Meeuwsen Family

Brian's Birthday

2012-02-03T14:17:00.003-05:00

This past Monday (1/30) was Brian's (32nd!!) birthday. Him and I actually celebrated a few weeks ago when I surprised him and took him to the Brad Paisley concert (with Scott McCreery and The Band Perry). It's quite a funny story of how I surprised him...he had NO clue!! We started off the night by going to 25 Kitchen and Bar across from the Van Andel...it was yummy! Thunder 94.5 was also having a pre-party there so we met all the DJ's from the station. The concert was AWESOME; we had a blast!
This past Sunday we celebrated with our families . Brian has been a NY Giants fan since grade school, I think, so since they are in the Superbowl I went with a football themed party. Have to a have a theme for Carter. :) Here is the cake I made him (it had footballs on the side). I quick took the candles out to take a picture (hence the holes). All the dudes helping him open his presents. Carter, Trey and cousin Kasen. Singing Happy Birthday! On his actual birthday we went to Crazy Horse with all 5 of us...phew...we survived but don't need to try that again for a while. :) Carter thought it was such a treat though since we don't take them to restaurants much anymore.

Jade @ 4 months

2012-02-03T14:11:00.004-05:00

Last Friday we had Jade's 4 month appt. She is a little peanut!!! She weighed 11 lbs, 8 oz (b/t 5th and 10th percentile) and was 24.5 inches long (50th percentile). Her head was in the 10th percentile. Our boys weighed more than this at 2 months! I am not complaining though...I could keep her little forever. :)

She is still a very content and happy baby. She sleeps about 11-12 hours per night and takes a good morning and afternoon nap and then a cat nap around dinner time. She loves when the boys entertain her and even likes her jumperoo and exercauser already. We are just loving her to pieces and her giggle is the best!

Pretty pretty princess

2012-01-27T10:06:00.004-05:00

I always knew that if I had a little girl that she would have pretty pierced ears. I didn't think Brian would be okay with it and honestly had plans to just do it one day but then it got brought up at Christmas and he was game for it! When I was little I remember my mom taking me at least a couple of times and I would leave crying and not get it done so I knew I didn't want to have to go through that with Jade! So last Friday night we were going to go to Rivertown as a family but the roads were really bad so instead my mom and I went Saturday morning (Brian was glad he got out of it b/c he didn't want to see his little girl in pain).

Here is the before picture. Jade was actually belly laughing at the lady....it was hilarious. The whole store was laughing! She obviously didn't know what was coming!
Ah...neither of us too sure (don't mind the horrible picture of me...I had to shut my eyes). She didn't do them both at once b/c little ones move to much but she did the second one so quick I didn't even know she was done.
Ah...all done and hardly any tears. She probably cried for 30 seconds and was fine. My mom admitted she was glad she was along b/c she can honestly say it wasn't bad at all. The worst part was all the people watching!
A close up of her pretty pink earrings...so far they haven't bugged her a bit and look great. Carter says now she is starting to look like me. :)

Snow Fun

2012-01-25T15:03:00.003-05:00

A few pics of some winter fun over here at the Meeuwsen's. On the days it's way too cold to go outside we take the snow inside! The boys LOVE it. We add food coloring to a water bottle and I let them play away. With a towel underneath their stuff it really isn't messy at all. Carter loves to help dad...here he is helping him shovel the driveway on a chilly Saturday morning.
Before the snow all melted on Monday Carter and I went outside to quick build a snowman. Phew...my friend Kath wasn't kidding when she said it's a workout! By noon our snowman was melted but we still had fun doing it.
As you can see Trey is not in the outdoor pictures. He HATES all his snow stuff on...I even made him put it all on the other day and put him outside and he threw a fit. I know it is hard when they are so little so he was content as can be just watching us from the window. When the boys are inside they LOVE to love on their little sis. :)

My Besties

2012-01-14T11:02:00.004-05:00

Taking a break from a family post to a friend post. These lovely ladies are truly my best friends, Kathy (left) and Jenni (right).

Jen and I have known each other our entire lives. She was actually born on the day I was baptized. When we were about 3 she moved into my neighborhood and from then on we were inseparable. We didn't go to the same church or school but since we each only had one brother we were basically sisters. And of course fought like sisters at times too! You name it, Jen and I have done it together....we even worked together in high school and she met her husband b/c of me. :) We now live only 4 miles apart and I know we will be best friends for life!

Kathy and I met in high school at Holland Christian. Our freshman year after seeing each other in class after class we soon realized we had 6 classes together and from then on out we became friends. Her friends from HC welcomed a small town girl from Borculo into their group. :) As a family each summer we always vacationed at Hutchins Lake and it was cool to find out Kathy LIVED on that lake! We lived about 45 minutes apart but spent many a weekends together!

With both of these gals we have been through a lot...they both lost small children and through that they were able to support each other and help me know how to help the other one. They truly are girl friends that I know will be friends for life. You ladies have been such a blessing to me and not a week goes by where we don't talk. You have been a shoulder to cry on, an ear for listening and given me advice when needed. You often find things out before Brian :) and I love you girls more than you will ever know! Thank you for being you! I know God hand picked you to be in my life.

And these are the three handsome little dudes that are now best friends! We all had boys within 6 months of each other and Carter adores Liam (left) and Jackson (right). My prayer is that they remain friends growing up as they see the friendship that their mommy's have!

Jade's Baptism

2012-01-09T13:52:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we had the honor and privilege of having Jade baptized as we promised to love, encourage and raise her to be a child of God's love as he has already received her as his own. It was a great day for us to be surrounded by family and friends.

It was especially special for me b/c she wore the dress that I was baptized in 30 years ago. Here are some pics of the dress and the accessories she wore with it.
Her headband was made by the fabulous Kait at LOKDesigns. And the locket necklace was mine that I wore.Her initial/birthstone bracelet was made by a church friend of my mom's.
So cute shoes!Me and my girlie ready to go to church.Quick pic with her brothers. Don't their faces show trouble? :) Being baptized by Dr. Stouten along with Kurt Henry.

After church we went to mom and dad Meeuwsen's for lunch. These were the yummy desserts made by Holland Cakery.And I wanted to get a family pic....this picture tells it all! Carter being crazy, Trey just had a major blow out and Jade just hanging out as usual! Jade with Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Karen.Jade with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Mary Ann.We look forward to raising Jade along with her brothers to be a follower of Jesus.

Christmas Weekend in Review

2012-01-02T10:21:00.008-05:00

Phew...after going through all my pictures I just pulled out a few to give a recap of our busy Christmas weekend.

We started off Thursday night with the Top party (Brian's mom's side) at the Overisel Community Building. Here is a picture of all the great grand kids.
Friday night we celebrated with just the five of us and started the tradition of homemade pizza by candlelight. Carter was a big helper.
Our simple but festive table and desserts.

This year the kids each got three gifts (just like Jesus did); one of them being pillow pets which they loved way more than I thought they would!As you can see we didn't get dressed up for the occasion. :)
And one of the other gifts was new pj's....Jade's came with a hat and she looked like a little elf...we all got a good laugh! Here is our annual self timer picture. Saturday night we headed to my parents for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner by candlelight. Here is Grandpa Jim and Grandma Mary Ann with their grand kids...and another one on the way!
A little better family picture of the five of us.The kids were spoiled with gifts...here are just a few.
Trey got a new snow shovel! Jade and her new kitty and doll.Kasen opening his big dump truck. Carter got a new dinosaur. Sunday morning Carter was SO excited that Santa came...it was too cute! After church we headed to Brian's parents house to celebrate. The boys got a new outdoor picnic table...yeah! And Carter is loving his LeapPad. We bought our nieces a new barbie camper...it is decked out to the max with a pool and flatscreen tv!Karinda got a new baby doll...oh wait...that is our baby doll Jade!Jade (& Trey) got new suitcases like Carter has. Now they are all set! Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Karen with all their grandkids!Once everyone was down for naps I snuck over to my Uncle Dave and Aunt Betty's house so Jade could meet her new friend, Juniper, from Chicago. They are a week apart and it was fun to watch all their similar mannerisms! As you can see Jade has the Meeuwsen genes...long and lean!After naps we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and helped him enjoy his birthday cake. It was dug into before I could take any pics! Carter couldn't quite figure out why he was just going to watch us eat it and not have any. :) We had a wonderful Christmas and are truly blessed!

A glimpse into Christmas at our house

2011-12-23T13:57:00.005-05:00

Since ya'll don't stop by our house at Christmas time I'd thought I'd give a quick glimpse at a few traditions and some decor around our house this season. I don't go all out by any means b/c with three little ones and one little guy that gets into everything it's not worth it. We've already had a few broken ornaments.

First off we don't have a fireplace and we don't really have a good spot to hang our stockings without the kids getting into them so I found this great sign on etsy and she made it to match our house perfectly!
Here is a picture of our tree decorated with our three little models.

Some decor on our shelves.
Some chocolate snowmen I made for some of Carter's teachers at church along with the ornament he made at M-LIFE.
And of course we had to make Christmas cookies. Carter was a big helper.
And Trey enjoyed the finished product!

We also made a gingerbread house. We had to make it super FAST b/c the boys wouldn't quit eating the candy! Trey wanted nothing to do with being in this picture. Every year is more fun as the boys can do more and more stuff.
And lastly just a picture of our pictures!Looking forward to our family of five Christmas together tonight. Homemade pizzas and sparkling juice by candlelight. :)

Carter's 1st Christmas Program

2011-12-19T13:52:00.002-05:00

Last night our church had their children's Christmas program. Carter had to practice on Saturday and he just stood there. After having a talk with him about who was coming to watch him along with a couple of bribes definitely improved his performance for Sunday night! (He's the little guy in the red in the front).

And then he spotted me and quick smiled for me to take a picture. It was so sticken cute! He was so proud of himself which melted our hearts.

First Christmas party of the season

2011-12-15T20:57:00.007-05:00

The Christmas parties have begun! Saturday night we had the extended Meeuwsen family party at our church. We had a great meal, the kids opened their gifts, Santa came!!, and we had a fun game of bingo and ended the night with yummy sundaes. With our kids being the youngest of the group they are spoiled by all the older kids!

Carter wasn't too sure of Santa at first but as you can see from his smile he REALLY wanted a candy cane! Trey wasn't too sure of him...no tears but no smiles either.
Santa wanted to take Jade home with him. :)

Jade got lots of loving! I hardly held her all night. Abbie (on the right) has just started babysitting and has watched our kiddos a few times with the help of her mom and does a great job. She LOVES babies as does her mom! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-07T10:21:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving day after church we headed to my parents house for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with just our immediate family. After lunch we told my dad we were taking him out for his 60th birthday on Saturday night but had him open his present then which as you can see was probably a good idea. :) We surprised him with a new muzzle loader. When carrying the package in Carter told Grandpa Jim it was a big chocolate bar (oh he thinks like his mom). :)

Thanksgiving night we headed to Brian's Aunt and Uncles house to have a meal with the Meeuwsens. Friday I stayed home and avoided the crazy shoppers and bought some stuff online...so much nicer! On Saturday I did run to town for a bit while Brian took Carter to ZFS and my mom took Trey to go pick out her Christmas tree with Mike, Kim and Kasen.

After we were all back home and had lunch we headed out to pick out our Christmas tree at Prince's in Borculo. That is where my family always bought ours so it's kind of a fun tradition. Jade was all bundled up ready to go.
And this is the one we picked out! Stayed tuned next week for pictures of it decorated.

Saturday night was my dad's actual 60th birthday so my cousin and her hubby came to babysit (for free!) so we headed to Rosebud's in Grand Haven. We were the only ones in the dining room so we were a little nervous and joked that my mom rented the entire place for us. But the food was awesome and we had a great time!

