Rolling into the weekend

Don't know how well the paint shows in these pictures, but just a little preview. First pic is our window seat when you come in the front door. Davenport Tan is the color. Only the window seat is this color in this room- Shaker Beige is the lighter color on the outside of the alcove.


Kitchen is the same color as window seat.
This picture shows the contrast (however not so well) of the two paint colors.

Can't believe tomorrow is Friday-- This was our first full week of school since Jan. 7th, so I thought it would drag. But wow- it didn't. It was sort of nice being back to a routine and having a full week. Never thought those words would come out of my mouth! Tomorrow night the Boeve girls are slumbering with us b/c Lisa and Chad are having their small group over. Saturday a.m. is another soccer game. 7 more and counting... Saturday night we are going to hit Bar Divani again for Lisa's birthday. Her big 32nd is right around the corner. Can't wait for the yummy dinner and martinis (and great company as well!) Sunday- regular church activities, then back to another week of work. I took some silly pictures of Sadie earlier in her movie star get-up that I'll be back to post soon.

Highly Recommend It!

Crazy Bounce was a hit for tot time this morning. Jen, Lynette and I met there with our kids around 9, and some friends from church were there with their kids as well (Kelly Gulker and Jenny Vredeveld). The kids all played hard for 2 hours. At around 10:30, they gave all the kids popcorn and drinks. Sadie had a blast (after getting over her "scary" time when I tried to take her through an obstacle course and got trapped in a pit- not a graceful moment for me). We will definitely be frequenting Crazy Bounce again. Brooks was very jealous that he didn't get to go, so I feel the need to take him soon. So, all of you with kids under 7, feel free to join us- next Wednesday????


They set up a Rescue Heroes playset just for the little ones- our kids really enjoyed it.





Oh oh Sadie. Lynette and I were gabbing (hmmm... maybe I was gabbing and Lynette was listening to me gab), and we noticed that E no longer had on his pants! Sadie had pulled them down as he scaled over the wall. Haha
Can you tell from the look on Josh's face that he had a blast?
And Elliot's face as well???

The painter finished up today. I love the new look. I haven't taken pictures yet- maybe tomorrow I'll post some. I have about 35 essays to grade tonight, so I am going to log off and get started. Fun, fun!

A Day of Good Food

Isn't that sad that that is what is on my mind??? But has anyone tried the new flatbread sandwiches from Subway? YUM! I had the spinach/artichoke chicken one for lunch, and it was delicious. Then we went to Logan's tonight (my mom, kids and I met Ryan's parents there) for dinner. Another yummy meal- I had the Santa Fe Tilapia, sweet potato and broccoli. Everything was so good! Then of course we had to get the 3 for $5 peanut butter/chocolate buckets. Heaven in a bucket!

The painter came today and painted our kitchen and upstairs hallway. He is coming back tomorrow to paint our family room and 1/2 bath. Wow! What a difference a coat of paint makes. The kitchen has to be my favorite color ever- it is called Davenport Tan. It is a dark brown and just really rich looking. The family room, 1/2 bath and upstairs hallway are pretty too- Shaker Beige is the color. I should have painted long, long ago. I really think it will make a difference in the sale of this thing. Plus then I could have enjoyed the pretty colors myself. It isn't that costly to paint, so I need to remember that in the future. Our builder brought in an interior decorator yesterday, and she picked the colors, so I can't take any credit. I will find somewhere to use the Davenport Tan in my new house for sure- it is gorgeous. The decorator also gave us suggestions of rearranging furniture, changing some furniture, etc. so I think we may like things so much we won't want to leave. The painter is supposed to finish up tomorrow, so I can post pictures after that. I have been very impressed with this painter- Mark VandenBerg Painting if you are in need of the service. He is quick, efficient, friendly, and a really good painter. He doesn't tape off anything- just goes at it and surprisingly, hasn't gotten a drop of our white baseboards/trim. I was amazed!

Off to tuck the boys in bed. They are enjoying some Nana time right now, so I can't rush them to bed at their usual time. I guess I'll tune into Big Brother tonight even though I am LESS than impressed with this season. These "kids" have the foulest mouths of any previous season and just seem to be down right mean to each other. I haven't watched American Idol at all this season, so I need to watch that an episode or two so I can learn who is even on it. But I am appreciating Survivor- sad that Yau was voted off. What a cute little man!

