Life Through a Lens

Moving Day

2008-09-08T23:34:00.003-04:00

I moved - my blog that is. I decided to host it on my own domain now & I am so excited. I won't be updating this blog anymore, so be sure to update your subscriptions and links!

http://katiedeboer.com/blog/

Should this be Funny?

2008-09-04T21:40:00.005-04:00

I was trying to take a picture of Nicholas on Monday (I didn't realize my little camera was set on video) when this happened:

He only scraped his leg and bumped his head a little bit, but when he settled down I showed him the video - he thought it was hilarious. He watched it about 5o times that night and the next day when I loaded it on my computer he asked to watch it over and over again, cracking up each time. Here is a picture I snapped of him watching it:

And this is the picture I wanted to take in the first place. Notice he isn't touching the door anymore :)

Rough Day

2008-08-31T11:51:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my friend Julie and I took the girls to Birch Run for a day of shopping. We were looking around at Children's Place and people kept walking by my stroller and laughing at Sylvia. I leaned around to take a peek myself and this is what I saw...

She must have just passed out while she was sitting up - I'm just glad I had my little camera along to snap a picture. The girlies did so good and we had a great day of shopping!

Nicholas' Tongue

2008-08-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

Mmmmm...

2008-08-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

Yummy :)

Here are a few better ones

Almost

2008-08-27T00:02:00.002-04:00

I almost got a picture of my kids together tonight. If only Sylvia was looking...

He gave her a hug and sat there for about a 1/2 second till he realized I was going to take a picture. Then he flung himself down :)

I did manage to get a couple of the one who can't get away from me - but she didn't want to look at me either.

She didn't care too much for sitting in the grass.

And her precious little painted piggies

Ellie

2008-08-20T00:31:00.000-04:00

Poor little neglected now that we have kids Ellie...

A Few From Yesterday

2008-08-18T14:50:00.000-04:00

More Pool Photos

2008-08-18T14:46:00.000-04:00

This time at Grandma's pool. Sylvia loves floating in the water

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

2008-08-17T22:00:00.002-04:00

A few pictures form tonight after Grandpa & Grandma delivered ice cream on the golf cart again

Fun At The Pool

2008-08-14T22:48:00.002-04:00

No, not Grandma's pool - but the awesomeness of Dan & Michelle's :)

Dirty Boy

2008-08-14T22:28:00.002-04:00

I was going through some of my older pictures and found these from after a day at the park

What We've Been Working On

2008-08-14T14:46:00.002-04:00

Oh - The Torture

2008-08-10T20:24:00.005-04:00

I think she is through with my camera too

Sylvia

2008-07-29T14:54:00.004-04:00

And some of Sylvia from today

Nicholas

2008-07-29T14:46:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't blogged for awhile - I just got back from spending two weeks at our cottage. We had an excellent time, but it felt really good to be back and sleep in my own bed last night. I will post pictures later, but for now here is a recent one of Nicholas playing with my lamp

New title!!!

2008-07-08T19:22:00.007-04:00

I actually did it!!! It wasn't the most voted for, but I thought it was fitting. So goodbye to me & my boys

and hello to life through a lens

I just did a quick header above for now till I get a cute picture of my munchkins together

4th of July

2008-07-05T22:49:00.003-04:00

This year we went up to the cottage for the 4th. Nicholas enjoyed kayaking with Grandpa DeBoer, watching the boat parade, and riding in the big boat while his uncle and cousins tubed. He wasn't so sure about the fireworks at night though. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Oreo Face

2008-06-26T20:39:00.005-04:00

Enough said...

I just love that you can see the lines from the spaces between his teeth :)
And Sylvia too

Little Angels

2008-06-23T14:49:00.003-04:00

Father's day both Sylvia & Juliet were baptized. It was such a special day! Sylvia wore the dress I was baptized in and Juliet wore Michelle's. Last week we dressed them back up to grab a few shots of the two precious babes together. I think I only got three pictures without Sylvia's hands in her mouth though

Hi Auntie Bets!

2008-06-23T14:48:00.002-04:00

Nicholas talking to his favorite red-headed auntie!

The Ice Cream Golf Cart

2008-06-22T20:20:00.003-04:00

The ice cream trucks may not come all the way out to our house, but grandpa & grandma do! Tonight Nicholas got to order his ice cream from the back of grandpa & grandma Dieleman's golf cart. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera out when they were serving him (I was told Michelle did though and she was going to post pictures on her blog). I did manage to get a couple of him enjoying his sweet treat. But I think his favorite part was the ride he got to take when he was all done!

Our Family

2008-06-09T13:24:00.003-04:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Making Cake

2008-06-05T22:02:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post these back in April, but these are pictures of Nicholas baking a cake for daddy. We didn't have any sprinkles, so he decorated it with gummy bears and nerd jelly beans - except the jelly beans only made it as far as his own mouth.

Its About Time

2008-06-05T16:07:00.005-04:00

Sylvia is three months old already and I still haven't changed the title of this blog. I don't know why it's so hard for me to do - I am just totally over thinking it. I put a poll together with some of the suggestions I was given. You can also add an idea yourself by clicking the other button and typing it in

A Couple More

2008-05-07T21:42:00.002-04:00

The "oh no I just got caught giving Ellie a lot of dog food" look. She ate so much that she actually threw up after that!