Jade at 2 months

2011-11-23T20:54:00.002-05:00

Today we had Jade's 2 month appt. She weighed 9 lbs. 13 oz. (25th %) and was 22.5 inches long (50th %). Her brothers were right around 12 lbs. and a little longer so she is maintaining her girlish figure. :) She was full of smiles and cooing for the Dr. today. But the poor thing did not do well with her shots. She cried (I mean...screamed!) for 1.5 hours tonight. It was rough! Our boys never did that. Otherwise she is a pretty content baby. She is right on track for the 'Babywise' schedule of eat, play, nap, and is sleeping around 7 hours a night. Sometimes she does get fussy after dinner time but otherwise is happy. She definitely knows how she likes to be held, she likes the swing (her brothers never did!) and she really recognizes voices and is starting to focus on us a lot more. She loves to be talked to! Her brothers still love her and Carter loves to help out. Trey is still learning how to be gentle. :) She definitely still resembles her big brothers!

Sesame Street Live

2011-11-16T13:37:00.002-05:00

Last weekend my parents took the kids so Brian and I could go on a DATE! It had been way to long of a night out for no reason with just the two of us. After dinner with drinks and dessert and shopping at the mall we now realize why we don't go out! It's expensive! :) My parents kept Carter overnight and took him to Sesame Street Live at Van Andel on Sunday afternoon. He LOVED it and my parents said he was so into it. Thanks mom and dad for having a special day with C-man!

A smirk to make you smile

2011-11-15T13:52:00.002-05:00

Trey's 18 month stats

2011-11-07T16:58:00.003-05:00

We had Trey's 18 month appt. today and he weighed in at 22 lbs. 3 oz. (5th %), was 32 inches (25th %) and his head was in the 25th percentile. Carter was 24 lbs. 8 oz. and 32.25 inches at this age so Trey is a tad smaller than his brother...which he regularly has been! He is right on track for everything and had to get two pokes and just cried and cuddled with me for a minute. Carter came with to get a flu shot and was a very brave big brother and did great! Here are some recent pics of our little Trey man. Overall he is a very sweet little sensitive happy boy but unfortunately his big brother likes to drive him nuts so most days we see lots of tears! He likes to wrestle with Carter but usually is the one who winds up hurt. Hopefully once he can talk more they will be able to play a little bit more together. He is a typical boy who loves to build things, play with trucks, tractors, balls and anything boy and of course do what his big brother is doing! He loves to cuddle with his blankie and we call him Linus as you can usually find him with his blanket over his shoulder with his thumb in his mouth. He is a pretty good eater and although he doesn't say much we can usually figure out what he wants. He will forever be the middle child so we have a soft spot in our hearts for him! Love you Trey!

Harvest & Halloween Happenings

2011-11-02T17:32:00.007-04:00

The two weekends before Halloween we went to a couple fall/harvest events at a local church and school. The first one was at South Olive Christian put on by the church. They had dinner, a hayride, games, prizes and entertainment. Carter and Trey had a lot of fun playing the games. And I won an apple pie!

Then last weekend just Carter and I went to Ottawa Reformed with Tim, Jen and Liam. They had dinner, games and trunk or treat. The boys had fun and did so good saying Trick or Treat and thank you. :) Isn't Liam the cutest garden gnome??? You should have seen his mom and dad!
My mom went to Florida with her girl friends while my dad and the guys went pheasant hunting so we stopped by their house last weekend before they left. Here is grandpa with his boys! As much as they wrestle with him the poor guy is going to age fast! :)
The boys were all dinosaurs this year (cousin Kasen on the left) and Jade was an angel. So fitting for all!
Sunday night I thought we better carve Carter's pumpkin...it's never too late, right? Last year he wouldn't put his hands in and pull out the 'guts' and told me he was going to this year but still wasn't a fan of it.
Jade was hungry so I had to carve fast so it's pretty plain and simple. All that mattered was that I had a happy boy who likes to watch it glow on the porch.
Halloween night we went to De Witt's neighborhood to trick or treat with DeHaan's and Huyser's. Trey was a little under the weather so Brian just stayed home with him.
The kids didn't last too long this year so good thing we had enough strollers and wagons along!
The mommies and our girls.

Tuesday night I brought Carter to ZFS and Brian took him to a local farmers field and he got to pick beans on the combine for a while. I think this smile shows how much he loved it!

M-LIFE: First Meeting & Playdate

2011-10-17T16:35:00.006-04:00

Oct. 7 was our first M-LIFE meeting at church. It is a program for moms with kids from 0-5. The kids love it and it's SO nice to have some mom time! The first week we made a craft out of toilet paper tubes. At the meeting I just cut up my pieces and then completed it at home. A fun 'J' for Jade's room. She thought she had to help model it. :)
Then last Friday our M-LIFE group went to Post Family Farm for the morning. It was a bit chilly but the kids still had fun. We first checked out the animals.
Then got a few pictures by the pumpkins.
Jade slept the whole time in the Bjorn.
Then our tour started and the first stop was the Pumpkin train. Trey got to ride with cousin Kasen (behind Carter).
Then we went on a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. My mom came with me to help with the boys. :)
Here's our group heading out. There were 2 different tours for our group that morning.
Kasen liked this little pumpkin. I think he thought it was an apple. :)
And just a few other random pictures. On one of the warm days a week ago the boys and I had fun playing outside in a pile of leaves.
And we can't end a post without Jade! Sunday she wore her first dress with a pair of tights...it's been just a tad fun to dress and accessorize her. :)

Just some randoms

2011-10-11T08:53:00.005-04:00

As this picture best entails the boys are still in love with Jade. Carter loves to help and always wants her to be awake and Trey loves to put his face really close so her hair will tickle him and he loves to give her kisses. They have not show any jealousy which really surprised me. I thought the transition would be rough on Trey but so far he's been great. Of course they both have their moments b/c they aren't getting as much attention as before but I really can't complain.
Our nieces are home from Nebraska for a few weeks so the boys have been SPOILED with them coming over to play and entertain them. My mother-in-law came and painted our trim and doors so the girls came for a few days which really helped me get some things done. Thursday night we headed downtown Zeeland with them to watch them do the tractor peddle pull and enjoy some other activities. Here they are painting some pumpkins. Carter was concentrating too hard for a picture. :)

Saturday we headed to the pumpkin parade with my mom and in-laws and our nieces. Jade slept the whole time (of course!) and the kids had a riot getting LOTS of candy.

Since it's now harvest season Brian is working like crazy so last night we went to my grandma's house to visit to kill some time. The boys had fun playing in the leaves outside and enjoying some ice cream with grandma. She doesn't always remember the kids but she never fails to show her love to them! After Great Grandma's we stopped by Auntie Pam's to see her new puppy...we will definitely have to go there more to play with her.
And an update on our sweet little miss Jade. We can't imagine our life without her! She has finally made it back to her birth weight of 6 lbs. 12 oz. so she is still a little peanut but she has grown 2 inches so she seems bigger! She still curls up in a ball which I LOVE! She is a very content baby and I think another Babywise baby. I can put her down awake and she will fall asleep and usually wakes up like an alarm clock when it's time to eat. Her nights have been more random but she goes at least 3 hours and sometimes 5. At times she doesn't stay awake enough to fill her belly so I find myself up 10 minutes later. It's easy to get frustrated but have to remind myself she is our last and I have to soak up the newborn stage! Her and I usually squeeze in a nap together in the afternoon so that helps give me energy for the rest of the day. :)

Applesauce!

2011-09-28T19:42:00.004-04:00

Well we got our apples picked before Jade was born but we never had time to make applesauce. So thankfully my mom came today to help us get that project done! Carter was a big helper too.
Lots of hot steam!
Trey had to get in the action too.
Final product! This probably won't last us through the winter with both the boys eating it too but it's a good start!
And we can't leave out miss Jade! So far she's been a pretty content little baby. Seems similar to Trey from what I can remember. She does like to be held by her mama but knowing this is our last newborn I am not complaining. :) Carter and Trey are still in love with her...it's so sweet and melts my heart. They are going to be great big brothers!

Introducing Jade Evelyn

2011-09-25T06:05:00.004-04:00

Jade Evelyn Meeuwsen, born 9/23/11 at 11:53 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz., measuring 18.25 inches and is absolutely perfect!
Her big brothers were excited to come see her. The first night with all the visitors I don't think it all quite clicked with them but the second night they came they were really into her. Carter was full of questions and Trey loves to give her kisses. They were so sweet to her.
Yes, she looks a lot like big brother Carter as a newborn. Those Meeuwsen genes are strong!
Napping with dad. I have a pic just like this with Brian with each of the kids. So in love with his little girl.
Jade is named after my Grandma Boers (my mom's mom). Her first name was Evelyn and although she passed away when I was 9 I have a lot of special memories of her growing up. This was also the name we would have used if Trey were a girl.

Family of five picture! Since Jade thought she would come 3 weeks early I had just ordered the big brother, little sister shirts, so unfortunately they will be in next week so we'll save them for the next photo! The outfit above was made by my BFF Jen for when Trey was born (which he obviously would have worn if he was a girl).
Checking out their new little sister and figuring it all out. :)
Birth Story (for those interested and for my own account!):
Around 9:00 pm Thursday night I kept having to go the bathroom and Brian and I were joking that maybe I was in labor and that we both weren't ready yet. Brian headed to bed early and I stayed up watching TV as I started to have some pains around 10 pm but of course thought it was all in my head. I fell asleep on the couch from about 10 to 11 and then woke up to pretty regular contractions and I was pretty sure my water had indeed broke. For the next few hours I tried to sleep but no such luck as the contractions were pretty steady. About 2:30 am I woke up Brian and told him this baby was coming and we needed to start packing. I wasn't due until October 15 so I had nothing packed so it was kind of hectic this time! After getting packed and showered I called the Dr. and of course he was surprised to hear from me b/c when I was in on Tuesday and he checked me absolutely nothing was happening, I was still measuring small, etc., so we figured she would come close to my due date. He told me since my water broke I could head in when I felt ready. So I called my mom, she came around 4:30 am, and we were off. We stopped at ZFS for Brian to tie up some loose ends and were at the hospital at 5:00 am. The nurse said I was at 3 cms, about 75% thinned and confirmed my water broke so they were keeping me. :) Dr. Geerlings came in around 8:30 and checked me and I was at about 4 cms so he said to start me on pitocin. There were 2 other girls delivering so it took a bit to get all the IVs and everything going but once the pitocin started contractions got pretty intense so then the epidural came. Dr. G. called to see how I was doing and the nurse said I was at around 6 cm dialated. Within 5 minutes I had the urge to push, she checked me again and I was fully dialated and ready to deliver! So a quick call to the Dr. and he was here within 10 minutes and Jade was born after 3 contractions! It all went really quick but I was so relieved she was here and healthy! God once again blessed us beyond what we could imagine. True to a girls nature she loves to be held and so far is doing great. I am so in love once again with that newborn smell and softness of her skin and could hold her all day! It was fun to call our family and friends as they were all quite shocked to hear that she was here already! Praying for a smooth transition as we begin our new adventure as a family of five!

Crane's Orchards

2011-09-19T15:49:00.004-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we headed out for our annual apple picking excursion. Usually I go with my sister-in-law and nieces and my mother-in-law but since the girls had to move away :( I wasn't sure they would be around to go this year and since I am uncertain when this little baby girl is going to come I needed to get this off my check list. :) So, we took daddy along to experience apple picking with us!
Trey had fun just rolling around in the grass and of course picking up all the nasty apples off the ground.

53 lbs. later we were ready to go! And this probably won't get us through a year of applesauce...we'll see! We picked Honey Crisp and Golden Supreme...yum! I already made a batch of apple crisp for dinner tonight.
After apple picking we headed to the restaurant for dinner. It was crazy busy outside but we got right in inside and enjoyed a yummy meal. The boys loved checking out all the antiques they have.
One last pic on the milk jugs eating a donut before we leave. Till next year!

Beautiful country side wedding

2011-09-07T17:19:00.006-04:00

A few weekends ago we headed over to Saginaw for my cousin Matt and his fiance Molly's wedding. It was a perfect day for an outdoor wedding and everything about it was so cool. As you can see my cousin Matt has a twin brother, Nick, standing to the right. I grew up right next door to these guys and babysat them for several summers.

The awesome cupcake tower.

The beautiful bride and groom. The guys from our side of the family that attended--cousin Dan, brother Mike, Brian, my Uncle Vern (my mom's brother) and my dad.

