Florida

Our Florida vacation ended up being a little hit or miss. We had two beautiful sunshine-filled days when we first got down there and we enjoyed the pool and nearby Cocoa Beach. On the third day, we went to Sea World and it started raining halfway through the day and from then on it rained...and rained...and rained. We ended up coming home a few days early because the rain wasn't forecasted to let up anytime soon. It was a bummer, but we did have fun for the few days we were down there and in any case, we made a memory :)

We also watched a couple of good movies - Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I recommend both of them if you get stumped at the movie store.

preschool graduation

We have a brand new preschool graduate living amongst us now. Right before we left for Florida, Dylan had his preschool graduation. The whole thing was pretty comical because the preschoolers were of course very cute and little and because Dylan was completely exhausted and kept yawning through the entire ceremony. We're pretty sure he didn't know where he was half the time (plus, Matt said the little boy standing next to him was doing ALL of the motions and "making Dylan look bad".) Dylan made it through though and was very happy with his punch and cookie afterwards.

this & that

We are officially (almost) all packed for Florida! We planned this spontaneous little trip about 3 weeks ago and we're leaving in just a couple of days. I am very much looking forward to some rest and relaxation (or as much R&R as possible with a 4 1/2 year old, a 2 1/2 year old, and one in the oven). We are going to Orlando and we rented a condo with a nice pool on the grounds. We're also taking the kids to Sea World and maybe we'll fit a beach day in there too. We are pretty spoiled and have been able to do quite a few vacations with the kids but they have always involved one of our families (and yes, we do enjoy vacationing with them!). This is our first real family vacation with just us and the kids.

Matt realized the other day that because of this vacation and Memorial Day, he will have 11 continuous days off of work which is pretty much unheard of around here. Whenever things start to get crazy around here in the evenings, I like to look at him and exclaim, "11 days!" (sometimes with a fist pump). He loves that.

Dylan is graduating from preschool tomorrow. I can't believe this school year is over already. He's learned a ton and I think the year has helped him develop socially too. Pre-K is back on the table for next year because Hudsonville is going to offer the program after all. After convincing myself that another year of preschool (the next class up) would be the best fit for Dylan next year, now I am back to considering Pre-K. I reserve the right to change my mind, right??

In other news, I bought a new shower organizer this week. Our old one had gotten rusty so I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to find a rust-proof one. The funny thing is that of the eight or so models they offer, I can only find one that was rust-proof. Is it just me or shouldn't they all be rust-proof? Are there people out there with showers that don't get wet? Isn't a wet shower and a metal shower organizer a recipe for rust? Just a few of the questions that keep me up at night...

official blog announcement!

I'm not really sure why it took me so long to post these pictures. Blame it on the fact that I'm 11 weeks pregnant??

If you haven't heard the news yet, here you go - "official" blog announcement. Nothing is really real unless it's been posted on the blog, after all.

I went for broke this time and ordered the kids these shirts off of Etsy because I couldn't resist. We brought the kids over to my parents' house in them and my mom just about fell over. The great part is that Dylan's shirt makes sense on its own, but when you throw Ella in the mix people slowly start to catch on.

Next big item...I am due November 17. For those of you paying attention at home, yes, our other two kids' birthdays are also in November (and um, yeah, Matt's is too if you want to get technical). We have in fact realized that we seem to have some sort of "problem" regarding the month of November (or the month of February, depending on how you want to look at it). My due date for Dylan was actually November 17 too, and he was born on the November 13...which was Ella's due date. I realize this makes us pretty weird at this point, but I'm just going to go ahead and embrace it. Plus, I think it allows more attention to be given during my birthday week since I don't have to share the limelight with anyone else :).

I think that's it for now. Feeling OK, but hoping to feel a lot better in the next couple of weeks. My personal mom hunch is that it's a boy, but it really doesn't make a difference to us either way. We will definitely try to find out gender at 20 weeks - sometime around the beginning of July. We realize #3 is going to make our already crazy life even crazier, but we're taking the plunge...if we survive the next year we should be in good shape after that :).

rockin' it out

Last Tuesday, my mom and I went the Michael W. Smith/Steven Curtis Chapman concert. If you know us, that's a somewhat odd sentence that I just typed because we do a lot of things together but they generally don't include going to concerts :) My called a couple of months ago and asked me if I wanted to go and told me to get the best seats available. Seemed like a no-brainer to say sure!
It was just the right kind of concert for us - lots of songs we knew, no peer pressure to stand up the entire time :), and great music. Michael W. Smith music brings me back to my junior high-ish years...swapping my Go West Young Man tape for Katie P.'s I 2(Eye) tape in the 7th grade...making up a lip sync to "Love Crusade" at Camp Ao Wa Kiya during a junior high fall retreat...bonding and swaying through Friends...and the list goes on.
I didn't become acquanted with Steven Curtis Chapman until my college years, thanks to Matt. Pretty sure we went to one of his concerts during that time period and "I Will Be Here" was played at our wedding (I had almost forgotten that until he started playing the song...funny how two kids and 8 years will do that to you!) It's been almost a year since they lost their little girl, and I still remember waking up and hearing the news on the radio. A lot of what he shared at the concert had to do with that tragedy and how it is continuing to shape him and his family.

Amazing...just amazing...to see both of these guys on stage at the same time.

zoo!

Nothing like a field trip to the zoo with a bunch of preschoolers to get you moving in the morning (this is just part of the group). The sunshine was wonderful and I loved running around the zoo with my little guy. I love being with both my kids obviously, but I love any opportunity to be one-on-one with them also. Only three more weeks of preschool...I know I will miss it this summer!

The Only Colors

Here you go Sparty fans...my big brother has a new blog. Some of you might know that he has had a blog for about the past year regarding MSU sports (especially basketball), but the toll of carrying the blogging burden alone proved to be too much (he also happens to have a "real" job.) So...this new blog is more of a collaborative effort with five different enthusiastic writers contributing to a spectactular blog centered on all things Green and White. Check it out.

P.S. My brother is pretty much the smartest and funniest person I know. And he knows a lot about MSU. You will love him. And his blog. Guaranteed.

who doesn't love a puppy?

Thought this cute little puppy might make someone out there's day. This little guy will be keeping my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Brett and Kara, busy out in California. His name's Cooper...everyone now...awwww...