And Sylvia loving her new bumbo seat :)

For My Sister Lia :)

2008-05-07T21:04:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of the kids from today. And I promise I won't let Sylvia walk before you get to see her :)

Nicholas loves holding little Sylvia and wants to every morning as soon as he sees her. So here are the little rascals in their jammies (please excuse Nicholas' bed head)...

And since I haven't taken new pictures of her for awhile I decided to quickly do some tonight just for you...

It took forever to get her to sleep so I could get some like this. She doesn't like to be naked at all...

Sylvia 17 Days

2008-04-20T11:53:00.004-04:00

So my baby is almost 7 weeks, but I am still way behind in going through her pictures. These were taken over a month ago already - amazing how time flies!!!

Sylvia 12 Days

2008-04-10T22:09:00.002-04:00

Mommy & Sylvia - 8 Days Old

2008-04-08T16:18:00.004-04:00

Here are a few Scott took of us. I showed him what I wanted and he snapped away :) ...

Daddy & Sylvia - 8 Days Old

2008-04-08T16:13:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of Scott and Sylvia I took...

Sylvia's Tutu

2008-04-06T14:52:00.003-04:00

Here are a few I took today of Sylvia in her tutu. They didn't turn out exactly like I had in mind, but I don't think she liked the feeling of it on her bare skin - it was quite itchy. I didn't have very long to play around before she was screaming.

And one in her flower headband I bought from MiniMe Baby Gear...

She wouldn't let me take out her pacifier though :) Maybe next time.

Backing Up - 6 Days

2008-04-05T13:09:00.004-04:00

I still have a ton of pictures I never got around to posting of Sylvia. Here are a few of her at 6 days old...

One Month

2008-04-03T22:04:00.002-04:00

My little baby is one month old already! I can't believe how time flies. I am doing the monthly picture by a bear in a chair like I did for Nicholas. Here is this months...

Sylvia

2008-03-31T15:14:00.003-04:00

Still getting caught up on going through her pictures. Here's a few more of Sylvia from in the hospital...

Coming home...

Easter

2008-03-30T17:02:00.003-04:00

Well you may have noticed I didn't post any pictures of the kids on Easter . . . that's because I didn't take any. Partially because I didn't think about it (completely unlike me) and partially because the day didn't start out very well. We were all set and ready to go to church - I was finishing getting myself ready and Scott was changing Sylvia before we rushed out the door. Well next thing I knew Scott was covered from his chest to his knees in poop. It had sprayed everywhere including halfway across our bedroom carpet (which is a light cream color). Needless to say we never ended up making it to church that morning. I am still not sure as though Scott finds this story to be funny :) I do!

Well we did manage to make it to Scott's aunt Diane's for a nice dinner. Scott's sisters spoiled Nicholas with an Easter basket that had enough candy and toys in it to last him till next Easter. Then they brought out another bag for Sylvia. I opened it and this is what I found...

They told me they had made it for her and I was amazed! It would have taken me years to do something like this. But that wasn't even the most special part - the patches are actually all pieces of my mother-in-laws clothes. Even though Sylvia never got a chance to meet her, she now has a very special part of her to keep forever!

Sylvia's Birth

2008-03-29T20:40:00.008-04:00

So it has only taken me 4 weeks, but I am finally getting around to posting my pictures of Sylvia. I figured this picture was the best place to start :) We had to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am for the c-section which started at 7:30 and we didn't get much sleep. Hence this picture...

The anesthesiologist took almost all of the pictures for us while Scott was videotaping. He said what he lacked in photo quality he made up for in quantity. That was definitely true - when I was looking through them he had taken about 150 pictures in about a half hour! I loved it though cause he got shots of so many things that we wouldn't have since we were more caught up in the moment. This one is before I had even seen her and the doctor was cutting the cord...

The surgery started at about 7:30 am (including the spinal and preparation) and she was already here at 7:59 am. Showing Sylvia to me for the first time...

Getting cleaned up...

Since the doctors cut the cord during the surgery, Scott really wasn't able to do the real thing. So here he is cutting the stump :) ...

Scott showing Sylvia to me up close for the first time...

Sylvia weighed in at 7 lbs 8.7 oz...

The doctors putting me back together...

Sylvia getting her footprint card done...

Scott got to hold her for awhile while they finished the surgery up. It is really sad having a c-section because I just wanted to hold her and I couldn't till they were wheeling me to the recovery room...

As soon as they put her in my arms she turned her face to me and started sucking on my cheek. There was no question she was going to be a good eater! Here I am finally holding my baby for the first time...

After taking us to the recovery room, Sylvia got ready for her first bath...

Her first sponge bath from the nurse...

As soon as we got into my regular room, Scott and I just spent some time enjoying our precious girl before we had visitors. But the grandpas and grandmas were pretty excited to meet our little bundle too.

The first picture of our new family (although I hope to get one sometime soon that I would feel better about sharing)...

Grandma Dieleman holding her for the first time...

Nicholas checking out his new sister. He must think its funny that she is screaming her head off :) ...
I have a lot more of her I will share later too!