Family pic. My brother Mike trying to look macho....sorry Mike, you didn't look normal in any pictures! Ha, ha.

Thanks to Tim and Jen for taking the boys overnight. It was nice to get away for a bit!

Beach Night Fun

2011-09-07T16:50:00.007-04:00

Last week we hit three different beaches in three nights...gotta get it all in before summer ends! Thursday night we took out Eric and Kate's boat (thanks guys!) to Port Sheldon and had fun swimming and playing. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. The boys got pulled over by our police buddy Travis and got ice-cream 'tickets' for wearing their life jackets. :)

Friday night Brian came home with his buddy's monster truck to keep the boys entertained for the weekend since the weather wasn't nice enough to head up to Ludington to stay with mom and dad Meeuwsen on the boat. So we went to Grand Haven beach to swim and play and of course ice-cream!

Saturday night we took our neighbor Sydney and headed out in the monster truck to Holland State Park. We picked up dinner on the way and then walked the pier and the kiddos played in the sand.

Hudsonville Fair

2011-09-07T16:35:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Jen and I took the boys to the Hudsonville Fair. We stopped to say hi to Brian first at the animal auction then went through the animal barns, rode some rides and ended the night with some treats.

Brian gave the boys the ribbons he got from buying animals.

Jen and Liam going down the slide. Liam isn't a roller coaster fan like Carter. He takes after his daddy. We joked that Brian and Jen may have to go to Cedar Point together b/c they are more the thrill lovers unlike Tim and I!
Carter showing me they unbuckled the seat belt before it started...oops! Thankfully they didn't get tossed around too much.

Baby Girl Update

2011-08-28T17:57:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated lately on this pregnancy or the preparations for our baby girl to arrive in 7 weeks so I thought I would post a few pictures. I am not a big belly picture fan but have snapped a few each pregnancy. Here is a picture of me at 33 weeks. I have definitely gained enough weight but thankfully still weigh less than before being pregnant with Trey so that's at least reassuring! I have been measuring about a week behind and always did with the boys too. Heartbeat has been anywhere between 140-160. She is definitely a feisty little thing and anytime anything is on my belly she kicks or punches at it. Overall I have been feeling pretty good; just the normal aches and pains and some restless nights.
As you can see Carter is really excited for his baby sister to arrive. He is so in love with her already...it's so sweet. Praying that remains the same once she comes! He wanted me to whisper her name to him a couple of weeks ago and promised to keep it a secret...sorry buddy, no such luck. :) We are set on a name though and my family is dying for hints but they will just have to wait!

It's been fun to transform the nursery from blue to pink as well! It still needs a few more touches but here is a sneak peek into what it is looking like. Thanks to my BFF Jen for making the curtain and rocking chair cover. They turned out perfect!

The boys now share a room in the basement and it has gone way better than expected. They go to bed without a peep and even nap together during the day. It's nice to have that behind us and one less thing to worry about once the baby comes. Although it's going to by BUSY once she arrives I am definitely getting ready to meet her!

While daddy was away...

2011-08-22T10:17:00.011-04:00

...we played! Thursday morning Brian and his buddies left for the Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR race. I swear the trip gets a day longer every year. :) Me and the boys had a lot of fun stuff planned for the weekend to make time go fast. Friday morning started off rough but thankfully we were on the road to GR by 9 with my mom. We hit Buy, Buy Baby and Babies R Us for some items for baby #3 and then headed to the Childrens Garden at Frederick Meijer Gardens.
Going through the maze with Grandma Mary Ann.

Trey fell asleep on the way and actually stayed asleep as I put him in the stroller. He isn't quite ready to drop his morning nap yet. He woke up right at the end which worked perfect.
They had a really cool water table (as Carter would say) and it was nice to let the boys cool off as it was HOT out.

Saturday we were hoping to hit the pool but we knew a storm was coming so we headed to Allendale's Boulevard Days instead. At TruValue they had some kids activities. Carter's getting so big and could even do this inflatable without help.
Barreling down the other side.
Trey even got to try out the little one even though he just got tossed around; he loved it!
Carter got to go on a pony ride too. They must have been sensing the storm b/c the one behind him got out of his harness and another was acting up too. Thankfully none of the action scared Carter and he loved it.
Saturday night I got a sitter for the boys and got to enjoy celebrating my friend Sheri's birthday so it was a nice break for me too.

Sunday we went to my parents church and enjoyed lunch with Great Grandma and then after naps we headed to John Ball Zoo. Carter has been asking all summer to go with Grandpa Jim. Petting the goats with Grandpa.
This gorilla cracked me up as he just sat there and bobbed his head like he was listening to music or something.
Grandma pointing out an animal.
This lion came right up to the glass and roared really loud. It was so cool! We had to go find the male lion as Carter didn't think this was a lion b/c it didn't have a mane. :)
Ride 'em cowboy!
Completed the trip with a picture with John Ball with Grandpa and Grandma. Thanks for a fun day!!
Back to Brian....the guys had lot of fun at the race and pre-race activites. They did a lot of golfing on Thursday and Friday along with some road touring. Apparentely the guys turned this trip into a 'work-related' trip as they checked out the local crops. :)

Josh (friend), Bruce (co-worker) and Brian standing in a field of beans. I think this should be in the next ZFS calendar! :) Nerds!
The boys were just a tad excited to have daddy home and were even more excited with their new race cars they got. It was quite humorous how attached they were to Brian on Monday. Trey cried every time he left the room and couldn't get close enough to him.
Staying busy definitely helped time go fast and thankfully after our rough Friday morning the boys were really good all weekend. I try not to think about next year being home alone with 3 kids for 5 days. Oh wait...that will come in December when he goes hunting. Martha...start the plans now! :)

The Latest and Greatest

2011-08-15T11:18:00.013-04:00

Once again I am behind so here is what we have been up to the past few weeks. As tradition goes we went to the Ottawa County Fair. I grew up going every year...riding the rides, eating the junk food, checking out the animals, etc. So the night that Brian was there buying animals at the auction for ZFS, me and my mom took the boys.

First we hit up the animal barns. The boys wanted to touch them all!
Checking out the ducks outside with Grandma Mary Ann.
Petting the bunnies with mommy.
And riding the rides! Carter LOVED them as usual. Check out that face. :) We finished the night with all kinds of junk food and met up with daddy and Grandpa Jim.
The following weekend we attended Travis and Sandra's wedding. Travis is a long time friend of Brian's and works at ZFS with him. He also happens to be my 2nd cousin. :)
The beautiful bride and handsome groom!
The next morning we headed up to my Aunt Pam's cottage. Soon enough the neighbor boy came over to play with Carter.
Muddy mess but oh so happy!
The boys had so much fun netting fish from the dock. They would throw bread in and scoop them up and then put them in their buckets for a bit to watch them.
My cousin Matt and Brian got some knee boarding in. We had a great time but it was hard without my Uncle Ken there. We definitely missed him but it was so nice that my cousins could come join us and Aunt Pam took care of us as she always does!
Then last weekend it was off to Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven with Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Karen. I forgot I had my camera with so I didn't take pictures of Carter on the rides but he had fun once again. Then we went for a walk and seen this copper guy. Carter was too scared to stand next to him.
Can't pass up ice cream after our long walk! We didn't stay on the boat Friday night which was a good thing since it rained all day Saturday but after naps on Saturday we headed there to play on the beach and swim for a bit and then hung on the boat and woke up Carter to watch the fireworks which he loved and chatted about them the whole time. We headed home Sunday morning.
Then Sunday afternoon it was off to mom and dad Meeuwsen's since Eric and Kate and the girls were home from Nebraska. Carter and Brian had gone up to their cabin during the week to hang out with them so he got some time with the girls. We had a fun afternoon of swimming.
Last Monday we got to have Norah and Ethan over for the day. They are about exactly the same ages as our kiddos. It sure was a BUSY day but the kids had so much fun playing together and I even got them all to nap at the same time. :)
And last week Carter and Norah went to VBS at Faith United Ref. Church out by our house. It was nice b/c it was a small group and they had so much fun. Thursday night we got to go watch them do a little program. It was so sweet when we sat down and Trey got off my lap and headed up to the front to sit next to his brother....he wasn't going to miss out.
Friday Carter took his first trip to the dentist and although he wasn't too sure of it at first he did great and really liked it in the end and is excited to go back again!
Saturday after the rain quit we went out to Drenthe to Breakfast on the Farm at Daybreak Dairy. They have 7 of these events throughout the state. ZFS was a sponsor. First we had a wonderful breakfast and then they give you a tour of the farm. It was so well organized as they probably had 1,500+ people attend.

The first stop was checking out these calves and how they are given what nutrients they need. Everyone had to wear these booties to not spread disease.
After we seen the cows being milked Carter got to try his hand at it.
Have to get a picture next to a tractor!
Petting the BIG cows with mom.
They picked us up with hay wagons and brought us back out to our truck when we were done. We were there for 2 hours and the boys did great. Carter told me his legs were tired when he was done. :)
Phew....as much as I don't wish summer away I have to admit it was so nice this past weekend to not have to pack and unpack since we stayed home. Now the nesting phase has begun and I am trying to get our house cleaned and in order...it's been neglected!

Summer Randomness

2011-07-26T21:04:00.005-04:00

Completely random post of some things we have been up to!

A few weeks back we headed out to Grand Haven for a nice walk along the boardwalk. It was a gorgeous night and Carter even talked Brian into buying us some ice cream. :) We don't get out there as much as we used to so it was a great family night.
Our little pirate Trey. His eyes seem extremely sensitive to the light so if you have seen him this summer you have definitely seen this look! :)
I love all our summer traditions and another one is going to our friend's parents house on Green Lake. It gets busier each year with all the kids but it was a HOT day and the kiddos all napped so we got to relax too. Here Pete is running in the sprinkler ball with Jace and Carter. The water balloons they brought were a hit too!
Carter and Brian heading out for a sea doo ride.
Our neighbor Sydney came over one night to play and first Trey came upstairs eating chalk and I should have known there was trouble downstairs. Next Syd and Carter came up and had covered their faces and told me they were clowns. :) I had to laugh and snap a picture.
To cool off one night last week we went to the splash pad in Allendale. It took Carter a while to warm up to it but once he found some cute little girls to play with he was all about it.
Sunday night we celebrated our nephew Kasen's first birthday. An adorable farm theme....Kim did a great job...so cute!
Took a minute for Kasen to dig in...he loved all the attention. It was so cute.
Cousins! Kasen loves his thumb as much as Trey does. :) We had to snap a picture quickly!
I'll try better to update more often!

Big Star Weekend

2011-07-26T20:36:00.006-04:00

A few weekends ago we went to Big Star Lake with DeWitts. Each year we add another baby so the cottage seems to be shrinking! The kids did great though and we had a beautiful weekend. Here are the three amigos (aka trouble!): Jacob, Carter and Deacon.
Thankfully Trey was over his two weeks of being crabby and was really happy all weekend. He was content either playing in the sand or with buckets of water. And LOVED hanging out with the dog Quincy (chocolate lab) too.
After seeing Carter go for a tube ride with daddy there was no way that daddy wasn't going to take Trey! He had a blast and thought he was big stuff!
Carter didn't like his tube ride with daddy but thought he would have fun with Martha and Jacob and then he loved it! A little bribery of candy and chocolate milk helped too. :)
Brian tried out the wakeboard and got right up on his second try...
Jason took a turn as well.
One project was for Brian and Jason to put this water trampoline together. We 'bathed' in the middle of the lake so the boys rode on the tramp as we towed it out.
Is Deacon not the cutest?? I didn't get any pictures of Tenley but she was such a good baby all weekend...I loved to hold her and cuddle with her! It was good for Carter and Trey to be around a little one as well..they both did great.
Sunday morning Brian and Jason took Carter and Jacob for a kayak ride.
Buddies! So cute!
Oh and yes, I was on this vacation too...a quick picture for proof. The boys were just up from naps.
Thanks again Jason and Martha for another wonderful weekend....LOVE our summer tradition!

