Happy 9th Birthday Esther!

By:Esther              

This past Saturday I had my nine-year-old birthday party. (My real birthday isn't until next Saturday, but my party was early.)  It was monkey theme. I got a speed stack set, a Chinese jump rope, a dragonfly necklace, a game called sketch it, a purple photo album, money for an Ipod case, and some other things too. My cake was chocolate with a monkey on it. Grandma also used a couple monkeys from a barrel of monkeys toy. It looked really cool! 

My balloons!

Cousin picture! (With the party hats on.)

Me opening my presents.

Photo album, Chinese jump rope, and a dragonfly necklace.

American Girl Doll outfit and potholder loops.



Magnetic board, ITunes cards, and money for iPod case

Stuffed animal, erasers, and Michael's gift card

 Speed stack set, outfit, and potholder loops.

Bracelet set and game. (From Haverdinks)

Grandma made bike bags (or in Tyler's case, hats) for all the grand kids.

My new outfit.

New doll outfit.

Stacking cups!

My cake!

Museum Visit

Today the kids and I went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum with my parents and my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Joanie.  There is a special travelling exhibit about the Titanic, which was our main reason for going, but we also enjoyed other parts of the museum.  Since we thought Miriam was a little young for the Titanic exhibit, she and Grandpa hung out in other parts of the museum while we did that (he had been through it another time).  The Titanic exhibit was very interesting.  Each of us received a "boarding pass" at the entrance which had the name and basic information about a real passenger.  At the end of the exhibit we could check to see if our person survived or not.  All of us survived except poor Uncle Jerry.  After exploring the rest of the museum, we ended with a carousel ride.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon!

Last Day of School!

This is always a bittersweet day.  I absolutely love summer vacation and hanging out with the kids every day without homework, packing lunches, church activities, and crazy schedules to follow.  However, I am always sad when a school year ends and we have to say goodbye to the amazing teachers the kids have had.  They have been blessed with such wonderful teachers every year, and this year was no exception.  Esther and Peter both loved their teachers so much!

I had recess duty today, so we went to school for that, and then the kids were dismissed at 1:30.  Peter had a piano lesson after school, and coincidentally, his piano teacher lives right near Sweet Mellisa's!  We figured ice cream was a good way to celebrate the start of summer vacation.  What was even more fun was that our friends Rachel, Kaitlyn and Anna were walking there and arrived just as we did, so we enjoyed our ice cream with them.  Then we came home and played with our neighbors for the rest of the afternoon.  Ah, the start of summer vacation!  Oh wait, I still have to work 2 more days next week...

Last time at the bus stop for the year!

Think it's time for a vacation??

Playground buddies during recess!

Peter and Mrs. Knott.
We are sad that she is retiring from teaching this year,
but glad that she will be back next year to work in the library.

Esther and Mrs. Pluymert.
She is an outstanding teacher and was
a perfect fit for Esther this year.

Celebrating at Sweet Mellisa's!

Can't wait to hang out with these 3 all summer!

1st Grade Adventures at Camp Roger

This morning I was able to join Peter for part of his day at Camp Roger.  We went on some adventures in the woods and played games, looked for creatures, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  It was a fun morning, and I'm glad I could spend it with my favorite little dude!  I had to head to work at lunch time, but after lunch they hiked around the lake and roasted marshmallows, which Peter thought was really fun too.

 

Miriam Completes Preschool!

And just like that, we're done with preschool in our house.  How did that happen?  Miriam had her last day of school on Wednesday.  Grandpa picked her up and took a couple pictures on her last day:

Her beloved teachers Mrs. Meekhof and Mrs. VanderSluis

Maris and Miriam

The actual last day for her class was Friday, and they ended the year with an outing to the park for play time and snacks.  We joined them for this, and Daddy even got to stop by for a little bit!



Miriam and Mrs. VanderSluis with their matching school shirts!

Happy Birthday Casey!

It was Casey's birthday on Saturday, and we had a good day celebrating our special husband/dad.  We started the day by going to Real Food Cafe for a yummy breakfast!  Then we did some yard work, played outside, and just hung out at home. 

In the evening Casey and I had a date night with our friends Jeff and Erin while the kids hung out with Grandpa and Grandma W.  We went to Grand Haven for dinner, took a walk along the water and out on the pier, and had dessert/coffee.  It was a wonderful day!

Today, Memorial Day, we had a family party at Casey's parents' house because Nick turned 40 yesterday!  It was fun to celebrate his big day, and also Casey and Renee's birthdays.