Snowman

2008-03-25T22:17:00.004-04:00

Tonight Scott took Nicholas outside and they built this snowman with the remainder of snow we have on the ground. Nicholas was so proud of it (and it will probably start to melt tomorrow) so I thought I better get some snapshots of it.

Nicholas showing his teeth - the only way I can ever get him to look at the camera - so now we have all of these cheesy pictures of him. Gotta love it!

And yet another one of him showing off his teeth (and the snowman too). They built it facing the house so Nicholas could look at it from the window.

And I am still trying to come up with a name for my blog. I like some of the suggestions I was given (thanks Auntie Larvi) but I am thinking I want to do something without my first or last name in it. So I guess I am still open to suggestions...

Loving Her

2008-03-22T17:01:00.003-04:00

Today Nicholas held Sylvia for the first time all by himself. He actually held his arms out and wanted to hold her. He was so proud and even sat long enough so Scott could grab my little camera and take these. It was so precious!

Showing his teeth of course :)

Sylvia had her first bottle today too. I wanted to see if she would take one and when Nicholas saw me feeding her he had to try himself. It was so cute - he has come a long way in the last 2 weeks. I think he'll love being a big brother and helping out his mama!

I have a lot more pictures of her I am planning on posting, but haven't had a chance yet. Hopefully soon!

Nicholas & Sylvia

2008-03-15T17:20:00.003-04:00

A lot of people have said that Nicholas looks just like Scott and Sylvia looks like me, but I think they look quite a bit like each other. Here are the pictures that were taken in the hospital side by side - you be the judge:

The Happiest Baby

2008-03-10T11:40:00.004-04:00

She has to be the best baby ever! Nicholas is a great kid now, but wasn't the easiest of babies. He cried a lot and I was feeding him almost 12 hours a day for the first 2 weeks! I was exhausted and had prepared myself for this again. So I am still shocked that Sylvia is so content. She just eats and sleeps and smiles a lot. I don't think she has ever just cried unless she is hungry. Hopefully she stays this easy going!

Saturday was Sylvia's first outing - my grandpa's funeral. Not a very fun first outing, but she did great. Hopefully this will be our last funeral for awhile though (2 Grandpas and a Mom in one month is too much)! Nicholas stayed with Grandpa DeBoer and when we got back he actually wanted to hold Sylvia. He sat there and held her hand and kissed her forehead. He was loving it until the cameras came out - then he quickly pushed her away and said 'mo more'. But it was very sweet while it lasted.

Saturday was Sylvia's original due date and it was also Scott and my 6th anniversary. It was funny cause it just didn't seem like an anniversary at all. My mom called to say happy anniversary and we were both like - oh that's right - it is our anniversary today :) He did manage to get out and get me flowers though.

She's Here!

2008-03-05T18:00:00.003-05:00

She's here and was definitely worth the wait! She has been so good and we couldn't have asked for a better baby. She sleeps almost all day long except when she wakes up to eat.

Nicholas isn't quite sure what to think of her yet. He keeps his distance and doesn't dare get too close to anyone who is holding her. I'm sure he'll warm up to her. I asked him to say Sylvia yesterday and he called her 've-ve'.

Here is a little picture of her. I don't really have any of her with her eyes open since she doesn't do it very often, so this one with her tongue out will have to do for now. I'm sure I will post more when I have a chance to take more at home.

We'll Miss You Mom!

2008-02-15T18:21:00.010-05:00

Yesterday was a very sad day for our family. My mother-in-law passed away yesterday morning on valentines day. We knew it was coming, but we didn't expect it to come so soon. She touched many lives and will be missed deeply by everyone who knew her!

Here is the obituary:

Loie DeBoer
Born in Grand Rapids, MI on Aug. 22, 1952
Departed on Feb. 14, 2008 and resided in Cutlerville, MI.

Visitation: Saturday, February 16, 2008 & Sunday, February 17, 2008
Service: Monday, February 18, 2008
Cemetery: Winchester Cemetery - Byron Center
Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.

DEBOER, "Loie" Lois DeBoer, age 55 of Cutlerville, was welcomed home to be with her Lord and Savior, February 14, 2008. She now rests peacefully in the arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Preceding her into glory were her parents Ted and Billie DeBoer. Loie's loving memory will be cherished by her devoted husband of 34 years, Gord; her children and grandchild, Scott and Katie DeBoer (Nicholas and baby), Julie DeBoer, and Susie DeBoer. She is survived by her loving brothers and sister; Jerry and Deb DeBoer and family, Bruce and Cindy DeBoer and family, Marilyn Leech and family; and her special cousin Jim and Marilyn Niewiek and their family and several brothers and sisters-in-law.

A service celebrating Loie's life will be held 11 a.m. Monday at Covenant Christian Reformed Church with Pastor Kurt Walters officiating. Burial will take place in Winchester Cemetery. The family will meet with relatives and friends on Saturday and Sunday 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cook Funeral Home, Byron Center, 2067 84th St. SW. If you are unable to attend the service or visitation please sign the family's Memory Book at www.cookfuneralservices.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Think he was a little sleepy...

2008-02-13T16:46:00.002-05:00

Nicholas was being a little naughty today so I told him he needed to go and sit in his chair. I went in there a couple minutes later and this is what I found...