Wonderful Holiday Weekend

2011-07-06T16:12:00.005-04:00

What a great weekend! Friday night Brian got to take this fun toy home from work since he couldn't ride his 'crotch rocket' b/c it was raining. They boys thought it was so cool to have a monster truck to take a ride in!
Saturday morning I went and got a pedicure with my mom and then Brian and his buddies went golfing so me and the neighbor ladies and all the kids went to Briana's parents house to swim for the afternoon. Trey had fun floating around.
Carter and Sydney played and played and played!
Sunday we went to Beechwood's outdoor church service (aka 'Donut church') and then went to mom and dad Meeuwsen's for lunch and headed out on the boat to Laketown beach. Trey slept the entire afternoon on the boat and Carter played, climbed, dug, etc. and had sand in every nook and cranny possible!

Ah...this is the life!
Monday morning we got up and went on the boat and headed to Saugatuck for breakfast. The lake was so calm and peaceful and it was a beautiful ride. Once we got back we hung out at the pool for the afternoon. The boys took nice naps so we all got a nap in around the pool!
Trey having fun playing in the water with Grandpa Cliff. We got home Monday night around 5:30 and didn't have any plans for the night but we came home to our neighbors throwing a party with their friends...perfect! They invited us over and we joined in the fun. This was Carter's first time doing Sparklers and he thought they were pretty cool!
Our messy, messy little guy.
Carter was so excited there were a lot of little boys to play with for once! They had fun running around and trying out the boys gator. They weren't too sure of the big booms of the fireworks though. After the boys were in bed they let the big ones off...they were impressive and I have no clue how our boys slept through them! (that isn't me in the background...that is the other little boys momma due at the end of the month with boy #3) :)
Hope everyone else enjoyed the beautiful weekend!

Turning 30 wasn't so bad...

2011-07-01T14:26:00.005-04:00

when you have great friends and family! I think I strung it out over a week between lunch and dinners with friends and two parties! Sunday night my parents had both our families over to celebrate and surprised me by inviting extra family members and my BFF Jen and her fam over as well. It was a beautiful night.
Carter helping me open presents.
30 circles with #30 on it...made by Cakes by Carol....fabulous!
Carter and Liam helping me blow out the candles.
Even my co-workers had fun decorating my office with post-it notes.
On my actual birthday Brian told me we were going to go out on his parents boat to go to Boatwerks for dinner. As we pulled in there were quite a few cars there and he surprised me with a cook out with all our friends and family!

The kids were excited to swim in the pool and it is so nice now that we can just put a life jacket on Carter and he can swim by himself.
Cake #2!
My fav neighbor girls...Abby, Sydney, Kylee and Rylee.
Sydney, Carter and Jacob having fun on the swing.
Brian stayed home in the morning so the boys could sing happy birthday to me. I have been having fun with my new Nook Color and as you can see Carter was more excited about the M&M's he got me. :)
And a HUGE thank you to my amazing husband for such an incredible birthday. He really made it special and I truly am blessed!

2nd Annual Amber Rose Pig Roast

2011-06-27T21:29:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday we threw our 2nd annual pig roast with our neighborhood for all our friends and family. 4 of the 5 houses in our neighborhood put it on. We estimated we probably fed about 150 people and had around 200 total guests.

Briana's dad ready to get the pig off the roaster and cut it up...it was a BIG one! 225+ lbs!
Carter and Alyssa having a blast bouncing down the bounce house slide.
This year we tried out a pinata and wow...what a hit! Carter got to have the first swing at it and as you can see there were a lot of kids in line behind him! Next year we will have to get more than one.
Brian and my dad having a little too much fun controlling the pinata.
Ah...it finally broke...the scramble for all the candy.
The weather was once again perfect this year and we had a great time. It's fun to get every one's friends and families together with our great little neighborhood.

Busy boy!

2011-06-27T20:58:00.005-04:00

Last week Carter was able to attend VBS at our church (Community Ref. in Zeeland). He of course LOVED it. And he got to have his friends Alyssa and Jackson in his class too. He is in the first row hanging over the pew with the bandana on his head in this pic.
Sunday morning Alyssa came to our church for the finale. He did all the motions during practice but just stood there during the real performance! He was SO tired from a busy week and our neighborhood party the night before.

The last couple of weeks Carter once again took swimming lessons at our friend Lindsey's pool. We missed having Miss Martha as a teacher his year but Miss Jen from the Aquatic center did a great job and Carter really improved from day one. It helped that his buddy Jackson was in his class too...they did AWESOME!

Looks like he's swimming away...and probably not supposed to be!
Being the class clown and goofing off!
Learning to kick on his back.
Racing to the beach ball with Jackson.
And we can't forget Carter's biggest fan Trey! It was a fun couple of weeks for all the kiddos and for us moms to...I love catching up with some old friends and of course reminding ourselves that all our kiddos are in the same toddler stage which can be challenging at times! There were a lot of baby bellies too....all little girlies on the way!

Fathers Day 2011

2011-06-24T16:16:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning when the boys woke up they were excited to give daddy his Father's Day gifts. Nothing too exciting...4 new shirts!

My three favorite boys after church.

Sunday night my parents came over for some pizza and cake. Mom and dad Meeuwsen came home on Sunday from South Haven so unfortunately we didn't really get to celebrate with them but they were graced with our presence Fri-Sat....that was probably enough for them! :)

My dad with his favorite daughter as he always says. I am quick to remind him I am his only daughter. :)
Grandpa Jim and his boys.
All the boys ready to dig into the DQ ice cream cake. Yum!
Thank you dad and Brian for being wonderful father's to us and our boys....we love you so much and appreciate you both!

South Haven Harbor Fest

2011-06-24T15:49:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we headed to South Haven for their annual Harborfest to stay on the boat with mom and dad Meeuwsen. Friday night we headed to check out the fun and games they had and spent some time playing at the beach. Brian and Carter having fun going down the inflatable slide.
And bouncing away in the bounce house!
Trey loved swinging on the swings...full of giggles!

Carter wanted to ride this boat ride with daddy. He had his hands up the entire ride and giggled away!
Carter is definitely going to be our roller coaster lover....he drew quite a crowd of people thinking he was big stuff.
Trey watching the Dragonboat races with Grandpa and Grandma.
Each year they have these races. Some teams are local and some even come from Canada. It's always fun to sit on the docks and watch them.
We headed to the beach late morning and the boys played for HOURS...loved being in the water as well. They took big naps that afternoon on the boat...we had to wake them up for dinner!
It was a great weekend but BUSY. Trey is at a hard age since he isn't quite walking yet so it's hard on the docks. I think our boating trips may be put on hold for a few years!

Grandma Karen's Birthday

2011-06-24T15:44:00.002-04:00

A week ago Sunday we celebrated mom Meeuwsen's birthday at our house. Here is the flower cake I made.
Grandma Karen and her boys singing Happy Birthday.
Thanks for all you do for us mom! Wishing you many more years!

Baby Girl Update

2011-06-14T21:36:00.003-04:00

Had a Dr.'s appt. today and all is still going great. Dr. G. read the report from the ultrasound and all looked good. I asked him about my due date since the ultrasound showed a date of Oct. 6 but he said we will still stick with Oct. 15 but wrote down 'maybe a week earlier.' The boys both came early so here's to hoping! I have been measuring about a cm small each week...not complaining! Of course the weight keeps going up and up! Her heartbeat is right on track for a girl...160 bpm. My boys definitely had 'boy' heartbeats so I can say they were true to the guesses we all make when it comes to the heartbeats being high or low. I have still been feeling great and Brian is quickly realizing how fortunate he is to have a wife that has had three smooth sailing pregnancies! :) Carter asked me the other day why I had bought chocolate milk and I told him that mommy will take chocolate in any form she can get it! Definitely a craving! He has been enjoying the sweet treat with me. He asks me about every day when his baby sister is going to come. I told him the other day that she will come out when it's pumpkin season and Brian said, yep, once mommy's belly is as big as a pumpkin she will come out! :) Trey on the other hand...well...it's going to be hard on the little guy. Whether it's Carter or a baby on my lap he does not like it....definitely loves his mommy! I'll take the cuddling though...I just love it from my boys as I know these days will fly by. I have enjoyed filling the closet with pink but never thought I would feel so awkward shopping in the girl section....still seems so surreal!

Wonderful Week

2011-06-05T20:51:00.005-04:00

We started off our week by going to the Zeeland Memorial Day parade with our families. Eric and Kate were home for the weekend so Carter was able to enjoy it with the girls.
My mom and dad and Grandma DJ joined us.
Mom and dad Meeuwsen with their grand kids.
After the parade we headed out on mom and dad Meeuwsen's boat and headed to Saugatuck and anchored outside the pier for the afternoon. Trey HATED his life jacket at first but once we got out of the channel and it cooled off we figured out it was just the heat that had been bugging him and then he was happy. He loves to stand by this door and watch the water and boats.
Carter was so tired that he actually fell asleep snuggling with me...he loves to cuddle but so unlike him to fall asleep! He loves to sleep on the boat though and the boys both took awesome naps.
Carter has been waiting to plant my flowers with me so we got that done this week too. My mom had picked them up while I was in DC last week. Carter did a great job and it's so fun to see how excited he gets when he can help me.

Trey happy as can be playing in the sandbox. Poor guy got eaten up by mosquitoes even with spray on and I think one was in his bedroom this week..he looks like he has the chicken pox!
Last night Sydney transformed her sandbox into a pool and it worked great to add bubbles and do baths as well!
Today after church we went to mom and dad Meeuwsen's for lunch and then out on the boat to Laketown beach. I stayed with Trey (and then later Carter) on the boat while they napped (great naps!) which was nice. It was so peaceful and I got 1/2 a book read! Carter and Brian climbed the sand dune so I was able to catch this shot of them running down the hill.
Brian, Trey and mom enjoying the ride back to Holland.
After dinner the boys were so full of sweat, sunscreen and sand that they needed baths. Since they only have older girl cousins grandma only had a stash of girl PJ's...good thing they didn't care! :)
What a great week!

It's a GIRL!

2011-05-23T21:12:00.003-04:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and were thrilled and surprised to see that baby #3 is a GIRL!! The baby looked healthy and it always amazes me all the fine details you can see. The baby was very active and the tech had to work for her money (may have had to do with the smarties I ate beforehand :)) but she got all the pictures she needed. Since this baby was a surprise and our miracle baby, as we like to say, we thought my due date was Oct. 15 but she measured with a due date of Oct. 6 so we shall see if Dr. G. changes my due date or not. Carter is so excited to tell people that he is having a baby sister and I showed him the ultrasound pictures and he said, "Aw, she's so cute mom." :)

Tulip Time

2011-05-23T14:45:00.008-04:00

We once again celebrated Holland's Tulip Time with our little dutch boys in style. We went downtown a couple of nights with our families and also hit the Wednesday parade with Jen and Liam and the DeWitt and Bouwens crew. It was great weather this year and we had a lot of fun soaking up the festivities and of course the junk food!
Mom and Dad De Jonge with the boys.
The boys with our nephew Kasen....it was next to impossible to get a good picture!
My brother Mike and sister-in-law Kim with Kasen.
Couple of family pictures.
Wednesday parade with Deacon and Jacob. I left Trey at day care so he could get a nap in and so I could have some one on one time with Carter...it was definitely worth it and fun!
Jen and Liam.
Dutch dancing! :)
It was HOT so all the kiddos didn't last to long in their costumes.

The Meeuwsen boys with the dutch statues.

Mom and dad Meeuwsen with the boys.
Looking forward to next year with three little ones!

Mothers Day

2011-05-13T16:43:00.005-04:00

Mothers Day was a busy day of going to both of our families and squeezing in some outdoor time since it was so nice outside but we had a great day and I am so thankful to be a mom to these amazing (and adorable) little guys.

Me and my boys at my parents house.
Picture of the moms. Our SIL Kim and nephew Kasen along with my mom and my dad's mom. We forgot to include the guys in a picture...oops!
After naps we headed to mom and dad Meeuwsen's for supper. Grandma Karen surprised Trey with a birthday cake since they were still in Florida over his b-day.

Can you tell he is just dying to dig in?
Mmm....yummy!
Brian and his mom.

