almost there

September was a challenging month that I'm glad is almost over.  We had a lot going on with no break until this past weekend.  Between celery harvest going gangbusters and Mike's other commitments, I felt like a mostly single parent.  I really, truly don't know how single parents, military spouses, or those with spouses that travel a lot do it.  I am definitely not cut out to do this on my own.  Three out of the five Tuesdays Mike had meetings (and October will be just as bad, maybe worse).  That makes for a loooong day for both of us when he's off to work around 4am, goes straight to a meeting after work (maybe coming home for 15 minutes to shower), and doesn't get back until after the kids are in bed!  Also, one of the weekends Mike was out of town visiting his brother, which was a good trip for him, just not ideal timing; and, another Saturday was his annual day to a U of M football game with his brother/stepbrothers/stepdad.  Another good thing, but stinky timing with everything we've had going on.  :)

But, FINALLY this past Saturday we had nothing "major" going on - Mike didn't have to be anywhere, and he was able to just do clean-up type of stuff around the house outside, didn't need to spend the day hauling dirt, leveling dirt, or doing some other big project where he couldn't help with the kids.  It was such a breath of fresh air, and just what we needed to feel like we'll be able to survive until the end of harvest (there have been plenty of moments where we really didn't feel like we were going to make it).  And, it was so good for the boys to have a day to spend with Mike doing guy stuff outside!  I was able to meet up with a friend at a flea market for a bit (which was CRAZY - I think half of Michigan was there), and in the evening I had a photo session.  In general I am not doing photography work, but I will take on special projects - this was for a recent young widow at our church who wanted some photos of her kids around their apartment complex before they move to Poland in a few months (where she is from and her family still is).  It's heartbreaking.

3 weeks

Three weeks of school done, and it's still going well!  A couple mornings have been a little iffy with my slowpoke (Logan), but not TOO bad.  We haven't been late yet.  :)  And, Caleb and Logan are still both very excited when I pick them up at the end of the day.  They couldn't contain themselves earlier this week when they both had gotten moved up to "outstanding" on the behavior chart.  Concerning behavior, yesterday Logan told me right away that he had been put in time-out during recess for sending rocks down the slide.  (Something we've told them not to do when we saw them doing it at the open house...ahem...)  He was fairly upset about it.  If only this would be the worst school behavior problem we'll have to deal with over the next several years!  Bahaha!  Anyways, the way Logan handled this makes me think this probably really was the first bad behavior of the year, and I'm guessing that even if Caleb wasn't going to be as forthright with info on any of his bad behavior, we would probably hear about it from Logan.  Benefit of twins!  :)

They are excited every day, but Wednesday's are especially fun.  That's when they have Music, Spanish, PE, etc.  I hear a lot about Music and the teacher, Mrs. Silverthorne.  They really want me to meet her.  :)  This week they got to play bells and they were telling me all about the proper way to ring them (like an ice cream scoop, you don't just shake them).

Certainly things aren't perfect, but I do think them spending time at school is improving their time at home.  Caleb, Logan, and Levi play together nicer for longer periods of time.  Levi doesn't seem to have any trouble transitioning between being home with just me to having them around.  Levi and I enjoy our days that the other boys are at school.  Sometimes we take it easy at home, snuggling on the couch and reading books; sometimes we have errands to run, which he does pretty well with (helps that for places I really need to focus it's easier for me to let him play with my phone - couldn't do that with all three as it would cause too many fights).  He also does a good job helping me with some jobs around the house.  We've also gotten to help Mike at work a couple times!  On two different occasions now I've done a little packing, and Levi gets to hang out with Mike and be his helper.  He does a really good job with that - actually sticking with a task and not being in the way or anything.  Couldn't even consider doing that with Caleb and Logan, and I suppose next year at this time when I have an almost one-year-old it won't be all that doable either.

Just over 5 weeks until baby time!  Slowly but surely getting ready here.  Last week I got the playroom/nursery repainted.  When we get closer we'll have to get the toys out of there and get it ready for the baby.  This past Monday Mike's employees threw us a baby shower!  It was so kind and generous of them.  I'm a little bummed that the baby will be coming right after harvest, so we won't be able to show him/her off to them right away.  :)

krol's invade kindergarten

Our babies started Kindergarten yesterday!  When did these babies turn into little boys??  Certainly I've been watching it happen, and in a lot of ways it's been a long, challenging 5 1/2 years (actually I would say 4 1/2, since the first year was not that bad).  That saying, "The days are long, but the years are short" is so cliche, but so unbelievably true.  We're embarking on a new phase in life, and it feels kinda strange.  I'm a school mom now, not just a mom of littles.  Despite the fact that there are people my age with high schoolers, I don't feel old enough to have kids in school.  Ha!

