. This was probably the best hotel room we've stayed in as a family, as there were two separate rooms and the bathroom could be accessed from both rooms. The big three went to bed fine, but for some reason Jackson was really jazzed up. The next morning we were able to be leisurely about getting ready and having breakfast, then we headed out to Steve and Erin's church for our new niece, Anna's, baptism. We were fortunate enough to be there on "Music Sunday" so we enjoyed a number of great musical pieces. I especially enjoyed the handbell choir as that's not something I get to see very often. After church we headed to Steve and Erin's house for lunch and had a nice time with family and some of their church friends. Thankfully the drive home was fairly uneventful after we got through some heavy rain at the beginning. Turned a movie on for the boys, Levi fell asleep for quite awhile, and Jackson was mostly content. All in all, a great weekend!
This morning was the start of our last week of school for this year! After dropping Caleb and Logan off, Levi had to go to his 5 yr check-up at the doctor. Guess what? He's a healthy, growing boy! Love when the doctor says, "Just keep doing what you're doing!" :) Levi is 48 lbs, which is 89th percentile; and he is 3' 10", which is 95th percentile. Not surprised. :)
Not long after getting home from the doctor and groceries, I got a call from school that Logan wasn't feeling well with a headache. I headed over there to give him some Tylenol, hoping he'd then be able to stay, but he was pretty upset and in tears over it, so I just took him home. He seems to be feeling pretty decent now, so hopefully he'll be fine to go back tomorrow and not miss more of his last week of 1st grade!
Thursday, May 11, 2017
may flowers
I guess it's almost the middle of May already. Oops!
A few weeks ago, Mike took Caleb and Logan, along with my brother Eric and his son Boden, on a kayaking adventure he'd dreamed up a few months back. He wanted to start on the Macatawa River where it crosses our street, and go as far as they could, possibly all the way to Lake Macatawa. The mom side of me was a little unsure of Caleb and Logan each going in their own kayak, but they did just fine and had lots of fun. I was able to see them at a couple crossing points near the beginning (at Quincy St, Chicago Dr, and Felch St), and things were moving pretty well at that point. I guess it was partway through the Upper Macatawa Natural Area that things got a little more challenging. Lots of trees blocking the river and they had to portage. They made it as far as Adams Street Landing, and were on the river for about 5-6 hours, I believe. It should be smoother sailing from there on to get to Lake Macatawa, but they ran out of time that day.
That evening we went to the Smith's for supper and to hang out. Amy and I left the guys with the kids for a while to grab a coffee - we had fun and they survived! :)
The next day was our pastor's last Sunday at our church before retiring. There was a very nice farewell service for him, and a fellowship time after church.
Mike had told Caleb and Logan that if they did well on the kayak trip there would be some sort of reward. He was very happy with how they did, (and I was happy with Levi's good attitude about not going even though he wanted to) so the next weekend we took the kids to Crazy Bounce. It's a place with all sorts of different inflatables. The boys loved it! I had fun trying some of the slides, too. Mike didn't really try anything because he had poison ivy that was bothering him. Of course, Jackson finally got brave and was getting into it for the last 10 minutes.
That Saturday Caleb and Logan went to a friend's birthday party. The grandma of the boy owns several exoctic birds, and they even got to hold a couple! They were pretty excited about that.
That Sunday we had someone come as a pastoral candidate for our church. He was there for two Sunday's and we really, really like him. We had a fellowship time after church on the first Sunday, and a Q & A time afterwards on the second Sunday. Our church will be voting in a couple weeks. Praying everything works out smoothly!
Over that weekend Mike's Grandma Krol passed away. We had had such a nice visit with her about a month before. She had actually been more "with it" mentally than she had been for a long time before. But, she had a bad fall and just didn't recover. We're so thankful that she was a godly woman that lived a good, full life, and can now be free from pain. Her visitation was on May 1st, and the funeral was the next day. We tried taking the boys to just a little of the visitation, figuring it was a good experience for them and to "make an appearance" for the family, but Jackson had had enough after about 2 minutes... Thankfully my brother, Eric, was already planning to come pick up the boys after a while and bring them home. The next day for the funeral, Caleb and Logan just went to school, and Levi and Jackson went to Amy's house. That really worked out nicely, because her house is right in between the church and the cemetery, so it was very convenient. The visitation and service were both very nice. Grandpa and Grandma Krol had such a good testimony as a couple, I hope Mike and I can be a blessing to others the way they were.
Later in the week I helped at a garage sale with some friends from church. We do this every year and it's usually very busy, but this year the weather was less than ideal, so it was a little slower than normal but still steady. This week we're doing another sale at a different house (with more stuff added!), and the weather is gorgeous, so I'm hoping to get rid of lots of stuff!! :) It's work, but fun doing this along with the others. The kids play or nap, and it all just kinda works out.