Dandelion Festival

2011-05-09T15:07:00.003-04:00

Saturday morning after Brian ran the Tulip Time Run (and did great!) we headed to downtown Borculo for the annual Dandelion Festival. They have an area for the little kids and Carter LOVED the games and inflatables. The best part is that every thing is FREE...the food, games, etc....we had a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.

Hooking a fish with daddy.
Getting ready to watch the parade with Grandma Mary Ann. She volunteered at the event (hence the lovely hat). :)

Came home and the boys just had to ride the gator. I didn't think Trey would be able to stay on but Brian strapped him in and away they went!

Boys and their toys

2011-05-05T21:42:00.003-04:00

The ONLY (yes, only my little girlies!) benefit of our nieces moving to Nebraska was that they didn't take their JD Gator with and said our boys could use it. So, Brian surprised Carter and took it home on Saturday for him. We were amazed at how quickly he figured it out and has the gears and reverse all down pat already! He has literally driven it every day since then and drives it until the battery goes dead...he's going to be wearing a path in the grass around the neighborhood soon enough! Thanks Eric and Kate and girls!

Didn't take long for him to go pick up his BF Syndey. She has her own gator too so now they just follow each other around. :)

Can't forget about our little guy Trey and his car! He loves to fly down the driveway hill just as Carter always did at this age!

Our little dutch model

2011-05-03T20:07:00.003-04:00

At work today someone mentioned to me they seen Carter in the 2011 Shoreline Visitors Guide so after work I made sure to run out and grab a few copies. They usually put them at local stores and restaurants in the area.
I remember last year signing a waiver for a photographer who was taking pictures of him during Tulip Time but never thought anything would come of it. Check out our featured little dutch boy!
Also spotted on this page with his friend Norah. They were being so cute playing by the tulips together and were the cutest little dutch couple. :)

Looks like they post the magazine online as well but 2011 isn't on there yet. http://www.shorelinevisitorsguide.com/

Stats

2011-05-02T20:49:00.004-04:00

More for my own personal reference as I turn this blog into a book I wanted to jot down Carter and Trey's three year and one year stats. Last week we headed to the Dr. and at first I told myself I could do it alone but then last minute asked Brian to come with me. With the boys being so busy and since the appt. was for both boys I was sure glad he came! And it's literally across the street from ZFS so no inconvenience there!

Anyway, Carter weighed 35 lbs. and was 37.75 inches tall. He was in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height. He passed all the 'tests' the Dr. did with him with flying colors and is right on track and healthy! He did have to get a booster for one of his vaccines so it was definitely nice to have daddy with b/c I wasn't expecting that! I do have to share two funny things he said lately that just cracked us up. At dinner the other night I was asking him what letter Carter started with, Trey, daddy, etc. and then I said Kelly, which I wasn't sure he knew. NO joke he said umm...P...M....S. :) Had NO clue what he was saying but unfortunately daddy agreed! Ha, ha...he wasn't sure why we were laughing so hard. Then on the way to church that night he wanted to take his cell phone and he flips it open and says, "Hi, my name is Carter. Do you have a Bible in your house? " I think we have an evangelist on our hands! I have to say his favorite book lately is definitely the Bible...he could sit for hours and read stories and most mornings he is reading it in his bed when he gets up....so precious!

Then on to our little Trey man. Aka 'baby'. He weighed 20 lbs. and was 29.5 inches. 10th percentile for weight and between the 25th and 50th for height. He definitely doesn't seem that little to me! He had to get 4 shots and was right on track as well but unfortunately is on his 3rd diff. med for his ear infection that he can't seem to get rid of. No talk of tubes yet...hoping this med works!

Both of our boys are definitely little cuddle bugs. They both suck their fingers; Carter his middle two on his left hand and Trey his thumb on his right hand. They love to have their blankies in hand and it's crazy but both their favs are from our good friend Martha, so the pressure is on for baby #3 Marth! Every night Carter tells me, "I always like to cuddle with my mommy." And I LOVE it. They both fight over my lap but I'll take it and I love to snuggle! Going to have to grow a 3rd leg for baby #3! They are truly the most amazing blessings in our lives and we are looking forward to adding another to add to these busy boys!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T20:38:00.005-04:00

Friday night Carter and I made some easter eggs. He thought it was pretty cool to watch them change color and our kit came with these fun spring heads to attach to them.

The final product. By Saturday morning they were all completely destroyed. Brian kindly had to remind me he is a boy and well, boys like to tear things apart! :)

Saturday morning the boys had their one year and three year pictures taken by our fav photographer Miss Jenn. The boys did very well and she quickly posted this one to give us a sneak peek. LOVE!!!! Sunday morning we had an amazing Resurrection service at church that was just awesome. Then we headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a fabulous lunch. Carter was antsy to go outside so he knew he could get Grandpa Jim to come with! And then talked Mr. Brad into doing puzzles with him.
Then it was back outside for a few pictures.

Gotta love our family pics lately....not the easiest task! Then we all headed home for naps and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside with the neighbor girls.

Frederick Meijer Gardens

2011-04-24T18:59:00.004-04:00

Friday morning my mom took me and the boys to go see the butterflies. Carter loved it and I was amazed at everything he spotted. Here are a few pictures of our visit.

Trey's 1st Birthday

2011-04-21T20:54:00.009-04:00

I still can't believe that our baby is one! We actually call Trey 'baby' more than Trey.....once he starts walking we will have to quit that! But for now he is our baby. Despite a double ear infection and runny eyes Trey did pretty well for the night....we are definitely ready for him to feel better! We celebrated last night, his actual birthday. It worked out great b/c Eric and Kate and the girls were home from Nebraska so they were able to come too. Last minute I finally picked a theme and went with a fish theme. Instead of a cake I made these cupcakes.

Table decor.
I found these fish I could put together so I made 12...one for each month of his life.

Ready to open presents!
Playing in Trey's new sandbox from Grandpa and Grandma DJ....can't wait to play in it outside!
Hanging with their cousins Kylie and Karinda. Carter was beyond hyper b/c they were over!Playing with Great Grandma.

Quick family pic before cupcakes...at this point we'll take what we get!

Singing Happy Birthday!
He dove right into it and even had two cupcakes!
Trey and his cousin Kasen...both looking TIRED as it was past their bedtime. They were partied out!
We love you Trey and are looking forward to MANY, MANY more years with you!

Busy Boys

2011-04-18T15:22:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd share a few pics of the boys over the past few weeks. Carter got finger paints from Liam for his b-day so they were fun to do during Trey's morning nap one day. Momma had an ice cream craving so after lunch one day we headed to the Soft Spot (yeah drive thru!) for a treat. Carter was insistent on sharing with Trey. And of course he loved it!

Finally took Trey's new car seat out of the box and got it ready to go for the next stage!And our little ragamuffin finally got more than a trim....doesn't he look JUST like Carter now? It's almost scary! Carter told us he looked like a studmuffin. :)

Loving his new push toy from our day care provider...getting a little closer to walking!

Waking up to the snow today was down right depressing so we headed to Rivertown to do some shopping. The Easter bunny was there so we stopped to see him. Trey just kind of chilled out on his lap.

And Carter wasn't too sure of him. He was obsessed with the bunny we seen at Day of the Young Child on Saturday and was so excited to see this one but then wouldn't sit by him...crazy kid!

Carter picked the carousel over the play area (yeah!) so we all went for a ride.

Trey turns ONE on Wednesday so now we're busy getting things ready for that! Considering I finally decided on Friday what theme I was going to do I better get going!

Another little Meeuwsen is on the way!

2011-03-29T14:01:00.004-04:00

Yes, it's true, we are having baby #3! This baby is definitely a miracle baby and truly a blessing from God. With the boys we had to go through several months of heavy meds so we left it up to God if we were supposed to have number 3 and he blessed us with quite the surprise! We are due the middle of October and will know the exact due date at our 20 week ultrasound. We went in last week and we were able to hear the heartbeat so the Dr. is thinking we were 10-11 weeks along so by this weekend I'll be through the first trimester already! We will be finding out this time so that will be kind of fun to experience since we were surprised with the boys. I have been feeling great as I did with the boys, which has been a huge blessing with two little ones. And compared to my 10 week appt. with Trey I was 30 lbs. lighter starting out this pregnancy so it feels great to not have gained all that weight from the meds. And thanks to the FRC wellness challenges that helped shed some lbs. :) We are excited and nervous as it's going to be busy but God can never give you anything you can't handle, right?

Carter turns 3!

2011-03-28T15:25:00.007-04:00

We can't believe that Carter James is three already! Time flies! He is such a blessing to our lives...always full of character and has hilarious facial expressions. He keeps us busy and of course is challenging at times but such a cuddle bug too and we wouldn't trade him for the world! Love you buddy! He wanted a John Deere birthday party so daddy and him showed up at our house riding this on Saturday. Spoiled little dude! He was in his glory! Nice to have connections with farmers. :) The boys going for a ride.

Saturday night we had his birthday party with my family; complete with everything John Deere!

My mom's birthday was yesterday so I decorated the other side of the cake for her since we were celebrating both birthdays. Carter got a lot of new 'wheels' for this birthday. Our neighbor Sydney came over to give him a new scooter. She has a matching pink one. :)

He got a big wheel from Grandpa and Grandma.And a bike from mom and dad. He'll be busy outside this summer! He also got new games, squirt guns, puzzles, trucks, etc....so fun to have new stuff to play with!

Blowing out candles with Grandma Ann (it's too hard to say Grandma Mary Ann). :) Doing one of his new puzzles with Grandpa Jim. Family pic. Trey, Carter and cousin Kasen...who also came wearing green. :) These boys are going to be trouble some day!

Sunday to Monday we headed to the Double JJ resort to the waterpark for Carter's birthday. We had a great room and it was nice b/c it was not busy. The boys had a blast and were definitely water rats.

Carter must have thought this slide was a choo-choo train b/c he would make the sound as he slid down it, hence the hands by the face. He loved every bit of the park even though he couldn't do the big slides yet. Today the indoor/outdoor hot springs wasn't too hot for the kiddos so he swam like a fish in it. Playing in the water with daddy.

Our happy water baby!

The resort also had fun stuff upstairs for the kids...crafts, ice-cream, etc. so we kept busy and always had good bribes to get Carter out of the water. :) It was a lot of fun and will be even more fun as the kiddos get older.

Early Birthday Party

2011-03-14T10:05:00.004-04:00

Last weekend Eric and Kate and the girls were home from Nebraska. And since Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Karen were leaving for Florida they decided to do an early birthday party for Karinda and Carter.

The party go-ers. Trey and Kylie. The girls just adore him!
Karinda got a Wii so she was really excited to get back home to play it. Before taking this picture I had to laugh b/c I didn't even ask Carter to stop and smile....he already knows the routine of standing by his presents and smiling! :)

His new remote control race car from Uncle Eric, Aunt Kate and the girls. We are excited to be able to go outside and play with it!
Carter and his new Grave Digger truck. It does flips and all! Trey loves to push it around the house too. Carter also got some new clothes for the summer.
Blowing out the candles! It's kind of hard to see but Grandma Karen made the cake 1/2 blue and 1/2 pink for them and Carter got 3 candles and Karinda got 8. They thought that was pretty cool. Karinda's birthday is March 24 and Carter's is March 28.
Birthday buds.

Trey's First Haircut

2011-03-11T14:50:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago it was definitely time for Trey to get a trim. His hair over his ears was getting a little out of control and driving Brian nuts. Here is a before picture:

Not too sure about Miss Mindy's clippers. He actually did great. Just got a little antsy toward the end.

Checking out what tool she is using next.

Our little church boy. :)
I never posted on his weight follow up but he gained back over a pound in a month so he is doing just fine. Actually now he is a GREAT eater and cries if you don't get it too him fast enough. He pretty much eats all table foods and likes most everything. He's also getting ready for his first birthday and will show you that he is going to be one. And within the last couple days he is breaking his own thumb sucking habit...his poor thumb is so callused and swollen that he won't suck it so he cries before naps and bedtime but hey...if he breaks that habit already I would be happy! Wishful thinking probably. :) He also pulls himself to standing and will walk around furniture now....hoping he is walking by the time it's spring outside. And of course he is into everything his brother wants to play with!

