finally

I've had "blog" on my to-do list every day for a week now, so it's about time I face the music and get a little bit written.  I can't say writing is a passion of mine but I find family history fascinating; therefore, I write.

A couple weeks ago I was able to bring all the boys with me to the airport to pick up my parents from their trip to California.  Often since then Jackson will say, "Grammy, Papa, pane (plane)."  :)  That night our family went to our friend Jose's house for dinner.  He had his mom come cook for us, and she is an AMAZING cook.  We've had her food a number of times, and have never been disappointed.  Of course it was a learning experience for the boys - always good to expose them to different experiences.  :)

Later on that week sickness hit our family.  Boo.  On a Thursday morning Levi threw up at school, so I brought him home.  (One of those situations where it was a little iffy in the morning, and Mike said, "You know if you keep him home he'll be fine, and if you send him to school you'll get a call later...")  He rested and was okay the rest of the day, until around suppertime he threw up again.  The next day he was totally fine, eating and playing normally all day.  Then at bedtime he said he didn't feel well, and he threw up sometime in the night.  The next day I stayed home with him and Jackson, while Mike took Caleb and Logan to his cousin Joe's to go sledding and hang out.  They were fine all day, then around bedtime both were saying they didn't feel well.  Great.  Yup, they both started throwing up.  Ugh.  We cancelled our church duties for Sunday and stayed nestled at home.  Caleb just kept throwing up, couldn't even keep down a sip of water.  :(  Logan didn't throw up anymore, but had a low fever and was just wiped out all day.  Levi was recuperated by this point.  Mike and I were just hoping ourselves and Jackson would stay clear!  It was not to be.  Sunday afternoon Jackson threw up, and then Sunday night it was my turn.  Mike was down on Monday, but never actually threw up (lucky).  It was a fast and furious bug!  Thankfully there was no school Monday anyways, and Mike called in sick to work (he had already called in when I got sick and before he did, just so he could be home to help).  Tuesday Mike felt good enough to go to work, Caleb and I were still lacking energy, he only made it through a half day at school, and then I would say we were back to normal by Wednesday.  Which was good, since EARLY Thursday morning Mike was leaving for a missions trip to Guyana!  Funny story from the sickness, when Jackson had thrown up, I went into his room and he was standing on one end of his crib with the mess on the other end.  I go in his room and he's just like, "Ewwww!!!  Yucky!  Goss! (gross)"

Mike's been gone for almost a week, he has a few more days to go, and so far we're doing alright!  I think the anticipation of it was worse for the boys - Caleb especially was anxious about him going.  The first day was the hardest for me, I'm sure it didn't help that I had trouble falling asleep the night before and then got up at 3am to bring him to the airport.  (It's a little harder for me to be positive when sleep deprived...)  Friday night we had Lea Anne and Heidi over for tacos and a movie (Eric and Boden are on the trip as well.).  Saturday morning I tried taking the boys to the library (somehow I always forget that it never goes well...), and then in the afternoon they spent several hours playing with their friends across the street.  So thankful for nice weather!!  They were able to play outside quite a bit Sunday afternoon as well.  Last night we went to my in-law's for dinner and had a nice time.  Going over to a friend's before church tonight, picking up take-out tomorrow night that friends in AZ wanted to buy for us, and we have other plans Fri and Sat as well.  No down time to feel too sad!  It has been such a blessing to see how the Lord has provided in various ways for this trip.  Mike gets home Saturday night, and it will be great to be together again!

metal

Last week was our first full week back at our normal activities after the holidays, and it went well!  Monday night was volleyball and we had a great game.  (We needed it!)  Tuesday morning the Bible Study I attend started a new book, and I think it's going to be really good.  It's a study on The Sermon on the Mount, by Jen Wilkin. 

Wednesday evening Word of Life started back up for the older boys, so it was Dad, Mom, and J-man hang out time.  :)  I needed to go to Kohl's, so we hung out at the mall.  Jackson wanted to give high-fives to as many mannequins as possible (almost knocking over a few in his eagerness); and he thought he wanted to ride the carousel, until it started and he did NOT like it! 