And last week he just gave up his pacifier. We didn't even have to try, he just suddenly didn't want it anymore. I'm not complaining, but isn't it supposed to be harder than that???

Need Help Deciding

2008-02-08T15:50:00.001-05:00

So I found a couple of diaper bags that I love, but I am having a hard time choosing the one I love the most. They aren't the cheapest so who knows if I will get one anyway, but just wondering whet you thought.

ETA: It doesn't look like the poll is actually updating when you choose one from my blog for some reason - only from my kaboodle page. So if you get a chance, VOTE HERE . Thanks!

And I just love kaboodle!!! Its so fun to be able to keep one wish list on just one site - and you can add things from any website. I'm addicted!

Ultrasound #3

2008-02-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had my third ultrasound for this baby girl. They wanted to do extra ones because they were keeping an eye on the placenta - everything looks really good now though. Here are a couple 3D images they took. I labeled them this time because they can be so hard to figure out:

Two

2008-02-04T15:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend my little guy turned two - I still can't believe he is that old already! It was a bittersweet weekend though. On Tuesday Scott's grandpa passed away. It wasn't unexpected since his health has really been going downhill, but still very sad. Especially considering it's his mom's dad and nobody has told her because we don't know how she will respond to the news.

Saturday was the funeral which was also Nicholas birthday. He had a great time playing with his cousins while we were at the funeral. At night we were planning on taking him to Chuck E Cheese, but it was an hour wait just to get in the door. We decided to go to Red Robin. I first was a little bit sad because I didn't think it would be nearly as much fun for him, but when they came out singing to him he had the biggest smile on his face and all he could say was 'oh WOW'. The ice cream sundae helped a little too I think :)

Nicholas digging in to his cake...

Blowing out the candle...

Uncle Johnny showing him how to use the new digital camera we got him. He loves it too - I wonder where he gets that from...

So I thought the weekend turned out OK until yesterday when he woke up from his nap screaming, coughing and with a fever. He was coughing so much that he puked all over Scott (which actually saved me another load of laundry since it didn't get on our bed) :) This cold/flu has been going around 'the hill' so it was only a matter of time before he got it too. At least he saved it till after his birthday!

Sledding

2008-01-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

Just a couple from this morning. Scott got a workout, after he shoveled the whole driveway, by pulling Nicholas up and down.

Ellie loved tagging along too!

Stitches Revealed

2008-01-21T19:07:00.002-05:00

We got to take the gauze off tonight. We showed Nicholas in the mirror and he looked a bit worried about it. I don't know if you can really tell in the picture (you can click on it to make it a little bigger), but the stitches look really long. Is this normal? I would have thought they would have trimmed them a bit shorter before we left. Well hopefully he won't pull on them!

Stitches

2008-01-20T19:12:00.001-05:00

Last night we had a new experience - rushing Nicholas to the Urgent Care.

We were visiting Scott's Mom at Spectrum Continuing Care and Nicholas was playing with the toys they have there. We were there for only about 15 minutes when he ran back to Scott's Dad (who had malted milk balls he was sharing with Nicholas) and he tripped. He flew right into the corner of the chair. It was so sad - it all happened in slow motion for me and I knew it wasn't going to be something I could just make better with a kiss. I picked him up and it just started to gush blood. I could hardly get him to the urgent care quick enough. Its awful knowing that you have to put him through more pain in order to get better.

He did so good when we got there though. He hardly cried at all until they had to wrap him in a papoose so he couldn't move his arms - then he screamed! He screamed "mo more, mo more" through the whole thing, but the second they unwrapped him he laughed and said "oh wow" - that was it - he was happy again. Six stitches later and he was off and running around.

We never got to eat supper so on the way home we finally went to Steak N Shake. We must have been a sight - Nicholas had this big patch on his head and blood on his shirt and I had blood on my coat too. He was acting fine, but he must not have been feeling all that well since he hates hats on his head - he put this one on (and left it on) the whole time we were there!

Here are a couple from this morning too...

I hope that's the last time we ever have to do that!!! :)

Bath Time

2008-01-18T23:08:00.001-05:00

Dreams

2008-01-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

I was just reading one of Michelle's blog posts and it made me remember the dream I had last night.

I actually dreamt that we named our baby girl Speedo Frito DeBoer!

And in my dream I was so excited about the name we came up with - I'm definitely glad I woke up! :)

Help

2008-01-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

So . . . I am scheduled for a c-section in 48 days - I can't even believe I have less than 7 weeks to go! Since we are having a girl this time around, I obviously have to come up with a new title for my blog. I have absolutely no ideas . . . any thoughts?

Happy New Year!

2008-01-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

I guess its a good thing I didn't make being a better blogger part of my new year's resolution :)

As of the end of this month I will be taking a break from doing sessions and begin my maternity leave - yeah! I hope to finish up all of my orders in February and take the last few weeks to spend time with my family - enjoying the freedom that comes with having only one child :)

Here is the only way I am able to get Nicholas to let me take his picture anymore - I have to let him do it. I bought a remote for my camera so that he can take his own pictures (well I am holding the camera, but he makes the flash go off). Worked like a charm for our Christmas card photos! So don't mind the pj's or the grubby face - I take what I can get these days!!!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T22:05:00.001-05:00

Ultrasound #2

2007-12-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

I went in for another ultrasound today. They had to check a few things and so I got to see my baby girl again (and I did make them double check this). Its amazing how much clearer everything is now that she is a little bit bigger - approx 2lbs 9oz already!

