Little Singer

Molly is my little singer. Ever since she has been a teeny baby, she has loved to "sing" to us. She is very vocal. Whenever she hears music, she loves to join in. You should hear her in church!

Almost Spring

Any hint of warmer weather, and we hit the outdoors. This was Molly's first backpack walk and she loved it!

Friends and Butterflies

Evie, Jack and Grant

Grant and Evie (both 4...you should see their dads next to each other)

Will and Molly




This past Saturday we decided to go to Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies. We do this every year, sometimes numerous times. This year our first visit was with the Doezemas. It was nice to have a hint of Spring through this dreary weather we've been having. Grant and Molly had a great time hanging out with Jack, Evie, and Will. The butterflies were definitely blooming. We even made it outside to the children's garden for a little while. We can't wait for Spring!

Confessions of Lesley

So I stole this idea from my friend and fellow blogger Carrie. She always has these fun ideas to waste my time!

1. I have a major sweet tooth. If you know me in the least bit, you know that I always have candy nearby. I used to hide it in my backpack in school, and it's always around my house in jars and cupboards. Recently it has moved more towards chocolate, but usually anything gummy and sweet will suffice.

2. I secretly enjoy B-movies. Before I had children, it was a great Saturday morning and afternoon if I was laying on the couch, watching a horribly produced, bad acting, B-movie. Don't ask me why, but I thoroughly enjoy this. I think I picked it up from my dad...liking the bad movies...not the laying on the couch part. Since having children, laying on the couch is not really an option anymore, so it's been a while.

3. One of my eyes is smaller than the other. Please don't stare now. Actually, I think my smile is crooked and it makes one of my eyes close more than the other, but my sister is continually crept out by my "small eye".

4. Paper is an obsession of mine. Since I was little, I have been slightly obsessed with paper...all kinds. I have journals stashed everywhere, without anything written in them. I think this is why I got into making cards, because I get to use all sorts of paper. I used to buy post-it notes in bulk!

5. I am getting better, but I will admit that I'm a bit of a pack rat. I have just a small problem of throwing things away (such as those journals upon journals I'm storing away for a rainy day).

6. I hate spending money. It hurts me to spend money. It has taken me a long time to loosen up on this part of my personality, but I'm working on it. Yes, I'm cheap. I would rather sock it all away in the bank than spend it. It is a good balance in my family though.

7. I, unfortunately, am a worry-wart. I tend to look at things as "glass half-empty". It is something that I know about myself, and have tried to fix...I'm still working on it.

8. I like my handwriting. I really do. I love to write things out with the perfect pen. I'm sure this has to do with my love of paper.

9. My favorite thing to do is sing with my husband Matt on the praise team at our church. It gives me great joy to praise God with my best friend and the love of my life at my side.

10. I am amazed still how much I love my children. Before I was a mom, I knew that I would love my kids someday, but I never knew that they could fill my heart with such warmth and happiness.

First Skating Party

Grant had his first skating party this past week. We started out on old school skates (all of us)...and that didn't go so well (for all of us). Grant was quite unstable. So we quickly switched over to rollerblades. He loved it! He wanted to keep going and going and going. We just pulled him along after he got the hang of it a bit. It was crazy being back at Woodland skating about twenty years later. It's still crazy to me that I was there as a mom this time. Matt and I even had a chance for a "couples skate". Our favorite part of the night? Why...the Hokey Pokey of course!

Soooo Big and Yummy Toes

Molly recently has started grabbing one hand with the other and pulling it up over her head. We always say...Molly is SOOO big. She won't do it on command yet, but Grant did this exact same thing. I think it's hilarious that her little arms can't reach above her big round head.

Unlike Grant, Molly has decided that her toes are very tasty. I don't think Grant ever did this because his belly was quite large and round...he just couldn't quite get his toes to his mouth. I don't know why this is so amusing to me, but it is.

Grant Skiing - Boyne Continued

Just thought I'd get some actual footage of the G-man skiing...

Boyne Mountain

This past weekend we went to Boyne Mountain with the Sheldon side of the family. It was a beautiful weekend and the sun was shining the entire time. It was wonderful to see the sun as it doesn't show up too much in Michigan in the winter. Grant participated in his first ski school on Saturday morning and learned how to make his pizza (snow plow) and french fries. We're not sure that he enjoyed it too much, but Matt got to take him down a couple times, despite the fact that he was scheduled for surgery on his torn meniscus two days later. Molly mostly stayed back at the condo, but Matt bundled her up once to come visit big brother Grant. We also had a blast at the indoor waterpark, Avalanche Bay. Grant particularly like the Vertigo ride...which "flushed him down the toilet".

Sitting Pretty

Well I can't believe that Molly is six months old today. The last six months have been so much fun watching her grow. At her six month appointment today, she weighed in at 15 pounds 6 ounces (50th percentile) and was 26 1/4 inches (75th percentile) long. She is starting to master the art of sitting and loves it! She's been learning a lot of new things, like rolling down the hallway, spitting up her food everywhere, and keeping an eye on big brother Grant at all times. What a blessing she is to this family.

Dance Party

We love music in our house. We love to listen to it, we love to sing to it, and we love to dance to it! It is quite common for us to have a dance party in family room at least once a week. Unfortunately, Matt usually decides the best time to do this is right before bed. It started out while Grant was getting his pj's on. He heard the music blaring and came rushing to join in...minus the clothing. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. He thought it was very freeing to have a dance party in the nude. For pictures sake though, I made him put on some shorts. He even broke into a little bit of break dancing. We love the energy of our little man and its so fun to watch him break it down!

Rolling Over

She did it! She finally rolled over at 5 1/2 months. Yesterday, she decided it was time to take on this challenge and she did it...both ways. And now the fun begins!

New Friend

Grant recently had VIP night at his preschool and decided he wanted to bring dad as his very important person. He was thrilled to show off what he does during a day at school, as well as have him meet his new friend Joshua. Grant enjoys school very much, and has learned many new things in the past six months or so. Being the youngest one in the class doesn't seem to have phased him at all.

Great Grandpa Mike

This past Monday, we decided it was time to take trip to see Great Grandpa Mike in Detroit. He hadn't met Molly yet, so it was fun to see him for a while. We took a trip to the nursing home to see Great Grandma Jean and said hello while she was having lunch. It was a nice trip with the cousins and Nona.

Grant

Ah, my little man...Grant Edward. What a charmer this child is. He has the best personailty you will ever come across in a four year old. You can have a conversation with him as if he were your peer. He certainly knows how to turn it on that's for sure. I love hearing the "I love you's" all day long. He laughs from the belly and it's hard not to join in. Grant is a wonderful little boy who is really starting to turn the corner from those terrible twos...yes he is four now...and it took that long. He still has his moments, as do all little boys who are 4, but he is such a good big brother to little sister Molly. He could kiss her all day long. He is going to teach her many things...hopefully all good things. We are amazed by his intellect and it's fun to watch him learn new things. He's turning into his daddy, that's for sure. He's strengthening his skills in soccer and golf every day. :)

Miss Molly

Molly turned five months old this month. It's amazing to me how fast time has gone by. She has changed so much over the last five months and I wish I could hold onto every moment. She is a very calm child and loves to give me smiles. She has really started to show her personality. She is still working on rolling over...as she doesn't seem to care if she just lays on her back. She is getting close to sitting alone as well. As far as I can tell, she is a lot like her mother. She may slip into the background of things from time to time, but she'll love to make you laugh if she has the opportunity...and if she feels like it.