We were all very excited for Caleb and Logan to start yesterday.  We've been counting down the number of bedtimes until the first day, and we had no issues with them going in to their classroom yesterday (I didn't expect any).  In fact, it went so well that it wasn't until I was out in the parking lot that I realized I didn't do a last hug and "I love you"!  No tears on my part, but I actually did feel a little something at the back of my eyes.  :)

The morning routine went fine, we'll see how it goes once the excitement wears off.  Logan isn't exactly a morning person, so he's the one I'm a little worried about.  I thought they'd be tired after school yesterday, but they didn't seem fazed at all, and still stayed up talking in their bedroom for a while after we put them to bed.  Maybe it will catch up with them today!

We had time for "first day" pics - out on the porch since it was a rainy morning.  When we got to school I did walk them in, but plan to just drop-off now.  We went in, put their rain coats and back packs in their lockers, Nathan and Jason walked past and said "Good Morning" (for which my boys were happy about), then their teacher (Mrs. Knapp) was at their classroom door, they were excited to see her and give her a hug, and then they went into their room and that was it!  Just like that!  Levi and I went for donuts at Post Family Farm (Wonderful pumpkin donuts that they only sell in the fall - I decided this will be a great first day of school tradition even once all the kids are in school...), brought one to Mike, got groceries and then went home to enjoy the peace and quiet.  Levi did make a few comments throughout the day, like, "I hope Caleb and Logan are having fun at school", "It's quiet here", and "Don't forget not to tell them we got donuts".  Ha!  He says he doesn't miss them, and he does fine on his own, but as soon as the boys got home yesterday he and Caleb went off to play and stayed busy for quite a while.  We're not going anywhere today, so we'll see how a whole day at home on his own goes.  :)

Caleb and Logan were so excited when I picked them up yesterday afternoon!  (Which, it just worked out that pick-up was during a torrential downpour.  Lovely.  It had mostly died down by the time I got through the car line, but it just wasn't ideal weather for first day pick-up.)  First thing I heard was that Caleb's "clip moved up" - this is their behavior chart in their classroom, and moving up is a good thing.  :)  Once we got home, Caleb was busy playing and Logan told me all sorts of stuff about their day.  Sounds like things went really well and they enjoyed it - hope that keeps up!

Note: I started this post before they got up this morning, now they're dropped off and into their second day.  Both of them were definitely dragging more this morning, things almost went bad with Logan, but thankfully we got out the door without major issues.  :)  This time I just dropped them off rather than walk them in, and once they got in the building before they turned to go down the hallway I saw them holding hands.  Melt my heart!  Levi is doing pretty well playing Legos on his own right now, we'll see how that keeps up.  Yesterday at lunchtime felt especially odd - this summer when Caleb and Logan were at vbs Levi and I had a few mornings on our own, but I've never had a lunchtime with one child before, it was so strangely quiet and calm.

Oh yeah, just remembered something Levi said the other day.  At church we had a fellowship time with lots of goodies - we let the boys have probably 3-4 cookies/treats.  After going to Taco Bell for lunch we were headed to Meijer quick to get dog food (Mike doesn't want me handling the huge bag we get.), and of course check on the celery in the store.  :)  Anyways, when I take the boys there for groceries I usually get them a cookie (the bakery gives them free to kids), so Levi asked if he could get a cookie.  When we told him 'no' he said he was going to let his kids have as many cookies as they want!  Glad he's planning ahead on his parenting.  :)

ticking

9 weeks to baby!  And, our calendar is fairly full, so it's probably going to go fairly fast.  I do have more I need/want to do to prepare, might be hard to fit in!  I'm not totally freaking out yet (just a little bit).  Yesterday was my 30 week check-up.  I haven't gained any weight in the last two weeks (yay!), but I am measuring 32 weeks (hmmm....).  Please, please, please let this baby be in the single digits!  Looking back at my records, at 30 weeks with Caleb and Logan I was 10 pounds heavier than I am now, and 7 pounds heavier with Levi.  I've been feeling like I'm not as large and uncomfortable this time as I was with Levi, but I thought maybe I was only remembering the very end with him and that I'm just not to that point with this one yet.  But looking at the numbers, I must legitimately feel better with this one!  Over the last week or so it's been getting a little harder to get comfortable in bed at night, but not that bad, I really can't complain.  Here and there the heartburn is a problem, but nothing like I had with Caleb and Logan.  I had been suspicious that the baby was transverse (which doesn't really matter since I'm having a c-section, but it's still nice to know) based on what I was feeling, and the doctor confirmed that.  Junior's head is on my right side (I often feel something bigger pushing out over there), and on my left side I know it's something smaller pushing out (whether it's hands, knees, or feet I don't know).