Tomorrow morning we (me, Lynette, Jen and our kids) are hitting Tot Time at Crazy Bounce (9:00-11:00) if anyone wants to join us- feel free. Pretty good deal- parents are free and the tots (kids 7 and under) jump for 2 hours, get a drink and popcorn for $7. Not a bad deal. I'll try to remember my camera to get some pictures. Adios!

Saturday/Sunday

We started off Saturday morning at Cobe's soccer game. It was such a great game. His indoor team has beaten every single team they have played, except one. The Rockets have beaten them all 3 times they have played. This was their 4th time playing. Cobe's team played great and the game was so intense (for me anyway) and exciting. The final score was 5-4, and Cobe's team lost, but they played so well. It was the closest a game has ever been against this other team. Oh well- maybe next season (which starts either this Sat. or the next.) So much for a break! We came home and the men (Kyle, Ryan, my dad and the boys) went to the Outdoor Discovery Center to see elk, deer, and other animals. They had a good time there. I ran to Meijer's while they were gone. Saturday night, Ryan and I went out to dinner at 84 East(and had a wonderful server I might add!!!!) and then went to Gap and the mall to spruce up our wardrobes. We both did really well with finding things we wanted- good for our wardrobe, but not for the pocketbook. :-)

Tonight I went to a health class at Community Church with Lynette. It was another great topic. I feel like I have learned so much in the few times I have gone. Tonight was taste testing. We had foods like: jicama, papaya, hummus, quinoa, walnuts, dates, sugar snap peas, dark chocolate, different crackers that weren't hydrogenated, and a green drink made out of spinach. Yes, spinach. Now I would have told you that I hated dates, walnuts, dark chocolate, and definitely would have said I would never drink spinach. But I was pleasantly surprised. I liked everything I tried. I am going to add dates and walnuts to my diet immediately. I already knew I liked hummus, but didn't realize how healthy it was. I will start buying that for dip with jicama. And my absolute favorite thing of the night was a recipe called Powerballs. (no jokes please!) They were like a dessert I guess made with either natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter, raw honey, rolled outs, and either sesame seeds, grated coconut or crispy rice. I had the one with brown crispy rice, and it was delicious. I know my kids would eat them thinking they were a peanut butter/rice crispy treat thingy. Lynette and I tried to hit the health food store tonight to get some of the ingredients not found at the grocery store, but it had closed. I'll have to make a trip soon.

And finally, here are some pictures of Nana and Papa with the kids today before my dad left to fly back to NC. My mom is staying through this week. Have a great Monday!

Birthday Party

The birthday boy celebrated tonight with our family. He got so many nice gifts and enjoyed playing with his cousins. Here are a few pictures from the big bash. :-)

The hockey cake

Sadie dug into the frosting right away

Sadie is SWOONING over Kyle. She's in love!

A happy boy about to open his gifts

He opened a card from Grandma and Grandpa with money and he was oh so excited!!!!

Happy Birthday Brooks!

God has blessed us with a beautiful, kind, generous, lovable and happy little boy for 5 years. He is such an easy child to love with his many smiles, kind words, hugs and snuggles. Brooks is willing to go along with just about anything his brother or sister wants him to. He is a favorite playmate of both of them because he is so much fun to be around. He brings joy to our home and our lives on a daily basis. We love you Brooks and wish you a very happy birthday!!!!!

Here is the birthday boy yesterday after he got home from preschool with his birthday hat on and the stickers his teacher gave him.
Brooks enjoying his last donut hole- he took them to his class for his birthday treat, and he had a few left to eat when he got home.
Nana reading to Brooks and Maya after they got home from school. Brooks got a Clifford book from his teachers so that is what starting them reading.
And Miss Sadie sleeping in her big girl bed. My mom put her down for her nap this afternoon in her bed, and she slept there for her whole nap. So I put her to bed tonight in her bed and she fell fast asleep. She had to take all of the blankets with her to her new bed and surround herself with her pillows, dollies and blankets, but so far, so good. I just checked on her and took these pictures.
Doesn't she look so tiny in this big bed? What a little peanut!

