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??
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