Tiptoe through the Tulips!!!

Holland, is the second happiest town in U.S. and during tulip time we could probably be #1!!!! Tulip Time is one of my favorite times of year and makes me proud to be a Hollander:) This year, the weather has been so gorgeous, that most of the tulips are already in bloom.....so we headed downtown this weekend to tiptoe through the tulips and take some pictures before all the tourists arrive! Pictures of late are harder and harder to get, especially with my drama queen and king:) I included some silly ones just to give you an idea!The kids each picked out their favorite color tulips at Centennial Park to get some pictures by!Of course T. needed to get in one:)This picture was a cool concept, but the kiddos were not cooperating!Hanging around on Hope's anchor!The kids got to ride back to the shop with daddy in his Toolcat....they loved it!!!! Then we headed downtown to grab some subs at Subs-n-More before heading to the Peanut Store for our customary laffy taffy!We tried for one more pic on the way back to the car....as you can tell, they were hamming it up!! Such a wonderful relaxing night...can't wait for more!

Father's Night!

Kailyn's teachers put on a special Father's Night this week, complete with some singing, a craft and rootbeer float treats! Kailyn and I spent some serious time getting her all dolled up for her time with daddy:) She was so excited and even requested they ride in daddy's truck for the short ride to school! They had a great time and we are so thankful for her wonderful teachers!

Pretty as Princesses!

I'm not super proud of this picture, but it is way too funny and adorable not to share!!! The kids had a riot playing princesses together the other night (and afforded me a chance to get some housework done). Just so you know, I'm asking for some boy dress-up items for Will's birthday!!

Earth Day!

In celebration of Earth Day, the kids and I did a few special things!!! For starters, we made dirt pudding, complete with worms....ewwww! We also did a few crafts and finished the sentence, "the earth is worth protecting because....", Kailyn said because Jesus made it and Will said because people play on it! We watched a short slideshow with 5 ways we could help save the earth and the kids have been really aware of water running and lights left on.....even trash in the yard! We also sang, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" and went to Earth Jam on Hope's campus for a little while on Friday afternoon with daddy!We even had a few extra dirt cups for Kailyn to hand out to her teachers:)One of our Earth Day crafts....a simple coffee filter, washable markers and a spray bottle!

We also decided to make a cake to celebrate Earth day....so hence the trees, flowers and butterflies! I also took the opportunity to tell Kailyn and Will that God left us in charge of taking care of the Earth...it says so in the Bible! They are taking the responsibility pretty seriously:)

Taking Advantage of Spring!

When given a beautiful, summer-like day in April, nobody needs to tell me to take full advantage of every second, because in Michigan the weather changes all the time! So on Wednesday, with the temps forcasted to be in the low 70's and sunny, I figured we better head to the zoo:) I realized that not all the animals would be out, but my kids loved it anyway. We still got to see the lions, bears and penguins just to name a few of the favorites. We also got to spend some quality time with grandma after her trip to Pennsylvania:) So with packed lunches and lots of sunscreen we had a awesome morning:)The octopus was amazing and the kids got a kick out of it! Such an interesting animal.Not wanting to pose for a picture, but one of the few where they're at least together!I got to ride home with a monkey and a snow leopard as grandma bought the kids some souvenirs on the way out of the zoo!!!!! Thank you lord for such a beautiful day (and also for discounted rates at the zoo!):)

He is Risen!!!!

On Easter morning the kids got up right on time.....the Easter basket was ready and the jellybeans hidden:) They loved the simple, but fun items in their basket, especially Kailyn's books and Will's dinosaurs (go figure, right?). After allowing for some time to play with their new treasures and having a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, we headed downstairs for the jellybean hunt!The kids found all the jellybeans in record time this year! So much fun!These are as good as the pictures got Easter morning....oh well....they are still absolutely precious:)

Tomb cookies object lesson

The night before Easter Sunday, the kids made tomb cookies! What a great experience for the whole family. We started off by beating pecans (like the soldiers beat Jesus), then added vinegar (what Jesus was given to drink on the cross), salt (the tears of Jesus' followers), egg whites (eggs represent new life)......and so on. The ingredients needed to be beat for a long time, but we all took turns and got it done! Then we added in those pecans and dropped the batter on a cookie sheet and each cookie represented a rocky tomb. We then sealed the oven door just like the tomb was sealed by the huge boulder and went to sleep. The kids were surprised to find the cookies were empty in the morning:) I look forward to adding more scripture next year and the following years as they get older and can understand a little more detail! He is risen!

Community Egg Hunt

The Saturday before Easter we headed to Dunton Park for a community egg hunt. It was the first time I have ever tried something like this with the kids and I was by myself....needless to say the kids stuck by my side and did wonderful! There were a ton of people, but luckily we got up towards the front of the pack and the kids were divided into age groups. Our strategy was to head straight to the back and then start picking up the eggs.....worked pretty well. Kailyn and Will each picked up about 4 before I cut them off so there would be plenty for everyone else:) Among our treasures were candy and other goodies, as well as a free cheeseburger from McD's for each of them! What a fun event....we can't wait for next year!As the kids finished up...it started to sprinkle. So thank you Lord for allowing us to have such decent weather!

Beach Day!!!!

Last week (the last week of March) we packed up the sandtoys, a picnic lunch and our bikes and headed to the state park! What a beautiful day (although much warmer at the house than by the water)! The kids climbed some dunes, played in the sand and did some swinging......I had hoped to walk along the shore and let the kids feel the water, but Will had an accident, so we had to go home:( All in all, a wonderful morning filled with sun and sand...it doesn't get much better than that!

Easter Fun!

This Easter season we decided that the kids were old enough to color eggs!!! What a fun afternoon earlier this week! The kids were super excited and I think Ryan and I were too:) They did a great job and I'm already looking forward to next year.We got a zoo animal pack and the kids loved the animal egg holders!We also decorated eggs with dot art and did jelly bean math.....the kids had a blast and Will did a great job sorting his jelly beans by color. It was fun to watch because Kailyn picked a color and then found all the ones that were the same, while Will just picked one and matched it on his mat!

Another craft that the kids had a fun time creating......a true reflection of what Easter is really about! "He is not here: He has risen, just as He said!" Matthew 28:6