Memoirs of a Mommy

We're planting new roots!

2011-08-23T12:08:00.008-06:00

OUR NEW HOME SWEET HOME

The Overbeek’s have moved (again)! My aunt said that it was a good thing she used pencil for our address in her book because she’s had to change it so much in the last few years. Well we are hoping that this one will be for a while…but you should probably stick to pencil just in case. Bob got hired as an account executive at Orion International in West Chester, Ohio. He is working hard to place military veterans in jobs with fortune 500 companies. So far he is really enjoying the work.

We found a house in West Chester that we liked and we love having some extra space. We have a great big backyard for the kids and Jack to play and there are lots of kids in the neighborhood so everyone has a friend. We are also very excited about being so close to all our friends in Dayton!

The kids will be starting school this week and the families we have spoken to from the school rave about how wonderful it is. Abigail will be starting 5^th grade, Joshua will be in 3^rd grade, Chloe will be in 2^nd grade and Josiah will be in Kindergarten. We are all looking forward to meeting their teachers and classmates.

I am going to substitute teach and possibly work as a cashier at Sam’s Club. On top of that I am looking into taking some classes and working toward getting my teaching certificate in Ohio. So I should be quite busy if everything works out.

We are attending a Presbyterian Church, North Cincinnati Community Church PCA, in the area and we feel that it is a good fit for our family. In the next few weeks we hope to get involved in Bible Studies, Sunday school and a small group. It will not be long before we are in the full swing of fall activities for everyone in the family! This is what we have been waiting for.

It has been a long time since we’ve had a sense of normalcy and we are just so thankful that, in His timing, God has prepared this job and this place for us. We praise Him for providing abundantly more than we could ask or imagine. He is so good to us.

Now that we have some extra space we’d love to have some visitors! West Chester is a great town. We have outlet shopping, cool museums and Kings Island (oh and don’t forget IKEA, which I still haven’t been to, EVER!) J Come to shop, come to play or come to chill…just come!

Email me if you want our new address.

With Love from Ohio,

Bob, Susie, Abigail, Joshua,

Chloe, Josiah

And Jack

Happy First Decade Abigail!

2011-05-25T18:56:00.004-06:00

My baby girl and the bunny rabbit that Great Grandma and Grandpa Mullikin gave her

Those days, Sandra Boynton....These days, C.S. Lewis

Looking fabulous on your birthday date with daddy!

Serious fun at Abigail's aquatic center birthday party!

My little Abigail reached her first decade yesterday. It's been an amazing 10 years...watching her develop into her own person. She does her own hair, paints her own nails and has her own sense of style. She reads books and likes to cook. She loves to draw and sing and already has received instruction on how to play several instruments! She loves lemon poppy seed bread and pomegranates (individually that is) and she runs screaming if she thinks someone is going to throw up. She gets all A's in school and doesn't have a hard time making friends. She is organized and tidy (and has lots of fights with Chloe about keeping the room clean). I think her temperament is more like Bob...she can be a little melancholy at times, my little Eeyore with a cloud over her head. But she has her happy, playful side too. :) As I think about all the little things that make Abigail Abigail, I am excited to see what the next decade holds for my beautiful daughter. My prayer is that whatever she does, she does it to the glory of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Happy 10th Birthday sweet Abigail!

So this is the story of the day I became a mom, which is also your birthday! :)
It was a Thursday and I was teaching at Northwood Elementary. I headed in to school like any other day. I remember starting to feel contractions but didn't think too much about it; it was still a week before your due date. However it was during the spelling review that I started to realize that the contractions were getting stronger. My classroom aide told me I should go home. I waited until lunch time and then went down to the principle's office. I peeked in the door and said, "Good-bye. I'm going to go have my baby!"
Providentially it was raining that day. Bob was working construction at the time and they weren't able to work so he was home when I got there. We started timing the contractions, took a walk, I stood in the shower for a while...finally we decided to go to the hospital. Grammie was in Grand Rapids so she drove down and went with us. When we got to the hospital I was dilated to 4 cm and they admitted us. After a while the contractions weren't getting any stronger so the doc said he was going to break my water or send me home. I said, "Break the water, I'm not going home!". I immediately had a crazy, intense contraction. I was hyperventilating and waving my hands because they were tingling. I decided to get in the tub to labor for a bit in the water but as soon as I got in I felt the urge to push so they got me right out. The nurse said they were just going to get me right back into the bed so they didn't bother putting my gown back on. I walked out of the bathroom into a room full of people. The mid-wife said, "My, that's a lovely outfit you've chosen." If I wasn't in the middle of labor with no drugs I might have punched her but now it's just funny. Within minutes I was back in bed pushing and after 15 minutes of pushing you were born! We were all amazed at how quickly you arrived. Daddy cut the cord and they cleaned you up and we held you. Then we read a Pslam and thanked God for our precious baby girl! A short time later Bob looked at me and said, "Honey, I think you have a rash." I was thinking a rash from what??? Later when I got up and went to the bathroom I realized I had pushed so hard I had broken blood vessels all over my face, neck and shoulders; I was covered with little red spots. Thank goodness for Cover Girl! We took you home to your blue, Peter Rabbit nursery (which is the only bedroom that you'll ever have to yourself) and you were the BEST baby. It's been my joy and pleasure to be your mama ever since!

A tale of two cities

2011-04-10T16:04:00.021-06:00

The Grand Finale to our spring break this year was two fold...the girls went with friends to Chicago and the boys went to Detroit to catch a Tigers game! We all had seriously fabulous times...even though the Tigers didn't get a win for the boys. But hey...you can't get much better than eating hot dogs at the ball park with your dad!

So here's the long and short of it in pictures (ladies first, of course):

Abigail and her buddy Emily!

We pit stopped at Culver's for lunch on the way! YUM!

The main reason for our choice of destination...The American Girl Place. LOVE IT!

Who let the girls out!

Mama and her Bear

Me and my buddy Amy :) We had a great time with our girls...but decided that we wouldn't mind coming back with a few of our friends...MAMA TRIP!

Chillin in the awesome hotel room at the Westin! It was so nice!

Abigail and Emily made a bed by turning chairs on the floor and putting cushions in the middle. They are so creative! They said it was comfortable...I'm glad they thought so because I was happy to have the real bed!

Doing the Mary Tyler Moore thing on Michigan Ave!

Me and my girlie girls! We had a great time on our first Girl Trip. I hope there are many more in our future!

Did you think you were done with the post? Not quite...you still have to see the boy trip!
Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out to the crowd!

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks. I don't care if I ever come back!

Daddy always keeps score

Chillin' at the ballpark, literally. It was pretty cold but the boys toughed it out.

How's that dog, Joe?

My three favorite Tiger fans!!!
Did you see that?!?!

Maybe someday they'll be a statue of these boys out here!

Brothers at the ball park

...So that's our spring break! Even though we didn't take a big trip we had a great time!

Spring Break 2011: Day 2,3,4,5,6,7...

2011-04-07T17:19:00.006-06:00

So my great idea of blogging each day of spring break didn't come to fruition. It did seem like a nice idea but then how many great ideas do we have that we can never quite pull off? Oh well, I don't feel too bad about it. After all it is still spring break and this is my second blog of the week so that's pretty good, all things considered. :)
We've tried to pack in lots of fun activities this week for the kids. We've been swimming 3 times, went to the movies (the free kids movies, of course!), ice skating, indoor amusement park, and topped it off today with a kickball game at the park with daddy and some friends. Grandma joined us at the indoor amusement park where we were all excited to ride the ferris wheel. The kids enjoyed doing a bungee bounce thingy-ma-jigger and the mechanical bull. We were all surprised when Grandma decided to give the mechanical bull a try! :) Today was a special day for me. Bob had the great idea of me arranging lunch with my friends and he volunteered to watch everyone's kids while the moms went out! What a guy!!! My friends and I enjoyed lunch at Rose's, which is one of my favorites! YUM! While we were dining Bob fed 9 kids and took them to the park to play a rousing game of kickball. It's been a great week thus far and it's not over yet! YIPPIE!

Spring Break 2011: Day 1

2011-04-01T15:01:00.005-06:00

It is day 1 of spring break and the kids wanted to go swimming. No problem! Since we are members at the YMCA this activity is FREE! Gotta love that! Daddy decided that he would swim with the kids and mommy was happy to sit on the sidelines and take pictures (just don't know if I'm ready to pull out my swimsuit yet, ugh)
They had a great time playing water basketball, racing, doing handstands and flips and sitting in the hot tub! Bob even encouraged Chloe and Josiah to give the deep water test a try. They had to swim one length of the lap pool. Neither of them were able to complete the test but it was great to see how far they've both come in the pool. It won't be long and they'll be able to make it! After swimming Bob took the kids out to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a sleepover. It's date night for Mommy and Daddy...YIPPIE!! I would say it was a great start to spring break!

Josiah always loves playing in the little fountains

Joshua goes for the long shot!

Josiah's slam dunk!

She shoots, she scores!

Abigail powered water gun (Mr. Spencer taught us this trick)

Cannonball!!!

Chloe and daddy hanging in the deep end.

Daddy helping Josiah work on his front crawl

A Bible story I never heard

2011-03-20T11:15:00.002-06:00

This weekend I had the privilege of attending a womens conference at church on the topic of encouragement. During one of the workshops the speaker told us about a little known woman of the Bible...Ahinoam. Have you ever heard of her? I hadn't. I was so moved after hearing the story of this woman that I wanted to share it.

Ahinoam was a wife of David. We meet her in I Samuel 25:43. To set the scene we need to know that David is basically a renegade at this point. He was married to Saul's daughter Michal but Saul gave her to another man. David married Ahinoam and also a woman named Abigail (if you don't know Abigail's story you really must read I Samuel 25).
In 2 Samuel 2:1-4 we learn that the men of Judah make David their king. So Ahinoam goes from being the wife of a renegade to being the wife of the King of Judah. 2 Samuel 3:2 tells us that Ahinoam has a son, this is David's first born son. His name is Amnon. It is a very big deal to be the mother of the first born son. This basically means that Ahinoam is set for the rest of her life. She is the wife of the king and her son is the heir to the throne. Things are going well for Ahinoam.

But our lives often go in directions that we never expect and unfortunately for Ahinoam things were about to go from very good to very bad.
In I Samuel 30:1-6 David was thinking more about conquering cities than caring for his family and his wives Ahinoam and Abigail were taken captive by the Amalekites. Her husband put his own agenda and ambition before the good of his family. She must have been thinking, "What is my husband doing?" Eventually Ahinoam and Abigail are reunited with David but I am sure not without great pain and suffering.

Being the mother of the king's first born son was a great honor but Ahinoam's son Amnon's heart was evil. He was taken by the beauty of his half sister Tamar and wanted her for himself. He tricked her into coming to him and he raped her. This brought shame, disgrace and embarrassment to Ahinaom, to think that her son would do such a thing! Her heart must have been ripped out of her chest.

As bad as that must have been for Ahinoam, her suffering was not over. Tamar's brother Absalom was so enraged about what Amnon had done that he had him killed. She must have been filled with grief when her son committed that terrible act and now her grief is increased because she has lost her only child. She has lost everything.

After laying out the tragic story of Ahinoam our speaker asked "What do we say to Ahinaom?"
There are many women who have had their hearts ripped out. Who live with utter embarrassment. Who are weighed down by utter grief. If Ahinoam was my next door neighbor or a woman sitting behind me in the pew at church, her life just crumbing, one thing after another...What do I say to her? What if it's me?

Our speaker took us to Isaiah 12. He entitled it "Singing the song of praise in the midst of life"

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

First, it was pointed out that the "You" in verse one is singular, it's the voice of one person crying out to God. In the midst of the trials of life we must turn to Christ. We must be reminded that God is not taking His wrath out on me. NO, He already took out His wrath on Jesus when he was on the cross! We must remind ourselves and the Ahinoams in our life of the glory and riches of God's grace.

Here's the part that really touched me, in verse 3 and 4 the word "you" is plural. Why is this important? Well, when thinking about a person who is hurting so deeply and feeling great despair they may say, "I understand that Christ took God's wrath for me...but I can not 'draw water from the wells of salvation'. I have no strength." The plural you is the Body of Christ. This is what we do. We drop her bucket in the well of salvation and together do the hard work of pulling it up for her, and with joy we do this. She can't do it. It's too much. We do it for her, we bring her the water.

