Trick or Treat!

We had a busy but fun Halloween with our little giraffe and lion. We saw all the grandparents and Uncle Jeff and Aunt Renee. We trick-or-treated and enjoyed the extensive decorating job at Securalarm when we picked up Daddy. We also met up with some friends at Calvin's "Light in the Night" which was very fun. You can't beat getting candy inside on a drizzly night from college students who loved Esther's costume and thought Peter's roar was totally cute!

Daddy Night Home

So, Laura had a girls' night out tonight.

Daddy and the kids had a night out to Russ' with a friend and then tubby night!

(Mommy can never get them in the tub together....guess you just have to know how to ask!)

Relatives

This weekend all my Mom's siblings (1 brother and 3 sisters) are visiting. My aunt turned 65 a few weeks ago, so they all came to surprise her and celebrate her birthday. It's been fun catching up and spending time with all of them, and of course Peter and Esther have enjoyed all the attention since they're the only kids around! It's always good to spend time with family and be reminded of how important they are in our lives.

The Question

Well, it finally happened. As we were riding in the car yesterday, Esther asked THE QUESTION. Our conversation had something to do with the baby in my tummy, and she asked, "How do you get a baby in your tummy?" AHHHHHHH! I knew this moment would come, but it still caught me off guard. I gave her a very simple answer, to which she replied, "But what do you have to do?" I thought about saying, "Well, it's actually what you GET to do..." but I didn't. I came up with some brief answer again and she seemed satisfied. For now.

Nesting

I've been nesting lately. Casey claims that it happens earlier with each pregnancy. I actually think I'm so convinced that I won't have this baby until I'm induced a week after the due date (like the previous 2 times) that I feel quite sure that we have 7 weeks yet to go. Despite that, my type-A personality kicks in and I just like to have everything ready. My wonderful, busy hubby managed to finish getting Peter's new room all ready for him, so he is officially in his new digs and the nursery is now ready for a new occupant! Here's a glimpse of Peter's bold, bright new room. Yes, it is orange, but not Hope Flying Dutchman orange!

Orchard Hill Farm

Sunday afternoon was way too nice of a day not to do a fall activity! We went to Orchard Hill Farm, a small place not far from home, with Jeff, Erin and Anna. We checked out the animals, Peter fed a sheep, we had donuts and cider, and Esther led us through the corn maze. The line was too long for a hayride, so we'll have to save that for another time.

Girls' Weekend

While the boys were playing here at home, Esther and I and my mom travelled to Chicago to visit my sister Karen. We left Friday afternoon and drove to Michigan City and took the commuter train. Friday night we just hung out, but Saturday was a full, fun day!

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo to visit the animals and ride the carousel. Then we headed to Navy Pier to go to the Chicago Children's Museum, which is a VERY cool place! We were there for several hours, and Esther (ok, and the rest of us) had a great time. Saturday night we celebrated Mom's birthday with dinner at Maggiano's (yum!) and then had Coldstone Creamery ice cream for dessert.

Sunday we just relaxed and played games until it was time to head back to the train station for the trip home. As always, we had a wonderful time! There were too many pictures to choose from, so I decided to try out this cool slide show feature that I saw on my friend Amy's blog. Check it out!

Boys' Weekend

This weekend Laura, her mom, and Esther went to Chicago to visit Aunt Karen....leaving the boys to survive on their own. Now, the last time the girls did this, Daddy spent the weekend in Pukesville with Peter; cleaning up vomit and doing laundry. I'm happy to report this weekend went MUCH better.

We started the day off at the Fleetwood Diner for breakfast, where we happened to run into some of the firefighters from Daddy's station. Peter was very excited when one of the guys gave him a picture of their fire truck. (Daddy then listened to Peter make "fire truck" noises through the rest of breakfast).

Then, off to a neighbor's house to help resolve a problem involving a leaky pipe and lots of water running into her basement. (Daddy decided to call in the pros....resulting in a large hole in her wall, but no more leaky pipes).

From there, we drove to Jamestown to inspect a friend's new house that is being built. Peter enjoyed running through the entire house, but luckily didn't inspect the wet paint too closely.

Then.....NAPTIME!!!!!!

After naptime, it was straight out to Post Farms in Hudsonville to meet Grandma and Grandpa K and Uncle Nick. (Poor Grandma, Peter ran right by her to say hi to Grandpa). This was the highlight of the day. Peter rode his first pony! He also rode in the "pumpkin train" where he got to sit in his own car. Needless to say, Peter was not happy to leave this fun adventure!

We then went off to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, and then home.

All in all.....much better then the last time the girls left us at home!

Pumpkin Cookies

Our neighbor Dore often drops off goodies for us, and last week she dropped off a cookie dough mix and a pumpkin cookie cutter. Yesterday we decided to try it out. Here are some pictures of our little baker:

Beach Bums!

I wouldn't normally expect to use that title on an October blog post! Yes, with our weather in the 80's we made a trip to Holland State Park last night with our friends Jeff, Erin and Anna. It's a summer Sunday night tradition for them to meet Jeff's parents and some other family members out there, so they invited us along last night. After a pizza picnic and some playing in the sand, we walked out to the end of the pier. Then the boys went down by the water, while the girls played on the swings. Jeff had actually brought his swimsuit, so when he went in, Peter wanted to join him. They ended up stripping Peter down to his diaper and Jeff took him in. Of course he loved it! What a great way to enjoy one of the last truly summery days of the season!

Happy Birthday Mom!

It was my mom's birthday on Friday, so we celebrated over dinner after church today. My Aunt Elaine was also in town, so we were glad she could join us! There are a lot of reasons why I love my mom. I won't list one for each year, because that would be a REALLY long list. After all, according to Esther, my mom is "older than dirt." Hmmm... I wonder who could have taught her that? (Hint: my mom's favorite son-in-law) Here are just a few reasons why my mom is a wonderful mother and grandmother:

• She'll drop anything to help us out with the kids and she babysits anytime we need her.
• She likes to go on outings and out for lunch with the kids and me.
• She's very wise about many things, but she doesn't force her opinions.
• She does lots of "little" things for us like buying us fruit and corn on the cob when she goes to the farmer's market, or baking extra food and bringing it over for us.
• She and my Dad are postponing their winter trip to Florida so that they can be around longer to help out after the baby is born--how's that for selfless?
• She has a great sense of humor and she's just a lot of fun!

Happy 59th Birthday Mom! We love you!

Robinette's

On this very summery fall morning, we decided it would be a good day to head to Robinette's Apple Haus. We got there right when they opened, which was good and bad. It was great because it wasn't busy, so we had donuts and cider (except Esther, who wanted an apple instead) and played outside on the wagon slide. Unfortunately, they weren't doing hayrides until later in the morning, so Esther was quite disappointed about that. I guess we'll have to try another day!

On the way home we stopped at Home Depot where some of Casey's fellow firefighters had the ladder truck set up for a special kids' day. Peter got to "drive" the truck and even tried out the headset!

October 5? In Michigan?

Quilts!

Last night we had a baby shower for Casey's sister Renee. It was fun and excting to see her open all that new baby stuff! Casey's mom made a baby quilt for both Esther and Peter, so when we told her that we were due the same day as Jeff and Renee, one of her first comments was, "Oh no, now I have to make 2 quilts!" She wasn't sure if she'd get them both done before the babies came, but she did, and last night at the shower we both got to open our quilts. Renee's will go perfectly with the colors of their nursery. Ours is very bright and bold with fun colors, and I love it! Each of our kids' quilts is different and unique, which makes them extra special.