Thursday evening Caleb, Logan, and Levi had their Spring Showcase Concert for school, and it was such a neat concert! Many times these kids programs can be a bit of a drag, but I truly enjoyed it all. There were various songs and recitations (catechism, poems, verses). The kids really did well, singing and reciting loudly. Caleb and Logan even each had a small solo! So proud!
Friday, May 5, was Levi's FIFTH birthday! He was pretty excited about having his golden birthday. :) Caleb and Logan are a little bummed that they have to wait until they're 29! Ha! I got Levi a treat before we went to the garage sale, of course he got to pick out a toy, and at supper he got his presents from us (a truck/auger/grain bin set, and garden tools). Then Saturday was his birthday party with the family. We spent the day getting ready, and it was a beautiful evening for a party! One of the fun activities that we came up with for the kids was to hide several 'gold' rocks in the woods for them the find. And, Jackson showed how good he is at walking around begging during cake and ice cream time. (He really caught on to it at the church fellowship's.)
This Monday I was able to catch up with my dear friend, Edina, who I haven't seen in way too long. You know how life just gets busy and time slips away? We had a fun evening catching up and chatting over dinner. She had her family will be moving to Hungary at some point, so I guess I know what country I need to add to my travel wish list!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! ON Levi's birthday he wanted the training wheels taken off his bike, and it didn't take long at all for him to get comfortable with it!! I gave him a push a couple times, he fell a couple times, took a break and got back to it the next day, and each day he has improved. So much fun to see. He also got a scooter for his birthday, so he's been enjoying that. Yay for nicer weather to play outside!!
Tuesday afternoon I was able to go help at school with a paper airplane lesson. So much fun to be with all the kids. (But glad I'm not a teacher.) They had been learning about airplanes and the different forces that are at play, so each child made a paper airplane, then we went out in the hallway and flew them and measured the distance. It was a fun exercise. Next week I get to accompany them on a field trip to the Air Zoo, so that should be fun!
Wednesday morning Jackson had his 18 month appointment. Unbelieveable! As expected, he checked out great. I haven't had any concerns (other than whether my sanity will survive his toddler years), and am very thankful for healthy little boys. He weighed in at 25 lbs, which is 61st percentile. I think the height on the paper they gave me might be incorrect - they measured him twice and maybe the corrected measurement didn't get entered soon enough before I got my paperwork. Anyways, it says he's 2' 8", which is 32nd percentile, and that seems a little low. He did have to get shots this time, and I feel so bad about it takes him off guard and he doesn't know what's happening! As soon as he felt it he said, "Uh-oh!" and started to scream! :( He did recover fairly quickly, though, so that was good.
Today was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed not having to be crazy busy, just normal busy. :) I needed to pick up meat at Byron Center Meats, so Jackson, Levi, and I drove out that way then went for a walk on Kent Trails before getting the meat. I had Jackson in the stroller and Levi rode his scooter. We did two miles and it worked out great! I'll have to do more of that this summer with the boys, their scooters are so easy to transport. After lunch while Jackson was napping, I may or may not have dozed off for a few outside while Levi was riding his bike around and doing some 'gardening'. :) Love, love, love this weather! After a dreary winter, I want to soak up as much of the nice weather as I can. Later this afternoon we did some work in the garden. I really need to get planning and deciding what to do this year... I'm not sure if I'm excited about it or not.
I cannot believe school is almost done! Why, O why, does it have to go so fast??
A few weeks ago, Mike took Caleb and Logan, along with my brother Eric and his son Boden, on a kayaking adventure he'd dreamed up a few months back. He wanted to start on the Macatawa River where it crosses our street, and go as far as they could, possibly all the way to Lake Macatawa. The mom side of me was a little unsure of Caleb and Logan each going in their own kayak, but they did just fine and had lots of fun. I was able to see them at a couple crossing points near the beginning (at Quincy St, Chicago Dr, and Felch St), and things were moving pretty well at that point. I guess it was partway through the Upper Macatawa Natural Area that things got a little more challenging. Lots of trees blocking the river and they had to portage. They made it as far as Adams Street Landing, and were on the river for about 5-6 hours, I believe. It should be smoother sailing from there on to get to Lake Macatawa, but they ran out of time that day.
That evening we went to the Smith's for supper and to hang out. Amy and I left the guys with the kids for a while to grab a coffee - we had fun and they survived! :)
The next day was our pastor's last Sunday at our church before retiring. There was a very nice farewell service for him, and a fellowship time after church.
Mike had told Caleb and Logan that if they did well on the kayak trip there would be some sort of reward. He was very happy with how they did, (and I was happy with Levi's good attitude about not going even though he wanted to) so the next weekend we took the kids to Crazy Bounce. It's a place with all sorts of different inflatables. The boys loved it! I had fun trying some of the slides, too. Mike didn't really try anything because he had poison ivy that was bothering him. Of course, Jackson finally got brave and was getting into it for the last 10 minutes.
That Saturday Caleb and Logan went to a friend's birthday party. The grandma of the boy owns several exoctic birds, and they even got to hold a couple! They were pretty excited about that.