It's the same when it comes to verse 4 and 5. The "you" is the Body of Christ. She may not have the strength to sing. She just can't do it, she has no voice. We will sing the praises of the Lord for her. We will call upon His name for her. We will sing to the Lord for her. This is what our church life is to be about.

I know I have not been able to share this story as eloquently as our speaker did yesterday but I hope the underlying message was conveyed clearly enough for your heart to be touched. The bottom line is that people are hurting more deeply than we know. We have all experienced times of embarrassment, pain and grief and there are people in our lives whose hearts are being ripped out by difficult circumstances, like Ahinoam. It is the responsibility of Christians to bring these hurting people to the cross, remind them that God's wrath was poured out on Christ, draw the water of salvation for them, and sing to the Lord for them.

And someday...they will sing again.

I remember the day you were born...

2011-01-12T14:28:00.005-07:00

My Sweet Chloebear
FAST forward 7 years....and she's still my sweet little Chloebear!

The story of my Chloebear starts on a Sunday afternoon. We were at our pastor's house for lunch after church. I was still a week before my due date but feeling like I couldn't go another day! My pastor's wife told me I should try castor oil. I had heard of women using castor oil to start labor...but I didn't really know what it was or how exactly it started the labor. After a few questions were answered we decided that I would try it that night. After we put Abigail and Joshua to bed I mixed the dreaded oil with orange juice and drank it. YUCK!!! It was terrible and what came next wasn't too fabulous either. After 4 hours of unpleasantries I realized I was having contractions. YIPPIE. At 1 am I woke Bob up and asked him if he was ready to meet his daughter. Our neighbor came right over and we were off to the hospital. When we got there they checked me out and even though I was dilated to 5cm and having contractions they told us to go walk around the hospital and come back in a few hours to see if I was really in labor. We walked down every hallway in that place and looked at what seemed to be thousands of inspirational posters. Finally we went back upstairs and they checked me again. Big surprise...they informed me I was indeed in labor. Hello!
I had done the labor thing twice with no drugs and thought it might be fun to see what the epidural was all about. So I got one. I was totally bummed when I could still feel my contractions on one side. Right at the end they gave me more drugs and it finally kicked in but it was a complete disappointment. When Chloe finally arrived the morning of Monday January 12 the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and it was too short for them to just unwrap. Chloe was a bit purple and they had to cut the cord right away. She didn't cry for what seemed to be forever...but it was probably just a minute. Bob had a worried look on his face and he started praying. Chloe started breathing and was totally fine. She was the smallest Baby Beek weighing in at 7 lbs 5 oz and she continues to be the smallest Beek (comparatively). Josiah is just about as tall as she is and weighs more already. Yep...Chloe is going to be the littlest Beek, but that's okay, we know that good things come in small packages. :) In the past year Chloe's personal sense of style has really started to emerge. She likes things to be fancy. She enjoys wearing scarves, especially the ones with a little sparkle, and she really loves earrings and jewelry. She always has a purse or bag on her arm, which usually is holding some sort of stuffed animal. She's a girl with stuff! Abigail says that Chloe is so "lipstick" and also complains that she is too messy (I think my own big sister could identify with Abigail on this issue). She may be a little on the messy side but she makes up for that with sweetness. Chloe is the snuggliest girl and endears herself with everyone she meets! She loves to sing and does it with all her heart and she is so excited to start taking piano lessons. It's so fun to watch her blossom and change and develop into her own special person.
Happy 7th Birthday to my sweet Chloebear!!! I love you tons and tons!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in pictures

2011-01-01T17:33:00.016-07:00

Josiah still loves playing with his Geo Trax! This railroad crossing was a hit.

Who knew a $0.50 pack of Starburst would make Abigail so happy!

Chloe shows off her new cross earrings.

We always know when Joshua approves of something :)

Token Christmas picture of me...kind of a funny one this year.

Our Christmas Eve Tradition, Dutch chocolate letters.

They wait all year for these things!

Pajammies made by Grammie! So cute and so fuzzy.

Daddy and Joshua enjoying chess.

Switch Gears to New Years Eve

The Fat Ball dough didn't rise but we decided to fry them up anyway.

Fat Ball Face!
Serious Fat Ball Face!!!

This is what 5 year olds look like while they wait for the ball to drop.

The only picture of the two of us from the holidays. Why does that always happen?

This was the view when we were heading down stairs to get the kids at the end of the night. Just thought it was funny.

Ice Skates and Toe Shoes

2010-12-13T19:43:00.010-07:00

It's Christmas so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by stories of kindness and generosity but I was seriously surprised by this one...mostly because it was kindness and generosity towards our family that caught me off guard. Several weeks ago Bob told me that he really wanted to take the kids to a Red Wings game. We don't know how much longer we'll be in Michigan and since Joe Louis Arena is pretty old Bob said you never know if they might decide to build a new home for the Red Wings. Personally, I don't understand why it might be meaningful for our children to be able to say that they saw a Detroit Red Wings game at THE JOE...but these types of things are important to Bob (and probably one of those things that this girl will never understand anyway). So when we went to buy tickets for a game they were a little on the expensive side and since we are unemployed at this time I was wondering if it was the best decision to go to a game now. At one point Bob suggested that this be our Christmas present to the family. At the time I was appalled at the suggestion! Thinking that would be a good present for Bob...but not so much for the rest of us. But shortly after that I had a conversation with a dear friend and she told me that if Bob thought this should be our Christmas then I should go with it and make it the BEST RED WINGS CHRISTMAS EVER! My first thought was that she was crazy! But about a week later a large package arrived at our house. The note inside explained that the story spread of a family who wanted to have a Red Wings Bash for Christmas but wasn't able to do so because of finances and generous people opened their closets and their wallets and the result was the contents of the box that was before me. In the box I found 4 red wings sweatshirts for the kids, a red wings hoodie for me, red wings pom poms, press on tattoos, a puck, a little zamboni, Red Wings calendar, cookies with red m&m's, Red Wings silly bands, and so much more! I could not believe it! Why would people do this for us??? It almost felt bad to accept...we didn't deserve this kindness. But I guess that's the best part about the generosity of others...it's usually unmerited. Amazing!
So the Red Wings Christmas was on! Friday we picked up the kids from school early. When they got home they found presents under the tree and they were so happy to know that they got to open them right away. They were giggling and screaming and bouncing all around with excitement about our Red Wings Christmas! We hit the road for Detroit sporting our new Red Wings gear. We got to hang out at Hockeytown before the game which was fun.

When it was finally time for the game we had to be a little creative with our seats to see the action. You see we had gotten the cheapest tickets we could and they happened to be the very last row in the arena and they were obstructed view seats. However, we found that if we stood on them we could see the game. The kids had a blast cheering on our Red Wings.

Bob of course made friends with all the people sitting around us and Josiah even got in on that and moved down a row and sat with the folks in front of us. The Red Wings made it all worth it by pulling off a 4 to 2 win!

Oh and on the way out...an usher handed Josiah a puck that was used in the game. He was speechless for about a minute but as we exited the arena he was holding his puck up high and telling everyone we passed that he got a puck and it was used! It's his new favorite treasure.
I had a little bit of a bad attitude at first about this whole Red Wings Christmas business but in the end the children had an amazing time. They loved every minute. And they experienced the love and generosity of others. We will always remember this special game and maybe someday we can be the ones who help to make a special Christmas memory for another family. Thank you so much to everyone who made a contribution to our Red Wings box! We don't know your names but you were a blessing to us this Christmas!
As if that wasn't enough, the girls and I got to attend a performance of The Nutcracker on Saturday with our good friend Summer and her daughter Heidi. The girls and I have been going to see The Nutcracker at Christmas time for years, it's our girly, girl tradition and we love it. This time we didn't have to stand on our seats to see. In fact we had amazing seats, thanks to Summer! :)

So I have to say we had a truly amazing weekend filled with ice skates and toe shoes, blessings and friends! In financially tough times like these it might be understandable for a family to be a little down at Christmas....but we are full of gratitude and thanksgiving. For the wonderful blessings that others have bestowed upon us which in the tiniest way give us a glimpse of the amazing blessings that we have in Christ, who has given us every good thing!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2010-11-04T19:19:00.010-06:00

8 years ago today I told Grammie that I was feeling like it was time for you to come. We went to the doctor and she said, "Yep, it's time." But I wasn't ready...I don't mean I wasn't ready to meet you. I just wasn't ready to go to the hospital. So we went home, ate pizza, took Abigail to some friends of ours who were going to watch her and then headed to the hospital....Oh wait, that's not what happened. How could I forget, Daddy absolutely HAD to play in his flag football game. It was the championship game and he was supposed to be the quarterback and they might have to forfeit if he wasn't there...so he asked could we please go to the football game BEFORE the hospital? Right, that's what really happened. Good thing the hospital was right across from the football field because you were born shortly after we got there! I'm glad you waited until the game was over to make your grand entrance! As you can see from the picture, your big sister thought you were the cutest little guy ever. We all agreed!!!
It's been an amazing 8 years watching you grow and accomplish so many things. It is a joy to be your mom and I really can't wait to see what you're going to accomplish in the next 8 years! I love you Joshua. Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

5 years ago God gave us YOU!

2010-10-24T14:50:00.008-06:00

Dear Josiah,
5 years ago today God made our family complete by sending us YOU! It was a rainy day in Dayton, Ohio and I remember stopping to get a sandwich at subway on the way to the hospital around dinner time. We knew daddy wouldn't get to eat for a long time while we were waiting for you to arrive so we had to fill his tummy first. :) I think I have a hard time remembering the time in the hospital because it was just very uneventful. Maybe since I was a mommy who already had 3 kids they thought I didn't need much help. But for the most part, it was just daddy and me waiting for you to arrive. When it was time for your grand entrance the doctor came and just like the other kids you came in just a few minutes. You were really cute and you weighed exactly the same as your big brother, 9 lbs 6 oz. The other kids were so excited when they got to come to the hospital to see you. They liked to take you for walks up and down the hallway in your little bed. When you came home from the hospital you spent a lot of time with daddy because your bed was in his office and he was working on his thesis. You liked to sit in your bouncer seat next to him and listen to classical music. I'm pretty sure he told you lots of top secret stuff but I'm guessing you don't remember. If you are really good at physics someday I guess we can attribute it to your early exposure. :)
These days you love playing outside, always getting REALLY dirty, riding your bike and playing with the neighbor boys. You are learning so much in school and it seems like you are changing, growing up, more and more each day. Sometimes I see you sitting on the couch looking at a book and I just can't believe you are so big. You see, even though you don't like it when I say you are my baby, you ARE my baby, my last baby...and even though I'm so proud of all the amazing things you can do, I'm also a little sad that it's the last time for all these "firsts". So you are just going to have to get used to me saying things like, "I can't believe my baby is going to school." Or "I can't believe my baby is driving!" Or I can't believe my baby is graduating." Because you're going to be hearing it your entire life....I know because I'm Grammie's baby and I still hear it from her. :) Try not to let it bother you too much it's just another way you'll know how much I love you. So HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY Josiah. Mommy loves you all the way to the moon and back and I'm so proud of you and all the amazing things you do. You are very special and I'm thankful that 5 years ago today God gave us YOU!
We celebrated your birthday at Chuck E Cheese with some friends. In case you're wondering, Uncle James is responsible for the bunny ears here. In a few years, you'll be able to take him down and you can get him back. :)

Takin' an older chick out for a spin in your jeep...just like your daddy.

You are still in love with all things John Deere and Grammie and Poppi came through with this awesome shirt and tractor socks! So cool! Grammie also made a John Deere blanket. You were ready to throw your other blanket in the trash after you opened this gift but I convinced you to just keep both. You are so funny.

