Snow Fort!

This afternoon we built a snow fort!  

Additions to the Kuperus Family

A recent poll conducted by yours truly indicated that 4 out of 5 individuals in the Kuperus Household looked favorably upon adding some pets to the home.

When a friend happened to mention on Facebook that they were looking to get rid of their aquarium, I happily offered to take it off their hands. (There's a small chance I may not have really asked anyone else about it first).

Today, Peter and I went and picked it up, along with several fish that had been happily living in the aquarium. We are now happy to report that it is set up and all the fish are still accounted for.

We are planning to let Mommy go pick out her own special fish soon.

Birthday Flowers

I took this picture and then forgot to put it on here... these are the beautiful roses that the kids and Casey picked out for me for my birthday! 

Ollie Bolen!

Casey and his mom decided to renew their New Year's tradition of making Ollie Bolen this year.  If you don't know, this is a Dutch treat, somewhat along the lines of a donut hole.  They first soaked raisins in brandy, made the dough, and then fried the dough balls in a deep fryer.  They are delicious, especially dipped in powdered sugar!  The kids loved their first experience, so hopefully we'll continue the tradition every year!

Trains and Trees

This morning we went to Meijer Gardens with Aunt Karen and Grandpa W. to see the trains and Christmas trees from around the world.  It's always fun to go there during the holidays to see all the beautifully decorated trees and enjoy the trains.  They added some new buildings to the train display this year, so those were fun to check out too.

We went out to the children's garden where they had fun activities inside.  We played there for quite a long time.  Peter loved the train table and the girls both made crafts.

We got Grandpa in on the "Mad Mom" impression...

For lunch we decided to cash in some reading coupons at Pizza Hut!

Uncle Bob and Aunt Anita's House

Every year around the holidays we look forward to a visit to Casey's Uncle Bob and Aunt Anita's house to see and play with the trains.  We weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it work this year because Aunt Anita is fighting cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments.  We needed to find a time when we were all healthy and she was feeling up to visitors.  Today was a good day for both, and so we enjoyed some coffee time, time with the trains, and a nice lunch with them.  The kids also love looking at all of Aunt Anita's dolls and Uncle Bob's amazing wood carvings.  We are thankful that they are always willing to open their house to us and our kids, and we really enjoy this tradition!

Just for fun, here are the links to the posts about our visits in  2006  and  2007 !

Kuperus Family Christmas

Today we spent Christmas with Casey's side of the family.  We went to his parents' church and enjoyed a cute children's Christmas program there.  We spent the rest of the day eating too much, opening some gifts, playing games, and relaxing.   It was a wonderful day and we're so thankful that we could celebrate with them today!

The kids each got a Calvin sweatshirt from Grandpa and Grandma.  Peter also got a Lego set, Esther got some craft things and Miriam got a hopscotch play mat and a sticker book.


Miriam really liked her gifts, but I think she looks grumpy because it took several tries to get a good picture!

I love my sticker book!

My Legos rock!

Playing Bunco!

The 2 Peters playing some Wii

Esther playing table shuffleboard

Snuggle time!

 Tyler (with his new Calvin hat!)

hanging out with Uncle Nick

Waanders Family Christmas

This afternoon and evening we celebrated Christmas with my parents, Karen and Juan, and my Aunt Elaine.  This is what greeted them when they arrived:

First Peter and Miriam had birthday presents to open from Juan and Karen:

Then we moved on to Christmas gifts (combined with birthday gifts from Grandpa and Grandma)...

We had dinner together and then we spent some time playing Esther's new games, Miriam colored a lot of pictures, and Casey and Peter (ok really just Casey) put together Peter's new Lego set as well as his marble track.  That was quite a project, but it was fun to see it in action once it was done!

We are thankful that we could spend time with my family today and that they all travelled from 3 different directions to be here with us so that we could stay home!

Our Family Christmas

This morning we celebrated our family Christmas with just the 5 of us.  We started the day with Daddy's waffles and cartoons. 

We're crazy about Daddy's waffles!

Then we opened gifts!

This was Peter's gift to us.  He made it at school by using his hand prints in paint to make the tree shape. 
So cute!

Esther made a cool ornament by using her hand print to make snowmen shapes which she decorated.  There was a cute poem attached about how we'll be able to remember how small her hand was in 2011 when we look at the ornament in future years.  Their teachers are so creative!

Casey got a Marge's Donut Den mug and a Calvin (or Harry Potter) tie!

I actually opened my anniversary/Christmas/birthday gift last week, but we hadn't taken a picture of it yet.  Casey and the kids gave me a beautiful mother's ring!  I just love it.

Esther got roller blades, the game Bunco, an outfit for her Build-a-Bear bunny and an electronic snap circuit set.

Peter got a guitar, a new Hess truck with a race car, and a Tiger's outfit for his Build-a-Bear tiger.

Miriam got a sticker activity book and color wonder coloring set, her very own "girlie" Lego set, and an outfit for her Build-a-Bear bunny.

Trying out the new guitar:

Jammin'!

Lego creating!

Finished horse stable:

Trying out the electric circuit set... very cool!

The animals with their new duds:

It was a very nice and relaxing morning.  We're looking forward to celebrating with my family later today and with Casey's family tomorrow.  We are so blessed and thankful for our family and that we are able to be together to celebrate our Savior's birth!