Let's Go Fly a Kite!

This Memorial Day Weekend we headed up to my parents lake house in Muskegon.  This first day we were there was a bit windy and perfect for kite-flying!  Nothing more exciting than a $1.99 kite for a day of fun for the kids.

Right before she let go...

Kite flying for everyone!

I still don't understand why they want to play in the water when it's 50 degrees...but they love it!

Charley's Baptism

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 18-20

Charley was baptized this past Sunday, May 17th.  We are so thankful for the gift that God gives us through baptism, the gift of faith and new life in Him.  And we pray that God will help us guide and teach her as that seed of faith grows throughout her life.  

The Graduate

Another school year has flown by for Grant and he has completed the Young Fives Program at St. Mark Lutheran.  He has learned so much this year, and we have seen him grown in so many ways.  I really can't believe that he will be starting kindergarten in the fall and will be going all day every day.  I'm sure he will miss his teacher Mrs. Aldrich and his buddies Micah and Caleb (pictured below).  He is so excited to be a big kid! We are so proud of you Grant...you are a very bright kid and we love watching you grow and change!

Run Daddy Run!

A couple of Saturdays ago, Matt ran the 25K in the Fifth Third River Bank Run!  The whole family headed downtown to watch him finish, and Grant brought his sign down, in the rain, to cheer daddy on.  Run Daddy Run!  Matt did a great job finishing in 1:50...thats a 7.09 mile pace.  Way to go speedy!  It was especially exciting considering he had knee surgery last February and wasn't sure that he would ever be able to run long distance again.  So we're thankful for a full recovery.  Matt and Joey trained together and finished together (and they also decided to grow mustaches for the race..."Dash with a Stache") We're so proud of you Matt.  Way to go!!

 (yes I put garbage bags on my kids!)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

It's spring again, so that means it's time for T-Ball!  Let me remind you of the rules of this game... (He's in orange walking around...seriously enthralled with the game obviously...and that's Matt in green)

1. Everyone gets to hit in every inning

2. There are no outs

3. You always throw to first base

4. Last batter gets a homer

5. There are only three innings (I think)

6. Pretty sure we don't keep score because it would be the exact same every time!

So we're not sure this is exactly the best use of time, but at least it gets them used to the game.  Some kids are still running to third base first, so I guess we have to start somewhere.   (We might do soccer next spring instead... ) 

PS - I love my new FLIP!!

Smiles from Charley

Charley has started smiling a lot more these days, and I'm so excited that I caught it on video.  For Mother's Day, Matt got me a Flip, which I love.  So I can catch video anytime I want now.  It's a handy little cam that I can throw in my purse to have with me at all times.  Thanks honey!  You never know when you are gonna want to catch these little monkeys in action.  

My How You've Changed...

I feel like Charley has changed SO much in the last seven weeks.  Here are some pictures of my ever-changing baby girl!

Playing at the Park

So after we hit the zoo on that beautiful Saturday we came home for naps, and then hit the park for some more playtime.  It's been a long winter and its so nice to be outside again!!

Burley

After much debate, we finally purchased a used Burley.  I wanted to wait because Charley is much too little for it, and Matt wanted to get it now because he has been taking care of these two munchkins much more these days.  So I finally caved...kind of...and I must say, I think he has taken the kids on bikes rides every day since we bought it.  Good work Matt.  Hooray for Craigs List! 

 

A Day at the Zoo

 

Saturday was a beautiful day, so off to the zoo we went.  This was the first time that Molly really knew what was going on, so it was fun to watch her and Grant both.  Here are some pics of our family day.

      

Easter Pictures

So after this third baby, I obviously have a lot less time on my hands.  I feel soooo behind on my blogging.  I don't even know where to start.  So here goes on trying to catch everyone up on our lives...

Easter! It was a beautiful day as we celebrated our Risen Lord!  The day before, we decorated Easter eggs and had a fun egg hunt at Egypt Valley.  Then Sunday morning we headed off to church and then to a yummy brunch with my parents and Peter and Rachel's fam.  After, we headed off to Nona and Papa's for the cousins Easter Egg Hunt where Keith and Lissa's fam joined us.  So a lot of hunts, but it was wonderful weekend!!

Decorating Eggs

Easter Morning Family Pic

Hunt at EV

Hunt at Nona and Papa's

The Cousins minus Charley and Stella (sleeping)

Charley just hanging out (she already looks so different)

Grant checking out his loot

Photo Shoot

Charley will be six weeks old on Friday...if you can believe it.  Time is flying by as usual.  She is doing pretty well, and sleeping about 6 straight hours at night.  I'm still working on getting her to go to bed before 10:30-11, but once she is down, she usually sleeps until 5 or 6.  I then put her back down until morning wake time at 7.  We have busy mornings and busy bedtimes, but we are adjusting.  Naps are on and off throughout the day and she sleeps a lot in her car seat, considering we do a lot of driving back and forth to get Grant from school.  She is starting to smile and coo and I just love it!  She is changing everyday and I can't wait to see the little person she will become.

When Charley was about 4 weeks old, my friend Renee took some awesome pictures of Charley.  

Here are a few of my favorites:

Charley ~ 2 weeks!

So we've made it two weeks!  Hooray.  I feel like Charley is still quite little, and I'm anxious to find out at her appointment this coming Tuesday if she has indeed grown.  She is quite the little angel and is still a sleepy newborn.  We are still not quite sure who she looks like yet...perhaps I'll actually have a child that looks like me!  I get glimpses of the other kids in her, but she definitely has a narrower shaped head and face.  Grant and Molly looked so much alike, so it definitely is hard to say.  She smiles in her sleep (I know they say its just gas, but I think its adorable).  She is becoming more alert and seems to gaze right into my eyes.  I'm trying to take in every moment of her infancy as I know that it will fly by.  She is sleeping better at night which is always a blessing.  She still gets up twice, but I don't mind our alone time together in the least bit!

Sisters

Big Brother Grant

Bright Eyed

Pretty in Pink

Mommy and Me

Daddy and his girls

Charlotte's Birth Story!

She has arrived! Charlotte "Charley" Grace was born on Friday, March 20th at 4:03 pm...five days early if you can believe it!  She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and measured 18 inches long.  She was my littlest one.  My water broke early in the morning at 4 am without contractions.  We got down to the hospital at about 5:30 am and not much was happening.  After about 5 hours of hoping for contractions to start, we had no such luck.  So I was induced at about 11, tried to be a hero with horrible petocin contractions for about two hours, and then nicely requested the epidural, which is wonderful, except for the fact that it makes my blood pressure go super low.  So I'm pretty much a zombie til pushing time.  We are so happy that she has finally decided to join our family.  We love her so much!  Praise God for a healthy and beautiful child.  We are so blessed!!