Here is a shot of her face (she is sideways with her chin on the left and the top of her head on the right) . . .

And here is a 3D one of her face. Its a little weird still cause she was folded in a "V" and both her legs and her arms were in front of her face. Much better than last time though - I wouldn't have even posted those. They were much too scary :) . . .

Man Cold

2007-12-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

Isn't this the truth!

Monkey Bread

2007-11-30T13:19:00.000-05:00

My mom used to make this for us occasionally when we were kids. Now Nicholas loves it when I make it for him - although it never tastes as good as when my mom made it.

When he gets a little older maybe we'll start the tradition of eating it while sitting around the dishwasher :)

Cherrios

2007-11-24T16:29:00.001-05:00

So what happens when I let Nicholas pour his own bowl of cereal in the morning...

He certainly enjoyed himself though - I guess it makes for fun pictures to put in his album.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T22:57:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share a few from yesterday and today - well actually more than a few :)

Nicholas carving his pumpkin yesterday...

Doing the "turtle face" in his turtle costume...

Digging for dinosaurs - one of his new favorite things :) ...

Excited to go to church and get some candy in his pumpkin!

The shell...

Chelle working her magic at the photo booth at church...

And Nicholas' pumpkin all lit up...

Grandpa's Truck & Pumpkins

2007-10-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

Nicholas has been obsessed with any sort of transportation lately, so when Grandpa showed him his big truck today he was quite excited! We just went for a ride around the parking lot, but I think Nicholas thought he was in heaven. He even got to honk the horn! The quality isn't the greatest cause I only had my point & shoot with me, but here they are anyway.

Nicholas driving...

Nicholas & Grandpa going for a ride...

Talking on the CB radio...

Checking himself out on the fuel tank...

Later that day we went to look for pumpkins. Unfortunately the place we wanted to go was already closed. We didn't have a lot of time, so sadly we ended up getting one at Sam's Club. He enjoyed picking one out anyway :)

Well.....

2007-10-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

The majority of you who voted were . . . wrong! And that includes me. :) We found out we are having a girl and I couldn't be more excited! I already did a little shopping in search of pink things today. I was hoping to share some ultrasound pictures, but I have to scan them from my pc and things aren't looking so good right now. But as soon as I get them on my computer I will definitely be posting them.

So the next question is - what to rename my blog??? Well maybe a baby name is a little more important right now :)

ETA - I just added some pictures. They weren't the greatest since she was moving around so much. I might even have to come back for another one if they need more detail - oh shoot :)

Profile...

The scary skeleton face...

And the feet - only one foot is clear to me though...

Robinettes

2007-10-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to Robinettes with my Mom, Michelle, Dewey & Joy. Here are a few snapshots I took:

Nicholas helping me eat my "bap-puul"...

Joy...

Nicholas by the apple...

He almost fell asleep eating his cookie on the swing...

Dewey had to show me how he could climb the tree...

And FINALLY a little eye contact - I asked him to show me his teeth and he actually listened!!! Too bad it had to be when his face was covered with cookie :) I guess that makes it more precious.

Dewey, Nicholas and Joy (Nicholas was showing me his teeth again!)...

He was completely wiped out after an afternoon of fun...

Talking to Da-Da

2007-10-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Just a little video of Nicholas using the DVD player remote to call Daddy. He must be talking to someone funny :)

Vote

2007-10-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

I was curious to see what everyone thinks I am having this time around, so I made a poll. Check it out and make a vote for fun --->

We have our ultrasound scheduled for two weeks from today and hopefully we can find out what it is . . . maybe I will even share. :) I can't wait to find out what our next little munchkin will be!

Tagged

2007-10-08T12:56:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by both Nicole and Sara, so I figured I better do it :)
- - -
The rules.
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog for the rules.
- - -
My middle name is Lynn:
L - I have been feeling quite LARGE lately - and I know its only going to get worse. Hopefully its starting to actually look like a bump now instead of just a big gut :)
Y - 'Y' can't I think of anything :)
N - NEED help with this - I am completely drawing blanks
N - NICHOLAS - my sweetest little boy. That counts right?

So that was probably a waste of time for you to read this. And I am pretty sure everyone who has a blog has already been tagged with this one so I am not tagging anyone else. Then again I will tag my mom since I know she would love to share her middle name with everyone! :)

And I wasn't going to even put this one on my blog since Nicholas didn't really do a whole lot of it (except for putting a piece of tape on the back), but this is his Abrakadoodle artwork from last week. He woke up extra early that morning and wanted nothing to do with being there. You can see a few of the scribbles he did on his own :)

Abrakadoodle Week 2

2007-09-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

Here is Nicholas' art work form today. Its is a landscape inspired by Wolf Kahn - the bottom is supposed to be grass/land and the top is supposed to be the sky.