That Sunday we had someone come as a pastoral candidate for our church. He was there for two Sunday's and we really, really like him. We had a fellowship time after church on the first Sunday, and a Q & A time afterwards on the second Sunday. Our church will be voting in a couple weeks. Praying everything works out smoothly!
Over that weekend Mike's Grandma Krol passed away. We had had such a nice visit with her about a month before. She had actually been more "with it" mentally than she had been for a long time before. But, she had a bad fall and just didn't recover. We're so thankful that she was a godly woman that lived a good, full life, and can now be free from pain. Her visitation was on May 1st, and the funeral was the next day. We tried taking the boys to just a little of the visitation, figuring it was a good experience for them and to "make an appearance" for the family, but Jackson had had enough after about 2 minutes... Thankfully my brother, Eric, was already planning to come pick up the boys after a while and bring them home. The next day for the funeral, Caleb and Logan just went to school, and Levi and Jackson went to Amy's house. That really worked out nicely, because her house is right in between the church and the cemetery, so it was very convenient. The visitation and service were both very nice. Grandpa and Grandma Krol had such a good testimony as a couple, I hope Mike and I can be a blessing to others the way they were.
Later in the week I helped at a garage sale with some friends from church. We do this every year and it's usually very busy, but this year the weather was less than ideal, so it was a little slower than normal but still steady. This week we're doing another sale at a different house (with more stuff added!), and the weather is gorgeous, so I'm hoping to get rid of lots of stuff!! :) It's work, but fun doing this along with the others. The kids play or nap, and it all just kinda works out.
Thursday evening Caleb, Logan, and Levi had their Spring Showcase Concert for school, and it was such a neat concert! Many times these kids programs can be a bit of a drag, but I truly enjoyed it all. There were various songs and recitations (catechism, poems, verses). The kids really did well, singing and reciting loudly. Caleb and Logan even each had a small solo! So proud!
Friday, May 5, was Levi's FIFTH birthday! He was pretty excited about having his golden birthday. :) Caleb and Logan are a little bummed that they have to wait until they're 29! Ha! I got Levi a treat before we went to the garage sale, of course he got to pick out a toy, and at supper he got his presents from us (a truck/auger/grain bin set, and garden tools). Then Saturday was his birthday party with the family. We spent the day getting ready, and it was a beautiful evening for a party! One of the fun activities that we came up with for the kids was to hide several 'gold' rocks in the woods for them the find. And, Jackson showed how good he is at walking around begging during cake and ice cream time. (He really caught on to it at the church fellowship's.)
This Monday I was able to catch up with my dear friend, Edina, who I haven't seen in way too long. You know how life just gets busy and time slips away? We had a fun evening catching up and chatting over dinner. She had her family will be moving to Hungary at some point, so I guess I know what country I need to add to my travel wish list!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! ON Levi's birthday he wanted the training wheels taken off his bike, and it didn't take long at all for him to get comfortable with it!! I gave him a push a couple times, he fell a couple times, took a break and got back to it the next day, and each day he has improved. So much fun to see. He also got a scooter for his birthday, so he's been enjoying that. Yay for nicer weather to play outside!!
Tuesday afternoon I was able to go help at school with a paper airplane lesson. So much fun to be with all the kids. (But glad I'm not a teacher.) They had been learning about airplanes and the different forces that are at play, so each child made a paper airplane, then we went out in the hallway and flew them and measured the distance. It was a fun exercise. Next week I get to accompany them on a field trip to the Air Zoo, so that should be fun!
Wednesday morning Jackson had his 18 month appointment. Unbelieveable! As expected, he checked out great. I haven't had any concerns (other than whether my sanity will survive his toddler years), and am very thankful for healthy little boys. He weighed in at 25 lbs, which is 61st percentile. I think the height on the paper they gave me might be incorrect - they measured him twice and maybe the corrected measurement didn't get entered soon enough before I got my paperwork. Anyways, it says he's 2' 8", which is 32nd percentile, and that seems a little low. He did have to get shots this time, and I feel so bad about it takes him off guard and he doesn't know what's happening! As soon as he felt it he said, "Uh-oh!" and started to scream! :( He did recover fairly quickly, though, so that was good.
Today was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed not having to be crazy busy, just normal busy. :) I needed to pick up meat at Byron Center Meats, so Jackson, Levi, and I drove out that way then went for a walk on Kent Trails before getting the meat. I had Jackson in the stroller and Levi rode his scooter. We did two miles and it worked out great! I'll have to do more of that this summer with the boys, their scooters are so easy to transport. After lunch while Jackson was napping, I may or may not have dozed off for a few outside while Levi was riding his bike around and doing some 'gardening'. :) Love, love, love this weather! After a dreary winter, I want to soak up as much of the nice weather as I can. Later this afternoon we did some work in the garden. I really need to get planning and deciding what to do this year... I'm not sure if I'm excited about it or not.
I cannot believe school is almost done! Why, O why, does it have to go so fast??
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