February Fun

2011-02-28T15:45:00.007-05:00

Another winter month is past...yeah! Brian and Carter started off the month by going to a donkey basketball game in Ravenna. I guess these used to be really popular back in the day. It looked pretty interesting and fun!

The kids even got to take a ride on the donkeys. Carter thought it was pretty cool. His pal Sharon helped keep him on.
Carter and his BFF Sydney (our neighbor) pretending they were going to Grandma's. They hauled more stuff into this corner! Enjoying a morning outside with mom while Trey was napping.
The first weekend in February Eric and Kate and the girls came home from Nebraska so we headed up to their cabin to enjoy some time together. Carter LOVES his cousins and had a blast with them all weekend.

Taking a ride with mom.

Carter and Grandma Karen sledding behind Uncle Eric with the rest of the gang looking on. For more pictures of the weekend check out the Never Say Never blog.
Kylie hanging out with Trey.

And Karinda helping Trey 'ride' the bear. These girls are going to be great babysitters soon enough!
Carter and Brian went to the Monster Jam at Van Andel. They had a lot of fun and it will be more fun as the boys get older. Carter got spoiled with snacks and souvenirs from daddy.

Carter's favorite truck...Grave Digger!

My parents had us over for a Valentines themed lunch...complete with a red velvet cake made by me. :)
I spotted this possum at my moms...YUCK!! Those things give me the creeps and it wouldn't disappear. Carter kept saying how cute it was...gross!! We couldn't even chase it away. Our two little dudes causing trouble in the tub as always!
Our backyard wildlife.
Hoping all this snow melts in March!

Trey at 9 months

2011-02-02T10:28:00.005-05:00

Our baby is growing way too fast! He was 9 months on the 20th and unfortunately got the flu the day after. It was a rough week for the little guy b/c he couldn't keep anything down but is finally on the mend now! Unfortunately he passed it along to several of our family members but thankfully not to any of us! We had his 9 month appt. on Monday and he was only 17 lbs. 3 oz. and 28 1/2 inches. He was only in the 3rd percentile for weight and I think about the 50th for height. We have to go back in a month for a weight check. He is busy on the move and crawling and driving his brother nuts! He is much more busier than Carter ever was...just trying to keep up with him! Here are some pictures of our adorable little man at his photo shoot from Saturday. A fun comparison picture of Carter at 9 months. I think Trey is starting to look more like his momma. :)

Carter was 19 lbs. even and 28 3/4 inches at 9 months. So Trey is catching up with Carter's length but almost 2 lbs. lighter. He did start crawling about 2 months earlier than Carter too so I am sure he is burning more calories in a day. And doesn't like to eat like his brother did either...hoping that starts changing soon. He is still a very content and happy baby and is a super sleeper like his brother. We didn't have to baby proof the house a bit for Carter but Trey gets into everything so we are going to have to start!

Birthday Boy Brian

2011-01-30T21:12:00.001-05:00

Today Brian turned 31! We celebrated by having both of our families over for lunch (minus my mom...Trey must have thought he needed to give the flu bug to both grandmas). Carter thought daddy needed a monster truck cake so here is what I came up with.

It was appropriate b/c I bought tickets for Brian and Carter to go to the Monster Jam coming up.

Carter and cousin Kasen chilling on the pouf chair.
Singing Happy Birthday. Notice Trey reaching for the candle....thank goodness Grandpa Jim grabbed him in time!
We also bought Brian a TV stand for our new TV (well...hopefully this will push him to buy one) :). It required assembling and Carter thought Handy Manny should come help but it went together really well...just took some time!

Weekend Away

2011-01-28T15:02:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we planned to head up to Eric and Kate's cabin with our neighbors to go snowmobiling for the weekend. Unfortunately Trey threw up after we dropped him off at grandma's house. So...back we went to pick the kiddos up. We thought he was better Saturday a.m. so we decided to head up north. We had a GREAT time. Even though it was a short trip we still put 100+ miles on the sleds and had a blast.

First stop to get some gas.

Me and Brian.
Beautitul scenery at the cabin. It was -24 that morning but gorgeous!

Heathe and Briana (who is 1/2 the size of that coat!).
Unfortunately little Trey was sick all weekend and had the flu for 6 days. And Grandma Karen got it too...we felt horrible. Amazingly none of the rest of us got it. Looking forward to heading back up next weekend!

New Years

2011-01-26T07:44:00.004-05:00

New Years Eve we headed up to Eric and Kate's cabin since they were home from Nebraska. Here Brian is trying to buck Carter off the little black bear foot stool.

Since they weren't home for Christmas we celebrated it with them up at the cabin. The girls already have American Girl Dolls so this year they got the Target version....which came with a lot of fun stuff!
Brian got a new messenger bag for work. Now he can quit taking his reusable grocery bag. :)

Trey taking a ride on his new zebra.

As you can see there wasn't enough snow for snowmobiling so thankfully our neighbors let us take their quad up. Brian kept the kids entertained for hours!!

Ringing in the New Year with Grandma Karen.

Trey is so excited for 2011!

Christmas in Review

2011-01-05T14:50:00.004-05:00

Our best gift of 2010!

Carter helping Grandpa Jim (and everyone else) open his present.

Family pic at mom and dad's before heading home.

Stockings Christmas morning....so excited!!! LOVE this picture even though their eyes are closed.
Christmas morning helping Grandpa Cliff open his present.

Self timer picture Christmas night before it's too late!
Blowing out the candles on Jesus' birthday cake. Carter was quick to correct me that Jesus's birthday was before daddy's. :)

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and were spoiled as always. Each year is more fun with Carter as he is starting to learn more and more about the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-22T15:05:00.002-05:00

December Fun

2010-12-20T15:49:00.007-05:00

Phew..where has time gone?! It's Christmas week already! We started off the month by going to the Christmas parade in Zeeland. We had never been and it wasn't too cold out so we headed downtown. It was actually pretty good!
Sometimes it's hard to get outside b/c of Trey so I decided to take the snow inside one day and put food coloring in it. Carter was in his glory!Brian was gone for a week hunting in Iowa so I decided to surprise him and potty train Carter. He was definitely showing signs that he was ready and has been going on the potty since Trey was born so it was just of matter of hammering down and doing it. He has been doing awesome and stays dry for naps and almost every night as well!
When daddy came home we treated Carter to Build-a-Bear for being such a big boy. He had never been so he thought it was pretty cool.

Washing off the fuzzies!Then we headed to see Santa Clause. I am pretty sure he almost fell out of his chair when he asked Carter what he wanted for Christmas and he told him, "Socks and underwear!" Thanks for Grandpa and Grandma DJ for teaching him that one! He still tells people that if you ask. :)
The next night we had the Meeuwsen Christmas party....Santa Clause was there when we got there!

Friday night we had the Top Christmas party (Brian's moms side). We even Skyped our nieces in Nebraska so we could all say Hi so that was fun.

Me and my love bug. Checking out Trey's new toy.

Saturday morning we went to the train exhibit at the library in Zeeland. Carter loved it....we spent a lot of time there along with LOTS of other little boys! Today we made Christmas cookies. Not Christmas without this tradition, right? Carter had a blast helping me.
When we were done every single sprinkle container in the house was empty. Brian is going to LOVE him tonight! His favorite!

Picking out the perfect tree

2010-12-04T21:11:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday we headed to Borculo to pick out our Christmas tree. Every year it gets more fun b/c Carter is that much more excited about it. After checking out a few we found a great one.
Daddy and Carter watching them shake it, then they drilled it and wrapped it up tight.
Then we loaded it up and were ready to go! Always a quick and easy process.

Once we got home Carter was excited to help decorate it. He did a great job and even convinced daddy to pitch in.
Still need to take a picture of it all decorated yet!

Our little Turkeys

2010-12-01T15:54:00.003-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving day. We went to church and then to my Uncle Dave and Aunt Betty's house for a De Jonge Thanksgiving feast and hung out for the afternoon. The boys took great naps and then we were off to Brian's Uncle Arlen and Aunt Cathie's house for the Meeuwsen get together. We are so thankful for these little boys in our lives!
(flash is broke on my camera...hence not the greatest pics...argh!)

Our trip to Nebraska

2010-11-29T14:07:00.008-05:00

As most of you know, Brian's brother Eric and his family moved to Nebraska at the end of the summer to run Nebraska Corn Processing, the ethanol plant ZFS purchased last year. We miss them dearly so we decided to take a road trip out to see what the small town of Cambridge was all about. My parents decided to take the trek with us and it was great to have them along. Overall the boys did GREAT on the 13 hour car ride and we had a really good time.

Our nieces, Karinda and Kylie, didn't know we were coming so we got them out of bed and surprised them when we got there Friday morning.
Later on Friday we headed to NCP for a quick tour. Carter and the girls had to climb up on the train engine.
They get so much corn in that there isn't enough room for it. Yes, this is one a of few HUGE piles of corn! Saturday all the guys did some road touring and then back to NCP for a more thorough tour. Kylie and Carter were best buds all weekend so they went along too.
Karinda took care of Trey most of the time so they stayed back with the ladies and we went to a craft show and then met up with everyone for lunch. All the kiddos snuggled up with their daddies on our last night.

And of course we had to stop at the Worlds Biggest Truck Stop along I-80 on the way home. Carter could have stayed there all night looking at everything.

We are looking forward to having them home at the end of December and hanging out with them again. Thanks Eric and Kate for a great time!

Our little zoo animals

2010-11-03T21:23:00.004-04:00

What a fun Halloween we had! Friday night we went to my parents house to trick or treat. Carter was a lion this year and Trey was a monkey.

And our little chili pepper nephew Kasen came over too...isn't he cute?

Saturday night we went to DeWitts to trick or treat in their subdivision with Huyers and DeHaans. We picked up Vitales (a must!) on the way and had dinner together and then headed out. Here's all the kiddos....from left to right > Trey, Carter, Liam, Deacon escaping in the back, Norah, Jacob and Ethan. Carter ate it right up...he was SO ADORABLE. He had a blast going from door to door. I just loved watching him run around having so much fun. Trey just took it all in from the stroller. :)

Thanks Jason and Martha for inviting us! We had a lot of fun!

Super trucking

2010-11-03T21:12:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago Carter got spoiled and got to go to work with daddy for the morning. Since riding in trucks is probably a bit more exciting than sitting at a desk with daddy, Carter got to go with Brian's cousin Mike hauling corn back and forth to Hamilton for the morning. I guess Carter was pretty quiet but loved it and Mike even got him out to watch the corn be dumped. The glare is kind of bad on this picture but Carter had a great view from his car seat!

There they go!

He wanted to give Mike a hug and kiss when they were done but I guess Mike wasn't falling for that. :) Carter LOVES to go to ZFS and watch all the big trucks. I am pretty sure he could probe trucks and test beans with all the time we spent their during harvest!

Girlfriends Getaway!

2010-11-01T15:48:00.011-04:00

Last weekend some of my friends and I headed to downtown Chicago with a bus full of 45 women for some awesome girl time! This was my second time going on this trip and it is definitely going to become an annual trip! We started off on Friday stopping at Michigan City for a few hours of shopping.

Friday night we grabbed some dinner (appetizers and margaritas!) at a great little mexican restaurant we found then we went to a Second City show. It was hilarious and I would definitely go again. From left to right: Martha, Amy, Sarah, Debi, Jenni, me and Marti.

Saturday morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel (made to order omelets....yum!) and headed out for shopping. It rained a little bit and then was a gorgeous day. Tim...this picture is for you. :)
Saturday night we went on a dinner cruise off of Navy Pier. Awesome dinner, fireworks and dancing!

This was the view from the boat...pretty sweet, eh?

Saturday morning we decided to go check out the Skydeck.
The views were awesome and it was pretty cool. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be but it was hilarious watching some people that would not walk out on it.

Thanks girls for such an awesome weekend! Can't wait til next year!