Last week was the Hudsonville Community Fair, something the boys look forward to all year long.  I managed to take them by myself Tuesday afternoon to do some of the smaller rides (so thankful it was cooler weather!), and then we went back in the evening so Mike could ride the ferris wheel with them.  They did really well and had fun choosing rides!  There were a couple that they all three did together, a couple Caleb and Logan did together, and then a couple that Levi did on his own (what a big boy!).  We shared elephant ears, got balloons, did face painting (Levi still refuses), and saw some of the animals.  When we went back in the evening with Mike, after they rode the ferris wheel we walked through more of the animal barns (I totally got spray peed on by a rabbit...really gross...).

Last Wednesday our sidewalks were poured!!!  So wonderful!  It's great having sidewalks again, and so far I'm happy with the new design (I'd better be).  Then the next day our driveway was resurfaced.  SO. MUCH. BETTER.  Things are on track to feeling normal again, having grass (hopefully this fall) will go a long ways towards that.

This past weekend was our annual canoe trip.  The morning of it was rainy and yucky, but the weather was great while we were on the river!  The boys had a great weekend at Uncle Eric and Aunt Lea Anne's playing with Boden and Heidi.

I spent time today going through Caleb and Logan's school supplies making sure they have everything and putting their names on their stuff.  One more week!!  We have summer weather again this week, so I took them to the splash pad this morning for a bit - gotta do that stuff while we can!

august

Oops.  It appears that August is almost complete and I haven't written a post since the end of July.  We've been busy!  For the past few weeks my project focus has been on the living room.  It's pretty much done and I couldn't be happier!  (Both with how it turned out, and just the fact that it's "done".)  Spent A LOT of time painting the trim.  While my sister was in town she helped with some of it, which was awesome, but it's still such a huge job and I am sooooo sick of it.  Thankfully, once I finish the trim in the playroom/to be nursery, I'll be done with it for now and I already have two coats of primer on in there, so there's only a small amount of torture yet to endure.  Anyways, I went for a complete color change in the living room (from red walls to blue) and it's great.  I've gotten alot of stuff hung back up on the walls (waiting for some updated family pictures after baby comes!), and Mike and I hung some shelves that really add to the room.  I'd still like to find a "new" recliner and eventually an area rug.  Next up is the playroom and once that is done, NO MORE PAINTING for me for a while!

We've had lots of activities to keep us going the last few weeks.  On the one hand it's good - helps me pass the time with the boys with all the hours Mike has been working; but on the other hand it's hard - managing the three boys most of the time by myself is certainly a challenge, and, of course, it's good to have some down time at home.  But, in some ways that creates more stress because right now, still not having a yard, playing outside means getting dirty, and not just a little dirty, so that means dealing with clean up.  And, like any normal family (I hope), we go through stretches where the boys play so nicely together, then there are PLENTY of times where it's just constant bickering, pestering, whining, etc.  All. The. Time.

Anyways, at the end of July I took the boys to a picnic at the park put on my Mike's dentist.  They had fun playing a few games, getting face paint (not Levi, he never wants it for some reason), eating hot dogs and ice cream, having pop, playing at the park, and dressing up for the photo booth.  The next day was a big birthday party for my Grandma Tiemeyer's 90th, and the start of a week of family activities as my sister was in town with her family.  (Always fun, but always exhausting!)  The birthday party was great - held at my parent's, and we got to see aunts, uncles, and cousins of mine that we don't see very often.  My parent's had a bounce house there for the weekend, so the kids got plenty of jumping in.

On Monday of the next week I brought Caleb and Logan to the vacation Bible school at Jamestown Baptist.  They were able to go to four of the days and they loved it!  My best friend was the Kindergarten teacher, and the boys knew a few of the other kids, plus they don't have any trouble making new friends.  :)  They did awesome crafts at that vbs, and it was fun each day to hear the boys' report.  That first morning, and I think Wednesday Michelle and I worked on painting, and Levi played nicely on his own.  :)  Tuesday some of us went to a customer appreciation thing at the Farmer's Co-op.   Bounce house, corn shelling, food, ice cream, and door prizes.  Wednesday evening we had a Ladies Night.  My mom, Emily, Michelle, Lea Anne, and I first headed out to the Downtown Market in GR.  Walked around there for a bit, then decided to head Zeeland way for dinner.  Ate at Elbo Room and it was fabulous.  Thursday evening the fam met up at Fuzzy Peach for Katie's birthday.  I think on Friday I pretty much crashed from exhaustion.  This old pregnant lady can only take so much!