Thursday was a big day for Caleb - he got his braces and retainer.  He was anxious beforehand, but he did really well getting them put on.  Side note, I was a little nervous about having Jackson with me and keeping him occupied the whole time.  There was a train table in the waiting room, and he was loving it!  Actually, he threw a fit when we had to leave.  :)  I had other toys and snacks packed for him, and he didn't need any of it!  Mike was able to leave work for a bit to come as well, and I think that was really good for Caleb - not just having a supportive father, but since Mike had braces he can sympathize.  We're a few days in now, and Caleb is still pretty sore.  Hopefully he'll be able to eat fairly normally soon.

Friday evening we dropped the boys off at my brother and sis-in-law's house, and we were kid-free for the weekend!!  We decided to just stay home.  We love adventure and going fun places together, but there's also nothing like being in your own home when it is peaceful and quiet.  :)  We could be on our own schedule, easily walk out the door when we wanted to go somewhere, and just veg.  We had a few meals out - all great.  Crazy Horse Steakhouse on Friday night, Cracker Barrel on Saturday morning, and Butcher's Union in downtown GR for dinner Saturday night.  Either I'm old or a country girl (or both...), but I don't need to go out on the town all the time.  :)  Butcher's Union is apparently a popular place (they did have REALLY good food) - the restaurant was packed and loud.  Didn't bother me at first, but after a while I was ready for some peace and quiet!  Ha!  On Saturday we managed to complete our search for a "new to us" elliptical after a few strike-outs.  Seems like it was a good find, hope it works out well!  The thing is a BEAST (in a good way).  Took a bit to get it in the basement yesterday, but we managed without anyone getting hurt.  Mike and I were both able to work out on it this morning, and so far so good.  Time to get these old bods in shape!

COLD

It was a *rough* week getting back into the swing of things after the holidays.  Okay, not really, but this week might be!  New Years was on Monday, and everybody was still home on Tuesday.  Wednesday it was back to work and school!  But then Thursday school was closed for plumbing repair, and we went to have lunch with Mike at work.  :)  Friday was our normal schedule for this winter, which means Caleb and Logan have school, but Levi doesn't, and Mike is home.  But, this coming week is a full regular week, and I'm not sure I can handle it!!

Last week Caleb went in to the orthodontist for x-rays, etc., and this week he'll get his braces and retainer.  Sigh.  Hope this all goes well!

On Wednesday Caleb and Logan had a belt promotion in their Martial Arts class at school.  They are now yellow belts!  It is so neat that they have this class at school.  I was able to attend the belt promotion and see some of the things they do.  I don't necessarily care so much about the specific movements they learn, but I love seeing how they are learning to listen and follow direction, and the instructor puts a real emphasis on respect.  It's pretty cool.

The last week or two it has been bitterly COLD.  We're talking subzero temps.  Not real good for playing outside.  Yesterday it started to warm up a little, and today is much more tolerable.  Except that means the snow is starting to melt and it's going to get messy! 

Yesterday our family were greeters for the late service at church.  The boys did great, I'm so proud of them!  (We didn't try to have Jackson join us, just wanted to leave that wild card out of play for our first time, but maybe next time.  He'll actually probably do really well, he is not shy and loves to say 'hi' and shake hands.)  Anyways, we've done some coaching on firm handshakes, eye contact, and saying 'hi' to people, and they did really well.  And, last night Logan helped Mike do some ushering.  He walked a couple people down to their seats all by himself, and I thought my Mommy heart was going to burst. 

