10/30/11

For all interested parties:

The answer to the last poll question is - Sylvia!

Laura recently purchased some new "church" shoes for the girls.  Sylvia, naturally, wanted to wear them everywhere, especially school.  So of course Laura said no, that  these shoes were for times when she wore a dress only, usually church.  Sylvia asked why, causing Laura to say something like, they are fancy and when you are older you can decide what you want to wear.

"Well, when I am older, I will be fancy all the time and wear shoes like this everywhere!" - Sylvia.  We love her!

Picture Day!

Andrew and Gracie had their pictures taken at school last week.  Gracie wore an adorable dress from Grandma and had her hair down and in curls.  She looked so beautiful.  Andrew was quite handsome himself in a nice orange sweater and jeans.  Gracie accepted the camera, while Andrew fought it all the way through.  He kept fighting and we could bribe him with NOTHING.  He is the hardest kid to bribe.  He is unbreakable!  We finally got him to smile for the camera during our camping trip last weekend.  Here are some pictures that will tell a better story! 

Gracie-right before school on her picture day

Andrew-right before school on his picture day.  This was his reaction when he realized the camera was directed at him.

Getting madder as I didn't back down.

Really mad-so he threw himself on his backpack.

Still opposed later that afternoon.

Sylvia's picutes are next week, but she is still adorable!

Sylvia got a new dress too

10/8/11

I (daddy) got some extra bonding time with the kids this weekend.  Mommy and some friends are staying in South Haven at Grandma Vanstrien's place.  What a beautiful weekend for that!  So I am excited to play outside with the kids and just have a relaxing weekend with them (as relaxing as it gets with 3 little kids).

But I got some extra bonding early Saturday morning.  About 5:45, I hear the girls crying and calling for me.  Oh boy.  As I go upstairs I see andrew's door is open, which means he is probably awake.  Oh great!  So I go up and see what the girls need.  Gracie fell out of bed, which of course made her cry.  This in turn scared Sylvia, so she was crying too.  I laid down with Gracie for about 10 minutes.  Both girls fell back asleep (luckily).  And actually, right now it is about 8:30 and they are still sleeping.  That's good - hopefully this brings happiness and peace for the day.

But then I think about Andrew.  So  I go looking for him.  Not in his bed.  Like last week Saturday, he is in the living room, asleep on the floor with his blankie.  So, I go get his pillow and mine, and we slept on the floor for another hour or so.  And now we are playing (with a little break for the blog).  He is so much fun to play with these days.  I love it!

But 1 more thing before we play some more.  I went to the bathroom earlier.  When I came out, Andre says, "all done potty?"  So I said, "yep.  all done."  Then he asked, "you potty trained?"

After laughing, I said yes.  But he knows too much.  I love my kids.  And I am looking forward to a fun, warm day with them today.  I think we will go down by the waterfront for a picnic.  Sounds good to me.

Is it summer?

What a wonderful week!  I can't believe this weather.  Today was such a wonderful day for an at home mom!  We walked Sylvia to school, went to the store to send some letters, went to the library for story time, stopped at  a playground on the way back, came home, had a picnic, Andrew went down for a nap, Gracie and I played school, kids took a bath, walked to get Sylvia, dinner, and we met grandma Koning to pick up some new adorable dresses that she bought for the girls.  It was wonderful!  I am so thankful that I can do it.

Sylvia can't wait to wear her new dress tomorrow.  She took a shower when we came home so I could braid her hair and make it curly.  She has it all planned out.  And she wants me to paint her nails, she is pushing the "girl" right out of me!  Who would have thought that I would have such a girly girl?

Gracie and Andrew played with the new keyboard (hand-me-down from Grandma Vanstrien).  They used the fireplace as the stage and played away.  I played when everyone went to bed.  I think it would be fun to take piano lessons.

                              Eating chips at our Friday picnic at our favorite park, Patowattamie

Orchard with the Kruis Family, lots of fun activities to do

Dinner prayer, The kids press their faces up to the wall to keep from opening their eyes. (this is something that they started on their own, not sure who or how it was started, it just came to be routine!)  

10/3/11

Sylvia: "Daddy, I love you SO much, that if you weren't married, I would marry you!"

For Moms, Aunt Jane and other faithful followers

Hello everyone.  My mother told me that she checked our blog often and is disappointed to find nothing everytime she looks, so I thought, well if I can just make even one person happy, I'll do it, especially if it is my mom!  I love you so much mom.  You are such a great friend and I look up to you in so many ways.  You make life exciting and you make so many special memories.  I can't wait for our camping trip coming up!
My other mom, Mike's mom, is so awesome too!  You take such good care of our family and have always been so kind and loving toward me.  I am so lucky to be in your family. 
 I love how both of my moms give our children so many special memories, yet both in your own unique way.     Thank you so much both of you! 

Since we have updated our blog last, we have had few changes, but they were big changes!  We started school, and I am staying home from school.  It has been a great start to a new school year.  The kids love their teachers, they love the schedule, they love being able to sleep in a little more this year, and I think they love having their mom at home.  They do love being home more.  Mike even enjoys this year more because it is more relaxed for everyone. 