Saturday it was time to switch gears and spend some time with Mike's family.  We had a big 60th birthday party for Mike's mom up at Harold and Kara's cottage.  The weather wasn't the greatest, but it certainly could have been worse, and we still had a great time spending time with family that we don't get to see enough.  So thankful that Mike has a great stepfamily and that we enjoy being together.  It was a treat to meet the newest nephew, Henry, born to Steve and Erin in early June - it felt pretty good to hold a baby again, I'm looking forward to doing that more often.  :)

The next week was another fun one with not quite as much craziness, but still busy.  On Monday I had a friend over for coffee who's expecting twin boys around the same time I am due.  There are some complications, so we're just hoping those boys stay in there cooking for awhile!!  Tuesday was finally my first trip to IKEA!  Harold graciously took the boys for the day, and Amy and I headed out to Detroit.  It was a lot of fun, and exciting to finally go to the store I've heard so much about.  I started painting the walls of the living room later in the week, and maybe overdid it just a little, but it was so nice to get it done!  Friday evening the boys and I brought a meal to a family that recently had a baby girl, and after seeing her they decided again that they'd be okay with a little sister.  :)  Saturday Mike spent the day hauling topsoil, I worked on the second coat of paint in the living room, and later we paid the price for neglecting our children...

Last week was a dr appt for baby where thankfully everything checked out good - had my glucose screening (no gestational diabetes), and got a tetanus shot (ouch).  Tuesday afternoon my friend Jen from college came over for a couple hours to visit.  Wednesday morning Marsha came over for coffee and to check out the living room.  The boys asked a couple times why I had so many ladies coming over - ha ha!  They asked when they'd be able to have friends over, and I assured them as soon as we have a yard we can start having their friends here again!  By Friday I had about had it.  But, the Lord gave me strength, and we're making it.  :)  Saturday Mike spent the day leveling the topsoil he had hauled in the week before.

And there you have it.  Most of August.  Only two weeks left until Caleb and Logan start school for the very first time!!  I really, really hope I can enjoy these last two weeks - I've been too stressed about all my projects (time to take a chill pill), and let's face it, being a mom is just no fun when your kids don't listen or are fighting or whatever.  But, we're on the brink of a new era and I don't want to just wish these last two weeks away, I want to soak up my little boys before they're all grown up.

july...

...is almost over!  Unbelievable!  I've been busy trying to work on a bunch of projects in the house - painting type stuff and little decorating things.  In addition to all the normal stuff...  I'm almost 26 weeks preggo now, and mostly have been feeling great but I'm starting to notice that my energy is petering out a little sooner and I pay for it when I try to do too much.  Still hoping to get lots done before I'm completely huge and practically immobile!  Paint the living room, move playroom to basement, paint nursery, and just get some other things in order that were upended with the house project.  And, oh yeah, I suppose I should make sure Caleb and Logan have what they need for school, and get a few things for baby before he/she comes.  :)  Mostly it's good that I've been busy, helps pass the time while Mike is working so much!  There are just some things that I need is help for, though, and there's the rub.

Last Wednesday the boys and I had a play date with our friends who have been in Italy for the last two years and are now back in MI.  It was great to have time together!  They have a boy 1 year older than Caleb and Logan, and they all hit it off like no time has passed.  They also have a sweet newborn boy whom the boys enjoyed checking out.  :)

Friday night we were able to go as a family to a balloon festival at the local fairgrounds.  It was a beautiful night for it, and it was so neat to see all the hot air balloons!  It was pretty busy and crowded, and the boys REALLY wanted to go on the inflatables they had there for kids, so we let them choose just one (since the lines were so long) and then we got out of there for ice cream.  Perfect night for a trip to the ice cream shop.

Saturday I was able to catch up with some college friends at a splash pad with the kids.  Worked out well since Mike wanted to get a lot of work done leveling dirt around the house, and that would have been hard to do with us at home.  I had such a great time catching up with friends, love it that it felt like no time has passed.  And, the kids (there were a lot of them between all of us!) all played great together!