My mother-in-law came home yesterday from Brookcrest. She is glad to be back home, but we don't know yet whether she will stay there and get therapy, or if she'll go to Mary Freebed and have more intense therapy there. Before she left Brookcrest, her therapist told us that she doesn't think the Mary Freebed program will work for her because she probably won't ever recover mentally from this. This was quite hard to hear. I guess we can just keep on praying and hope for a miracle. She is doing very well physically though.

Making a Cake

2007-09-26T21:27:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Nicholas and I made a cake. He sat on the counter and helped stir it and helped me put it into the pan. I let him lick off the spatula when we were finished and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it! My sisters and I always loved licking the spatula/beaters when we were kids - and I have to admit I had a little myself :)

The Next Paul Klee???

2007-09-23T12:28:00.000-04:00

Well probably not. :) Nicholas had his first Abrakadoodle Twoosy Doodlers class this past Thursday. Its where kids (ages 20-36 months) learn about color, texture and more while experimenting with new and innovative materials. He's not quite 20 months yet, but I think he'll do just fine. It seems like it will be a lot of fun for both of us. This week they had to create an unusual self-portrait inspired by artist Paul Klee. Here is the one one that is supposed to inspire the kids:

And here is the one Nicholas created all by himself (well I glued the pieces on for him):

So what do ya think???

Chasing Ducks

2007-09-22T10:21:00.000-04:00

Nicholas knows how to keep himself entertained when we go to visit my mother-in-law...

An update on how she's doing...
They met with the Brookside on Thursday and the good news is she is making progress physically. Bad news is insurance will only pay for two weeks of treatment there, so she'll have to leave next Wednesday. They are still looking into options of what do do next - if she'll stay somewhere else or if they will have someone come in a few times a week to do therapy with her at home.

Some Good News

2007-09-08T16:11:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to update you all on my mother-in-law. She got into Brookcrest which is where she really wanted to be to do the physical therapy program. She was declined at first (something about the cost of her medication), but she was reevaluated and they accepted her. She moved in there last night and we went out there to visit her and see the place. She seems to be doing very well. In fact when we got there she wanted to take a walk around with us - and it was even her idea. She told us that the more she exercises, the stronger she will get and the sooner she can get out of there and go home. We are seeing more of a positive attitude the past couple of days, which is really encouraging for everyone! Please pray that she keeps on doing well and that she continues to have a good attitude.

Kind of a weird picture but thought I would put it out there anyway :)

Cute Chalk

2007-09-06T13:42:00.001-04:00

I recently bought Nicholas some cute chalk - and yes I did buy it cause it was cute. Little did I know that the color on the outside is very dark and rubs off easily on skin. So you can about imagine what happened when Scott gave it to Nicholas to play with last night.

Notice the perfect Nicholas-sized hand print on his forehead...

I guess it made for some cute pictures :)

And a little bit of an update on my mother-in-law . . . they think they found a place in Hudsonville where she can stay and get the therapy she needs. She will hopefully be able to leave the hospital and get in there tomorrow to start the treatment.

Please Pray

2007-09-05T15:22:00.000-04:00

Please keep Scott's mom in your prayers.

It was about two years ago that she was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor which spread to her lungs. They were able to remove the tumor and have been successfully treating the cancer in her lungs ever since - which seemed to be working well.

About a month ago, she began experiencing stroke-like symptoms. The doctors ran a lot of tests on her to rule out more cancer and they all came back negative. She has been working with Scott's sister, who is a physical therapist, to get her strength back on her left side of her body.

Last week she went back in to the hospital because she was having pain in her chest. The doctors found blood clots in her lungs. She has been there since so they can keep an eye on her. They want to make sure they don't get to her heart. Since she has been in bed all this time she has lost a lot more of her muscle and needs help doing nearly everything. We hoped she could get into a program for stroke victims, which would include very intense physical therapy, and even talked to her doctor about this. Other than the slow recovery from the stroke, she seemed to be doing ok.

So you can imagine our shock when the doctor told us yesterday that there wasn't anything else that he could do for her. He said the next step would be to bring hospice in to take care of her. What?!? We couldn't believe it! We just weren't sure what changed (other than the blood clots) with her health. The last time she went to see him, he told her that he expects about an 85% recovery - but it could take a year to get there. And now all of a sudden it seemed there was no more hope.

Scott's dad met with the doctor and social services this morning about all of this. They gave him some information on getting into a light physical therapy program, which they are looking in to. They aren't positive that it will work, but hopefully it will build up her strength enough to get into a regular therapy program.

Please pray that she will have the will power to go through with the therapy - which she isn't a big fan of.
Please pray for comfort while she is away from home. She will probably have to stay somewhere while she is in the therapy program and she really wants to be in her own house.
Please pray for healing - both physically and mentally.
Please pray for the entire family as everyone has a lot of very important decisions to make the next few days regarding her health and care.
Please pray for a miracle!

Exciting News!!!

2007-08-29T14:56:00.000-04:00

Well some of you already know this, but Scott and I are expecting number two!!! I went to the doctor on Monday and got to hear the little heartbeat :) Its such an awesome thing to hear - it really makes it more real that something so amazing is growing inside of me!

Well I recorded the heartbeat on my camera and I was going to put it on here, but I got home and played it and I couldn't even hear it - I was so bummed! And no pictures cause I am actually using Michelle's mac while mine is being fixed (which will hopefully be very soon!)