I know, I know, I'm a slacker

2010-10-21T19:23:00.016-06:00

I guess I've been a little unmotivated as far as blogging goes for a while. I'm not sure why that is. There are lots of times when something happens or we have some kind of event and I think, "I should blog about this later..." but then I just don't do it. So you'll just have to settle for another catch up post from this slacker mama.
A lot has happened since our final summer trip. Bob and I went to Denver, CO to attend a wedding. The wedding was fun and I got to see my sister and her family too. It was just a nice long weekend away from all the craziness that had been surrounding us. Only a few days after we got back from Denver the kids started school at Zion Christian. We are so thankful for excellent teachers and very nice friends.
We've had several exciting and fun activities in the last several months. We went to Irish Fest in Kalamazoo with our friends Chuck and Kathy. It was so much fun! We ate and danced and ate and got to see Irish dancing and heard a really fun Irish band. Good friends, good times! We also went to the circus with our buddies the Jippings. I just love the circus. We liked the little doggie act, the elephants, the guy getting shot out of the cannon, the high wire...it was all great! Aside from these BIG events the kids have started some other activities as well. Abigail has started up piano lessons again and is doing spectacular! I'm so proud of the progress she is making. Joshua has started Cub Scouts and just loves it. Next weekend he is going on his first Scout hike, which is sure to be a GREAT adventure! Chloe and Josiah are both taking gymnastics and loving it. Chloe's cartwheels and handstands have improved so much in just a few weeks we are amazed. And Josiah earned his first ribbon in his class. He loves to tumble (but I already knew that)!
Last weekend we went to a Fall Fest at our local YMCA and the kids all had the chance to climb the rock wall. Chloe declined the opportunity, said she'd rather watch the other kids. But everyone else gave it a go. It was Josiah's first time doing the rock wall and he did great! He kept up with Joshua the whole way and never got scared. That's my little dare devil. It's hard to believe in just a few days he will be 5 years old! Crazy! Actually, sometimes it's hard to believe he's only 4 years old. He does so much to keep up with the big kids that I often have to remind myself he's just little...my baby.
So I know I should address the question that we get on a regular basis..."How's the job hunt going?" As of right now, today, we don't have a job or an offer for a job. We are waiting...still. There have been a few interviews and actually we are waiting to hear back on a job right now. But waiting is the operative word here. Recently, one of my dear friends was praying for me over the phone and she prayed that I would find security in God and not in a job that my husband might find (or might not find as the case may be). It's a tough lesson to learn when you feel the burden of bills and private school and groceries and health care and so much more bearing down on you. So we are "Trusting in the Lord with all our hearts and leaning not on our own understanding". Well, that's what we are striving for anyway, we fail a lot....okay, I fail a lot. I told a friend a mine that my theme song should be the old kids song, "He's still workin' on me. To make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the moon and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and how patient He must be! He's still workin' on me." So that's where we are. I promise I'll update when we get job news. Hopefully that will be really soon! :)

Abigail 4th grade

Joshua 2nd grade

Chloe 1st grade

Josiah Developmental Kindergarten

Horseback riding in Golden, CO

Enjoying time at Jason & Liz's wedding

Crusin' around Denver

Irish Fest Kalamazoo

Dancing up a storm with Mr. Chuck and Daddy

Josiah's yellow ribbon at gymnastics

Here's what happens after a busy day

No FEAR!

Abigail and one of her best school buddies!

One Crazy Summer Part 2

2010-08-20T18:29:00.009-06:00

August 3rd was a day we had been waiting for. Everything hinged on August 3rd. What would we be doing? Where would we be living? Would we be looking for another job or looking toward a November election? Where would the kids go to school? And on and on these questions went in my head...all the time. It is really hard to turn off the wondering and the worry about the future when everything seems so uncertain. It has been a big struggle for me this past year, but especially in recent months. Everyone says to trust God and be patient. I know that is what I am supposed to do but I guess I'm learning that I'm not very good at it.
So August 3rd came and went and the events of the day gave us some direction, but little clarification. We learned that the campaign was over and now we are faced with the daunting task of finding a good job in a bad economy. We are hopeful that something will come our way soon that will be fulfilling and enjoyable for Bob and will also meet the needs of our family. For now we search and pray and we keep learning how to be patient. That's August 3rd...but you want to hear about August 4th!
We all hit the road in Overbeek fashion and drove to my aunt's house in Iowa. It was the first time in a long time that I was not the only driver and we could stop for me to go to the bathroom...even if the kids were sleeping! Fabulous!
We spent a week basking in the sun at Lake Manawa. My aunt and uncle's house has it's own beach, a boat, a jet ski, kayaks....what more could you ask for? It was wonderful. Aunt Sue and Uncle John are amazing hosts. We ate awesome food and played lots of cards, which we hadn't done in a while. My parents were there as well as my dad's other sister and her husband and my grandma. It was great to see everyone! The kids got lots of attention. Josiah even convinced all the big guys to crawl under the table into his secret club! Bob and I got to sneak away for dinner and a movie and I also enjoyed some time with all the girls shopping at the Omaha farmers market. This was a great way to wrap up our crazy summer!
This is what you look like after one C-R-A-Z-Y summer!

An historic shot of my dad in the water! He doesn't even wear shorts so this was BIG!

Mom was feeling adventurous and wanted to ride the tube with me! She giggled the entire time!

The neighbor built this party island, it was awesome! The kids were jumping off the top and going down the slide. It even had a basketball hoop and built in radio. That is one cool dad.

Chloe and Aunt Sue snuggling on the boat.

The ladies of the lake...this is what we did to pass the hot afternoons

Uncle Leonard is a farmer with his very own John Deere tractors! That makes him very cool!

Hanging out in Josiah's secret club!

My mom, dad, Aunt Sue, Harry, Grandma, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Leonard. Uncle John is missing because he was busy driving his train.

Captain Josiah giving Uncle John a few pointers while driving the boat.

Classic Josiah face

Grammie and Abigail enjoying an evening tootle on the boat

Joshua brought me a lily, how sweet

All four kids got to kayak and loved it. We didn't think Chloe and Josiah would be able to manage the paddles but they did great!

Mama's boy

Joshua woke up one morning with this horrible growth on his nose...thankfully we were able to have it removed without any permanent damage to his handsome face. :)

Daddy and Joshua

Bob showing off!

Is there any question where he gets it from?

Lily pad hats are the new thing this season.

Chloe paddlin' along

Abigail is a pro!

Getting pulled in on the tube

Summer fun at it's best!

One Crazy Summer! Part 1

2010-08-15T17:38:00.015-06:00

This summer has been one for the books. I'm not sure if I'll remember it more because so much happened...or if I'll have a harder time remembering it because it was so crazy (mommy's sometimes repress stressful memories). Only time will tell.
My last post on 4th of July seems like a lifetime ago. Since then we took a trip to Dayton, had a house FULL of live-in campaign volunteers (who were a tremendous help and I'm very thankful for, but it made for some tight quarters in the house...one bathroom for 11 people!), visited Saginaw, took a road trip to Albuquerque, helped Bob finish up the campaign, and took a trip to Iowa to spend time with my extended family! WOW! Even now Abigail is having another adventure in Florida getting Grammie and Poppi all to herself! I think the kids will have plenty to say when their teachers ask, "What did you do this summer?"

Our visit to Dayton: After long days of playing the kids crashed and watched a movie

Days in Albuquerque
The sprayground was finikie that day but it came on long enough to get wet.

Kate didn't mind being the baby and Abigail and Chloe didn't mind being the mommies...a perfect combination!

We had a wonderful time with our buddies from school. The mommies even got to see a live Star Wars show! Fabulous!

Miss Susan took the kids to see the ponies up the road

This could have been disasterous...Miss Susan to the rescue!

Love this picture!

Doesn't look like Chloe objected much to being squirted.
Joshua taking you to the Gun Show!

Miss Margaret with the kids who would cooperate for a picture.

What a wonderful time we had seeing all our friends. I'm so glad we took the trip. Of course it seemed WAY too short but we are thankful for the time we had!

Stay Tuned.
One Crazy Summer To Be Continued...

4th with friends

2010-07-04T15:04:00.015-06:00

Chloe is such a girlie girl. She said she was ready to go fishing...complete with sequin purse, fingerless, full length gloves and shades. She's SO Hollywood!

Turns out brothers are good for something...taking the fish off your hook!

The little one makes me so nervous!

Notice the feet.

Gorgeous sunset! Those blue stripes were even more amazing in person!

Our good friends Barb and Dan invited us to spend 4th of July at their cottage. The kids and I had such a fun time swimming, fishing and playing! Abigail and Joshua even got to drive the golf cart...well that is until Joshua backed it into a tree and then Mr. Dan said we needed to be done with the driving lesson. The fishing was fun too. Both Joshua and Abigail caught fish. Josiah didn't get anything but he really loved it and I was amazed at how quiet and still he was while waiting to see if a fish was going to bite! He is still trying to talk me into buying him his own pole. He saw some kid's poles at Target a while ago and hasn't forgotten. Chloe had a ball playing with Barb & Dan's son James. She just loves entertaining little people and they love her! The fireworks were nice but it was hard to concentrate on them because the boys were break dancing in front of us to the music some other folks were playing. Joshua and Josiah didn't watch the fireworks at all...they just boogied on the beach the entire time. The adults enjoyed the bon fire after all the kiddos were in bed. It was a great way to spend the holiday weekend! We can't wait to visit Barbie and Dan's cottage again! I hope you had an enjoyable 4th of July too!

Offroad Adventures

2010-06-06T17:02:00.009-06:00

Uncle James (Bob's brother) suggested that we go to the West Michigan Offroad this weekend. It's like a demolition derby in the mud. Unfortunately the forecast for Saturday evening was pretty bleak, 60% chance of rain. We decided to chance it and headed out anyway. We saw a few races with just a light sprinkling and then it started raining for real. We brought our umbrellas and toughed it out for several races. Abigail really enjoyed the powderpuff races and the boys thought it was super cool when one car flipped over! By the time we were ready to leave most of us were soaked and Joshua had been standing so close that he even got splattered by some mud from the cars (I learned that this is very cool to a 7 year old boy, he didn't want to wash it off)! The kids seemed to enjoy it even in the rain and I suppose it was extra good because the rain was creating a super muddy track. I think I would go again...just not in the rain.

Fun with Grammie and Poppy

2010-06-06T12:25:00.015-06:00

Grammie and Poppy were here for a visit and we filled every moment with activity! They got to go on two field trips, one to the zoo with Josiah's class and the other to Dutch Village with Joshua's class. They also got to see all four kids play in baseball games. We got lots of ice cream and I made some of my favorite desserts to share with them too. Our time together is always sweet and always too short! We can't wait to see them again in August when we meet up at my Aunt Sue's house!

Here's pictures from the zoo. The ride on the camel was definitely the highlight!

Dutch Village in Holland Michigan was lots of fun too!

Playing Blog Catch Up

2010-05-26T17:50:00.010-06:00

Things are happening so fast I don't have time to blog about it all! So here it is in pictures...which is better than not at all right? :)

Going from most recent pictures to older pictures, we begin with Abigail's 9th birthday party. She had a bowling party and everyone had a GREAT time! This first photo is quite revealing. At first glance you'll notice the pesky little brother giving her bunny ears. But if you look closely you'll notice that the mama forgot candles for the cake. So poor Abigail had to pretend there were candles and blow out nothing. What can you do...just gotta roll with the punches.

Here are Josiah's Preschool graduation photos. He had to dress up as what he wanted to be when he grows up. He decided that he wanted to dress up as a "Space Man". The funny thing was that as part of the program his teacher asked all the kids what they wanted to be. When she got to Josiah he said, "fireman". Oops, I guess he forgot he was dressed as an astronaut. It was cute!

Here's a picture of my 3 favorite guys right after a night of door to door campaigning. These little guys are daddy's best campaign volunteers!

She is worth far more than rubies

2010-05-13T07:09:00.006-06:00

Mother's day came and went in usual whirlwind fashion and I didn't get a chance to put up pictures from the Mother's Day tea that I got to attend with Joshua and Chloe at school. Finally I sit down to share the pictures with you and tell you about the cute things they said and I started thinking about my mother and about other women who have been like a mother to me and I am suddenly overcome with emotion. I am just so thankful to have a mom who is so supportive, encouraging, loving and generous. She's amazing, no seriously AMAZING! I love my mom...I wish I was more like her. She is kind and patient and a great listener and when you need her she is ALWAYS there for you. My one wish for my relationship with my own daughters is that some day they will feel about me what I feel about their Grammie. I love you mom!
Not only have I been blessed with the greatest mom in the world, the Lord has brought other women into my my life who have provided wise counsel, friendship and have treated me like their own daughter. It's amazing to reflect back and see how God used these relationships to shape who I am now. Joette, Bonnie, Mama Rood, Ellen, Kathy, Margaret, Susan and others....I am so thankful for the blessing of having them in my life. They are worth far more than rubies.