Trey at 6 months

2010-10-29T13:59:00.003-04:00

Trey had his 6 month appt. on Monday. He weighed 16 lbs. 10 oz. and was 26.25 inches. Pretty average boy. Carter weighed 16 lbs. 13 oz. and was 27.25 inches so an inch taller than Trey but that has been the case since birth. Thankfully Brian met me at the Dr. b/c we took Carter along for his flu shot and I wasn't about to try it by myself. Carter did fine...just a few tears. Trey on the other hand has a yeast infection (who knew boys could get them?) that I had no clue about, they tested him for some form of strep and we got a Rx for his excema. It has really helped except for a spot on his cheek...I think we are going to have to go to the dermatologist. It's been there for about 6 weeks and just won't go away. We go to the eye Dr. on Monday for his wandering/lazy eye so we will see what she says. Thankfully Trey is SO incredibly happy and sleeps like champ so none of this stuff bothers him a bit! We tried some solid food this week which he definitely likes better than the rice cereal...he HATES that stuff!

Look alikes?

2010-10-19T21:10:00.003-04:00

Another Crane's visit

2010-10-18T09:36:00.004-04:00

Last night we took our annual family trip to Crane's for dinner and to the Todd farms to look for deer. It was a beautiful night and Carter had fun playing on this tractor while waiting for dinner.

Post Family Farms

2010-10-14T16:16:00.004-04:00

Last Friday we took our annual trip to Post Family Farms with my childhood friends. Our group keeps growing and growing and there are 3 more on the way! From left to right, Royce and Jax (Beth's), my boys are between Alyssa and Kaylee (Vicki's) and then our main squeeze, Liam (Jen's). We had to snap a bunch b/4 Jax and Carter dumped off the babies. This one of Trey's pouting face cracked me up. :) We should have taken a pic of us moms too...hopefully next time! First we took some pics of the kids by all the pumkins.

Then it was off to the see animals. Carter was seriously trying to rip the beard off this goat...the kid has no fear.

And of course the pumpkin train! Carter has been asking about it since pumpkins have come out. He loved it.

Then we took a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. Carter picked out enough for all of us. He had quite the pile.

It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon and we had a great time. We finished the day with pumpkin donuts....they are the best!

Fall Fun

2010-10-04T14:33:00.005-04:00

Last week I think we did about every fall activity in a matter of just a few days! It was crazy busy but we had a lot of fun. Just a few more things to check off our list yet. :) Wednesday afternoon we headed to Crane's for our annual apple picking and dinner with my MIL, SIL and nieces. It was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun.

The girls were home from Nebraska so we got to do a lot of fun stuff with them.

Kylie, Trey, Karinda and Carter.

Me and my happy boys. :) Grandma swinging the grandkids while we weighed our loads and paid.

Thursday night daddy took a break from work and met us downtown Zeeland for the peddle pull and free dinner. Carter thought it was fun to check out the fire truck.

Friday night we had our annual harvest party at the Bosch's house with the Top (Brian's mom's) side of the family. We first took a hayride and then had to head inside b/c the rain started. Saturday morning we headed to Elhart for Lindy VerBeek's fundraiser. We met Tim, Jen and Liam there and went for a horse and buggy ride.
Once we got home my mom came over and we quick made applesauce while the boys were napping. My mom slaving over the stove.

The finished product! After our applesauce was made we quick woke the boys up from their naps and headed downtown Zeeland for the Pumpkin Parade. It was kind of chilly and drizzly but Carter LOVED it so it was well worth it! And he came home with a bag full of candy! We ran into my cousin Dan and his family so Dimitry hung out with Carter.

Trey LOVED it too...he was full of stories with all the loud noises.

Sunday we celebrated Cliff's 60th birthday. Maybe some of you spotted the birthday wish from the grandkids in the Sentinel. We gave him '60' of several things ($60 gift card, 60 M&M's, 60 green tea bags, etc., etc.) to help him celebrate but I forgot my camera! Here is a pic from Friday night of the cupcakes I made when we celebrated with the Tops at the harvest party.

Values Voter Summit 2010

2010-09-23T21:15:00.004-04:00

Last week Wed.-Sun. I was off to Washington DC with 10 other staffers from our Holland office. Our headquarters are in Washington DC and we held a summit at the Omni Shoreham hotel hosting over 2,000 attendees. To see what it was all about you can visit http://www.valuesvotersummit.org/. The ladies from our office were in charge of checking people in among other tasks. This was our mascot for the weekend. :) The name tag covers up the word Congress.

It's an exciting event where we had speakers such as Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, Sean Hannity (below), etc. I personally am not a big political guru but it's fun to see how excited people get about this stuff. A few of us also got to get a tour of the White House. I had never been there so I thought it was pretty cool.

I think one of my highlights was getting to see and meet the Duggar family! I assume most of you are familiar with them or their show 19 Kids and Counting. They were so fun to watch and listen to their story. They truly are a genuine family. We presented them with a Pro-Life Entertainment award and they also sang and played their violins for us. They were so cute!
Tony presenting the award to Jim Bob and Michelle. I got to introduce myself to Jim Bob at the Gala dinner we had on Saturday night b/c I helped his crew find their table. It was kind of awkward actually saying "Jim Bob." :)

Here's the 8 ladies from our office that worked at the event.A picture of the wonderful dessert...served on a very cool rectangle plate!

Here's most of the FRC crew that worked at the event. We got together for some ice cream after the Gala dinner to enjoy each other's company and relax for a bit! It was a late night with an early flight. I actually slept with my head on the lap tray I was so tired!

Most of all I missed these little dudes! It was probably about one day too long to be away from home but we all survived. Carter took it a little harder than I expected. Of course Trey was good as gold and full of his normal smiles! Brian said I can't go away for long time! (Trey's shirt courtesy of my BFF Jen...she's always making something for my boys!) :)

Recent fun

2010-09-12T21:09:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago we went to the $1 ride night at the Hudsonville Fair so Brian could enjoy it with us since he always so busy when it is the auction night. Carter had a blast. Some rides were even to slow for him. Here he is grinning from ear to ear on the race car ride that whipped him around the corners. I was shocked it didn't scare him!
Trey having fun just riding around in the stroller.
Brian and Carter riding the ferris wheel looking at the off road race.

We ran into DeWitts and Huysers so Carter got to ride the elephants with Jacob.

On Labor Day we headed downtown Holland to watch the truck parade. Carter LOVED it (of course) despite the sprinkles of rain.
Our always happy little guy just chilling out.

Waiting for the trucks with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Cliff.

The nice shiny ZFS truck!
On Friday we had Alyssa and Kaylee Lucas over for the day. I have to admit it was almost easier to have 4 kids than 2! They played SO well together and we had a lot of fun. I even got them all to nap at the same time! We had to get them used to playing with boys since they have a little brother on the way. :) Can't wait to play with them again. Here they are enjoying a snack.
My mom came to help out for a bit b/c I had to take Trey in to the Dr. They are testing him for whooping cough b/c we just can't figure him out. We didn't get a call today so I assume it came back negative and we are just praying this new antibiotic gets rid of his cough! So hard to see him cough when he's so little!

Fun with the girls

2010-08-30T14:09:00.003-04:00

While our SIL Kate and our nieces have been home from Nebraska for a few weeks we have been enjoying some time with them. We were at mom and dad Meeuwsen's pool the past two Sundays and had a lot of fun swimming with them. Here are some pics of those days.

Karinda had Trey just a giggling yesterday...it was hilarious.

Carter ADORES the girls. It's so sticken cute.

Posing by the pool.

Me and the boys went to the street performers with them this past week too....I couldn't believe how crazy busy it was. We also went to the Whitecaps for the ZFS party on Saturday night with them. We are definitely going to miss them this next month but thankfully they will be home for some fun things at the end of this month. We will be ready for them to be back for a visit!

Trey at 4 months

2010-08-25T13:30:00.002-04:00

We had Trey's 4 month appt. on Monday. He weighed in at 14 lbs. 4 oz. and was 25 1/2 inches. He was 30th percentile for weight and 70th for height. We do have to keep a watch on one of his eyes as it sometimes turns in further than the other and doesn't follow as quickly as the other one all the time...the Dr. said sometimes it follows perfectly and is straight and other times it doesn't, so she said to give it a few months. I had the same thing as a baby so it wouldn't surprise me if one of our kiddos was cursed with my bad eye gene! He is a super happy baby....sleeps from about 8:30-7:30 each night and sleeps the day away too! He is a thumb sucker like his daddy was...my kiddos love their fingers but it makes for content babies!Here's a picture of Carter at almost four months...looks like he hung on to his hair a little longer! He weighed the exact same at 4 months but was .75 inches longer so Trey seems a little pudgier. Bring on the baby rolls! :)

Coast Guard Fest 2010

2010-08-13T20:43:00.003-04:00

Last Friday I headed to Grand Haven to hang out with mom Meeuwsen for the day with the boys. We went to the art fair and walked downtown then hung out on the boat while the boys napped. When dad Meeuwsen got back from work we went downtown to go on the rides. Saturday morning we got up and headed there right away to go for breakfast. After breakfast we walked down by the water for a bit. Carter got this balloon animal made for him. Trey spent most of the weekend in the Baby Bjorn and was happy as a lark. He was even giggling watching the rides go around...it was so funny.

We were shocked when we seen this huge ship come in. During Coast Guard of all things it was crazy they would come in on such a busy day. Carter loved it!

We were going to go to Hanky Pank bay but Brian wanted to swim in clean water :) so we hung out on the south side of the pier for the afternoon. It was nice and relaxing and the boys napped great on the boat.

Brian and Carter ready to jump in. Trey just chilled out in his Bebe pod seat.
The rides were definitely the highlight of the weekend. I was surprised how many Carter could go on. After Brian's dad took Carter on a bunch of them on Friday I told Brian we had to go back on Saturday so he could see how much Carter loved them. Does this face say enough? I think we have a roller coaster lover on our hands!

We had a great view of the fireworks from the boat and decided to wake Carter up to see them. He had never seen fireworks and let me just say his face was priceless....so cute! We had a great weekend thanks to mom and dad! Unfortunately the weekend wasn't without incident of a trip to the emergency room and a couple expensive lost items in the lake. But the weather was great and we still had a blast!

3 month pics

2010-08-10T21:28:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went to have Trey's 3 month pics taken by Jenn of Captured Memories. Trey just kind of stared at the camera but I think she got some adorable shots! Here's a sneak peek she sent me.

Fair Fun

2010-08-09T15:34:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago Brian was at the Berlin Fair buying animals so Trey stayed with Grandma Mary Ann and Carter and I went to go see daddy. We went in every animal barn and I think Carter touched EVERY animal. He was so fun to watch and we had a great night together.
Checking out all the tractors.
Milking the cow!
The following week we headed to the Ottawa County Fair with my mom and dad. Trey got to hang out with my cousin Allyssa and we got to take Liam along for the day. We first started off at the animal barns. Brian bought Jacob Nienhuis's pigs for ZFS so we went and checked out all the animals daddy bought.
The boys did great in the double stroller and thought it was fun to face each other...I definitely LOVE this stroller so far. They had fun petting all the animals. This goat thought Liam had treats in this cup holder and proceeded to put his whole face in it. :)
Cute, cute!
At the petting area with Grandma. Carter will reach out and touch anything and this tiny goat was oh so cute!

Of course the boys had to sit on the tractors and check them out.

Waiting for the horse races to start. My dad raced harness horses for most of my life so this brought back many memories of going to the horse races! We made it through about 3 races and the boys had ants in their pants.

Looking forward to more fair days this year yet!

A plug for MOPS

2010-07-31T16:18:00.003-04:00

So some of you with young kiddos may have been invited to the MOPS Facebook page...reason being is that our church, Community Reformed in Zeeland, is starting a MOPS group this fall and I am on the steering committee and my job is Publicity! So I created a blog and Facebook page. :) I have never been to a MOPS group anywhere else so this is all new to me but I am SUPER excited about it. I think it will be a great 'out' for moms to meet other moms from our church and the community and to share our experiences and learn some new mom tips. So please check out the MOPS blog or find us on Facebook!

Unfortunately I am going to miss out on the Open House in September b/c I am going to be in DC for work but you will see me at the first meeting. Hope to see you girls and your kiddos there!

If you have any questions let me know! Everyone with little kids (not in school) are invited!

Another cottage getaway

2010-07-28T21:27:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we enjoyed our annual trip to Bass Lake in Pierson at my Aunt and Uncle's cottage. We always have so much fun and it was so nice that all my cousins and their spouses came up too. Brian's Great Uncle has a few seadoos so they let us borrow them for the weekend. They were a lot of fun and Carter loved to go with daddy. The boys were SPOILED by all the attention and loving they got all weekend. Cousin-in-law Jason took Carter for a paddle boat ride.
Everybody hanging on the deck. Looks as if Carter is telling everyone what he wants to do next. :)
Brian and Matt went for a kneeboard ride together.
Carter and I were the spotters on the boat.
Trey, well he was perfect baby Trey all weekend and just chilled out. He got lots of love from my family!
Yum...had a delicious Sunday dinner after going to 'tent church' at Pine Grove CRC. Carter came out of nursery with a craft and t-shirt...he was so excited!
Carter loved to feed the fish. He even laid on the dock and netted some and put them in a bucket. He even liked to dangle his feet on the dock and have them bite his toes...he is such a BOY!
Thanks Uncle Ken and Aunt Pam for hosting us once again!

We have a nephew!

2010-07-26T10:43:00.002-04:00

On July 15 my brother Mike and his wife Kim had a baby BOY Kasen Michael. He was 7 lbs and 20 inches and is SO CUTE! We were so excited to have a nephew so close in age to our boys. They will all be such good buddies (at least we hope so!).No pink for my mom and dad yet! My dad says he's going to go broke buying quads and dirt bikes for these little guys. : )
Trey and Kasen are only 3 months apart and I couldn't believe how HUGE Trey looked next to Kasen already. They grow up way too fast.

3 Months!

2010-07-20T21:52:00.005-04:00

Can't believe my lovebug is 3 months already! Time flies! Everyone told me I wouldn't have an easy baby like Carter but so far I am proving them wrong! Trey is SO similar to Carter as a baby...it's kind of scary! He has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks and is just so content. He is full of smiles and LOVES to be talked to. He talks right back to you....seems to me more than Carter did.

Here's a couple of pictures of Carter at 3 months. It's pretty crazy how much the two look alike. I think Carter has a little more of the Meeuwsen forehead :) but overall they are almost identical in so many ways.

Carter does great with Trey. He always needs to know where he is but otherwise he pretty much leaves him alone. He has started to play more by himself which is nice and I love to listen to the stories he makes up. He is definitely a 2 year old but so much fun too as he learns so much every day.

Summer Fun

2010-07-12T14:23:00.013-04:00

Wow, where do I begin? Another couple weeks have passed by! I am trying my best to keep the blog updated but now I am back to work and our weekends have been packed. I want to keep it updated though to hopefully turn it into a book someday soon! So...grab a cup of coffee and enjoy checking out some of the latest highlights in our lives.

A few weeks back Carter took swimming lessons for his first time. He did pretty well and it was nice that our good friend Martha was his teacher. He was the first one from his class to jump off the diving board so I was pretty proud of him!

Another proud day in my life was when my good friend Sheri got married. I set her and her husband up on a blind date almost 2 years ago and now they are married! It was my 4th couple that I have set up that has gotten married! Are ya single???

Our neighborhood (4 houses) threw the 1st annual Amber Rose pig roast. It was a GREAT night...perfect weather, about 150 people, and tons of fun! Carter helped me make some puppy chow. It was priceless when Carter was standing like this and Brian walked in the door and Carter said, Daddy I like chocolate! Oh how he has his moms taste buds!
We rented this inflatable for all the kids. It was a BIG hit!
The guys taking the pig off the roaster.

Some of the guys playing cornhole.
Crowd picture.
Oh and it was my birthday amongst all the busyness. One more year til the big 3-0! We celebrated Fathers Day, my birthday and mom Meeuwsen's b-day together. Carter helping her open her cards.
Our niece Karinda getting in some cuddle time with Trey.
On my birthday (June 28) we went as a family to the Muskegon Summer Celebration to get some junk food and walk around. Carter rode a few rides for the first time. He loved them! We also stopped in Grand Haven on the way home for ice-cream....it was a great night.
Last weekend we headed up to Big Star Lake for our annual trip with DeWitts. Huyers and Slaghs also joined us during the days so we had 8 kids under the age of 3! It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.

Snack time!
Here is the story guy (Dan) that we hired for the weekend. Ha, ha. He is like a magnet to the kids...it was so funny. He would sit and read recipes, yes recipes, out of magazines and he made them so dramatic the kids loved the 'stories.' :)
Ethan telling Trey to gain some weight already. :) Jason and Brian took the boys to Bitley to the trout pond and they also went to Foster Lake. On the way the road was blocked by this big tree. The big Chevy was able to haul it out of the way!
The kids had fun hanging out on the tube in the water. Carter, Deacon, Jacob, Addison and Norah.

Ah...this is the life on the boat.

The kiddos on the fourth. We were missing Norah and Ethan...can't remember if they had already left or not showed up yet. From left to right....Ellery, Addison, Carter, Trey and Jacob (Deacon wanted nothing to do with it).

Brian was going to quick suds up Carter in the lake for a bath and we all cracked up when Carter went outside and put his hat on. Hilarious.
It was HOT out so it was off to go get ice-cream at Mel's. Got a decent family picture.

Tubing with daddy. It was a little rough but all the kiddos did pretty well with their daddies.

When we came home from the cottage it was off to my parents house to celebrate birthdays...mine and my sister-in-law Kim's....who is hopefully going to have a baby this week! Friday during the day we went to the fountain downtown with Kathy and the boys. My camera battery died so check out her blog for more pics.

Friday night we went to the BELLieve fundraiser for our good friend Josh Maly's sister Lynette who is fighting breast cancer. It was SO well organized and they had a ton of stuff for the kids. Carter wanted to ride the 'train' and little did I know that I had to ride with...it actually went REALLY fast! Not like the one that just goes in a circle at Post Family Farms.

Saturday we headed to Green Lake for our annual trip with our friends. Here are three yahoos riding knee boards. Let's just say it was a LONG trip around the lake with these boys messing around. Tim, Ross and Brian. And after all the water sports of the day the lake now owns Brian's wedding ring and Mike's Oakleys. :)
The three older boys (missing Parker & Trey) on their riding toys. Carter, Liam and Jace.

Carter's first sea doo ride. Of course he loved it!
Liam and Carter having fun swinging. I should have video taped it b/c Liam has the CUTEST little giggle I have ever heard.

Sunday night we went to the park in Allendale to play for a bit. Carter loves it there and we were excited to see they are going to have a splash pad soon!

Phew...I am just exhausted after reading all we have done lately! Hopefully I update more often as this was a 2 day project to get all these pics up! :) Hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are!

Fun, fun and Father's Day

2010-06-23T09:56:00.007-04:00

It's been too long since I updated! We have been super busy and having way too much fun! It's going to be so hard to go back to work next week. Last week we started the week off by going to the park in Allendale for a play group. We usually go to the Zeeland playgroup during the school year and during the summer they meet at various parks so we decided to check out the Allendale one since it's so close.

Carter had a blast!

Wednesday Carter went to daycare to play with his friends while I went to visit a co-worker that just had a baby named Noah. Trey was so excited for his play date! :) It was his first smile that I was able to catch on camera.
Thursday we went to Helder Park for the Zeeland playgroup. Here's Carter and Jacob swinging. They also made a craft and sang some fun songs.
Friday we headed downtown to the fountain with a BUNCH of girls and their kids. It was super fun. Unfortunately my camera battery died so I only got a couple of pics. Here's Carter and Liam checking it out. Definitely will be going back.
I keep telling Brian if he wants to keep me home then we are just going to have to have 3 kids! Ha, ha...

Saturday we headed down to South Haven for HarborFest. Mom and Dad Meeuwsen and all their boating friends were there for the weekend on their boats. Trey just chilled out in the stroller or on the boat.
As always we had fun watching the dragon boat races. One was a little weight heavy :) and took a couple of spills. Carter loved to watch them.
The big lake was to rough to go out on so Carter was content going for a few dinghy rides.

He met a friend Mason and he wanted to go for a ride so daddy took the little dudes for a spin. This guy was definitely the highlight of the day. Brian and I took Carter for a walk on the pier and seen this guy listening to his iPod and dancing away. It was hilarious; we just had to tape it. He was spotted 4 hours later STILL dancing!

Sunday night we had my family over for a steak dinner for Father's Day. Here's Grandpa and his boys.
Dad/Grandpa with his kids and grandkids. #3 to come in a month!
And of course daddy and his 'mini me' boys. :)

Another child blessed by God

2010-06-07T21:09:00.010-04:00

Yesterday we had the privelege of welcoming Trey into the family of God by having him baptized. As you can see there were a LOT of little ones being baptized...it was quite entertaining! This picture Jen took CRACKS me up b/c obviously something funny was said so it's cute to see everyone's reaction.

After church we had lunch at mom and dad Meeuwsen's house with our families.

Instead of a cake I decided to make cupcakes. When I was making them my BFF Kathy told me to make little flags for them...brilliant! Within minutes I created these, printed them and assembled them. And thanks to my other BFF Jen for letting me borrow her stand. Life is good with my two creative and talented friends! :)

Four generations on my side. Grandma DeJonge is the only grandparent I have left.

My two little men. We look forward to raising you as wonderful followers of Jesus! It's amazing how much they know at two already. Carter repeats our prayers when eating, knows that we read a Bible story before bedtime and sing Jesus Loves Me. So precious!

Comparison picture of the boys in their baptism outfit.

Carter was baptized on June 8, 2008.

Busy, busy!

2010-05-31T21:38:00.008-04:00

Phew...it was a busy week that flew by! Loved the beautiful weather and definitely took advantage of it! One of Carter's many nicknames is 'mini me' b/c he not only looks like his dad but as you can see he has to do everything just like him! Don't mind our backyard...it needs some help!
Tuesday (I think!) we went to go play with the Busscher boys. Carter and Jackson had fun playing in the sandbox, riding the gator and swimming in the pool.

Wednesday night Brian was helping DeWitts move into their new house so me and the boys went to our nieces t-ball game. Carter made a friend pretty quick and they played catch. Check out that form! :)

Friday Alyssa and Kaylee and their mom came over to play. Carter and Alyssa had fun playing together and me and Vicki had fun catching up! Here they are having some cheese and crackers for a snack.
Most Friday nights we grill out and have a bonfire with our neighbors. Carter played HARD as you can see...he was FULL of dirt and came in kicking and screaming b/c he was having so much fun.

Saturday Carter's fav little neighbor girl Syndey came over to swim in his pool. They would stand on the little steps, count and jump in. They just giggle and giggle when they are together.

Needed a picture for church for baptism on Sunday so I snapped a few of Trey after Carter was in bed on Saturday. Love him to pieces!

Yesterday afternoon we hung out at mom and dad Meeuwsen's pool and then once the boys were up from naps we went out on the boat. We went out to the big lake so Brian could drive his race boat. It was fun to watch it go over the waves. (I think something bit Carter's cheek..it was rosy all night but fine today).

Trey's first boat ride...he slept through most of it. My sweet little lovebug.
Today we enjoyed Memorial Day by going to the pancake breakfast at South Olive School then hung out at home and headed to the Meeuwsen get together tonight. Best pic of my boys in their red, white and blue. :)

Master & Mistress

2010-05-25T14:35:00.003-04:00

Saturday night Brian and I were Master and Mistress for my cousin Stephanie and her (now) husband Jason's wedding. The ceremony was at Borculo CRC and the reception was at the Fish and Game club. It was a busy couple of days but it was a lot of fun and everything went great and it was a picture perfect day for a wedding.

This is my dad's brother Ken and their family. So beautiful!

The wedding party.

Me and my mom. :) I hope I look as good as her when I am her age!
And thanks to our wonderful parents for watching the boys for us this weekend! Thought I better share a couple pictures of them too. As you can see Carter tries to smile but can't figure out how to smile and keep his eyes open so it looks like a scowl. Trey has it down pat too. :)

He's getting to big way to fast!!! :(