We have had a good time since my parents got here Tuesday night. Mary Jo and Jim so graciously offered to go get them at the airport, so they got back to our house around 9:45. Their plane was only 20 minutes late, and it wasn't due to the horrible weather we were having, but a security breach. Cobe stayed awake until they got here so he could see them. Brooks tried his best, but fell asleep on the couch waiting for them. Wednesday, Ryan and I had a meeting at the bank to get started with our construction loan. Wednesday night we went to church to a Family Fun Night. They had a chili/hot dog supper to begin so we went around 5:30 to eat. Then the kids headed to the gym where they ran around and had 4 inflatables to play on. Our kids along with the Overzet and Boeve kids mainly just ran around and chased each other. There wasn't a very big turnout, but it was still fun.

This morning Brooks and I went to Meijer's to pick out his cake for tomorrow night. He settled on a hockey one after debating quite awhile. We came home and Jake and Josh came over to play. Sharon picked them up and Brooks ended up going home with her and then to Mimi's for awhile to play in the gym with Jake. He had a really good time. Tonight we went to Logan's for Brooks' birthday. He seemed tired and didn't feel the best- he had a tummy ache while we were there. But the food was great (I love their fried chicken salad and roadhouse dressing- yum!). We were going to head to Target afterwards, but came home instead since Brooks didn't feel well. He was fine after getting home though, so I am sure we could have gone. We forgot his gift card anyway that Jeff and Chele had sent him, so we would have needed to go back another time anyway for him to use it. I told him we could go tomorrow afternoon or Saturday. We also stopped at Don's before Logan's, and Nana got both boys a new Webkins- the cocker spaniel for Cobe and the monkey for Brooks. Cobe has 11 now and Brooks has 6. Can you say obsessive???

He opened some of his presents today: gift card and Webkins cards from Jeff/Michele/Miles; power rangers and money from Nana/Papa; DVD, Pirates of the Carribean sword set, and lunch box from us. We are having Ryan's family over tomorrow night for cake and ice cream to finish out his birthday. His buddy Evan called him tonight to wish him a happy birthday- it was so cute to see how excited Brooks was to get his phone call.

I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow night or Saturday to post more pictures from tomorrow night.

We're Home! (AGAIN)

Yep- the snow day materialized as I thought. I woke up at 5:15 and looked on the tv, and there were barely any closings. I got a little nervous then. But when I woke back up at 6:00 and checked, there were a billion things closed. Also you can look outside and see that we won't be going anywhere today. I'll have to get Ryan to go get the boys before he goes to work in his 4-wheel drive. I think I would be way too nervous to go out. So I went back to bed until Sissy woke up around 7:45.

Ryan and I ended up watching a movie from On Demand last night (thanks to Lynette's suggestion). We use On Demand for the kids to watch cartoons, but I always forget about the movie option. We actually watched one from the $2.99 section so it was cheap entertainment.

Our builder just called and is coming over at 10:30 to go over some things. I never knew it would take so long just to get started. We meet with the bank tomorrow morning to get our construction loan, so I am assuming that will be it for awhile. I hope so! Sis is being entertained by dressing her Bitty Baby right now and sneaking off every now and again for an M&M. She thinks I don't notice. Haha She's a sneaky one!

Snow, snow, snow, and more snow

It keeps coming down. I have heard we are supposed to get between 8-10 inches before it stops sometime tomorrow afternoon. I hope it stops in time for my parents to get here on time and safely. BSF was even canceled tonight which rarely happens. I had to work all day today b/c it was a teacher professional development day. It was pretty boring, but I got done around 2:15 and headed to pick up the kids at Jen's. The boys wanted to stay so they are still there, and Jen will drop them off at 6:30. Sadie has been a wreck since we got home. She wouldn't nap at Jen's, but fell asleep on our way home (we stayed at Jen's for about an hour and hung out, so she fell asleep around 3:30 in the car). She woke back up when I put her in bed and has pretty much been a crab since. She's in my bed now watching Cinderella (her favorite movie these days) just chilling. I am assuming she will go to bed around 7:00. She needs her sleep!

I would imagine we'll have a snow day tomorrow- did I just jinx things by mentioning it? I wonder if we'll have to start making up days since we've had so many off this year. Tomorrow would be the 5th snow day this year, plus 1 two hour delay, and they base it on time. I think we are only alloted 5 days so we may have to make up 2 hours. I'm not 100% sure though.