Anyway, just wanted to share :)

Be Back Soon

2007-08-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

I had to bring my computer to the doctor (aka the apple genius bar) to get a new dc chip or something. Hopefully it will be out soon so I can do a real post again shortly :)

Shiner

2007-08-15T21:58:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share a picture of Nicholas' first shiner. He got a little too close to his cousin who was swinging a baseball bat. It doesn't show up quite as good in the picture though.

This one looks like he is telling Joy off & she looks so sad. But really they were just blowing bubbles together...

Auntie Betsy joining in on the fun...

Joy trying to blow them - or eat them - not quite sure :) ...

And Nicholas trying too - check out the cross-eyes...

Catching Up

2007-08-05T15:49:00.001-04:00

Just trying to catch up on some of my old pictures. These are from over a month ago when we stayed up at our cottage for 2 weeks.

Nicholas (still in his pj's of course) trying to keep up with Stella...

The cottage...
The cottage in a 60's B&W conversion just for fun...
Stella lovin' the watermelon...
Nicholas in his birthday suit playing in the water...
Scott taking extreme measures to get Johnny off his tube (which he definitely deserved!!!)...
Mom driving the boat...
Nicholas loving watching daddy tube...
Nicholas & Stella getting cleaned up together...

Bad Blogger (Again)

2007-07-29T11:55:00.001-04:00

I never dreamed a few months ago that I would find myself actually busy with photography. But I am and it has been wonderful! Needless to say, my personal photos have sort of taken a back seat to it.

So if anyone out there still checks this - thanks!

Well I guess I am still better at it than my mom - so if you are reading this mom, I would say your blog is due for a new post too :)

Watering Grandma's Flowers

2007-07-17T13:17:00.000-04:00

I'm Back!!!

2007-07-14T13:18:00.000-04:00

I am finally back from a two week vacation up to my cottage - I know I have it rough :) My sister Amy is in town from Maryland and was able to join us as well. I have a ton of pictures but I am still working on catching up on some older ones so these will have to do. Here are some I took with my P&S at Millennium park a few weeks back. Its such a great place to go.

Nicholas was a little unsure of this splashing pool area...
He LOVED the lake though...
It was so great cause he could just walk around in the water. It didn't get deep for quite a ways and there weren't any waves to knock him over...
He was ready for a nap after a long day though (Nicholas and his Uncle John)...

A Few From The Party

2007-06-21T13:30:00.001-04:00

Just sharing a few (mostly of Nicholas) from Lia & Scott's going away party last Saturday. I have been on a black & white kick lately - don't know why. But I have been having fun doing my own conversions. So here they are.

My hubby...
Nicholas wanting to go in the pool...
He doesn't like to have grass on his feet (same face as my previous post)...
His grassy feet...
Auntie Betsy, Nicholas & me playing around (photo courtesy of Nick)...

On his favorite "toy" - the golf cart...
Giving goodnight kisses to Auntie Lia (precious photo by Betsy)...

Just in case...

2007-06-20T22:11:00.001-04:00

Just in case you think he is always a sweet little boy...

Oh yes, even if grandma won't admit it, he is a stinker! I get this look (along with a nice little whine) way too often. :)

Swinging

2007-06-19T14:51:00.001-04:00

Keeping Up

2007-06-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

Nicholas loves playing outside with his cousins. Its great when they live right across the driveway. He tries so hard to keep up with them...
But he can't quite make it...
So he resorts to sitting in his car and watching the kids...
Chase on his bike...And one of Ellie...

Grandpa's Boat

2007-06-12T14:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday we went out to my Dad's boat in Grand Haven and cruised up to Muskegon for dinner. Nicholas was in love with the boat and all of it's buttons and wheels! It was definitely not a relaxing trip for Scott and me since we were chasing him around the whole time - up and down the stairs - and pulling him away from all the buttons he couldn't touch. We all had a good time, but Nicholas had the most fun. Grandpa even let him drive the whole way back (on auto pilot) and he thought he really was the captain!

Up and down the stairs...
Driving the boat...
Sitting nicely (for a few seconds anyway) by the other Nick...
Daddy getting him again...
Grand Haven lighthouse...
Captain Nicholas & Grandpa...
Grandpa showing him all of the gadgets...
The beautiful sunset...

One for Today

2007-06-07T22:25:00.001-04:00

Frosty

2007-06-06T17:40:00.000-04:00

I know - two posts in one day...I can't believe it either :)
Just catching up on some of my picts.

The other day Nicholas & I went to Wendy's and got a frosty. Nicholas finally figured out how to use a straw so he thought he was pretty big drinking it all by himself
I thought I would let him enjoy it for awhile
Next thing I knew he had it completely gone - the whole thing!

Partners in Crime

2007-06-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

Ellie sat patiently while Nicholas figured out how to use her food scoop...
She is only supposed to get 3-4 cups a day...
About 6 cups later Nicholas had a new best friend!

Silhouette

2007-05-29T10:58:00.001-04:00

Awhile back I took a silhouette picture of Nicholas. Then I was looking through the land of nod catalog and I saw these so I thought I woud try and make one myself. What do you think?