Now for my own Mother's Day...I got to attend a tea put on by the kindergarten thru second grade classes at school. Chloe made a hat and Joshua made a tie for the occasion. They sang songs and recited Bible verses. Joshua's class each took a letter to spell out "Happy Mother's Day" and each child said something about there mother that started with their letter. Joshua had the letter "T". He said, "T is for talented. My mom is talented..." (I was thinking, oh, how sweet. He thinks I'm talented.) he went on, "...when she does the wash." Well, at least he thinks I'm good at something! :) Abigail made a picture collage of my favorite hobbies. She included cooking, swimming, shopping and texting (a sign of the times OR the sign of a bad mommy?). What can I say...I text. :) Josiah gave me a special card he made himself and a little plant he grew himself and from Bob I got tulips. I had a lovely mother's day and even though it's supposed to be a day for mother's to be celebrated it reminded me how thankful I am to be a mother!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2010-05-03T19:21:00.015-06:00

This post is just going to be a jumble of things from the last several days. A few pictures from Josiah's t-ball game. I just can't help it...he's the cutest little t-ball player ever!

This past weekend we drove down to Dayton to see our special friends, the Geaslens. We only got 24 hours with them but it was worth the drive. It's amazing to see the strong bond that our children have formed with each other. Abigail and Eve have been playing together since they were 1 and the rest of the kids have known each other from birth. Our time with them is never long enough but was well enjoyed.

Today we were driving home from school and there was a man standing by the road wearing a chicken costume and holding a sign that said, "Haircut SALE $6.99". I had just been thinking that the boys needed haircuts so we went in. I asked out of curiosity what the connection between a chicken and haircuts is. They said that there was no connection, just trying to get attention. It worked! The girls decided they wanted cuts too and since it was just $6.99 I agreed. They ended up with short, angle cuts (as Abigail calls it). They are both happy and now I don't have to worry about doing Chloe's hair (which she hates) so it's all good.

Finally, I'm including pictures of our Michigan house so you can see where we live now.
It's small but we're making the best of it. It's in a nice neighborhood with lots of kids and fun hills for riding bikes. :)

Enjoy the pictures and Happy early Mother's Day!

I just had to throw this picture in at the last minute. This is what happens after spending the day with Grandma playing and taking long bike rides!

Opening Day at Pinery Park Little League

2010-04-25T14:17:00.009-06:00

My dear friend Margaret emailed me and said it was time for an update on my blog. I know it's been too long...and so much has happened in the life of our family in the last month it's almost overwhelming just thinking about it. At some point I hope to go back and fill in some of the details from the last month. For now pictures of the opening day of little league will have to do.
So Miss Margaret, this one's for you!

This is Pinery Park Little League. The very same little league that Bob played at when he was a boy. This year all 4 kids get to play. Abigail is playing girls minors softball, Joshua is on a coach-pitch team, Chloe is playing tee ball softball with all girls and Josiah is on a boys tee ball team. They were all very excited to get the season started...especially Josiah who just had to try on his uniform the night before and then didn't want to take it off at bedtime. They all did a great job in their first game and it was fun to watch.

These first two pictures were taken at the end of the day after all the games were played. They were all filthy!

Here's Josiah. After getting his first hit he stops to pose on third base.

Abigail is ready to score her first run of the season! Her team didn't win but we expect they will steadily improve as the season goes on.

Here's a close-up of Josiah's dirty little face at the end of the day. He looks good in a dirt, snowcone, candy, gatorade go-t...don't you think?

We didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked but I threw in some BONUS video for your enjoyment. :) I love that after Josiah hits the ball for the first time he just stands there in amazement watching what happens...finally he runs to first base! Joshua had a couple great hits during his game. I think he hit 2 doubles!
Chloe did great too. She's an old tee ball pro. She picked up all her skills in Albuquerque from the best coach in town. We miss you Coach Ron!!!
Abigail's team struggled a bit. It is the first time these girls are pitching and it is an understatement to say that the pitches are hard to hit. Most of them fly 3 feet overhead or come in like a bowling ball. Needless to say, Abigail didn't get a hit but she did get walked, which shows she has a good eye! She did a wonderful job in the field too.
We are proud of all the kiddos. It will be fun to watch them improve as the season goes on. If you are in the area stop by the ball park on any given week night or Saturday morning....you will most likely find us there.

I'm so confused!!!

2010-03-15T15:05:00.004-06:00

Anyone who reads my facebook updates knows that I've been struggling with my weight in the last year. I know I obsess about it way too much, sorry you have to put up with my rants. But I have just been so frustrated and now I can add confusion to that too. You see I started looking for more information online about new ways I should tackle this monster in my closet. I've been pretty dedicated to a low-fat diet for quite a while now. I eat light wheat bread, drink Krystal Light and LOTS of Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, and I absolutely LOVE spray butter. Oh and I always get the skinny latte at Starbucks and sweeten with splenda.
So last night I'm reading that sugar is my enemy, I should cut out wheat flour and that all my chemical low-fat/no-fat sprays (such as butter and salad dressing) and the artificial sweeteners may actually be holding me back from losing weight instead of helping. The other day I heard Dr. Oz say that a teaspoon of sugar only has 15 calories so he thinks it's better to go for a teaspoon of the real stuff in your tea than the artificial sweeteners. But then sugar is my enemy, right????? And then I read that using real butter (in limited amounts) is better for you because you actually NEED some good fats in order to burn bad fats. And this issue with flour...I'm not so sure about this. I went out today and bought a loaf of "Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry Bread". I had a slice of it for lunch with tuna on it. It was fine that way but I wouldn't say that I loved it or anything.
Anyway, I'm just not into the whole organic scene but that seems to be the way the pendulum is swinging these days. The problem is that there are so many different methods that one can drown in a sea of weight loss and healthful eating experts.
So today I did not use spray butter on my high fiber english muffin, I used a tiny bit of real butter. And I have not had any diet pop (not even one!!!) but I did put splenda in my tea (I couldn't help it). I ate one slice of my flourless bread with my tuna and (brace yourselves) some raw broccoli, like a whole bowl full (and my gag reflex only kicked in twice)! Anyone who knows me well will understand the significance of that! For dinner tonight we're having fish and I made myself a baked sweet potato. I guess I'll put just a smidge of butter on it along with salt & pepper and see how that goes. I will probably eat an apple later followed by my standard bag of fat free microwave popcorn but I plan on skipping the spray butter (that's gonna be tough).
Ok so if you have any advice or suggestions for me I welcome all the help I can get. I'd really love to go back to drinking my diet Pepsi and using my spray butter and artificial sweeteners but I have a feeling those days will have to come to an end.

Good-bye DWCP. I will miss you my friend!

From the mouths of babes...

2010-03-12T18:31:00.002-07:00

Working on catechism questions: I ask Josiah "Who wrote the Bible?" The answer is "Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit." I decided to give Josiah the first word. I say, "Holy..." he pauses for a moment and then shouts out, "COW!"

The other day we are driving and Josiah says, "Remember when me and daddy and Poppy and Joshua went to see the Lobos game?" I say, "Yes I remember, that was fun wasn't it?" Josiah continues, "And the girls went to see...what was that?" He's thinking, processing...my mind wasn't connecting the dots and I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Finally he says, "the graham cracker?" It finally dawns on me..."yes, the girls went to see The Nutcracker!" :) I totally laughed out loud at that one.

A couple Sundays ago we were in church and they were passing the offering plate. Josiah leaned over and asked why we put money in the plate. I told him we are giving our money to God. He looked up at me and said, "Does He have a wallet?" I couldn't stop giggling for a long time. Sometimes that boy is so funny!!!

Fabulous Florida

2010-02-24T11:36:00.021-07:00

Even though the weather didn't cooperate for our trip to Florida we still had a great time! We got to spend time with Grammie and Poppy and Uncle Mikey and Aunt Dana and we went on fun adventures everyday. The kids were a little disappointed that they didn't get to go swimming in Miss Jackie's pool but they still had loads of fun!

Joshua insisted on bringing the hockey sticks and puck and I'm so glad we did. He and Josiah pretty much played outside every moment that we were at the house.

Grammie and Poppy and Miss Jackie took us all out to a special place for breakfast where you get to make your own pancakes right on your table! Miss Jackie turned out to be the expert pancake maker...she even created Mickey Mouse pancakes!

It was cold on the day we went to see the manatees. We had a picnic lunch and even got to go on a boat ride to see all the wildlife on the St Johns River. We saw all kinds of birds, even wild turkeys, and a couple baby gators!
Can't keep this kid out of the trees...even pokey looking ones!
Joshua has been working on his chess game and wanted to take Poppy on...Poppy took him down but it was still a good game! We also played a few rousing games of Sorry and Uno.
Here we are at Gatorland. In case you can't read it the sign says, "Trespassers will be eaten!" The kids loved it and even got to sit on a real, live gator for a picture. None of them were even the least bit scared!

Another day we hit the Sanford Zoo which also has a super fun ropes course! Abigail, Joshua and Josiah all tried it out. Chloe decided she would rather cheer them on from the ground. Everybody did really well on the course and Grammie and I decided that next time we are going to do it too. :)

On our last day the girls went out to a tea room for a lovely party. We had a great time trying on hats and sipping tea (and hot cocoa) with our pinkies out. Our lunches and fancy desserts were delish! We rounded out our time in Mt. Dora by stopping in a few of the little shops and meeting the horses who pull the carriages around town. While we were being girly girls Unlce Mikey took the boys out to lunch and bowling. They had a great time too. Unfortunately Poppy had to go to a conference for the weekend so he missed out.

Finally, the boys wanted hair cuts so Uncle Mikey helped them out. Joshua talked us into a mohawk and Aunt Dana spiked him up real good. He loves it. Uncle Mikey will be getting a buzz cut of his own as just this week he has returned to serve in the Army. Please remember him and Dana in your prayers as he goes through re-training (he served in the Army years ago).
So that was our trip. We are already back into our regular schedule but looking forward to the next time we can head south!

Made By Me

2010-01-24T11:08:00.004-07:00

On Monday we went to "Made by Me" and painted some pottery. The kids were so excited today to go pick up their ceramic masterpieces! :) The boys went for the abstract look on their little aliens. Chloe made a cute cupcake that opens (of course she chose something that she could put things in) and Abigail opted for the piggy bank. Their choices are so reflective of their personalities! This was a fun activity...I only wish it wasn't so expensive so we could do it more often.

Come to my kitchen

2010-01-23T19:39:00.004-07:00

I decided to try another one of Pioneer Woman's recipes today...this time for cinnamon rolls. Let me just tell you my dear friends that this recipe is worth trying for the smells alone! It's a bit of a process but the reward in the end makes it all worth while! YUM-O! And the frosting...OH THE FROSTING! It has coffee and maple flavoring in it! Even if you are not up for making the cinnamon rolls from scratch, make this frosting and find something to put it on! Get some Pillsbury Grands and throw their frosting away and use this instead. It is so good! My kitchen smells like a genuine bakery right now. Fabulous!
So her recipe made 6 pie plates of cinnamon rolls. In her cookbook she recommends baking and frosting them and then freezing the pans you aren't going to devour right away. This sounded like a good idea to me. Now the kids will have cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning breakfast for the next 2 months! And if anyone decides they need to come visit me...I'll be ready to treat you to a most incredible breakfast!

I remember the day you were born...

2010-01-12T12:12:00.008-07:00

That was then.....

This is now.....

6 years ago today my little Chloebear was born. I remember that it was Sunday and we had lunch at the Pastor's house. It must have been painfully obvious that I was ready to be done being pregnant because the pastor's wife suggested that I drink some castor oil to see if we could get labor going. It sounded good to me, but I didn't exactly know what castor oil was for. We stopped at Meijer on the way home and I picked some up. Put Abigail and Joshua to bed and I drank my concoction of castor oil and orange juice. It was TERRIBLE!!! But...after 4 hours of unpleasantries I started having contractions. Bob and I went to the hospital in the middle of the night. The doctor, who happend to be the same guy that delivered Joshua, wanted to make sure that I was really in labor and told us to walk around the hospital for a few hours and they'd check again later. We saw every inspirational poster in the place. When we finally went back to the labor floor they checked me and sure enough I had progressed enough to prove that this was it. After 2 completely natural births I decided I was ready to try an epidural. Unfortunately for me it didn't take on one side and I felt totally gyped. They finally got me all numb just as it was time to push, what a waste of a needle in my back. When Chloe came out the cord was wrapped around her neck but it was really short and the doctor couldn't get it off. She was a little purple and we didn't hear her cry right away. It was very scary for those first several moments. Bob had a very worried look on his face and he was just praying. The doctors did what they do best and Chloe's apgar was totally normal the second time they did it.
We are so thankful for our Chloebear. She has this snuggly little way about her and people just fall in love with her. That could cause some trouble in about 10 years. Good thing she'll have Joshua and Josiah to be watching out for her. Chloe loves to play with baby dolls and stuffed animals. She always has purses and bags filled with stuff that she feels the need to carry around with her. She has a sweet spirit mixed with a little mischief and spunk. :) She is the special gift that God gave us 6 years ago and it is my privilege to be her mama.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOEBEAR! I love you!

Josiah's 1st day of school

2010-01-11T14:37:00.004-07:00

Today was Josiah's first day of preschool. He was so excited! He will be attending 3 mornings a week. Maybe it's a 4th child thing but when I dropped him off he went directly to the table where the kids were playing, looked up and said, "Bye mom." That was it. No kiss. No clinging to my leg. He was ready. I think that's good....isn't it. When I picked him up his teachers said that he did great. They said it was like he had been there all year. He really enjoyed painting and loved playing outside! He even gets to eat lunch at school and that is really cool. I think it is going to be a great experience for him and we are very thankful that he has this opportunity. He's looking less and less like my baby everyday!

Christmas Memories 2009

2010-01-03T15:25:00.019-07:00

This is my chronological photo documentation of Christmas.

It all began on Saturday, December 19. We had "Early Christmas" at home; I even made monkey bread to make it really feel like Christmas.

We got Mario Kart for some family fun. The boys tried it out and discovered that it is a little tricky and we'll need some practice learning how to get the cars to go in the right direction. :)

I included this not because it's a great picture of me...only because it is literally the only photo taken in the entire two weeks that includes me! Isn't that how it always is?

Josiah got his own shaving kit for Christmas. Bob gave him some pointers and now he's a pro! He remembers to shave everyday...can't say as much for his daddy!
This is what happens to little boys when they stay up late the night before Christmas and then expend a great deal of energy opening their presents. Couldn't even stay awake long enough to eat his monkey bread...don't worry it didn't go to waste. I ate it. :)
Here we are at Bob's parent's house on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed some yummy pizza and had fun playing with Uncle James and Cousin Faith.
As always we observed the Dutch tradition of eating our chocolate letters on Christmas Eve. Joshua had his devoured in about 10 minutes. Yummy goodness.

I just love this picture of Abigail and Bob. People have been telling us how much she looks like him since birth but I REALLY see it in this shot.
Christmas day after attending church with Bob's parents. We've found that if we let the kids pose for a wacky picture....

...then they do better for the real one!

We enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner and then it was time for shenanigans with Uncle James!
We rounded out our time in Grand Rapids with some shopping, bowling and a visit to the children's museum...and I forgot to bring the camera. Then we headed to Kalamazoo and spent time with our dear friend Barb and her family and also with Chuck and Kathy and their family. Finally we said good bye to Bob, who is staying in Michigan for the month of January, and headed down to Dayton for New Years. The children were ecstatic to see their buddies and had a wonderful time! Joshua and Keith figured out how to get connected on their DS's and played lots of games together.

Ok totally wacky...Tracy and I bought these sweaters for the girls completely independent of each other. Even matched up the right color for the right buddy. When we discovered what we had done Jeremy's only comment was, "scary." :)
Best Friends Forever!
New Year's Eve festivities!

After the kids went to bed on NYE I enjoyed playing some euchre with our friends (no one in Boston plays euchre!) Got to bed way to late but enjoyed every second (only thing missing was my honey). New Years Day I set out on my journey home. 1 mom, 4 kids (including 1 that was puking), snow flurries, engine light turned on....but in the end we made it safely. The bad news is that the check engine light was indicating a serious problem and my mini is now getting a major repair. The good news is that it is completely covered by the warranty and the dealer gave me a loaner until it is done.
Praising God for all the many ways He blessed our family this Christmas! And wondering what He has in store for us in 2010.
Merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Literally Speaking

2009-12-19T07:08:00.002-07:00

Last Sunday Josiah clearly demonstrated that he is in that stage where he takes everything literally. He wanted to wear his handsome clothes to church and after he got dressed I said, "Hey Buddy, you look sharp!" A few minutes later I heard him talking to Bob. "Daddy don't touch me...I'm sharp!"
Just a little while later in church the Pastor told us to turn to one another and "Pass the Peace of Christ". The gentleman in front of us turned around looked at Josiah and said, "Peace." Josiah looked up at him and said, "I'm not peace, I'm Josiah." I laughed out loud at that one...mostly because it's ironically true.

Buckeyes...my holiday staple!

2009-12-11T08:23:00.003-07:00

Buckeyes - It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1 lb Butter/Margarine, softened (I like to use Blue Bonnet)
2 lbs Peanut Butter, creamy OR crunchy (I like to use Skippy)
3 lbs powdered sugar
6 bags semi sweet choc chips
1/2 block paraffin wax

Beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar in small amounts until completely combined. It always gets too thick for my little hand mixer and I have to finish with a wooden spoon. Roll into balls and chill or freeze.
Melt choc chips and wax in double boiler. Dip balls into choc. using a toothpick or skewer. Chill or freeze. ENJOY!

If you don't want to do the choc chips and paraffin you can use candy melts or the dipping chocolate that you can buy now. I have tried several different methods and while others might be easier, I prefer the choc chips.

Look for "Gulf Wax" when searching for the paraffin. You should be able to get it at Wal-Mart or your grocery store might have it as well.

Have Fun!

We had a BALL!

2009-12-06T17:11:00.007-07:00

Last night we attended the Bureaucrat's Ball, a Harvard event, and had the most wonderful time! I've been rushing around trying to put my outfit together for days and yesterday all my planning came together. It was so much fun to get my hair done and put on my beautiful dress and my sparkly shoes. Bob was also looking very handsome in his tux! The event was held at the Harvard Faculty Club which was very elegant. The only downside to the night was that it was snowing so my fabulous strappy shoes were completely and utterly impractical and somewhat ridiculous to walk through the snow with...but it's the price we pay, right girls! There was dancing of course and fancy little cakes and desserts that were scrumptious! It was just all around fun! Bob and I really enjoyed the time together. I'm looking forward to the time when I can put on my little red dress again but the clock struck midnight and the dress is back in the closet, my strappy shoes are put away and the ever so heavy chandiler earrings are back in the box. I'm comfy cozy in my hoodie sweatshirt, jeans and fuzzy boots. :) Dressing up is so much fun but I'll never trade in my tennis shoes for heels...not even ones with sparkles!

Many hands make light work...sort of.

2009-12-05T11:55:00.003-07:00

We have several large trees in our yard and they have been bare for a few weeks. The kids and I have raked them into piles twice but we never got the yard waste bags to actually take care of them. We had a nice Sunday afternoon last week and Bob decided it was time to get rid of the piles. So we all pitched in and filled 30 yard bags and three trash cans full of leaves. It took about 2 hours but the kids hung in there and worked hard! They were even enthusiastic about it most of the time. :) It was nice to complete the task together and the yard looks MUCH better. I hope the kids will be as excited to shovel snow!!!

Thank you Lord. How could I ask for more?

2009-11-27T15:49:00.011-07:00

I am so very thankful for my family and yesterday we had the most wonderful time together. I always make monkey bread and orange julius for breakfast on Thanksgiving but this year was a little different. The kids wanted to help. So I set them up and they made the whole thing! It was so much fun. They had a little assembly line going on and they loved it. I guess I'm out of a job when it comes to Thanksgiving breakfast. Abigail helped with the julius. We actually didn't do orange...it was more like a raspberry smoothie and it was YUMMY. After breakfast the girls settled down on the couch to watch the parade and the boys went outside to play football together. It was like my dream Thanksgiving morning. :) We eventually got dressed and out the door. We were invited to the home of one of Bob's classmates who lives in New Hampshire. She has 6 kids and so it was a full house but it was full of fun. The kids played and played and we all ate and ate. The dinner was delicious. We topped off the eating with a new recipe I tried for Turtle Cheesecake! YUMMY! Then the kids started playing Rock Band on the XBox. Bob really got into it and by the end of the evening he was jamming it out with the fam!
Our fun day was just a reminder of how sweet my life is and how many times I get so bogged down in the daily hum-drum that I forget that I have been showered with blessings. All day long the words from the song "Thank you Lord, How could I ask for More?" kept going through my head. I sang this song at church when I was in high school and I've always liked it. The last stanza of the song says it well:
So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord
How could I ask for more.

Stringorama

2009-11-24T06:39:00.003-07:00

Last night was Abigail's first violin concert. I was pretty impressed with this performance. The orchestra is made up of only third graders. They did an excellent job! Abigail has really enjoyed learning the violin so far. I'll be interested to see if she wants to continue with violin lessons after this school year. It is so exciting for me to watch the children as they discover what they are interested in and find the things that give them joy. **Once again I am not able to upload the video here :(

A new delima...hockey or baseball?

2009-11-07T15:24:00.005-07:00

Today was the beginning of the youth hockey program in Belmont. I knew that Joshua was going to do great because he picked up roller-blading so quickly. He was awesome! He started slow but he was strong and confident the entire time. The program is 2 hours every Saturday. They started right in with instruction and drills. They did that for an hour and took a break...except Joshua asked if he could stay out on the ice and practice. Then they did another hour of instruction and even after all the kids came off the ice Joshua was asking to stay on. They had to kick him off in the end because the zamboni was coming through! He really had a lot of fun and is already asking if he and Josiah can come to an open skate so he can teach Josiah about hockey. The down sides of hockey...it takes about 20 minutes to get Joshua all geared up and then of course a few minutes afterwards to get everything off, which makes this about a 3 hour affair. The other 3 kids got a little bored. Also, unlike the first time I took Josiah to the rink, I brought our winter coats but even our feet started to get cold after a while. Next time the girls will wear their fuzzy boots. So I guess we'll have to get used to being penguins. At least for now Joshua can pursue hockey and baseball since the seasons don't overlap. I'm fine with it as long as he doesn't want to grow a mullet!

Happy Birthday Dear Joshua

2009-11-05T06:49:00.008-07:00

I should have known from birth that Joshua was going to be the sports kid in the family. After all, I was in labor (contractions 2 or 3 minutes apart) and Bob told me that he just had to play flag football...they were counting on him to be the quarterback that night. I reluctantly said ok and off we went to the field. He played, they won and then my mom had to go tell him to stop chatting with the guys because this baby was ready to come cheer for his daddy too! Joshua was born a short time later. Joshua recognized his athletic beginning and is following in his daddy's footsteps. Note to self--warn his future wife of possibility that she may have to labor through sports events if she marries my son. Joshua just excels at all things sports and we are very proud of his accomplishments. What's better is that he also excels in school. He has become an excellant reader and does a great job in math and science as well. He has started taking piano lessons this year too and is progressing well in that (although what he really wants to learn is the guitar). And most importantly Joshua has the desire in his heart to please God with his life. He has made several requests to profess his faith and become a member of the church. Although we think that he needs to have a deeper understanding of what that means, we are very encouraged by this and pray that he will continue to seek to glorify God with all he does and says.
In the end I just have to say that I am blessed to be Joshua's mom and I am so thankful for my boy! Happy Birthday Buddy. I love you!

**I have a really funny video of us singing happy birthday and Joshua blowing out his candles but can't get it to upload right now. I'll try again later. :)

Snowplow Sam

2009-11-04T18:07:00.007-07:00

Josiah had his first Snowplow Sam skating class on Tuesday. He has been waiting for this class to start for weeks. We had to get him a pair of skates and a helmet for the class and he has been dying to wear them both. He just couldn't understand that the skates could only be worn on the ice. And the helmet...forget about it. He thinks it's the coolest thing since sliced bread. I'm so glad that when it actually came time for the class that he liked it. There are only 2 kids in his class which means he will be getting lots of one on one time with the teacher. He did a great job for his first time on the ice and it was so much fun for me to watch. I can't wait to see how he will improve from week to week. FUN!

Some tricks and lots of treats!

2009-11-03T17:38:00.006-07:00

In case you couldn't tell we have 2 marines, a kitty cat and a rock star in the house!

