Cutlerville or Bust!

During Spring Break in 2003 we went to Traverse City for a couple days with our very good friends Jeff and Erin. We kept using the phrase "Traverse City or Bust!" because we thought it was pretty funny that while most of Grand Rapids was heading to Florida or Gulf Shores, we were instead heading North.

This year we thought it would be fun to take the kids somewhere for a night so they could swim and we could just get away for a short time. We heard about the Holiday Inn Express which is right here in town. They have an indoor water park with a 3-story water slide, and most importantly, a toddler pool area. We thought a 10 minute drive sounded great, so we made the reservations.

Jeff, Erin and Anna (their 19 month old daughter) arrived at the hotel before we did, and when we arrived, we were greeted by signs like these on their car and all over our hotel room (click on the pictures to enlarge them):



We spent some time at the water park and then when we were all hungry, we got ready to go get some dinner. Even though there was a McDonald's Playland right around the corner, we figured that we were on vacation, and we really wanted to live it up, so we went to Russ'.



After hanging out for a while, we decided that we would attempt to put all 3 kids to sleep in our room so that the adults could hang out and play cards in Jeff and Erin's adjoining room.



Amazingly, it only took about an hour for Esther to sing Peter and Anna to sleep and fall asleep herself. We were thinking this was going quite well as we played cards and watched TV.

Unfortunately, the rest of the night didn't go so well. Anna went back to her own room and kept her parents up for much of the night, and Esther was also awake from about 1:30-3:30. It wasn't as if she was upset the whole time; she was just awake! After allowing her to get in our king sized bed and having her pretty much take it over, she lay there saying things like, "I can spell my name all by myself. E-T-H-E-R" (Apparently she was tired enough to forget the "S" but not tired enough to sleep). She eventually did fall asleep, but then both kids were awake before 7:00. Another favorite quote of the weekend was in the morning when we brought Peter into the bed after he woke up. He was jabbering and making noises, and Esther said, "Peter, please be quiet. I'm trying to sleep!" What did she think we were trying to do all night?!

After some breakfast and another swim, we packed up and headed to Grandpa and Grandma Kuperus' house for a birthday dinner for Uncle Jeff. Both kids took long naps there and then went to bed early and actually slept in this morning (until 7:30)! This is truly a miraculous event in our household. Hopefully they're somewhat caught up on their sleep now, and we can enjoy the rest of spring break!

Rough Day

Well, today Daddy took a day off from work to spend some time getting things done at home. Of course Esther volunteered to be his helper for the day. This picture was taken in the car at 12:45.....looks like she just can't handle vacation yet.

Peter's New Look

Last night we got haircuts from our friend Jodi. She was commenting on Peter's nice hair and how it was getting thick enough to actually do something with it. Casey told her to do whatever she wanted, and this is the result! (left picture)
On the right is how it looks today after Casey did his hair this morning...it's kind of that "messy" look. He looks like such a cool little dude!

Push Me Please!

Peter loves walking and running. Now that it's been nice weather and we're playing outside a lot, he wants his freedom to roam. However, when he does decide to ride on something, he does not want to exert any effort to get himself moving. Whether inside or outside, he'll hop on his little push toys, whip his legs up on the front, and just kind of whine until someone decides to give him a ride. Lucky for him, it's hard to say no to someone that cute!

Fun at the Y!

Today we went swimming at the Downtown YMCA with Casey's sister and brother-in-law. Renee and Jeff are members, so we went as their guests. For those of you who aren't familiar with this relatively new facility in G.R., this is one cool place to swim! They have a huge water slide, multiple pools of different depths, sprinklers and fountains...something for kids (and adults) of all ages. When we first walked into the pool area, I think both kids were a little overwhelmed by all the people, the noise, and the water. They hadn't been swimming since last summer, so it took a little convincing to get them to start splashing around and actually play. Once they got used to it, they had a ball, and of course by the end they didn't want to leave. Thanks for a fun time Uncle Jeff and Aunt Renee!

Sorry, no pictures of the kids--can't get the camera wet! This picture is from the Y's website. Just imagine us splashing around in the area on the far right where the YMCA logo is!

A Pink School

Today Esther informed me that, "When I get older, I'm going to go to school and ride the bus with Micah" (her neighborhood friend). Then she said, "Actually, I'm not going to go to school with Micah; I'm going to a different school."

Just in case I was wondering what school she would be attending, she clarified for me: "I'm going to go to a pink school because pink is my favorite."

If anyone knows of any pink schools in the G.R. area, please let us know.

Welcome Back and Goodbye

My parents returned home yesterday after being in Florida since the beginning of January. We missed them a lot and are really glad that they are back! The kids were excited to see them, and after opening a present that they brought back, we went to Russ' for supper. What better way to say "Welcome back to Grand Rapids" than supper at Russ'!?

While they were gone, we got some extra babysitting help from Grandma K., which we very much appreciated. We also needed someone to babysit the kids on Wednesdays when we both work. We were very blessed that our good friend Erin's sister, Maria, was available for a few months and could come to our house every Wednesday to babysit. Maria is fun, bubbly, fun, creative, fun, organized, and did I mention fun? Esther and Peter loved having her babysit, and as excited as Esther is to have Grandpa and Grandma W. back, she was also a little sad that today was the last Maria Day. We will miss her!

Fun Friday!

Yesterday was a fun day. The weather has been getting milder the last few days, so the roads and sidewalks are clear and we've been able to go out for walks despite the large piles of snow everywhere. We were out several different times yesterday. Since I was taking pictures, Esther had to take some with her camera too. Don't tell her that she holds the camera backwards--she is adamant that she's doing it the right way!

We have also figured out how Esther and Peter can ride the Sit 'n Spin together without Peter falling off. They both think this is absolutely hilarious (riding together, not Peter falling off). It is a new favorite activity.

Finally, the kids got to play with Aunt Renee and Uncle Jeff last night. They have a ball together and we all love it when they babysit! Esther even tried to teach Uncle Jeff some manners when he forgot to say "excuse me." As if she's the poster child for etiquette!

Esther Quote of the Day

As Daddy is trying to bathe one stinky boy, get one stinky boy dressed, get one whiney girl dressed, and still feel like a good Daddy that wants to buy donuts……Esther says with a big sigh,

“We have LOTS of problems today!”

Sledding!

Today we took the kids sledding for the first time ever. Last year Esther didn't like to be out in the snow at all, so we never even tried it. This year we've played in the snow in our yard, but just hadn't gotten around to actual sledding yet.

We met Aunt Renee at my parents' house and everyone was really excited. We made it through the deep snow to the hill behind their house and Casey sat down, ready to put Esther on the sled with him. Nope, it wasn't going to happen. She decided she was too scared! So, I went down with Peter on the sled instead, and he LOVED it! He had snow in his face and didn't care one bit. Aunt Renee kindly carried Esther down the hill and they had fun throwing snow while Peter and I took several rides down in the sled. He had a blast and just kept laughing, and he was mad when we went inside. I think he has a new favorite activity!