Bath Time

2007-05-19T22:04:00.000-04:00

Been awhile since I shared bath time picts - so here are a few from tonight
This is his favorite face to make when he wants to make us laugh - the Turtle Face

Tagged

2007-05-15T08:12:00.001-04:00

I have been tagged by Lia to list six things you may not know about me. I've been tagged before but I haven't ever done it so she better be very proud of me :) Well here they are:

1. I have an obsession with sippy cups. I had this with bottles when Nicholas was using those too, but not as bad as this. I think I have bought at least one of every kind that exists in search of finding the perfect one. My favorites ended up being the kind that I didn't want to like - the Playtex insulator cups. My mom jokes that I buy one every time we get groceries together and I think its true - I bought two more today :)

2. I am a computer nerd - well at least when it comes to macs - I am very biased :) My family always comes to me when something is wrong and they can't fix it. I think I need to start charging!

3. On days when I stay home and have nowhere to go, I don't always get Nicholas dressed. I will just leave him in his pj's. Its more comfortable for him and its less laundry for me!

4. I won't dye my hair. In high school there was a group of us who all decided to dye our hair one night. I let them talk me into dying it black. It turned out navy. The box said it was temporary - it was permanent on my hair. I cried so hard I said I wouldn't ever do it again and so far I haven't. We'll see.

5. I sell Avon. Funny huh? I really tried to do it for about a week until I decided I would rather pursue photography. But I am still a rep.

6. Well it wasn't one of my proudest moments, but I was taken home in the back of a police car. Yep...I was at a party a long time ago and the cops came. Since I was only 16 they had to take me home. They told my parents that I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. I'm sure they were so proud - sorry mom :(

And now I will tag...sara!

Well I haven't ever written so much in one post before. I really despise writing. This wasn't so painful - just a little hard actually admitting some of these things :)

And I couldn't do a post without a picture, so here are some tulips from Holland Tulip Time:

Swimming!

2007-05-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

We are finally able to swim! My parents heated up their pool so thats where we have been the past two nights. I think everyone in my family already blogged about it, but just thought I would share a few picts of Nicholas too!

Ice Cream

2007-05-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

Last night we went out for ice cream. Nicholas had his first ever baby ice cream cone, and let me tell you - he enjoyed it! He even shared some with his Auntie Bets and Uncle Johnny - but I promised Betsy that I wouldn't post pictures of that :)

What Dirt Tastes Like

2007-05-03T22:07:00.000-04:00

This is what I found when I got off the phone this morning. Well this and a pile of black dirt on my floor too. I don't think he cared too much for the taste :)

And he looks like a lobster cause he got fried outside yesterday!

His favorite things...

2007-04-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

I had to make this storyboard since the title is the name of his favorite book and I had the perfect pictures for it :)

Click on the picture for a larger view. For more on his belly button obsession see my prevoius post :)

Frederik Meijer Gardens

2007-04-20T23:29:00.000-04:00

Nicholas and I joined Betsy on her trip to the gardens today. She had to go there for a school project so we thought we would tag along. Nicholas had a really great time and it was a beautiful day.

A funny thing happened while we were in the butterfly exhibit. First I should say that he loves his belly button right now and is always looking for it. Anyway, I asked Nicholas to hold my hand since I thought it would be easier to leave the stroller outside the exhibit. As soon as he took my hand, a little girl walked up and grabbed his other hand - we didn't know her. We were laughing about how cute it was and the girls mom called her back over to them. As soon as she let go, Nicholas followed her back over to where her mom was standing. Then we just watched as he proceeded to walk up to the girl, lift her shirt all the way up and stick his finger right in her belly button. I didn't even know what to say. Then the girls mom laughed and said - wow, he's a little young to be doing that, isn't he? It was embarrassing, yet it was so hilarious!

Well here are a lot of pictures from our day:

Splashing in the great lakes pools:

Having a tea party :)
Nicholas amazed by the horse:
A nice shot of Betsy by the horse:In the butterfly exhibit:
Nicholas likes to point at everything!The cocoons:After a long day, this was Nicholas before we even left the parking lot!

Buds

2007-04-16T15:29:00.000-04:00

Charlotte's Web & Easter

2007-04-08T22:52:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we went with Auntie Chelle and her kids to see the movie Charlotte's Web. Nicholas sat like this, eating his popcorn, for all but the last 10 minutes of the movie. He was so good! :)

And a few from today...

By his easter basket from one Grandma:

And the easter egg hunt at his other Grandma's - he loved it and he kept right up with his big cousins!

And of course we had to take a few pictures with the eggs too:
And yes - he did keep trying to eat the candy while it was still in the wrapper!

No More Mullet!

2007-04-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Well I am a little late on this post, but better late than never right? A couple of weeks ago we took Nicholas for his first haircut. His mullet was getting longer so we decided it was time. We didn't have a ton cut off but it was sad none the less. It looks much better now!

We took him to Heidi Christine's Hip where Scott's cousin Rachel trimmed it up a bit:
You can see his scraped up nose from falling on the driveway - that was so sad! :(
He sat in the little wagon so nice with his Pez dispenser:
And when he was all done he even got a Schleich Golden Retriever just like Ellie!

Bella

2007-03-31T15:37:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share a few from a session I had with Bella this past week: