Doing Life Together

Introducing....TUCKER!!!!!!

2012-02-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

The newest member of our family....Tucker!!!! We plan to take him home on Feb. 20 and are hoping the time flies by....we are totally in LOVE!!!!

He is currently 5 weeks old and 1 of 9 puppies. He is a Golden Retriever/German Short hair Pointer mix.

The kids are totally excited...bet you can't tell:)

Doesn't look very comfortable, but he didn't fuss at all!

Our countdown chain until we get to bring Tucker to his forever home....OURS:)

Bookstore Date!

2012-02-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

Saturday Night was date night!!!! I started the first of a few themed dates...this one a bookstore challenge! I came across this adorable bucket in the Lowe's painting department and dolled it up to meet my needs:) In it I put our challenge (with 3 rounds of books to find and then share with each other), our gift cards for dinner and Barnes & Noble and a print out of Captain Sundae's logo.

Here's a look at the challenge that we each recieved....after each round we got together to share what we had chosen and share a cup of coffee (seeing as Starbucks is right there) :)

Progress.....

2012-02-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend we were able to make some progress in the breezeway......we took down the ceiling and removed the remainder of the paneling!!! Now to make things plumb and start the insulation:)

Epic Family FUN!!!!!!!!

2012-02-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

This past week Kailyn had Thursday and Friday off school!!!! We decided to take advantage of this break and use our special coupon for a night at the Holland Holiday Inn Express! It was such a blast.....and the perfect weather for Ryan to take a few days off of work:) Here is a peek at the epic fun we had!!!!!!

Our kids are water rats and absolutely LOVED swimming all night and then a few hours the next morning!

The pool was in the shape of Michigan...it even had a star showing where Holland was!

Playing whale with daddy!

Party!

2012-01-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

This year we again had a combined party at my parent's house where we gathered to celebrate a truly AMAZING six year old!!!! The theme was (sort of) cupcakes and our colors were pink and purple! I always really enjoy decorating for my kids' parties (even though some people think it's a little overboard!). Here is a peek into Kailyn's birthday extravaganza!

Our basket of party favors that Kailyn handed out as our guests left!

The kids (cousin) table!

This year I made 4 different soups in crock pots, had rolls and garlic sticks and salad for our meal!

We also opted to make cupcakes instead of a birthday "cake."

Happy Birthday sweetheart!

SIX!!!!!!

2012-01-23T14:50:00.000-05:00

My sweet little six year old....where has the time gone??? She is totally excited about the legos from Will!!! These Lego friends were a last minute find while we were birthday shopping and I couldn't leave it there...they are so well done:) Happy Birthday Kailyn!! We love you so much!!

2025

2012-01-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight was Kindergarten round-up for my baby boy!!!! I am SO NOT ready for this....just thinking about it makes me want to cry!!! (At least it's January and I have 9 more months of enjoying childhood with my little man!) Needless to say, Will was ecstatic and so happy...it was precious:)

West Ottawa class of 2025!!!!

Birthday treats:)

2012-01-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

I was in the kitchen for the whole morning today working on a special little girls' birthday treat! Cake pops that look like cupcakes was what she chose to bring to school this year, and I must say they are labor intensive but went WAY better than the last time I tried cake pops.

I individually wrapped them and added a tag with a 6 on it!

All done and looking adorable...hope the kids like them tomorrow at school and that we don't have a snow day:)

Painting the snow

2012-01-19T15:10:00.000-05:00

This past weekend the kids tried their hand at painting in the snow with waterbottles filled with water and tinted with food coloring. Kailyn loved it and they both got a kick out of the yellow when I said it looked like "pee snow." All in all a fun activity...next time we'll try brighter colors:)

Exposed

2012-01-19T15:07:00.001-05:00

Exactly what we were hoping to find as we begin to rip apart the breezeway....LOVE the exposed brick!

Daddy's Volvo

2012-01-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

Well.....it finally snowed here in Michigan and that means loader rides in daddy's loader!!!! Ryan called this past Saturday morning and asked if the kids could come ride with him for a while...and of course they did!!!!

Will can't stop talking about when he'll be old enough to help daddy dump the snow!

Marshmallows!

2012-01-19T15:03:00.001-05:00

Celebrating the snowfall outside with an indoor snowman craft! As you can see, we had also been up to some baking!!!!

They used a marshmallow dipped in white paint to make the snow!

Happy New Year!!!!!

2011-12-31T21:16:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve 2011 finds us at home enjoying some family time!!!! We started the evening making a yummy dinner of appetizers....little BBQ wienies, grilled wings, sweet potato fries and crescent pepperoni roll ups!

The kids in their New Year digs!!

We spent some time reviewing the highlights of 2011!! The kids each filled out a form highlighting things from 2011 and looking ahead to 2012...what a hoot!! We also printed about 65 pictures from this year and together placed them in our family photo album!

Looking forward to seeing how God is going to bless us this year and so thankful for all the amazing things He did in 2011!

The Windy City!

2011-12-31T21:09:00.001-05:00

Thursday we decided to take the kids on a trip to Chicago on the train to visit American Girl and the Lego store!!! We arrived about lunch time and because we were blessed with such a beautiful day, we decided to picnic at Millennium Park!!!!

First stop was Lego!!!!

Next up, American Girl!!! Lots of choices...it was a tough decision!!!

Looking out over the Chicago river....like I said, it was a beautiful day!!!

On the train trip home.....Emerson is all dressed up in her new outfit!!!

And we hadn't even left the station before Will's new Surge Lego guy was put together:)

Christmas Highlights 2011

2011-12-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

We are so very blessed!!! Our Christmas day started with our little princess loosing another tooth, and quite literally fit the song "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!" Then it was on to family parties and lots of memories!!!!

Kole family Christmas

Payton had taken off her socks and started trying to take mine off too!!! So precious!

Ryan trying out Will's new Optimus Prime helmet...hilarious!

Stehouwer family Christmas!

What a Blessed Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2011-12-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

The Eve of JOY!

2011-12-24T20:52:00.000-05:00

This Christmas Eve found us busy with family time!!! We started this a.m. by opening our stockings (we figured the stuff inside would keep the kids busy while we prepared food)! After a mandatory afternoon nap, we decided to open gifts with our little family so there is no need for rushing in the morning!! The kids were elated and surprised!!!

After supper out at Logan's (our families favorite) we arrived home to play! We also had a birthday party for Jesus and read "Twas the night before Christmas!" The highlight of the night however, had to be playing our new Wii game "Just Dance" with the kids":)

Transfers

2011-12-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Today's advent activity was to build a snowman....and seeing as we have NO snow, we substituted the activity with making these shirts instead!

Kid-friendly

2011-12-19T20:45:00.000-05:00

A kid-friendly Christmas craft was what was on the list for tonight's family activity!! I cut out some Christmas trees, trunks and stars and set out a bunch of different materials and let them decorate....notice Ryan is just one of the kids:)

Sprinkles!

2011-12-18T16:56:00.000-05:00

The only things we needed for this afternoon's family advent activity!!!

Hard at work deciding what colors and sprinkles to use.....

The finished product.....so pretty!

Need I say more!

2011-12-17T21:25:00.002-05:00

Lights!

2011-12-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight we warmed up the car, grabbed some hot chocolate and a few of the kids' favorite Christmas CD's and drove around looking at Christmas lights! It was so fun to hear the kids' comments about all the different lights we saw!

I didn't post about yesterday's activity because I left the camera in the car. We went out for a Christmas treat. We took the kids to downtown Holland for a steamer at JP's and then to the Peanut Store to pick out some candy!!!!

Beauty!

2011-12-14T17:54:00.000-05:00

Snowflakes were the activity for tonight! I spent quite a bit of time finding just the perfect snowflakes to make and hoping the kids could cut the designs themselves! Unfortunately, the kids still needed to tell us which shape they wanted us to cut out and where, but the results were beautiful:)

Peppermint

2011-12-13T16:06:00.001-05:00

This afternoon we enjoyed hot chocolate with candy canes as stirrers for our family advent time!!! We loved watching the effects of the hot liquid on our candy canes:)

Jingle!

2011-12-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today we called our grandmas and grandpas and sang them a Christmas song!! The kids chose "Jingle Bells" and did a great job singing the chorus loud and clear....Grandma K even sang the verse and the kids joined in for another round of the chorus!! So fun!

Games!

2011-12-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

Today's activity was back to basics......board games!!! Unfortunately we only were able to play one because we couldn't handle not winning.........

Baking Frenzy

2011-12-10T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today's family advent activity started around 9 a.m. and didn't end until we delivered the goodies to the neighbors around 4:30 p.m.!!! We chose several goodies to bake and then take to the neighbors....we started with some candy cane blossoms, peanut butter temptations, and caramel brownies and ended with some pretzel chocolates and chocolate dipped candy canes!!!!

All our ingredients!

These are delicious to stir hot chocolate!

The plates for the neighbors and come Monday the mail lady!!! What are you baking this holiday???

Ice!

2011-12-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to Edge Ice Arena to go ice skating for our family advent activity tonight! The kids have never even really roller skated so it was fun to watch them try to figure it out...luckily we rented two trainers that they relied on heavily:) And we were blessed to be joined by good friends for an evening full of winter fun!

Cozy

2011-12-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

This evening we will be getting cozy and reading some stories about the birth of Baby Jesus!

Colorful!

2011-12-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight's family advent activity was nice and simple....just colored Christmas pictures! We all enjoyed the time around the table with each other:)

Sweet!

2011-12-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight's family advent activity was to build a gingerbread house!!! We had a great time deciding how to decorate our house with sweets!!!

Wii

2011-12-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight's advent activity was a family night of Wii!!! This has been one of the kids' favorites over the past few years....and we didn't disappoint tonight! What a blast!!!

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T18:18:00.000-05:00

Today's family advent activity was to make a new Christmas decoration! I found this idea on Pinterest and was pretty sure the kids could do most of it themselves. We were pleasantly surprised with how they turned out and the level of participation from Kailyn and Will!!!

All the supplies that we needed.....

Kailyn and her tree:)

Tunes

2011-12-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

We couldn't decide which one, so we actually got 3.....not pictured is Micheal W. Smith's Strings of Christmas!

Prep & Landing

2011-12-02T19:54:00.002-05:00

Tonight's family advent activity!

Advent Calendar of Events 2011

2011-12-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

December 1 means the beginning of lots of fun here in the Stehouwer household. The advent calendar is filled with activities for our family to do together every day...the first of which is our reindeer family!!!

This month I am going to attemp to post every day/night about that day's family advent activity!!! Not sure if I can do it, but I don't want to forget these days...they are so precious!

Working on adding eyes and noses to our reindeers!

This year's family....can you guess who is who?????? Kellan (Kelly + Ryan), Ryill (Ryan + Will), Wilyn (Will + Kailyn), Kailly (Kailyn + Kelly)!!!!! Absolutely LOVE this activity and couldn't wait to have our new reindeer family adorning our home:)

Deck the Halls

2011-11-20T13:34:00.000-05:00

I've been busy getting in the Christmas spirit by getting my craft on!!! Here are a few more Christmas crafts and this year's tree!!!

Holiday tile coasters:)

Pinterest inspired hand tree

Christmas ornament bulb wreath.....my mom helped me finish this gorgeous wreath that I had pinned awhile back....I LOVE how it turned out! Thanks mom!

Stehouwer Christmas tree (with new skirt) 2011
Merry Christmas!

Brea Ellen

2011-11-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

A baby to hold.....it doesn't get better than that!!!! Our close friends were blessed with a daughter a little over a week ago....Brea Ellen is healthy and beautiful! We are so excited for Chad and Libby as they begin this new journey and life as a family of 3:)

1 Tooth Wonder to Toothless

2011-11-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

It's hard to deny that our little girl is growing up, especially now that her first tooth has officially fallen out!!! We used to call her our one tooth wonder, but now we've had to change that to our toothless wonder:)

I threw together this little tooth pocket to put her money in and left it under her pillow. Now every time she looses a tooth she gets to use her pocket...unfortunetly she lost this first one while eating a cookie and must have swallowed it!

Christmas Inspirations

2011-11-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

I know it's a little early to be talking or thinking about Christmas, but for me it's NEVER to early! We've already been listening to Christmas tunes for a month at our house....LOVE Christmas :) My new favorite past time is searching Pinterest for fun and easy holiday crafts and other items. So far I LOVE what I've found and have been able to try a few different things......

Countdown to Christmas clipboard.....on the back of each number card is a Bible verse that I 've added to the project! Can't wait to start counting down!

JOY on wood letters with a candle ring O!

My new tree skirt....fell in LOVE with this fabric. It's not perfect, but I made it!

Subway art from pinterest....Love the message of these verses!

Our advent calendar/boxes. It still needs the number stickers and to be filled, but all the ideas are typed up and ready to go. An example of some family advent activities are: drinking hot chocolate and stirring with a candy cane, going ice skating, Wii night, decorate cookies, ride around and look at Christmas lights and family movie night with popcorn!
Hopefully this post inspires you to get your craft on for the holidays!!!!

Fancy Nancy and Spiderman

2011-11-03T16:33:00.001-04:00

This Halloween we were able to go "trick or treating" 3 seperate times! The first time we went to my dad's office and had a blast going from office to office, the next was at GVSU, where we tagged along with the daycare kids. Then, of course, Halloween night! I think we'll be eating candy for the next 3-4 months:)

Pumpkin Fun!

2011-11-03T16:27:00.000-04:00

This year (like most others) we did many different things with pumpkins! We painted them, stuck potato head pieces in them, sticker faces and carved them!! Such a fun family activity!

The pumpkin slayer!

Post Family Farm 2011

2011-10-21T15:57:00.000-04:00

Our annual trip to Post Family Farm was with our M-LIFE group this year (and Kailyn had a field trip that I chaperoned the week before). The kids were super excited to pick a pumpkin and ride the pumpkin train!!!!

They both LOVED this kitty and had a hard time parting with it when our tour started:)

The first thing we did was ride the pumpkin train, much to Will's excitement!!!!

Found: The perfect pumkin!

They both surprised me by actually feeding this goat with grass right out of the palm of their little hands!!!!

Family Hike

2011-10-21T15:21:00.000-04:00

The day before the cooler weather returned, we decided to check out the color and hike Mt. Pisgah. The kids and I had enjoyed it so much this summer we took daddy back to see the fall color....it was breath-taking!

Will trying to keep us moving...so excited to hit the trails! That backpack was pretty heavy too, dinner was in there!

When we were finished we ate a picnic dinner and then when out for ice cream (although we had to go to Mc D's because the Capt. was closed for the season).

Leaves!

2011-10-21T15:08:00.002-04:00

The leaves have started to fall in the backyard, and you know what that means? LEAF PILE!!!! The kids have been patiently waiting for the fall leaves to fall and give them a great big pile of leaves. While they had fun jumping and being goofy, I thought it a perfect opportunity to snap some pics!

So adorable!

Always have to get in the being goofy shot, but this one was even cute! Happy Fall!

Apple pickin'

2011-10-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

This past week (when we hit high 70's and even 80 in October) we headed to Crane's to pick some apples!!!! We pulled Kailyn out of school early that day so that we could make the most of the afternoon:) We had a great time and picked mainly, Empire and Jonagold apples!

Such a good big sister:)

The Jonagold apples were rather picked over and so we had to reach (or lift) really high into the trees to get the good ones!

Enjoying the bounty!

Kapenga Farm Fun!

2011-10-10T19:36:00.001-04:00

Farm fun was had by all when we attended the Kapenga Fall Farm Day! There were pony rides, face painting, a hay maze, pumpkin decorating and much, much more! The kids weren't sure what to do first....but they typically just followed their many friends who also attended this special fall event:)

Riding the smaller of the two ponies.....Will actually fell off the pony when the saddle turned sideways. He got right back on the horse...hahaha!

We ended the evening with a hayride and then a handful of trips through the hay maze:) Thanks again Wendi and Dave for inviting us!!!

Fall Fling

2011-10-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

This Friday night, under the lights, we were so proud of our little "cheerleader!" Kailyn had attended a cheer camp last Saturday morning with our favorite HC cheerleader, Alexis (a.k.a. my cousin) and they got to show off their stuff at the game! We couldn't have been prouder, she not only knew all the moves but was super outgoing and sure of herself in front of a stand full of fans:)

Getting ready!

Kailyn and Alexis!

NOT happy at all:)

Wow, look at that kick!

My favorite pic.....priceless!

We also captured a few moments on the camcorder before it malfunctioned and we lost the entire footage of the little dance they did at half time:( It was one of those times that I couldn't have been prouder and even shed a few tears, but I have it in my memory forever! You did a great job peanut!

Go Team!

2011-09-26T18:05:00.000-04:00

Kailyn was able to attend Holland Christian's cheer camp this past Saturday morning!!! And better yet, she got Alexis (my cousin) to be her "coach." They spent the morning tumbling, learning cheers and a dance that they will be performing this Friday night at the football game! Keep posted for more pictures of that night. So proud of my little princess!

Bones....

2011-09-26T18:01:00.002-04:00

As part of our 4's school theme on dinosaurs we put together these fun skeletons!! Kailyn was even able to join in with us one night:)

Jumpy!

2011-09-26T17:59:00.000-04:00

The last week or so we have had such beautiful fall weather!! One of our favorite outdoor activities has been jumping in leaves....on the tramp! The leaves also make a really fun noise when you jump.....lots of entertainment.

Ready or not

2011-09-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

Really hard to believe that my little man is ready for 4 school, but it's true (and probably a little kindergarten stuff thrown in too)!! He was so ready for his first day of school! I think he wore his backpack around the house for 20 minutes before we headed down to the classroom:)

Hanging up his backpack on his hook.

Exploring dinosaurs through books!

Our daily message. This is something I've added in this year to challenge both Kailyn and Will. Today we found our letter (a), counted how many sentences, and counted the number of letters in the shortest and longest sentences! Looking forward to lots of teachable moments with this fun teaching tool.

Some of the things we did today....a shape-a-saurus to review our shapes, measuring dino bones with cubes, writing the letter a and letter a art!!! Looking forward to another great year teaching my little man (and woman)!

Rockstar 4 school!

2011-09-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

A few changes had to be made to our classroom this year to step it up into 4 school! Here's a look into our rockstar classroom!!!

Will's rockstar work wall......we had to buy a guitar stamp and star paper because there was NO guitar craft paper to be had. It just forced us to get creative and both Will and I LOVE how the wall turned out!

Tip toes & tutu's

2011-09-15T16:46:00.000-04:00

This morning Kailyn started ballet!!! She has missed dancing so much this summer and couldn't wait to wear a leotard, tights and of course her ballet bow! This year due to the economy and this mom needing a crown, we made the decision to try a new dance place. So this year Kailyn is taking dance from Zeeland Rec and so far (too soon to tell) Kailyn loves it!

My little ballerina couldn't wait to pose:)

Looking WAY too old.......

Our good friend, Kaitlyn, is also in the same class this fall! We're giving the teacher a run for her money with these two and their names being so close!! Happy dancing!

Future Quarter Back!

2011-09-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

Last week Thursday night Will began practicing his favorite sport....FOOTBALL!!!! Holland Rec offers a program called Smart Start Football for boys 3-5 and it's a perfect way to have Will learn the basics of football! Each practice is designed to get a little bit harder...so he'll be challenged as well.

So excited to be able to play football with daddy!

Future kicker?????

The first of many....

2011-09-06T21:19:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that my baby girl is already old enough to be a kindergartener, but today was the day that we started a new chapter in our daily lives! We are so proud of our little princess and she was so excited that I had to find a count down chart, like the one in the first few pictures, to help us stay focused!

"Hooray, Hooray, today is the big day!!!"

My precious baby girl!

My little people!

Waiting for the bus to come and pick her up!

So excited for her little trek across the street to school!

Getting off the bus at school.....all smiles!

Kailyn with our amazing neighbor (and an aide at Kailyn's school) who was the one to greet her at school when she got off the bus! The bus was late and so Kailyn missed her teacher coming to get the kids from the playground but she wasn't bothered one bit! Thank you so much Carol for putting this mommy at ease:)

Candy Apple Cookie Pops

2011-09-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

For Kailyn's first day of Kindergarten I asked her teacher if we could make and bring a special first day treat!!! We found this adorable recipe in the September issue of "Family Fun!" It's an oreo cookie dipped (more like spooned so the cookies didn't fall apart) in red chocolate wafers and then embellished with mini m&m's, green stabursts and a pretzel stick to look like an apple.

We added a "Happy 1st Day of Kindergarten" tag and wrapped each pop so the kids could take them home if they didn't get to eat them at school:)

Sleeping?? Really??

2011-09-06T20:54:00.000-04:00

William slept through an entire breathing treatment one night! We couldn't believe that he was totally out!

Fair

2011-09-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

It's pretty typical for our family to end the summer with the Hudsonville Fair! So we headed out one evening while the fair was in town. We visited lots and lots of animals, sat on every tractor possible, got our faces painted and rode on a crazy nascar carnival ride:)

Always a fun way to send out the summer!!!!!

Got Sneakers?

2011-08-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

My kids are obsessed with their sneakers for this fall!!!! They have been wearing them around the house for a few days now....they just can't wait for fall to wear them:)

Explorers!

2011-08-18T20:37:00.000-04:00

Last week the kids and I decided to head to Mt. Pisgah to explore the dunes! I tried to explain to the kids that there were a lot of steps that we needed to go up, but nothing prepared us for the 256 stairs to the top!! But so worth it for the view and the breeze:)

The kids by the map and information about Mt. Pisgah before we headed out.

The view......

The kids loved exploring the trails on the dunes the best....there was lots to look at, including where you were walking so you wouldn't trip!

Lots of fun trees for photo opportunities:)

This tree has got to be really old...we took this picture for daddy!

We packed a picnic and blanket in our backpack and finished with a picnic lunch in the shade on the boardwalk.....so much beauty right here in our own backyard!!!! The kids and I decided that we need to bring daddy back with us in the fall when all the trees are pretty colors:)

My heart

2011-08-09T19:39:00.000-04:00

My precious little artist painted this today!!!! I helped her with the heart after her first one was not to her satisfaction and then she made a stain-glass effect inside the heart. I'm so temped to frame this beautiful masterpiece and hang it somewhere....so proud of how much joy she takes in creating things so amazing...just like her!

So Blue!

2011-08-09T19:36:00.001-04:00

Today we went for a second time to pick blueberries...and they were so blue and beautiful and yummy too!!! Here are my little helpers getting ready to head to the bushes.

As usual Kailyn appears to be eating more than she is putting in her bucket:) We have so much fun picking berries together and Kailyn and Will are typically really good pickers!!! I'm going to be so sad when blueberries are done....but then there's always APPLES this fall!!!!!!!!

Two little fishes!

2011-08-09T19:30:00.001-04:00

My little fishes started swimming lessons this week and boy, were they excited!!!! Kailyn has just recently started swimming minus her swimmies and so got bumped up a few groups from where she was last year.....we're so proud of her! And Will is just so young yet that he gets to start at the beginning, which will be very good for him:)

Hanging with some new friends while they wait for class to start!

Kailyn practicing her stroke:)

Will just glad to be in the pool and swimming!

Back stroke practice
I'm so excited to see how much each of them grows in the next two weeks....it's always so much fun to see them enjoying something and learning whether they realize it or not:)

F-O-U-R!!!!

2011-08-06T19:44:00.000-04:00

July 31 was Will's 4th birthday!!! I still cannot imagine how we've gotten this far and how he could possible be 4 already, but here we are! This year we decided on a monster truck theme for our family party.....that meant lots of fun decorating for mom and dad. Here is just a glimse into our lucky 4 year olds day:)

It was Kailyn's idea to get him Despicable Me....so proud of her for being original!

All his new cars...mostly corvettes and mustangs:)

Cousins eating dinner together=one crazy picture!

So HAPPY with his monster truck cake!

A two-wheel scooter.....the envy of his sister.

Ryan has been waiting years to buy our kids legos.....

We decided to try someting new this year....a pinata! I got the pull-string type and Payton was actually the one (with Todd's help) to find the string that opened the trap door....the kids enjoyed picking up some candy and filling their party bags!
Happy 4th Birthday William.....we love you so much!

More like it!

2011-08-06T19:28:00.003-04:00

Our second attempt at using bleach to tie dye was much more successful....at least for Kailyn's shirt!

Just because....

2011-07-21T11:33:00.002-04:00

Groovy:)

2011-07-21T11:32:00.001-04:00

Knowing that this week was going to be extremely hot, we headed out to find some new crafts/projects to try! We found some clearance crafts at Hobby Lobby and scored t-shirts at the $ store.....we weren't sure at the time what we were going to do with them, but this morning we tryed our hands at using bleach to tye die!

I gave each of the kids a squirt bottle (after taking off every piece of clothing except unders) with a solution of 50% water/ 50% bleach and they got to work soaking the shirts (which we had twisted for a spiral effect)!

We were a little unsure as to what our finished products would look like (and for some reason Will's blue shirt turned out better), but we are pretty happy with the resulting tye die:)

You can't really see the spirals on Kailyn's red shirt as well, but I'm hoping as they dry the bleach lines will stand out more! If not, we might try again with a different bottle of bleach:)

Sweet Sandals!

2011-07-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

Another awesome Family Fun recipe....sweet sandals!!! A perfect way to spend time with friends on a day that was way too hot to spend any extended time outdoors:)

All the ingredients you need....oblong cookies ( I used Keebler Vienna cookies), colored frosting, pull apart licorice, sour gummy worms and some gummy candies! Oh, and some great friends to help decorate:)

The finished product....too cute:) I think I'm going to make these for the next pool party!

Sparkle!

2011-07-11T11:52:00.001-04:00

A nice clean deck, campfire and sparklers were all we needed to have an incredible night on the 4th (oh, and grandpa and grandma!)!

Not sure how Will convinced grandpa to get on the tramp.....they had a blast!

Sparklers!!!!!

What a relaxing evening.....finished off with fireworks!

A Patriotic Parade on Wheels

2011-07-11T11:38:00.000-04:00

This year on the 4th we were invited to participate in a bike parade by our friends, the Meyerings! Being that we rarely have plans for the 4th we were really excited about the possibilities:) So I headed to the Dollar Store to find some things we could decorate with and rumaged through some bins downstairs and came up with some stuff that would work! That morning we headed out to the breezeway to decorate (or shall I say so that Ryan and I could decorate) the bikes.

We rode down the Hienz boardwalk and around Kollen park handing out candy to everyone we saw and wishing them a "happy 4th!"

All decked out and ready to get started:)

The crew....all friends of the Meyerings who dreamed up the whole thing!!!! Thanks for the invite and for giving our 4th a little sparkle!!!!

Allie

2011-07-11T11:24:00.002-04:00

In June we were invited to go horse riding!! I couldn't believe what an AWESOME experience it was for Kailyn and Will to see all that goes into riding a horse and taking care of him. They helped brush and watch Lindsey saddle Allie, the most gentle horse you've ever met!

Kailyn absolutely LOVES this horse and can't wait to see and ride him again soon!

The kids rode around an indoor arena where they could watch themselves in mirrors:) Kailyn needed little assistance and caught on quickly how to make Allie go where she wanted. Will, on the other hand, needed someone to guide Allie around the arena! Thank you so much Lindsey and Ella for such an amazing experience!!!!

Backpacking through the Bible!

2011-07-11T09:10:00.001-04:00

The last full week in June, the kids attended VBS and "Backpacked through the Bible!" That Sunday they sang some of their songs for the congregation.....we were so proud of both Kailyn and Will!!!!!

That same afternoon we took the bikes out for a bike ride and ended up riding 4 miles!!!! Afterwards we hit up Captain Sundae and then headed home to make dinner over a campfire:) What an amazing family day....Thank you Lord!

Thumbs!

2011-07-11T09:01:00.001-04:00

For Father's day this year the kids really wanted to get Ryan a bird feeder...so we headed to DeBryn's in Zeeland and they picked one out! Then we got to decorate!!!! We used our thumbs to add some caterpillars, ladybugs and butterflies. On the bottom I wrote "Thumb-body loves you!"

We think it turned out perfectly for our backyard......my little bird watchers are ready!

Gone Picking!

2011-07-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

In mid-June we headed to DeLange's Redberry Farm to pick our families favorite fruit.....strawberries!!!! We picked at least 20 quarts of berries in under an hour, thanks to our amazing little helpers:) That day we put up 8 batches of jam....yummy!!!! We also tackled a few strawberry pies and mashed some berries to freeze for shortcake...it was a very productive day!!!

Summer Fun Days!

2011-06-16T12:05:00.004-04:00

One day a week I'm hoping to treat the kids to a "summer fun day!" These days would include fun things to do around Holland....like Dutch Village! Which is just where we headed for part of this weeks fun day. We also had a picnic and played at a park and then headed downtown to the splashpad for a little water fun! I'd say our first summer fun day was a success:)Our first ride....pumper cars, Will's favorite!

The swings!We watched the dutch dance demonstration and then Kailyn joined in for the kids dance at the end:)The kids each walked a goat...too bad the goats weren't as excited as Kailyn and Will!brushing the bunnies:)My dutch little babies!Simply adorable!The kids love to sit on the various horses and carriages around the park...this one used to be a mail carrier.Playing dutch games!After our picnic and playing to get nice and hot, we headed to the splashpad:) I'm looking forward to many other summer fun days with my kids this year!

Beatle Mania!!!

2011-06-16T11:53:00.003-04:00

June 12 was the kids' dance recital! We arrived just 20 minutes before our dancers were to report backstage and were the first people in line to enter the auditorium:) I wanted to make sure we got good seats seeing that this is the only year both kids would be performing! Will was so excited, he couldn't wait to get his tap shoes on (and he didn't want any help!)Will and his little buddies were superheroes dancing to "Help". As you can see Will was Spiderman:) He did a great job watching Miss Marie and kept a smile on his face throughout his whole routine. Watching him I couldn't help but cry...it was so rewarding!Great job Will!Kailyn was a sailor and danced to "Yellow Submarine". We couldn't be more proud of her and what she has learned this year! Taking a bow.....job well done Kailyn!!!

My Little Dancers

2011-06-16T11:48:00.002-04:00

This year both of the kids were in the spring dance recital!!! Here are a few cute pictures before rehearsal......Kailyn and Will were both super excited to be able to be in the recital and they both did an EXCELLENT job:)

Stehouwer Roadtrip!

2011-05-28T11:56:00.012-04:00

This past week we were blessed to be able to spend almost a week in Wisconsin at The Dells!!!! We waterpark hopped most days, but we also went miniature golfing and took a Duck tour on the river. Here are some pictures of our adventures, including the busy hallway during evacuation due to a tornado warning! Never a dull moment....but such a blast!!!My awesome little riders! Putting together Will's Kinex Monster Jam truck (which was his final "secret package" of the trip).The kids just randomly went out and sat on the balcony our first morning there...it was so cute!A Stehouwer family vacation tradition....miniature golfing!!!
On Sunday night we were evacuated from our room and sent to the lower level to seek shelter.....the kids were ready for bed and our dinner had just come out of the oven! But we got to meet a few people and made the most of out of it anyway!
The kids showing off all their swimming gear:)
Too funny not to post.....who's kid is that???
This slide was the kids' favorite....they would go down and head right back up for another ride!The kids copying Ryan and waiting for the 1000 gallons of water to dump!
You can't see Will, but he's there and loving it!My best friend!This raft style ride was the kids favorite one to ride with mom and dad! Too bad it made daddy sick after a few times down the dark tunnel being tossed and turned the whole way down:)Mid-week we decided to take a tour on the original Wisconsin Dell Ducks and see the scenery! It was breathtaking!If you look closely at the top of this rock formation you can see a bird's beak and head and the top of it's wings!We saw a bunch of deer while taking the tour....the kids thought that was pretty cool!The resort where we stayed offered they called Ken-Ducky Derby Duck Races!!! The kids each picked out a rubber ducky and then watched them race down the lazy river.......we were blessed that each kids won a race (and they only did 3)!
Their prizes.....duck whistles:)Kailyn's favorite...the wave pool!!! Will wasn't so big on the waves after awhile, but he liked it when it was just a really big pool!! (the waves came on every 10-15 minutes) Klondike Kavern, where we spent most of our time (because they had the other waterpark shut down all week for maintenance)!The kids enjoyed a relaxing tub time in the big jacuzzi tub....I think I added a few too many bubbles, but she had an absolute riot!On our last full day there we took the kids to a dry play area, mostly due to the fact that Ryan had swimmer's ear and his feet were getting torn up from the bottom of the pools. But the kids never questioned us and had a blast in the Timberland playhouse where they could climb, shoot balls and play hide and seek!Our last afternoon at the wave pool....and one of the ways we knew we had planned this vacation to the T and it was time to head home:)
This vacation was such a blessing and gave Ryan and I the opportunity to spend some much needed time as a family and to fall in love with each member all over again! We are so blessed.....Thank you LORD!

Spoiled Feet

2011-05-24T14:24:00.003-04:00

In preparation for vacation (and with the birthday money I had set aside for this purpose) Kailyn and I treated ourselves to pedicures (and a mani for Kailyn)! Her precious little feet looked so adorable with the seperators between her toes:)Waiting for her fingernails to dry!The finished products....we even opted to have a little art added for an extra special flare! Kailyn and I really enjoyed our mommy/daughter time!

Secret Bags

2011-05-24T14:18:00.002-04:00

Before our roadtrip I found this awesome website: www.momsminivan.com! It has a ton of different travel games and printables along with several ideas of things to do with kids in the car. This particular idea is called secret packages.....it took a little planning and a personalized google map (and some shopping for little gifts/candy for the kids). The kids each recieved a map with our route hightlighted on it. Along the route I put different color pins to indicate which secret bag they got to open. It kept the kids interested and intertained as well as taught them some map skills:)

All in a Row

2011-05-14T12:48:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, while playing in the backyard, I spotted this family of geese. If you know where we live, this is a strange place to find animals that should be in water!!! Anyway, they provided some entertainment for the kids as they wandered through the parking lot behind the house:)

Tiptoe Through the Tulips 2011

2011-05-14T12:22:00.004-04:00

Tulip Time this year was AMAZING!! The weather was (mostly) beautiful and Kailyn loved wearing her Middleburg Dutch costume to several events! We were also blessed this year to have a family member to watch dutch dance....way to go Leslie....thanks for giving my kids the gift of watching someone they love!My little dutch girl! At least 3 people asked to take her picture while she was in costume....I wasn't prepared for that, but she sure does look ADORABLE!

On Hope's anchor...the only picture I could talk Will into this year!
My kids with my cousin Leslie....our favorite dutch dancer:)
At the end of the dance, the Alumni usually have their kids come finish the dance with them...this year that meant that Leslie asked Kailyn and Will to come and dance with her......they LOVED it!As usual on Wendesday, we walked downtown from home and this year met my family early for a trip to the peanut store and a picnic lunch at our awesome spot along the parade route...thanks Ryan! The parade was full of bands and kept the kids entertained....we were also joined by some friends (but for some reason I didn't have the camera out!)The kids love the dutch dancing and decided to join in for a little while:) They provided several people with entertainment!Another year down....2011 Tulip Time was awesome and full of fun memories!

Photo Happy:)

2011-05-14T12:03:00.002-04:00

The reason why I've been so photo happy......this year's Mother's Day gifts...photo coasters!!!!!!!I had a great time putting these together and finding just the perfect photos to use! These are super simple and my mom has been showing them off to everyone:)

Proud Cardholder

2011-05-03T16:04:00.002-04:00

Now that Kailyn is 5 she can open her own library account and have her own library card. Well....today was the day we decided to go ahead and open one up. She needed to be able to spell her first and last name. I talked her through the last name by telling her which Zoo Pals to make:) She did a beautiful job!

A little blurry....but there's her 5 year old signature:)

Stuck Like Glue!

2011-05-03T15:59:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, May 1, was my 32nd birthday!!! I recieved many thoughtful gifts including: money (that I plan to spend on a relaxing pedicure), a John Deere shirt, rain/water boots and the tulips and CD you see featured in the photo! What an amazing year.......we also had a dance party, Stehouwer style, to our fav new song "Stuck Like Glue!"

Little Arborists

2011-04-29T15:37:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't know, today is Arbor Day! The grounds dept. at Hope celebrated today be planting a few trees and Ryan invited us to participate! So donning our rain/mud boots and our "Trees Are Good" t-shirts we headed out on this beautiful sunny day:)"Plant More Trees, Please!" "Happy Arbor Day!"

Fluttercups!

2011-04-29T15:32:00.002-04:00

Another awesome idea from Family Fun magazine! This one is the treat of the month in the May 2011 issue:) Fluttercups......so adorable!Our version....pretty cute. The wings took a little time, but were so worth it to see the kids' faces as they chose a pair of wings and jellybean bodies for their frosted cupcakes!We will definetly be making these again next year, they are so yummy!

Flutter

2011-04-27T13:27:00.003-04:00

Today we took a field trip to the Fredrick Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies!!! We are learning about caterpillars and butterflies in preschool and the butterflies are almost done at the gardens, so we talked Grandma Stehouwer into joining us and headed to GR. Even though the weather outside is really soggy, the weather in the greenhouse was balmy and warm. The kids loved "I spy-ing" butterflies and being detectives! We even saw a huge one that had sparkly blue wings when they opened!The butterfly detectives!This moth had just cracked out of it's chrysalis during the night and was drying it's wings. They told us that this particular kind of moth has no mouth, so it will only live 2 days because it can't eat.These were the most common ones that we saw, although the patterns were all different.This is another large blue one...it appears it's wing is torn up so we're not sure it could fly.Here is one on the nectar feeders that are set up in the garden....the kids also got to see one eat some nectar out of a flower!My adorable butterflies:)

Oh, Glorious Day!

2011-04-26T21:03:00.003-04:00

Resurrection Day 2011 was filled with family, food and LOTS of pictures!!!!! Here is a peek at some of our Easter memories:)All dressed in their Sunday best!Family picture time!My sister's munchkins!All the kids in their Easter digs:)We were also able to celebrate Payton's first birthday on Easter (her real birthday was the day before)! She had so much fun eating her pink cupcake....too bad it didn't come off as easily as it went on!!!!

Spring-y Smiles

2011-04-26T20:58:00.002-04:00

This spring (if you can call it that) I have been really photo happy.....the reason why will be revealed in a future post. But for now I just thought I'd share some of the precious smiles I was able to capture!Could they get any cuter???? Anyway, Happy Spring!

JellyBean Hunt

2011-04-26T20:52:00.002-04:00

One of our family's Easter traditions is a jellybean hunt in the basement the night before Easter. So with much anticipation, especially on Kailyn's part (Will doesn't really remember from last year), we turned on the lights and a-hunting they went!I hid way more than last year so they each came away with quite a few.....and almost the same amount:)

Melted-Crayon Eggs

2011-04-26T20:41:00.003-04:00

This year we decided to try something new for our Easter egg decorating and I came across this neat idea in my April issue of Family Fun. You boil the eggs as usual, but then while they are still hot, you take a crayola or other wax-based crayon and "color" the egg. The wax melts on the hot egg and makes cool patterns and drip lines.....they turned out cute and so much easier than dye! Our finished eggs....Our Easter table centerpiece!

A Friend of the Earth!

2011-04-22T13:58:00.003-04:00

The theme in preschool this week was Earth Day!!!! We learned a song and it goes like this: "it's Earth Day, it's Earth Day, What can we do on Earth Day? To make the world a better place, let's (recycle, plant a tree, pick up trash, save water) on Earth Day!" The kids LOVE this song and have been singing it all week:) This year we finally went through with our recycle bins....the kids decorated some paper and then I printed out a label and laminated them. The kids really enjoy guessing which bin the items should go in and it's really challenged me to think about what I'm throwing away!God created the Earth and then left us in charge of taking care of it.....what are you doing to help save the Earth and make it a better, cleaner place?

Blessed!

2011-04-17T12:59:00.003-04:00

Today has been a quiet Sunday here are the Stehouwer's....very different from the first Palm Sunday where I can imagine the crowds singing and praising Jesus were really loud! We had our own version at home today. We made some palm branches (I try to do a different craft each year for the branches) and read a story about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and then did some singing and praising "Hosanna!" of our own!I was so impressed with how much of the story the kids remembered from last year.....getting to teach them about Jesus is the best part of being a parent:)

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-14T15:30:00.003-04:00

Being that I homeschool my rugrats, we had the flexibility to take our "spring break" at a different time than all the area schools. There were a few reasons why this worked really well this year, the first being that we had made it only up to letter y and I didn't see the point in stopping there and then coming back to z! The second being that we were able to hit all the local hot spots without all the crowds and chaos:) We kicked off the week with an 80 degree Sunday and lots of time outdoors, including a campfire and hobo pizzas! On Monday we headed to Crazy Bounce for a few hours of fun and then ran a few errands before heading home to play outside again. Tuesday we went to Kailyn's ballet class and then to the Aquatic Center. The kids had a great time in the water and can't wait to go on vacation to a HUGE waterpark in a month! We ended our outing by having Pizza Hut with daddy and then headed to the library. After a phone call from my sister, we decided to head to the mall for a ride on the carousal and to check out build a bear and then headed over to my sister's house for the kids to play and for me to get my hair highlighted. She also ended up cutting Josh's, Micheal's and Will's hair!!! We ended a very long day by getting dinner from McD's with my sister, her kids and my brother. We were also able to see my dad on the way home!!! Wednesday I took the kids to try something new....paint their own pottery at Paint a Pot! They both got to choose what they wanted to paint and in what colors. Kailyn chose a mug with a heart on the front and Will chose a small T-Rex dino. After picking colors they both got right to work. Will finished in about 20 minutes where Kailyn and I took about an hour and a half each!Our finished products (before glazing and the kiln)!

We are already looking forward to picking up our pieces in a week! We are having such a great spring break! Today we just chilled at home and waited for our dryer to be delivered. It's been full of Wii and baking and water painting.

Baggies, Shower Curtain and Valance, Oh MY!

2011-04-14T15:16:00.002-04:00

Here' s a preview of all the projects I've worked on recently! The baggies are reusable with a wipeable liner and velcro closure. I made them from the extra material left over after I did the kids' initial shirts! My friend Wendi took the time to draw step-by-step directions for me, so my confidence was high! Thanks again Wendi!The following pics are of the new shower curtain I made for my bathroom with a matching valance. We also purchased a roman shade for the window. Now that we've lived in this house for 4 years, I feel like I really know what we'd like in each room in terms of decor, so I'm working one room at a time! Our bedroom windows are next.....the bare curtain rods are just calling for some pizzaz:)

The pattern is called "floating petals" and I fell in love with it....we're planning on re-painting the walls in a muted gray color after we patch up some water damage on the walls and ceilings and replace the vanity! (I'm talking sometime in the next 3 years, but hopefully we can do a little at a time.)

Tangled Tiara

2011-04-14T15:11:00.002-04:00

In preparation of our family movie night featuring "Tangled," the kids and I worked on some Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder coloring pages and Kailyn made Rapunzel's tiara! We loved this movie in the theater and watching it at our house just confirmed how adorable it really is!

Pretty in Pink!

2011-04-14T15:05:00.002-04:00

The last time we visited the fabric store Kailyn saw these "dresses" and begged me to try to make one for her. After being reassured by one of the employees that is was as easy as making a seam and sewing on some ribbon for a halter I said yes! Here is the finished product....not bad for my first dress and my little princess LOVES it!Simply adorable:)

A few projects:)

2011-03-29T15:50:00.002-04:00

Feeling brave, I went into the fabric store and picked out some fabric to make a valance for over the kitchen window. While I knew I'd never match the sage green on the wall I decided to go with a neutral pattern fabric. Using the curtains my mom and I had made for my classroom, I began my first ever sewing project on my own.....and it was fun! I even had enough fabric left over to whip up a valance for over the slider. Now my home is much homier and warmer....while they are far from perfect, I did it!Katie is my inspiration for wanting to try these adorable initial applique shirts for the kids. So... we headed to Old Navy, picked out a few shirts and then went next door to JoAnn's to pick out some coordinating fabric. Then I printed off some letters in fonts I liked and made them a little thicker so you could really see the pattern on the fabric. Next I used Steam A Seam to attach them to the shirts. I'm hoping to maybe try a zigzag stitch on Will's W, but I am sure the curly on the end of Kailyn's K will be too hard for this beginner:) I don't particularly love the fabric on Will's shirt, but it was what he really wanted, so we went with it...not bad. I think a green stitch around the outside will help it stand out more!I have plenty of leftover fabric from all the projects and think I might try my hand at making some reusable baggies for the kids and I. So with that in mind I'm headed back to the fabric store:) (Thanks to Wendi for showing me how to make the baggies!)