I know I've said it before, and I hope I can say it for a long time to come, but Jackson is just too much fun right now with all his talking.  He will repeat almost anything you say, and is constantly asking what things are.  He's a giant sponge right now just soaking EVERYTHING in!  I wish I could catch all the cute things he says on camera, but of course when I hold up my phone he stops and says, "Cheese!"  How do they learn that so young??  Some of my favorites right now are:
1.  Pockeet (pocket) - he loves pockets and is noticing when people have their hands in their pockets.  He also tries to put his hands in his pockets even when the pants he's wearing have none.  (Meaning he's putting his hands down his pants...)
2.  Paparoni (pepperoni) - he got a little pizza set for Christmas that he loves to play with and he likes "paparoni" on his pizza, so I get to hear about it alot.  :)
3.  Ooo-ooo-ooncle Mike (Uncle Mike) - after seeing my brother come get the tractor a few weeks ago to plow his driveway, we hear his name mentioned once in a while.  And, after enjoying time with my Uncle Don at the Steenwyk party and seeing him the next night at Rainbow Grill, we heard "Ooo-ooo-ooncle Don" a few times.
4.  Vroom (tractor) - "Ooo-ooo-ooncle Mike vroom!"  :)
5. He now consistently uses individual names for his brothers rather than just calling them all "Wuvi".  (I'm a little sad about that one.)  Caleb is something like "Kinye" or sometimes "Kanye"; I'm really not sure how to type Logan's out because it's so nasally, and of course Levi is "Wuvi". 
6.  And I can't forget zoop, choop, and doop!  (zip, chip, dip) - He says all those short i sounds with a oo.  He recently became very interested in zippers and well as pockets.  He loves to dip stuff (ranch, sour cream, ketchup, whatever), and you can't have any chips out without him noticing and begging. 
7.  Here's a good one.  There are a few consonants Jackson consistently says wrong (Pombine instead of combine, Foffy instead of Roxy), and a few days ago the other boys were trying to teach him the correct consonants.  So, they were telling him "Say, c-c-c-c-combine" and his response was "c-c-c-c-pombine!"; and "Say R-r-r-r-Roxy" and Jackson's response was "R-r-r-r-r-Foffy!".  We had a good laugh at that one.  :) 

2017

Wow, 2017 is DONE!  What a great year for our family.  Nothing earth-shattering, just a year that I've truly enjoyed who I am and where God has me.  I love being a wife and mother, and I'm trying to soak it in as much as possible.  We've had so much fun together as a family - from the everyday moments to the special times.  Yes, the kids drive me absolutely CRAZY sometimes and I think I'm going to lose my mind (or I'm pretty sure I already have), but at the end of the day there's no where else I'd rather be. 

We had a slower than normal December, but still packed with plenty of activities.  It was so refreshing to enjoy the holiday season at a more reasonable pace than what we've been able to do in the past!  Early on in the month I took Logan on a date.  He had just gotten a cookbook, apron, and chef's hat for his birthday, so he picked out a recipe he wanted to make, we went to the store to get what we needed, then brought everything over to my parent's to do the cooking there.  It was a nice, special time for both of us.  We made a homemade vanilla pudding and Grammy and Papa were our taste-testers.  It was great!

The next weekend Caleb and I went on a date.  They had earned a reward for a crazy day we had the Sunday before (long story), so I took him to Wal-Mart to buy a new sled, then we went to Charlie's Dump to go sledding for awhile.  So fun!  It was super windy and cold at the top of the hill, so we only lasted about half an hour.

It was Levi's turn the next weekend, and I failed to have any good ideas, so I took him to run a couple errands and that was a mistake - oops!  It's nicer if the time out is more focused on that individual...  I'll have to come up with something for next time!  Mike gets the next round, so we'll see what he does.  :)

Every year our church does a Live Nativity that a couple thousand or so people in the area come to see, and this year our family was able to help.  What a great way to get the whole family (almost) involved.  On Friday night Mike and I were greeters for the indoor Bethlehem Experience, and Caleb and Logan were dressed up as townspeople in there.  Sunday night Mike directed traffic, I was a narrator for the outdoor Live Nativity, Caleb and Logan were in the Bethlehem Experience again, and Levi was even able to join them for a little while.  I hadn't planned on being a narrator, but they needed more people in that area, so I figured I'd just go where needed (despite being nervous)!  It really went well, and my parents, Eric and Lea Anne and kids were in my first group, and they were very nice to me.  :) 