Just got off the phone with my mom. It is 73 degrees there. They are in for a shock! At least once this snow spurt is over, it doesn't look like it will snow again while my dad is here anyway. Off to prepare for the hustle and bustle of two little boys arriving back home!

UPDATE: We are going to chance it and assume we aren't having school tomorrow. Jen just called and said the boys could spend the night. Sadie went to bed at 6:30, so I am bored waiting for Ryan to come home. He just called and said he was on his way home and the fastest he could go was 20 mph because the roads are that bad. So I expect him home in a little while. I wish we had a movie to watch that I would enjoy! I will be enjoying my quiet, peaceful night though. I'll be rushing around like crazy in the morning to pick up the boys if we do by chance have school, but I can't imagine having to go. Off to bake or find something to keep me occupied.

Last night

We had such a great weekend. I feel like it has been ages since we could follow through with all of the plans we'd made. Usually we've made plans, then someone would get sick. But not this weekend. Friday night was great at Buffalo Wild Wings and shopping like I mentioned. Saturday during the day turned out busier than I thought. We got up and ran to the mall, Target and Sam's Club and did some shopping. Try taking a family of 5 to Sam's Club and letting everyone pick out what they want. It equals a pretty hefty bill! Sounded like a good idea at the time- not so much. My kids love going to Sam's on Saturdays though and trying all the food samples. We are suckers for buying what we sample too. We came home with half the things we tried. We actually came home with a box of soybeans. I never would have imagined that the kids would like them nor had I ever had them before. Quite tasty though and extremely healthy. You just nuke them and shell them (you can't eat the pods they are in). I was frustrated because I got a big box of Eggo waffles and when we got home and unpacked, the box didn't have all the waffles in it. It was supposed to have 6 packs of 10 waffles, and it only had 4. Weird! The box was taped up and unopened, so I have no idea where the other 2 packages went. I had to go back to Sam's today just to exchange the box of waffles.

After running errands, we picked up Evan (Brooks' friend) and Jaxson (Cobe's friend) and headed back home for the kids to play. Jaxson had invited Cobe to spend the night, so I ran those 2 boys to his house around 5:00, and Evan's mom picked him up around 4:15. Ryan's parents came over at 5:30 to watch Brooks and Sadie for us to go out. We picked up Darcey and Brian and went to Bar Divani in downtown G.R. We had a great dinner and great drinks. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant!!!!!! We left there and went to the B.O.B. We spent most of the night at the Monkey Bar. It was a great time.

This morning we went to church. After lunch, I ran Cobe back over to Jaxson's so he could go to Battle Creek with them to Brianna's gymnastics meet. They are getting back tonight around 9:00. Sadie took a 4 hour nap, so I got to enjoy some peace and quiet with Brooks after running back to Sam's. Whew! A busy but fun weekend! Off to watch Big Brother- I've already missed 7 minutes of it.

Friday Morning Playdate

Friday morning Sadie had Presley and Eva over to play. They all 3 really got along well and easily entertained themselves. They enjoyed playing with the kitchen, the dolls and strollers, and putting on Sadie's make-up. And they loved saying cheese for the camera. :-)






Ryan, Lynette, Matt and I had a great dinner last night at Buffalo Wild Wings. The food was great, tons to choose from, and relatively cheap prices for all you get. I have half a buffalo chicken wrap to eat for lunch today. Yum! Lynette is not well at all, but she was a trooper and determined to get out of the house for awhile after having sick kids herself all week. Hope you're better today!!! So they went to stock up on meds after dinner for her, and we went to Rivertown. Ryan and I were in a splurging mood obviously. He got 2 pair of jeans at Express and I got a pair of BKE's at the Buckle. We normally don't buy expensive jeans, but oh well, we did last night. haha I also got some tarts and another tart burner at Yankee Candle. Lynette had given me an electric tart burner for Christmas. I am hooked! I feel like my house always smells so good, and several people we have shown it to comment on how good it smells. The one Lynette gave me is very pretty for Christmas, so I got a plain cream one with vines on it for the rest of the year. I discovered that my favorite scent is citrus, so I got some orange tarts and lemon ones. Other than picking up a birthday present for Brooks for Mary Jo, we didn't get anything else.