Sylvia is in love with school.  She loves her teacher again this year, her friends, lunchtime, recess time, free choice time.   We are very proud of her because she is now riding a bike without her training wheels!  She loves this new freedom and goes up and down our street.  She was really scared at first, and as she became more comfortable, she was more confident.  As she became more confident, she became faster.  And as she became faster, mom and dad became more scared.  She had to tell Mike, "Dad, you are going to have to let go of me sometime".  It is so true.  We teach, guide, and train the kids to grow up strong and when it is time to let them go, we aren't ready!  She sure is growing up fast.  With a little attitude that goes with it!   I think it is just a "first grade attitude" nothing more.  She is still sweet and 60% daddy's girl, 40% mommy's girl. 
We had to attach the pictures with the "eye" stories.  Patched eye:  she still wears a patch for two hours a day.  She can't stand this, actually she uses the word hate, which I don't like, but for certain things we do.  Like patches, mosiquitos, and bees.  Bee stung eye:  We went to the orchard this weekend and opened the door to enjoy the festivities and within two seconds a bee flew in, went into her glasses and stung her eye!  I was so mad at that bee.  I was ready to watch my kids have fun and instead, Sylvia was screaming in pain.  For a few hours her eye was swollen completely shut.  But she wasn't about to let it ruin her day!   She still went out there and enjoyed the fun.   Black eye:  Accident on a trapoline at the beach.  She had a black eye for the first day of school!  Again, it didn't keep her from enjoying her time on the beach, after she had a good cry.  She is such a good girl.  She loves life and she has a great heart! 

Black eye on a very cute girl! 

Bee stung eye, hours later! 

Silly mood, had to be to get a picture of her with the patch!

First day of school.  You can see her joy!

Gracie is growing up really fast.  If you want to see her as a little four year old, you better come visit soon.  She is maturing and acting like a kindergartener.  She seems so much taller, her hair keeps getting longer and believe it or not, she is getting cuter. and she no longer druels when she crys, thank goodness.  She loves to go to school and loves to make friends.  She loves that I am home with her, mostly because of all the time she gets to spend with Andrew.  They are best buds right now when Sylvia is away.  She still calls him  Bubba and talks to him so patient and loving.  They can play for hours together, which makes my days so easy.  They do not fight.  I know it is crazy, but they just don't do it.  It is the sweetest thing.  When I try to interact they often tell me to leave because they are deep in play mode, and don't want their old mom to ruin the fun.  Andrew looks up to Gracie and he adores her.  Gracie is going to be such a good mom.  She takes great care of Andrew and she has this special way with her babies.  I hear her talking to them in such sweet tones.  And she has a discipline voice that is so matter of fact and direct.   While having some stubborness in our other lovely children, Gracie is about as easy as they come.  She is very easy going, flexible, and won't put up much of a fight for anything.  She is just more even keel.  She doesn't get the ups and downs.  I am not saying that this is better, nor am I saying that is is worse.  It is just a different personality, and for now it is a lot easier on her mom and dad.   And I am sure that all of this could change in coming years!  For now we enjoy it!

Craig's Cruisers with Sternbergs and Pupli'

Building animal towers out of the blocks that grandpa Sternberg made for us.

First day of school

Sliding at the orchard

Andrew...He is stubborn (and so cute about being so).  I know mom Sternberg has been saying that Sylvia is like Mike in her stubborness, well...we have another Mike I think.  He is stubborn in another way.  Sylvia cares and she shows that she cares by acting out when she doesn't get her way.  Andrew (I think it might make me more crazy) will make sure we know that he doesn't care at all!  I am not sure that he does.  At church, they have the kids say please for a snack.  He won't say please, so we told them not to give it to him.  He is perfectly capable of saying it.  He came to me after church.  I asked him if he said please.  He said, "me not please".  I relied, "did you get the crackers".  Andrew: "me no crackers"  (said with a little carefree shrug of the shoulders)  He even told Mike that they were "ucky".  It was fishy crackers, he loves fishy crackers.  He will not eat any vegetable and no snack, dessert, or anything will get him to a despised vegi.  The same goes for potty training.  He won't do it.  Besides these little things that will soon change, maybe once he realizes that mommy and daddy are 10 times more stubborn, Andrew is an awesome little boy who is adored by grandmas, grandpas, mommy, daddy and his sissies!  He is acting more and more like a little boy.  He says "me mean"  and snarls his face all mean like.  This is all crazy play.  More often, he is a daddy and he can be heard upstairs repeating over and over "me daddy", "me daddy"...  he plays with Gracie, who is the mommy and they play with their babies, make food, and go grocery shopping. 
Andrew is also obsessed with bathroom talk.  He will say "you a poopy head"  and cracks up laughing.  For now we just say no.  If it continues we will make him go to the bathroom if he wants to talk like that!

A rare occasion when we can get him to smile for the camera!

First day of school, bringing favorite snack: popcorn.

He loves school too!

The rice table at school

We woke up the other morning at 8:00, surprised that the kids were still sleeping, We found Andrew in the living room sleeping. 

Loving siblings!