On that Sunday we were busy straight from morning to evening, and the kids were troopers (hence the reward I mentioned earlier).  We went to the 8:30am service then Sunday School, as usual.  After that it was off to Wendy's for a quick lunch.  Thankfully we were able to drop Jackson off to nap at Mike's mom and stepdad's (and borrow their vehicle as our van was acting up), then the rest of us headed off to Grand Rapids to attend our friend Jose's baptism.  Attending a Spanish speaking church was a good experience for the kids.  :)  Unfortunately we weren't able to stay for the meal afterwards as we had to get back for the Livy Nativity at our church.  So, we quickly headed home to change clothes, then went and picked up Jackson, then it was back to church for the rest of the evening!  It was a long day for all of us, and the kids really did great with it all. 

That next week I had the opportunity to attend a communication skills class in Grand Rapids.  It was for three days in a row, and just let me say, I AM SO GLAD I DO NOT COMMUTE TO WORK EVERYDAY!!!!  Even if we had good weather (which we did not), I would not want to do it.  The worst was the second night on my way home  - what should have been a 35-40 minute drive took me and hour and a half.  It was a good class, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to attend, but I was glad when it finished and I could get back to normal at home.  And, Mike was glad, too.  :) 

The following Saturday was our Krol/Van Beek Christmas.  Crazy having all those people packed into a condo!  It's so fun seeing all the family that we don't get to see enough of because we're all spread out.  Yet, because it's so crazy will all those people, at the end I feel like I didn't really get to talk with anyone!  Just little snippets of conversations here and there until we get interrupted for one reason or another. 

For our last Bible Study before Christmas we got together and those that had memorized John 1:1-14 were able to recite it to a partner and receive an ornament as a reward.  :)  I am so glad that I was able to do it!  Scripture memory has always been difficult, so it felt like quite an accomplishment to memorize a whole passage like that.  So far I've been trying to keep up on it so I don't forget it - we'll see how I do...

Then it was time for Christmas Break and we have had SUCH a wonderful time!  It's time for school and work to start back up tomorrow, and I don't want it to!!  I think Jackson and I might have a hard time tomorrow with everyone else gone.  :( 

Christmas Day we celebrated as a family at home in the morning, then went to my parent's to play games in the afternoon.  We had a blast playing Tractoropoly (my dad creamed us), and then some of the guys played chess and ping pong.  I think Caleb beat my dad and chess and came close at ping pong.  :)  The next day Mike, Caleb, Logan, and I went to see the new Star Wars in the theater.  (Levi and Jackson were able to hang out at my parent's.)  Wednesday evening was the greater Steenwyk party at my parent's.  Jackson was quite the little party animal.  He sure loves being around lots of people and is not shy!  Thursday evening we went out as a family to Rainbow Grill (gift card + $1 kids meals!) - sometimes meals out with the kids aren't so enjoyable, but they did great.  And, we ran into my Uncle Don and Aunt Mary (who were at the party the night before), and Jackson was happy to see Uncle Don.  :)  Friday evening, in the midst of getting a lot of snow, Mike and I went out with my parents for an S & K Farm Christmas Dinner.  Actually, we got a lot of snow all week and Mike has done several hours of snow plowing.  Sunday evening for New Years Eve we went to play volleyball with some others at Jamestown Baptist.  The adults had fun playing, and the kids got to run around like crazy people.  :)  Almost the whole time Jackson did great, until the very end he was wanting to run onto the volleyball court.  :) 

I've been doing a lot of rearranging in the house over the last couple months, and it seems like I'm finally getting things more settled.  My office (what was Jackson's room) has really come together, the Lego Room (my old office upstairs) isn't such a disaster anymore, and of course Levi and Jackson have been settled in their new rooms for a while now (Levi in with Caleb and Logan, Jackson in Levi's old room).  I cleared out the guest room upstairs, and got our bedroom more in order, too.  Mike even cleaned his closet!!!!!  :)   Ahhhhhhh.....  Now if I could just get the kids to keep the basement decent.  Ha! 

I don't want to make this post any longer, but I have GOT to do a post soon on Jackson's latest.  He is such a hoot right now.  Gotta soak it up!