My baby boy is turning 5 this week on Thursday. For some reason, it seems like Cobe should be 8. But it does not seem like Brooks should be 5!!!!! He is all excited about kindergarten though and can't wait to ride the bus like his brother. Where does time go?

Brooks is having his little buddy Evan over today to play. He can hardly wait! Other than running some errands (we are out of milk, oj, and some other basic necessities), then we will be home all day until we go to GR tonight. We still don't know where we are going, but I anticipate having fun wherever it is.

Strong Willed Kids RULE!!!!!

I have 2 strong-willed kids, and most of the time, their strong wills create problems. But when they make up their minds to do something, it's done. So, Sadie is completely potty-trained. She hasn't had an accident in days. She pees and POOPS on the potty! She also has now gone on a public potty, so I think we are over all of our trials. I told her she would get Princess Lippies (lip gloss) when she started pooping on the potty, so girlfriend was all about it. I'll still put a diaper on her for nap and bedtime, but during the day, she's a panty girl!!!! Yay! I thought Cobe (my other strong-willed child) was potty-trained early, but he was about 2 years and 4 months old. Sadie beat him by a few weeks! haha

We are heading out to Grandville, but later on tonight or in the morning, I'll post pictures from Sadie, Presley and Eva's playdate this morning.

Great pictures of the grandparents

Mary Jo and Jim came over tonight to give the kids Valentine's. The kids were so happy to see them! As you can tell from their skin color, they just got back from a week in Mexico- Riveria Maya. They sure did pick a great week to be gone and miss all the snow here. They actually got back on Sunday during the blizzard, so it was not a great travel day for them. They were supposed to fly in late Saturday night, but their flight out of Mexico was delayed, then their flight in Chicago got canceled, so they stayed in Chicago overnight. They had a wonderful time- I am leaning towards going there when Ryan and I eventually go somewhere tropical. Below are some pictures of them and the kids.


Brooks and Grandpa
Sadie and Grandma. Can you tell that Sadie had a haircut today? Brooks must have decided she needed one and cut her hair on the top while I was at work. They got in our bed and Brooks was wise enough to put the trashcan under them, and he snipped away on the top of her head. Ryan didn't even realize that Brooks had cut her hair. When he went upstairs, he saw hair everywhere on our bed, but thought they had dumped it out of the trashcan and the hair was from me cleaning my hairbrush. The whole story is just a riot to me! He didn't know until I explained it to him tonight that Brooks had cut her hair!
Look how pasty white my kids look next to them!!!!
This is a great shot to me-everyone is smiling and has their eyes open. :-)
And this is the silly shot. Just as cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone has a great day of L-O-V-E ! We gave the kids their Valentines this morning- Webkinz for the boys and a stuffed poodle for Sadie. Sadie got some books, candy, and a headband as well. They boys got DVD's and candy. I gave Ryan some new jeans, 2 shirts and some candy. He gave me a bottle of champagne. Party on! Champagne is my favorite and it doesn't take much...

I am WAY excited for Survivor tonight. Yes! A new season has started and the boys and I will be tuned in every Thursday night. Cobe is so glad that Ozzy is back on- his favorite player of all time. I am just glad that Johnny Fairplay is GONE!!! It would have ruined the season for me to have to watch him any longer. I am also excited that Big Brother is back on- with a new twist- couples! I can't tell if I'll like it better/same/ or worse yet, but at least it is something to watch when Ryan is at work.

The realtor came through our house this morning. I taught her daughter several years ago so I already knew her. She is very nice and is known as an aggressive realtor, so hopefully she can do the job that needs to be done... SELL! She said the only thing that needs to be done is for us to clean up our baseboards some- either with a Magic Eraser or with white paint if the eraser doesn't do the trick. Other than that, she doesn't want to do a thing. That was nice to hear since you start to get a complex about your house when it doesn't sell for so long. We will meet with our builder again once he decides the final price he will buy it for if it doesn't sell in 6 months. Ryan and I plan on cleaning out closets soon-- maybe when my mom is here to watch the kids and keep them out of our hair while we pitch things they think they can't live without. We made it through our closet so far and under our bathroom sink, but we have at least 2 more closets that need work and the storage room in the basement.