Yesterday Logan had the special treat of going for his Kindergarten shopping day with Grandma VB (she does that for each grandchild entering Kindergarten).  She picked him up mid-morning (he was so excited to ride in her car), and I believe they went to the mall (got some new clothes, walked around, rode the carousel), had lunch (at DJ's), went to Meijer for school supplies, got donuts, and then went to the park.  The boys rarely get to do anything on their own like that, so that was pretty neat.  I was a little nervous about what backpack he would choose, and a couple days before we were in Meijer and happened to walk past the backpacks, so I pointed out what I thought looked nice/was appropriate/etc.  So, when shopping with Grandma yesterday he chose the John Deere backpack and I was a little surprised that he would choose that one - I guess he said something about how he knew I would like that one.  I tried to talk about it with him later to make sure he really likes the backpack himself and that he didn't get it just because he knew I liked it...I can't get a good read on where he's at on that one.  I'm not sure whether to feel special that he chose something he knows I like, or worried that he's trying too hard to please his mother...

Caleb just returned a little while ago from his shopping day.  He was so excited!  He had things pretty well planned out after hearing about Logan's day.  :)  (And, of course, little brother Levi has his plans, too.)  They followed mostly the same route: to the mall for some shopping and the carousel, lunch and playtime at McDonald's, Meijer for school supplies, and out for ice cream.  Caleb chose a Darth Vader backpack, which he is very happy about.  (The boys are very exited about Star Wars, even though they haven't even seen the movies yet...)  Now that they got a bunch of what they need with Grandma, I suppose I should figure out what else we need to get!  Feeling a little out of my element here with two kids starting school for the very first time - I'm clueless!

food

Building off of my last post, we are actually making some baby steps in the food department.  Huh?  I can hardly believe I can actually say that!!  All of the boys are trying some things (we're talking basics here) that previously they refused, AND LIKING THEM.  Nothing exotic, but it is very encouraging!  No headway in the vegetable department, but I'm not going to push it, I have hope for the future.  :)  This comes at a nice time since all our meals during the week are just me and the boys, and it's very tiring to constantly be dealing with the complaining, etc. on my own without a break.  Examples of our successes lately: Bacon (I know.  Seriously, right?); sandwiches made with leftover roast; a quiche with bacon, burger and cheese; ravioli; and eggs.

It's been a challenging...well...few months, but now specifically the last couple weeks.  Celery harvest is in full swing and it's just been crazy for Mike.  We knew it would be (more than normal), but that doesn't really help...  So, yeah, harvest is always a very busy time, but this year it's more intense for Mike because of the new packing shed and the fact that he is managing two packing lines and not "just" one.  That means a lot more moving parts (there's always a belt slipping, drain getting clogged, gutter jamming up, motor burning out, etc.), and about 50 employees to keep track of (there's always people needing to leave early for appointments, people that don't show up, people driving the dump truck into the barn, leaving lights on on a tractor so there's a dead battery, etc., etc., etc.,).  Mike's current schedule is about 5am-7pm, but that's likely to change a bit (to more like 4am) when they start shipping to V8.  And, evening's are spent either going to a meeting (had a couple church things this week) or working on the house.  That's a long day!  Especially when it's every day (M-F) for a few months straight.  We're both trying not to get discouraged that this is only the beginning of the season and we have to survive this until mid-October.  Of course, a huge factor in this is the fact that harvest is coming right on the heels of the major part of our house project.  Again, something we knew would be an issue, but there was nothing we could do about it.  We're both feeling worn out more like we normally would be in September, a couple months into harvest.  All that said, we are certainly thankful that we were able to do the house project and that it went as smoothly as it did, and we are thankful that Mike has a good job and he certainly has job security (there is lot of celery out in the field, and there's no one else that wants his job!).  Trusting the Lord to get us through the next few months, and then this winter I think we're going to just hibernate in the house and snuggle our new baby.  :)

Update on the house: porches are currently being worked on.  As with any project on an old house and all the things you run into, seems like it's a lot of monkey business.  I need to make up my mind on sidewalks and get that squared away.  We're getting quotes on new asphalt for the driveway.  Those are the main things right now.

Been able to do a few fun things with the boys lately that are helping to pass our long days.  :)  On Monday I took them back to the campground to visit friends and go swimming.  Tuesday we went on an adventure to the viewing park at the airport in GR, Wednesday was not such a good day (Logan puked all over the back of the van because he was hyper, tried to take a drink of water at the wrong moment, got into a coughing fit, and then vomited repeatedly), yesterday we went to a splash pad with friends.

I feel like I had things to write individually about the boys, but hunger is overtaking me and I'm drawing a blank.  :)