We had a really great weekend...most especially because our friends Mr. Mike and Mrs. Susan came to see us from Albuquerque. It was so great to be with them again. Saturday morning Joshua had his last double header of his fall-ball season. His coach put him in to pitch and he struck out 2 batters! He did great!!! We are so proud of him. This Saturday he starts hockey!
Saturday night the kids got dressed up and we went trick-or-treating for the first time. We turned on the porch light and left a big bowl of candy on the porch. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the bowl was completely full when we got done treating. UGH! Why did I buy the kinds I like???
The kids were so excited they were practically bouncing down the street. Josiah started getting tired about half way through the treating and Mr. Mike had to carry him. He kept saying he was sleepy but then just couldn't stop going up to houses. It was a difficult inner battle and in the end candy won out over sleepiness. On Sunday we attended church in the morning and then did our second family photo shoot. It was great to have Mike and Susan along to help get the kids attention. Josiah was still the #1 pickle and it shows in MANY of the shots but I think we could definitely call the session a success! Monday morning we got the kids off to school and then Josiah and I took Mike and Susan to a bakery that I've been wanting to check out. We had a nice breakfast and then had to say good-bye to our friends. We were so thankful to get the chance to see them and pray that it won't be too long before we see them again.

Here's my favorite picture from the shoot. I laughed so hard I cried when I saw this one for the first time. Seriously people you should see the rest of the pictures. Ha-lar-i-ous!!!!

Happy Birthday My Baby (he hates it when I call him that!)

2009-10-24T10:33:00.004-06:00

Today my baby is 4 years old. It is embarrassing to say but I have a hard time remembering his birth. I know that it was raining and that Bob and I decided to stop at Subway on our way to the hospital, it was dinner time, and we knew once we got there we wouldn't have the opportunity to eat for a long time. So we checked in and I think for the most part they left us alone. I guess they figured we'd done this three times already, we didn't need a bunch of people standing around in the room with us. After having an epidural with Chloe that didn't work all the way I decided to pass on that and just go the no drug route again. One moment during the birth that I do remember quite clearly was when Josiah's head was crowning and I said (rather loudly, I think), "It's burning!!!" The nurse replied in a matter of fact sort of way, "It's the ring of fire." Fortunately for me it didn't last very long. Josiah came quickly, just like the others. It's funny, I'm remembering now that after the delivery they were cleaning up Josiah and the nurse was asking us if we had ever looked at the placenta. She lifted it up and was giving us an entire lesson on this amazing material that was so strong and yet so thin. I think Bob was fascinated and I was far more interested in seeing my baby than seeing my placenta.
Anyway, he was the sweetest little guy...not so little actually. He weighed 9 lbs 6 oz, exactly the same as his big brother! It's been strange lately as I watch him and think, "This is the last time we'll be doing this" (as we are not planning on having any more babies). Sometimes it feels sad and other times it is exciting.
Josiah has a funny little personality. He has been dubbed the slushie bandit because he knows how to use his good looks and the power of persuasion. He is our biggest fruit eater...the downside of that is when I find the pits of all the fruits he's been eating all over the house! UGH! He loves playing with his friends, especially Ellie, and when he knows a playdate is coming he will continually ask, "Is it Ellie day?" So sweet. My boy has always been a farm lover and John Deere enthusiast. I wonder how long this love will last?
The worst part about him being the youngest of four (for me anyway) is that it feels like he has grown up so quickly because he is always trying to keep up with the big kids. He rode his bike even earlier than Joshua and at this point is a master on the scooter. He knows how to navigate around on the computer too, which is so amazing to me! He definitely picks up everything the big kids do and just does it too. Some days it's hard to see my baby being such a big boy but mostly I'm excited...excited to see what kind of people all my children are becoming. What they like and dislike. What the excel at and what they struggle with. Mostly I pray that will continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and that they will love Him the most in their lives. I pray this for Josiah and trust that my baby is in His hands.

Here's some pictures from Josiah's birthday lunch with daddy and his party with our friends Mrs. Katie, Ellie and Clar.

Lunch at the famous Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square

After lunch, a visit to the Curious George toy store.

Here's the cake Josiah requested. We called it the "Over the rainbow" cake, which was fitting since it was such a rainy day today. I was surprised when he selected it over all the other ones we looked at...but after I thought about it I realized it was a cake covered with jelly beans and marshmellows...who could ask for more?

The birthday bunch!

Pumpkin time!

2009-10-17T17:41:00.009-06:00

We usually get pumpkins for the kids each year but we've never actually carved them. The kids were begging to carve the pumpkins that we brought back with us from Ohio, so today we took the plunge and did it. I wish I would have purchased some of those safety carving knives for kiddos but since I didn't have any we used the poke method. I printed up some stencils and the kids poked holes with push pins around the image. Then I went back and carved along their lines. Oh and before we got to that we had to get the guts out and let me just say that their pumpkin carving excitement was quickly dulled when they saw what was inside the pumpkin. Chloe wanted nothing to do with it! So I got to do most of the gutting too. In the end I was sitting at the table alone carving the pumpkins while the kids played outside waiting for theirs to be done. Once everyone had a carved pumpkin I decided we were going to toast the seeds, which I have never done before. I separated a bunch of seeds from the guck and found a recipe online. I went with one that called for butter, Worcestershire and salt. It took all afternoon for this pumpkin fun but in the end we were all pleased with our carvings and the oh so delicious pumpkin seeds! We will definitely carry on the seed toasting tradition...how come I never did this before? The best was when it finally got dark and we lit the pumpkins. The kids thought it was the coolest thing! These are the days I love.

With friends like these who wouldn't drive 14 hours alone with 4 kids for the weekend?

2009-10-15T08:21:00.022-06:00

When I looked at the kids school calendar and saw that they had Friday and Monday off for Columbus Day I decided we needed to do a road trip to Dayton to see our friends! We left Wednesday after school and got home Tuesday afternoon. It was so great to see our friends, go to our old church and just let the kids play with their buddies...and I got to hang with my buddies too!!! Our military worlds collided at Boonschoft Kids Museum where we met up with our friends the Martins who were stationed with us in ABQ and are now stationed at Wright Patt. Fabulous! We got to celebrate Jeremy and Marshall's birthdays, go out to lunch with the Burkholders and go to the pumpkin farm that we used to visit every year. We are so thankful for our friends all over the country who are so close to our hearts even though we are so far away.

Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.
This weekend...pure gold!

Disclaimer - I am not good at selecting the best photos to post so I just put up a ton! I just can't adhere to "less is more" when it comes to cute kiddo pictures. So enjoy!

Josiah driving the recycle truck

She's just cute...what can I say?

Chloe and Eliana reunited

I just love that they are holding hands

Dayton friends and Abq friends

They both look like their daddies

My son is a poser

Josiah almost ended up IN the touch tank

These two have been best friends since they were 1 1/2 years old!

Seriously people...how cute are they!

Backyard football...why do they insist on taking their shirts off? It's a boy thing!

SILLY

More posing by Joshua

It's a bumpy ride
The only hayride I've ever been on that the kids think is a roller coaster!

Best Friends

2009-10-01T13:08:00.005-06:00

My dear friend Barbie used to sing this little ditty to me and now it comes to mind when I see Josiah and Ellie together. I'm so thankful that some friends will be friends forever!

Best friends are friends forever and that's just what we'll be
cause I'll always be part of you and you'll be part of me.
If you were a little bee, I would be the buzz.
If you were a little peach, I would be the fuzz.
If you were a picture, I would be the frame.
And if you were nothing, I'd love you just the same.

Oh and here's a picture of Clar-Bear because he'll be a forever friend too!

Oh we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

2009-09-30T12:06:00.008-06:00

This morning Josiah and I met some other moms and their littles at the Franklin Park Zoo. It was our first time to the zoo here and we had a great time. Josiah is always a fan of the camels but the big cats wowed us the most. The tigers and lions in Albuquerque were always sleeping...must have been the weather that made them feel hot and lazy. The tigers here were walking around and even jumping up on each other and playing! The lion was great too! His name was Christopher and he was roaming all around and roaring! So cool! It was a great time to get to know some of the other moms from our church and we're just enjoying the mommy/ Josiah time. :)

Mama needs a dollar

2009-09-25T15:55:00.003-06:00

Joshua's new smile...freshly pulled. Looks a little yucky doesn't it.

Josiah's thoughts

2009-09-14T06:46:00.002-06:00

Josiah has been thinking a lot about Albuquerque recently. Here are a few of our conversations:

Josiah: Remember our flat house?
Me: (thinking...hmmm, flat house?)
Josiah: Yeah, this house has stairs but the other house was flat.
Me: Oh, yes I remember.
Josiah: Can we go back to that house?
Me: Well, somebody else lives there now.
Josiah: We can switch!

A few days later,,,
Josiah: Remember the house at the circle
Me: (cul-de-sac = circle) Yes
Josiah: I miss that house.
Me: What do you miss about it?
Josiah: (quiet for a moment) Ellie.
Me: (thinking..ah, he's so sweet)
Josiah: She's my best friend. She loves me.

Yesterday as we are getting ready for church:
Josiah:Remember our old church
Me: Yes
Josiah: Can we go to that church today?
Me: No, it's too far away.
Josiah: We can drive.
Me: We would be really late for the service.
Josiah: I want to...I want Miss Linno to be my teacher!

So my dear friends in Albuquerque I hope you know how much we love you and that we're all missing you very much!

Not your average Labor Day picnic!

2009-09-05T19:05:00.015-06:00

Today we went to a Labor Day weekend celebration at the home of one of Bob's classmates in Marblehead, MA. The host and his family are very sweet people and invited the entire class! This was not like any Labor Day picnic I've ever been too. Their beautiful home is right on the ocean and the view from the back porch is breathtaking! I was trying to imagine waking up in the morning and sitting there for coffee and breakfast. AMAZING!
They had professional face painters there and the kids were more than happy to keep them busy. There was also a DJ keeping things lively. We were asked to bring an appetizer or dessert but our generous hosts were providing the main meal. First they brought out the clams and clam chowder. Which were fabulous and I wasn't expecting any thing else. But much to my surprise the next thing that was being served was lobster and corn on the cob! It was very delicious. Abigail was our brave, seafood lover and she had a lobster of her own. The boys were just interested in the claws when we had emptied them! :) Oh, and that wasn't even the last surprise...an ice cream truck came and parked in the drive way for quite some time and you just went up and told him what you wanted! The kids were beside themselves because we never buy ice cream from the ice cream man! He even had all the cool character ice cream bars! The kids went back several times to sample different treats! The generosity of the hosts and the beauty of the surroundings left me speachless. WOW is all I can say...WOW! The home of our hosts from the ocean-side.

A backyard with a view!

Chloe on the rocks...she didn't even lose her shoe this time!

Beautiful butterflies!

Joshua opted for a tat instead of the face paint.

Dinner is served

Abigail's first taste of lobster. She liked it which maybe isn't such a good thing.

Josiah was not so sure about this...he was very cautious until he was absolutely sure that our little red friend wasn't going to jump up and snap his finger!

Joshua taking it all in during our after dinner stroll on the beach.

More "First day of School" fun

2009-09-05T18:45:00.007-06:00

As previously stated, Wednesday was Abigail, Joshua and Bob's first day of school. Abigail and Joshua had a half day and since we knew Bob was going to have a long day and wouldn't see the kids before they went to bed that night, we decided to meet up for lunch in Harvard Square. Bob grabbed a pizza to go and we enjoyed some time together. The kids were so happy to share their first day experiences with Bob so it was a great time. We finished off our time together with slurpees! :)

Friday was Chloe's first day of kindergarten. Last year the first couple weeks of K4 were pretty rough for her...she was sad. But she's all grown up now and she was so brave for her first day of kindergarten! She had a wonderful time and made a new friend right away. Her teacher is a lovely woman who has been teaching kindergarten for many years. We think she is really going to enjoy this year at school.

Happy First Day of School

2009-09-02T09:18:00.006-06:00

This post may be a bit confusing to those of you who knew that we were planning on homeschooling the children this year. Always keeping in mind one of Bob's favorite Air Force sayings, "Flexibility is the key to Air Power" we have changed the plan. We actually started the video program that we had planned on using and we did for a while. However, in the end we did not feel that it was engaging, it was actually rather boring, and we didn't think the kids were going to get everything out of it that they should. We took everything into consideration and decided to put them in school.
So this morning Abigail and Joshua started and Chloe will have her first day of kindergarten on Friday. Everyone was very excited. The school is very close and we can walk. Even daddy was able to join us this morning which was a special treat! It is actually his first day of school too. His fall classes begin today and he too is very excited!
All this means that Josiah and I will be able to spend our days together and I am very much looking forward to that!

