Trip to the Zoo!

A few days ago I saw the forecast for today and it looked like the perfect day for a trip to the zoo. I e-mailed a few friends to see if they could go, and we were joined by Carrie and Nora; Erin and Anna; and Beth, Addie, and Holden. We had a great time seeing the animals, playing in the train, and spending time with good friends.

It's always so fun to watch Esther and Peter interact with other kids. Esther and Addie (the cool girls in the sunglasses) had a great time running around and chasing each other when we stopped to eat our snacks. When Holden (8 months old) got a little fussy in his stroller, Esther sang him some Bible songs to make him feel better. I wondered to Beth whether Esther will be that sweet with her new sibling. Probably not.

We ended our visit with the obligatory photo at the statue of John Ball. Esther and Peter seem quite in awe of Mr. John Ball! Obviously getting 6 children ages three and under to pose is impossible, so we just snapped some of them walking around. After that, everyone was ready to head home for lunch and long naps!

Esther-ism

So the other day, we were leaving my folks' place in Hudsonville. As we were getting onto M-6, Esther asked if we were getting on the highway, which we said yes to.

As we got off onto Kalamazoo Ave, Esther declared, "Now we are going on the low-way!"

I'm worried my 3 year old is now smarter than I am.

Daddy's Reflections on Camping

A queen sized air mattress is too small for 3 1/2 people.

A small 3 year old triples in size when climbing into bed with you. It's an amazing feat that only 3-year olds can do.

A 32 year old man is too large and heavy to sleep on a kids princess bed air mattress.

Peter likes to go for rides in the van at 2:00 AM.

The Cadillac McDonald's (approx 30 miles from our campsite) does not serve breakfast until 4 AM.

A McDonald's cheeseburger at 3:30 AM still really isn't that good.

Peter likes to go for rides in the van at 3:00 AM

Peter has the ability to ride in a van in the middle of the night for over 2 hours without falling asleep.

Build-A-Bunny

Today Esther and I got to have a girls' day out together. We dropped Peter off at my parents' house and first headed to the dentist for my regular cleaning. She came along so that she could see what it's like in preparation for her own appointment next time I go. She thought it was pretty cool brushing the stuffed starfish's teeth while I had mine cleaned.

Next we were off for the highlight of the day, a trip to Build-A-Bear with Grandma Kuperus. This was her birthday present from Grandpa and Grandma. When Grandma first told her about it several weeks ago, she decided right away that she wanted to pick a bunny, so she's been calling it Build-A-Bunny ever since. She was a little overwhelmed when we first got in the store, but quickly chose her bunny, and after getting it stuffed, she picked out a lovely ensemble of all things pink (big surprise).

After a ride on the carousel, we headed off to Applebee's for lunch with Grandma and Aunt Renee. Then we picked up Peter and headed home for a nap. I have to say that Esther's a pretty fun choice for someone to take on a girls' day out!

Happy Camping Birthday to Esther!

For the second year in a row, Esther celebrated her birthday at Northern Exposure Campground near Mesick while we were on our church camping trip. We had a beautiful weekend and spent lots of time playing on the playground, swimming, digging in the sand, eating, and having fun with friends. We even visited an Alpaca Ranch with a couple of the other families. What we did not do much of was sleep. Two of the three nights were quite rough, and the final night Peter was up from 1:30-5:30 am! He thought it was great fun driving to Cadillac with Daddy and watching a video in the tent in the middle of the night. We were not so thrilled, but just tried to keep him happy so he wouldn't wake up Esther and the kids on the site next to us!

Friday was Esther's 3rd birthday, so she opened a couple gifts and we went to get ice cream. Unfortunately for Peter, he decided to sleep all the way to the ice cream store and missed out on his treat. Some of our friends sang "Happy Birthday" to her at our group dinner as well.

All in all, we had a wonderful time camping and celebrating Esther's 3rd birthday. Now we just have to catch up on our sleep!

Father's Day Part 2

This morning we let Daddy sleep in a little bit since he's been working like crazy this week at his various jobs. Esther thought it was a really cool idea to take him breakfast in bed, so we made eggs, cinnamon rolls, and coffee and brought it up to him.

I don't normally take my camera to church, but I put it in my purse because we were heading to Casey's parents' house afterwards. We had the "privilege" of doing nursery duty this morning, and I couldn't resist taking this picture. I think this is proof that Casey would do a great job teaching Children's Worship next year when Esther joins the class!

We also snapped a few pictures outside at church after the service since I had the camera with me. As I said, I took it along to take pictures at Casey's parents' house, and of course I totally forgot to take any while we were there. We had a very nice steak dinner (2 Sundays in a row!) and enjoyed spending time with Grandpa, Grandma, Nick, Renee, and Jeff.

Now the kids are sleeping and Casey is "watching the race" (napping on the couch with the race on in the background). All in all, I think he'd say it's been a pretty good Father's Day!

Our Own Little Playground

Well, instead of walking to the playground, we can now step into our own backyard to swing and slide! We had seen this swing set at Meijer several times, and when I was grocery shopping this week I saw that they were on clearance. After inquiring and finding out that they only had 1 left, I called Case and we decided to go for it. Casey stayed up late Tuesday night putting it up in the dark because he told Esther before she went to bed that it would be up by the next morning. He certainly wasn't going back on that promise! It is firmly cemented into the ground and has already provided much fun for the kids!

By the way, Peter is not swinging naked, although it appears that way! We went out for a few minutes right before bed last night, and the kiddie pool was still filled up. I knew he'd probably end up in there anyway, so I just stripped him down to the diaper and told him to go for it!

Father's Day Part 1

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with my parents and sister. We had a steak dinner and spent some time relaxing. Then Casey and I and my parents headed downtown to the Van Andel Arena for the CRC's 150th anniversary celebration church service. It was amazing to worship with that many people in one place, and the singing and music were amazing. It was a neat experience, and I'm glad that we went. My sister babysat the kids, and we appreciated that a lot too!

Esther didn't want to pose for a picture with Grandpa, but Peter's favorite place is on either of his Grandpas' laps, so it wasn't hard to get a shot of him with Grandpa!

It's a secret!

Don't tell Peter that corn on the cob is actually a VEGETABLE or he won't want to eat it anymore!

After the Storm

Tonight we had an end-of-the year BBQ with our small group from church. Our friends who have a wonderful, kid-friendly yard offered to host, so we were all looking forward to playing outside in the pool and sandbox and on the swing set.

We drove to their house in a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning.

We ate dinner and as we were finishing, Esther announced, "The sun's coming out!"

It turned out to be a beautiful night, and the kids got to play outside and have a great time. Unfortunately, due to the weather at the time we left, I didn't take their swimsuits. Peter decided to step into the kiddie pool fully clothed (sandals included). As you can see, we just stripped him down to the diaper, and he happily played in the sand and water for a long time. Esther got to try her hand at t-ball for the first time too, and she did quite well with a little help from Daddy.

We are very thankful for this group that we have been a part of for many years, and the wonderful fellowship and friendships that we share, both as adults and kids!

Festival

Tonight we ventured downtown to Festival of the Arts with our friends Glenn and Jen and their kids Jordan and Hope. Growing up, my family went down pretty much every year at least once during the weekend, so maybe we're starting a new tradition with our family as well. I got to have my annual Souvlaki (a Greek sandwich) and I ate as much of my chocolate waffle sundae as I could between sharing bites with Esther and Peter. The kids also did a little chalk drawing, and it was fun to walk around and run into people we know. It was a great way to spend a beautiful evening!