Memorial Day Birthdays

Casey's birthday was Friday, and coincidentally his twin sister Renee's birthday was Friday as well. Their brother Nick's birthday was Saturday. Yes, the 3 siblings have all their birthdays in 2 days! Nick is 2 years older, so he's the "old fogey" of the group. Since their birthdays usually fall around Memorial Day weekend, we often celebrate on Memorial Day, and we did that this year as well.

We had a delicious supper at Grandpa and Grandma's, played outside, and of course had Grandma's world-famous (ok, West Michigan-famous?) cake. As you can see, Nick's has been worked on for the last couple days, but we had our choice of his chocolate or Casey's and Renee's yellow cake. Yum!

Happy 32nd Birthday Casey!

We love you!

First Swim of the Season

We got the pool out for the first time yesterday. Last summer Esther loved it, and Peter was ok with it. He could pretty much just sit in it and splash, so he usually only liked it for a short time. Yesterday he was dumping, splashing, and playing for about an hour, and got very upset when we had to go inside. He was shivering and his lips were turning slightly blue, but he was having the time of his life! I think we'll be spending a lot of time in there this summer!

Sit 'n Spin

Peter is starting to get the hang of the Sit 'n Spin. He's still not all that good at spinning himself around very fast, so he loves it when Esther gets on with him and spins them both around. They both just crack up, and it's very fun to watch!

Look at that hair fly!

Wow, such intense concentration!

Pausing for a quick "cheese!"

"This is so fun! I love my sister!"

Gardening with Grandma

This morning Casey went to my parents' house to put the doors on the fireplace--the last step in the basement project! He took his little helper with him, and while Daddy was working, Esther planted flowers with Grandma. Grandma even had gardening tools, a pink watering can, and Dora gardening gloves for her. They had a great time!

Mother's Day

We had a very nice Mother's Day this year. The weather was gorgeous, and we celebrated by having dinner with both sets of parents as well as Casey's brother, my sister, and my Aunt Elaine. We appreciate our Moms all the time, but it's good to have a special day to think about how truly blessed we are to have the Moms we do. I am also so blessed to be a Mom to Esther and Peter.

I had a strange realization the other day. I have been pregnant on 3 of the last 4 Mother's Days!

Flashback

This Tomy School Bus toy was a favorite of mine when I was little. My mom found it recently at her house and we brought it out for Esther. Unfortunately the bus stopped working, even with new batteries. Thankfully, someone on eBay didn't think this toy was that great, so I managed to buy a whole set complete with original box, instructions, and a working bus for about $10. The one I bought also included 2 "kids" and we only had 1 with our set. Having 3 makes it much more fun! Esther has been spending quite a bit of time playing with this, and it's fun to watch. Sometimes I think the "vintage" (how old am I, anyway?) toys are the best!

Lucky Mom

I'm a lucky Mom. This is what was awaiting me when I came home from work today. After Daddy Donuts this morning, the crew was very busy. What could be a better Mother's Day gift than a beautiful bouquet (picked out by Esther), a homemade card, and chocolate chip cookies (see previous post about being hungry all the time)?! I have great kids and a wonderful husband, and I feel very blessed!

Boy or Girl??

Esther and I were talking this morning about the baby in Mommy's tummy. Esther proclaimed to me that she was having a little sister. So, I asked her why she thought that was true.

"Because that's what I picked!!!" she explained to me as if I should've already known.

Glad that was explained to me today.

Baby K #3!

Yes, that's right, there's a new ticker at the top of this page. We are expecting Baby #3! As we have started telling people our news, there have been a few questions that we have been repeatedly asked, so here are the answers to those FAQs:

Q: Was this planned? Did you want 3 kids?
A: YES!

Q: Wow, they'll all be really close together, won't they?
A: YES! Esther will be 3-1/2 and Peter will be almost 2.

Q: How are you feeling?
A: Very, very, very hungry.

Q: Are you going to find out whether it's a boy or a girl?
A: Nope, we're just hoping for one or the other.

When we told Esther the news, we asked her whether she wanted a brother or a sister. Not surprisingly, she said, "a sister." Then she said, "Maybe there's both in there!" We laughed a little nervously at that thought, but then she reassured us by saying, "No, there's not room for both in there!" Whew!!

One of the most exciting things about this pregnancy is that I get to share it with Casey's twin sister, Renee. She and her husband Jeff are expecting their first child (our first niece/nephew) and we have the same due date, December 4! How's that for a crazy twin connection?! We are so happy for them and think it's very cool that these cousins will be so close in age.