Kids aren't the only ones...

2009-08-31T17:27:00.004-06:00

Although the kids are the ones who most often make me laugh with the funny things they say they aren't the only ones who can tickle my funny bone. Tonight Bob came home and I asked him if he wanted the left over pulled pork for dinner. He replied that his tummy was feeling a little funny so he wasn't sure if he should eat that. Just a moment later he said, "I think I'll have pizza rolls." That's my man! :)

Birthday Cruise on the Charles River

2009-08-30T19:45:00.013-06:00

Thursday was Bob's 31st birthday and we had the wonderful opportunity to go out on a sailboat on the Charles River that afternoon. The kids had never been on a sailboat and so we were all very excited for our adventure. One of Bob's classmates took us out and we had a lovely time. We got to see the island from the book "Make Way for Ducklings" up close and of course we got a little lesson in sailing too. It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon! Later we came home for cake and ice cream. Josiah was the cake mixer this year and Joshua and Chloe did an excellent job frosting the cake. Abigail went with Bob to get his haircut so she didn't participate in the decorating this time. Later that night Bob and I went to a dinner party with some of his classmates. It was a fascinating evening as we were dining with a woman who is royalty in Fiji, a young lady who works on capital hill, a gentleman who was previously the district attorney for the city of San Diego, a Harvard Law School student, a woman with a Master of Divinity from Harvard who is doing research on the question of the possibility of having religious integrity while working as a lawyer/politician and others! The conversation over dessert was quite lively and engaging. It is truly a picture of our regular interactions here at Harvard. Amazing!

Grammie and Poppi-- the Maine attraction!

2009-08-17T20:39:00.018-06:00

My parents were here last week and we had a wonderful time showing them around Boston. They arrived on Tuesday and right away we took them to Harvard Square. We showed them the Kennedy School and my dad said, "Well, I finally made it to Harvard." :) Now that I think about it, he could probably get accepted into the program, maybe next year, dad! Bob and Joshua had to run off to the Tigers/Red Sox game so Abigail, Chloe, Josiah and I took mom and dad to see Harvard Yard. I wanted to know why everyone wants to touch John Harvard's toe so I looked it up. It is supposed to be for good luck but there were many comments made by students saying that actually it is a bad idea...you don't have to think too hard do you? So anyway, we didn't touch his toe...but we don't believe in luck anyway so we don't need to. So we tootled around a bit and then headed home. Bob and Joshua had a great time at the ball game, even though it rained. Joshua got Maglio Ordonez to sign his baseball! AND it there was a brawl on the field! It's sure to be a game Joshua will always remember! Wednesday we checked out the last part of the freedom trail which includes the USS Constitution (we didn't go aboard this time because the wait was too long), the Bunker Hill Monument (this time I climbed to the top while carrying Chloe...not recommended!) and the North End. We ate lunch at a tiny little Italian place called G'Vanni's. The bread was fabulous and the pizza was even better. The kids thought it was cool to drink their water out of blue wine glasses. We finished the afternoon by stopping into Mike's Pastry and grabbing some out of this world Italian pastries!!! Totally, totally fabulous! Mom got a cream puff, I got a lobster tail, dad got a cream puff with strawberry and Bob got a canolli with chocolate filling. Yummy! That night we had some friends to watch the kids and the adults got to sneak away to the Red Sox/Tigers game! It was fun to go to a game with my parents. Somehow I thought I was able to get us seats but turns out we had standing room only tickets. We made the best of it and had fun even though the Tigers lost.
Thursday was our down day at home. We needed to recover a bit from all our walking and standing. But Friday was the grand finale of Grammie and Poppi's visit. We drove up to York, Maine, which is a small beach town just as you cross into Maine. We walked around the quaint town and got lunch. Then we headed to Nubble Light House, which I guess is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US. There were tons of rocks to climb on and the kids had a blast exploring. Unfortunately, Chloe lost her flip flop in the ocean and I was not quick enough to grab it before it floated away. We decided that we would write a story about all the adventures her flip flop would have at sea and that cheered Chloe up a bit. Our next stop was Brown's ice cream where even the child size was too big for most of the adults...but oh so tasty. To wash off our sticky ice cream hands we headed to the beach for some swimming. There's nothing like splashing in the ocean and the kids had a great time. We weren't able to stay as long as we would have liked because we had to head home. You see Friday was also my 10th wedding anniversary! Bob had big plans for us. :)
He surprised me with dinner at "The Top of the Hub", which is a restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Prudential building in downtown Boston. It's all about the view up there! Georgeous. We had an amazing 7 course meal that took 3 hours to get through. It was so cool because it was all the kinds of things that I see on Food Network but have never had the opportunity to try. The food was excellent and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to enjoy some time alone together celebrating the past 10 years and looking forward to the years that are to come.
All in all it was a wonderful, fantabulous week. I'm so thankful for my husband, my children and my parents! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Welcome to Belmont

2009-08-05T20:00:00.014-06:00

I thought you might like to see the place we call home here in Belmont. The street in front of the house (seen here) is rather busy but fortunately we are on a corner and the side street is a cul-de-sac so the kids still have a place to ride scooters and such.

Here's the side entrance of the house which is actually the door we use. It enters into the kitchen.

The tree swings are fabulous! The one on the left was here when we arrived but needed a new board. Since Bob was buying board to replace that one he decided to just add a second swing while he was at it. The kids play on them everyday!

This is where you enter from the side door. Our table is a bit cramped but it works. You'll notice two different tones of counter in the bottom right corner here. The gray is my dishwasher on wheels.

And here's the kitchen.

The living room is pretty cramped and very brown. But notice the lovely hand woven rug on the floor...anyone want to buy it? :)

Here's our small bathroom. The biggest problem with only having one bathroom is that it seems like whenever there's one kid on the can there's one more who's waiting in the wings.

Here's the knotty pine guest suite/office. Don't worry I'll make the bed for you when you visit!

Our Bedroom.

Kids bedroom - there are 4 unseen dressers in this room too!

Here's the schoolroom...we'll be spending lots of time in here this winter!

Here are my babes in toyland, aka the basement. There is also a storage room and a laundry room down there but I'm ever so thankful for this room where the kids can escape to play and watch a video and the mess is always hidden. :) YIPPIE!!!

Well, that's it, the 10 cent tour. I do hope you will come and see it in person!

Life in the Fast Lane

2009-07-23T18:59:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I left Albuquerque! It's definitely one of those times in life when it seems like it is lasting for-e-ver when you are going through it but as soon as it is done you feel like it went by so quickly. It's a strange phenomenon. So here's the low-down on what we've been doing...
The kids and I left ABQ and headed to Bentonville, AR to spend a few days with my sister and her family. We had a good time playing with cousins and spent most of the days lounging around the pool. All the while Bob was back in ABQ packing up the truck, getting the house ready for final inspection and finishing the checklist of all he had to do before checking out of the AF. He was a little frazzled by it all but finally hit the road on Thursday afternoon (June 25). He drove all night and we met him in Joplin, Missouri the next morning. We drove on to Dayton, OH and spent the night with our good friends Jeremy and Tracy. Next it was on to Washington DC. We stayed with friends there and actually got to go bowling at the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley in the White House! WOW! It was a memorable experience. We even got to go into the West Wing and we snuck a picture (you're not supposed to take pictures inside the buildings). WOW is all I can say! Our final leg of the trip was from DC to Boston. It was a looooong drive with traffic. We arrived at our new home at about 10:30 pm. We had 2 guys and 2 girls (Great Adventures and her younger sister) there to help us out. They worked very hard for about 2 hours but at 12:30 am we were on our own. Bob and I worked until about 3:30 am unloading the truck...then we crashed for a few hours and got back to work at 7:30 am. Bob flagged down a guy driving a truck past the house and got him to help get the armoire into the house. Then he went and convinced two construction workers to help him and the truck guy get the piano into the house. He's good like that! It took the rest of the day to go weigh the truck empty and return it. At 5 pm that evening we were back on the road headed to Michigan for a little vacation. We were in Boston less than 24 hours. I must admit that it was difficult to leave all that work undone. We drove through the night and got to Kalamazoo around lunch the next day.
We had a wonderful time visiting with Barb, Dan & James and Chuck & Kathy. It was also very nice to attend our old church. While we were there I celebrated my 32nd birthday. Bob and Barb pulled together a surprise birthday party for me! It was so nice. Over the 4th of July weekend we got to go swimming in Lake Michigan and also had a great time watching fireworks in Kalamazoo with the extended McNinch family. We all had a great time! Then it was on to Delton, Michigan to spend time with Bob's parents and brothers and their families. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the water, using the paddle boat and the kayaks. We enjoyed making s'mores and sitting by the fire at night. It was a blessing to be together and we were so glad for the kids to have the opportunity to play with their cousins. After our time in Delton we headed to the east side of Michigan to visit my brother and his wife and also to catch a Tigers game. Trips to Tigers games are getting easier as the kids are getting older. They loved riding the tiger carousel, getting their faces painted like tigers and running the bases after the game. Not to mention the fact that the Tigers pulled out a win for their biggest fans!!! :)
Finally on Monday July 13 we made our way back to Boston. It was another long day in the car but we were glad to be home (even though it didn't feel like home yet). We had 5 days to get everything unpacked before our friends the Geaslens arrived. It was tough work but we did it! Now we have our friends and their 4 kiddos here...making the count 8 kids and 4 adults in our little house, oh and only one toilet!!!! We are having a fabulous time touring Boston together! Bob has started his summer classes at Harvard and loves it already.
It has been a crazy month...there were a few times I just wanted to throw in the towel. But we made it through and I think our time in Boston is going to be good...and it is going to go by really fast that's for sure! bowling at the white house

Chloe and Cousin Anna

Abigail the Water Lily Princess
Joshua and Josiah Kayaking
The annual family Tigers Game

Walking the Freedom Trail with 8 kids...it wasn't really a freeing experience

Checking out Ft Warren on Georges Island
Ft Warren fun!

The ferry to Georges Island was a highlight

Hiking the trail at Minutman National Park with my girl Tracy!

I blinked...and 8 years went by

2009-05-24T14:23:00.003-06:00

My sweet little Abigail is 8 years old today. When she was a baby I often wondered what she would be like. It is so awesome to watch our children develop over the years. Abigail is such an interesting kiddo. She's smart and does great in school and she also has a creative side. She loves to color, paint and make crafts. She likes to be a leader, like her daddy but at times can be very sensitive and emotional like her mommy. She is our pokey little puppy and does not liked to be rushed. She would rather stay inside and play then go outside and participate in sports. And yet when she's at her softball games she really enjoys herself. She can be a complicated kiddo at times and I am starting to wonder what she will be like in her teenage years??? Most importantly I desire for her to be a girl with Godly character. I'm praying that the things we are trying to instill in her now will penetrate her heart and steer her in the way she should go in the years to come.
The name Abigail means "The joy of my father" and I loved the name ever since I heard a sermon preached on the story of Abigail and Nabal from I Samuel 25. I hope that my Abigail will be like Abigail in the Bible and not only bring joy to her earthly parents but also bring joy to her Heavenly Father in all she does and says. I love you Abigail!

No more tears

2009-05-24T14:13:00.007-06:00

Since birth, basically, Chloe has not liked to have her hair washed, combed, or done. She cries every time I brush it and tries to avoid any attempt to put it up. I've been saying for a while that I wanted to cut it but couldn't convince myself or Bob to actually go through with it. This weekend we took the plunge and just chopped it. It was long and gorgeous but now it's short and so cute. She looks like a little pixie. :) I think the new style will keep everyone happy and if we decide we don't like it short...we'll just grow it back out.

The brave and the cautious

2009-05-18T19:32:00.008-06:00

Today was the school field trip to Cliff's Amusement Park. Since Bob is out of town I asked our friend Mr. Mike to come along to hang with Joshua. It was a good thing too because Joshua and Abigail couldn't be more different on ride selection. Abigail was totally happy riding the little, less intimidating rides like the scrambler, the tea cups, the bumper cars and the swings. While Joshua went on all the roller coasters, the ride that goes way up and then drops you and everything else that seems on the more adventurous side. When I was a kid I loved all the big rides. I used to go to the parking lot carnival near our house all the time with my brother and sister and we rode all those crazy rides that have you spinning and going upside down. Something happened to me in my 20's and suddenly they weren't fun anymore. What is that? The best part about today for me was just watching their faces and seeing them laugh so much. It was a great time and now we're all ready to hit the sack! Good times in the sun wipe me out!

twinkle, twinkle little bat...

2009-05-18T16:51:00.002-06:00

So last night I split up the boys because they were too giggly and wouldn't go to sleep. I put Joshua in my bed and told him he had to stay there until Josiah was asleep. I didn't think it would take long and didn't think Joshua would actually fall asleep. A little while later I checked on Josiah and he was fast asleep so I went to get Joshua and put him back in his bed. This is how I found him...fast asleep. It was so funny I ran and got the camera and was crossing my fingers that he wouldn't wake up before I got back. He was totally gone. It's almost as funny as Keith falling asleep in his taco!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

2009-05-16T21:31:00.002-06:00

Ask Mary about this picture :)

Today my sweet friend Margaret had a "Favorite Things" party for the ladies at church. We had such a nice time together talking about our favorite things, eating some of our favorite things, and the little girls got to make some new favorite things. Margaret asked me to share what my favorite thing about Albuquerque was, what activity did I enjoy most? My answer was Tent Rocks, which you've probably seen pictures of before if you've been following my blog for any amount of time. But the question got me thinking...What will I remember most about my three years in Albuquerque? The answer is easy, I will remember my Albuquerque family, my church family. This is truly a remarkable group of people who didn't waste any time in making us feel a part of them. I am amazed over and over again when I consider how this little congregation loves one another and cares for each others needs. This is the most loving body of belivers I have ever been a part of and I am very sad to be leaving them. I am so thankful that God brought us here and our family has been blessed beyond measure during our time with them. These wonderful people took care of me and the children while Bob was deployed and continue to be a precious source of support and encouragement to us. The kids have always had willing and ready volunteers to attend their school performances, grandparent days, and other celebrations. I am so thankful for this body of Christ who live out their faith by serving one another and even though we have to leave them, I know we will always be a part of them and they will always be a part of us!
"When the dog bites, when the bees sting, when I'm feeling sad. I'll simply remember my favorite things and then I won't feel, so bad."

Graduation Day

2009-05-16T21:13:00.008-06:00

On Thursday Joshua graduated from K5 and Chloe graduated from K4. Their classes put on a fabulous program and as soon as we figure out how to get the video from the tape to the computer I'll share it with you. But for now pictures will have to do. :)
We are so very proud of both Joshua and Chloe. Joshua has changed so much during this school year. Most importantly he has become a great reader! It's really wonderful to hear him reading Bible memory verses and following along in the Hymnal when we sing at church. Chloe is also reading short words and doing a great job with it. She got awards for Bible and Phonics. The K4 and K5 teachers had only good things to say about Chloe and Joshua which is such a blessing to us. It just makes a mama feel good when the teacher tells you that your child is well behaved, obedient and kind at school...sometimes I wonder, can it really be true? But God is gracious and in spite of all our failures as parents we are praying that all our children will love Him most of all and live lives that will bring glory to God. CONGRATULATIONS Joshua and Chloe! We love you!!!

The Abigail show continues...

2009-05-02T18:44:00.003-06:00

So you might be wondering what happened to our other 3 kids because I've been posting so much about Abigail...and this post is no exception. Abigail performed in the school spring concert and I just thought I'd share one of the songs with you. But don't fret, Chloe and Joshua have a graduation ceremony coming up soon and we'll be sure to do a great post of them performing too. And we'll have to catch Josiah doing something fabulous too. :)

Star Performer

2009-04-21T19:57:00.010-06:00

Last week was a very exciting week in Abigail's life. On Friday she went to the speech meet for school and recited a poem she memorized called "Little Tiger Cat". She was awarded a blue ribbon for her performance and was given a "Superior" rating!
On Saturday Abigail performed in her first piano recital. It was so exciting for us to watch her play. She looked so mature sitting up there at the piano it was almost shocking to think that my little girl is now old enough to be doing such things. I'm so thankful for Abigail and for the talents that God has blessed her with. Bob and I are praying that she will use her gifts to glorify God in all areas of her life. We are so proud of her! We are also very thankful for her wonderful piano teacher, Summer, who has been not only a great teacher but a Godly influence in Abigail's life. We are so blessed to have people like this in the lives of all our children. Thank you Summer!!

Ressurection Sunday!

2009-04-13T15:59:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful day at church yesterday, in spite of the chilly, rainy weather. After the service we had a great lunch together. It was bitter, sweet because we had to say good bye to our dear friends Chad and Jill who are moving to Illinois and also it was our friend Luke's last Sunday before heading back to "the sandbox". It's never fun to say good bye but we know that God has a purpose for taking these loved friends away at this time and we're trusting that He will be glorified through the new circumstances our friends find themselves in now.

Comets, Coyotes and Tigers...Oh my!

2009-04-08T19:22:00.009-06:00

This will have to be a fill you in kind of post with a little of this and a little of that and lots of pictures.
Abigail, who is playing rookie softball this year, is on the Comets. They've had two games so far. Abigail didn't get a hit in the first game but singled in the second one. We were all so excited. She has done a great job in the field as well. She is making friends with the girls and we're hoping to see lots of improvement throughout the season.

Joshua just couldn't wait for his first game. He is playing rookie ball and his team is the Coyotes. They finally had a game last night. Joshua was the catcher and did a great job. He got a hit every time he was up to bat. In the end his team did not win but they played a good game. It's so fun to watch all the kids play!

For Opening Day of baseball we had our traditional Overbeek Opening Day. We all wore our Tiger's shirts and we ate hot dogs and cracker jacks. We drank orange soda and finished the evening with ice cream sandwiches. Unfortunately the Tigers have lost their first two games to the Blue Jays...but that doesn't faze us. We're fans through thick and thin. :)

To wrap up I thought I better add Joshua's big announcement. He lost his first tooth last Sunday at church. One of the men was playing with Joshua and his tooth fell out and was lost on the floor. Even though he didn't have the tooth to put under his pillow the mama fairy still came to visit him while he was sleeping.

Opening Day...Let the games begin!

2009-03-28T21:11:00.009-06:00

Today was opening day at Zia Little League. They had a nice little ceremony this morning where they march out about 45 little league teams from t-ball to juniors on a field. They bring in the Honor Guard, mounted police, police cars, college ball players and the Albuquerque Isotopes mascot, Orbit, to keep all the kids laughing. It was fun but cold! We were remembering that last year Bob wasn't home for this event, that made it feel a little more special. :)
Chloe was the only one with a game today. She is on the t-ball Diamonds team. It's all girls and they were pink shirts and have pink batting helmets...it's so FABULOUS for Chloe! This year at her first at bat she ran to first instead of third base. It's good to know that she has progressed in her knowledge of the game but not quite as cute...well, she's always cute, but you know what I mean.
So with the official kickoff of little league games the Beeks are in serious game mode. We'll be at games and practices most days of the week. It'll be nutty for the next few months. Actually now that I think about it, I don't think the nutty-ness will have an end. Little league goes until June 20 and we are planning on leaving here about June 26. YIKERS. It's all creeping up on me too quickly!!! I digress, anyway, if any Albuquerque folks ever need something to do with an evening there's a good chance one of the little Beeks will be on the field and we'd love to have company in the bleachers! :)

The quest

2009-03-15T22:03:00.003-06:00

Last night was date night and as usual we wanted to end the night with a little treat. I had my heart set on a Sonic Blast with peanut butter cups and whip cream. Bob was going to get a Blast for himself and then saw the McDonald's sign and thought he'd rather go for a Shamrock Shake, it is only a few days before St. Patty's Day after all. So we pulled up to the drive through and Bob asked if they had Shamrock Shakes. The young man on the other end of the speaker said, "Shamrock, what? What's that? Never heard of it." Bob started explaining that it was a green, minty shake that McDonald's sold in the month of March. The young man then asked, "Are you from America?" This really got us laughing. Are we really so out of the loop that we didn't know that Shamrock Shakes are extinct and the next generation knows nothing about them? How can this be? The young man ended the conversation with a polite, "Sorry, Dog." and we left feeling terribly disappointed, although somewhat amused.
Upon our arrival home, we shared the story with our friend Tim, who was reading in our house while our children slept. He had also never heard of the infamous Shamrock Shake, although he admitted that he never eats at McDonalds. This is just wacky!
So what I want to know is...have you ever heard of the Shamrock Shake? And if you live in Albuquerque, do you know of a McDonalds that is selling them?

The AMAZING Josiah

2009-03-15T21:42:00.006-06:00

(YEP, he's just like his brother, notice the tongue)

So it all happens when Bob decides that today is the day we'll get rid of training wheels. Yesterday was that day for Josiah and why should I be shocked that he immediately began riding with no trainers and within minutes was going around the cul-de-sac. He's following in his big brother's footsteps riding a bike with no training wheels at the tender age of 3! We've known for a long time that our boys are athletic but sometimes I'm caught off guard. I had it in my mind that by the end of the summer he'd be riding with no training wheels...I should have known better. One session with daddy and he's a pro! We're very proud of our little two wheeling man and of course we're reminded that he'll probably be able to do lots of athletic things in the near future....like climbing light posts and playing on baseball teams with kids several years older. There's no holding these boys back!

Three Gates

2009-02-23T13:53:00.002-07:00

This poem is in the A Beka 4th grade reading book. It is simple but profound. If I could only remember to put all my words through this little test before they come flying out of my mouth! Interestingly enough, our Sunday school teacher (Wrestling Mat) has previously mentioned the ideas put forth in the poem . Which is why I was so surprised to read it. The poem itself seems to be about gossip but I think it could be applied more broadly to every word we say.

Three Gates
If you are tempted to reveal
A tale to you someone has told
About another, make it pass,
Before you speak, three gates of gold.
These narrow gates: First, "Is it true?"
Then, "Is it needful?" In your mind
Give truthful answer. And the next
Is last and narrowest, "Is it kind?"
And if to reach your lips at last
It passes through these gateways three,
Then you may tell the tale, nor fear
What the result of speech may be.
-author unknown

That's MY man!

2009-02-12T22:25:00.003-07:00

Today my husband was awarded the Company Grade Officer of the Year for the Center. You may not understand what that means...but that's okay, I'll translate. It means that he is really good at what he does. I'm so proud of him!
PS - Doesn't he look so cute in his mess dress! :)

I just love Tent Rocks!

2009-02-09T20:10:00.012-07:00

Family outing #2 was Tent Rocks. The kids and I went with my friend Barb while Bob was gone and we decided that we just had to come back after he got home. We just never got around to it so finally on Saturday we made the trek.
Tent Rocks is a national monument in NM. They say the rock structures were formed from flowing lava. They are so cool. We took the 1.2 mile hike to the point. Josiah ended up getting tired and I ended up carrying him some. Let me just say that carrying 42 lbs of boy while hiking a mountain is no easy task. I definitely burned a few calories that day!
The view from the top was beautiful. We spent some time up there having a snack and just taking it all in.
Everything was going so well...then Abigail tripped and fell and cut her finger. We made it down with no further injury. Then we ate our lunch at a picnic table at the bottom. We were just finishing up and Josiah tripped on the cement slab that the picnic table was on and landed on his face. He cut his lip pretty bad, got a black and blue nose (I suppose it could be broken), and cut his eyebrow. And we were so close to getting out of there with only minor injuries. What can you do? We got some ice for Josiah's lip and we're hoping that his nose won't have a funny bump now. Oh well, it'll just add character (like he needs any help in that department).

Stay tuned for the next New Mexico adventure!

Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys!

2009-02-09T19:51:00.008-07:00

As our time in New Mexico is quickly drawing to a close we decided we better start doing some of the things that we won't find in Boston.
Family outing #1 the New Mexico Stampede
I've never been to a rodeo and I was pleasantly surprised...it was great fun! Those cowboys are very patriotic and the night started with all kinds of tributes to the men and women who serve and have served in the military. It's nice to be appreciated. :) Then they went right in to the bull riding. OH MY! Not something this mama would ever want her boys doing. Their bodies get tossed around like rag dolls. I don't see how they can walk after 8 seconds on a bull. But what can I say, we paid to watch it...guess that's why they keep doing it.
We really liked all the roping activities too. And you can't leave out the ladies. Those barrel racers were pretty fast. It was definitely a night of good family fun. We weren't even out of the parking lot and the kids were asking when we could go again. I'm cool with it...but as soon as one of them says they want to be a bull rider, we're done!