We are going out with Lynette and Matt tomorrow night to Buffalo Wild Wing (is that right Lynette?????) in Grandville. We may have to hit the mall as well b/c Ryan thinks he needs a new wardrobe. I can't wait for a night out- seems like it has been awhile. Saturday during the day we have no plans (YAY!) because Cobe doesn't have a soccer game. We will be sleeping in over here for once! Saturday night we are heading to GR to go out to dinner with the Bekins and to see what else materializes. So I am excited after sitting home last weekend for the ENTIRE weekend with a sick husband and kid, that we can get out for some fun nights this weekend.

My mom and dad fly in on Tuesday (YAY again!!). My dad is staying until Sunday and my mom is staying until the next Friday. My mom being here for almost 2 weeks equals RELAXATION for me, right mom??? :-) I hope the snow takes a break for awhile when my dad is here at least- he can't stand snow and cold weather. It was so nice yesterday seeing the beautiful sunshine for the first time in a long time.

Off to work- my student teacher started full-time yesterday, so it is weird having a shadow. She seems like she is going to be great and already has picked up on what to do. She won't start teaching until the first week of March, but then she'll teach that whole month- both of my classes. I'll be bored!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Wow! It's been awhile

for me anyway. I know a lot of people don't blog as much as I do, but I do enjoy keeping my family informed and up-to-date on our lives.

Dilt, thanks for the comment! And I am sure people are wondering about our nicknames. Haha

Nothing much going on over here. Sunday we were STUCK inside all day during the blizzard. Church was even canceled. We couldn't have gone anywhere even if we wanted to- it was that bad out. Monday was a snow day and we were home again all day. Justin came over to play for awhile, and Cobe had a soccer game at 5:00, so we went to that (they won 11-2). Yesterday we went back to school/work, and I was actually glad. I usually love snow days, but I am about sick of them lately. At least I would like them spread out.

Today Sadie went to Presley's to play while Ryan and I met with our builder. She has been wearing panties for a few days now, and we made a big deal out of the fact that she can only wear diapers at night-night time. So she refuses to wear diapers anymore. She has done so well with her pee-peeing. She goes on the potty every time. She isn't quite as successful with the poo-poo, huh Kristen? She went in her pants at Kristen's this morning. I felt horrible, but at least it was contained to her pants. She has gone on the potty twice before, so I don't know why she isn't as quick to catch on to that part. Oh well- I'm just glad she is ready to give it a go. (even though it is much harder to be in a public place now- she has an aversion to public potties!)
I think girls are much more difficult- boys can go outside or in a bottle if we are in a bind- not true for girls. :-)

Our meeting with our builder was extremely successful! He gave us our final plans and our final price, both of which we are extremely happy with. A realtor is coming in the morning to go through our house and to put it back on the market. Yuck! Dreading that! I enjoyed having a break from showings ALL the time. We had a few by owner, but not many. Our house will be completed by the end of June, so I guess I at least know an end date to the madness. :-) We went to a parade home that our builder is building after our meeting, and seeing that brought back all of my excitement to build!!!!

Well, I am off to Wednesday night church. We haven't had it for the last 2 weeks due to snow, so this will be the first in awhile. I'll post again soon with weekend plans- got some fun stuff coming up!

A few more...

Here are a few more shots that Lynette touched up/made black and white. Isn't she talented????

A Photo Shoot

We went to Lynette's on Thursday during our "snow day" off from school. She got some great shots of the boys! I didn't take Sadie since she was still ill, so I will have to take her one day next week to get some of her.














PS- Cobe won his soccer game this morning 5-0, and he scored a goal! Ryan is STILL sick as a dog and is at Prime Care now hopefully getting an antibiotic so he can start to improve. My cold is worse today than yesterday, but I still feel relatively okay. I canceled our plans for tonight already knowing that Ryan cannot go anywhere. Hmmm.... not a bad night to be snowed in ONCE again as we are supposed to get hit with an arctic cold blast and another bad night of snow. (Did you notice the sarcasm?)

Plans are shot!

Well, this weekend isn't going to turn out like I thought. Ryan is now sick as a dog. Agh! I was going out tonight with Lynette, but Bailey got sick yesterday (see post) so she couldn't go. I wouldn't have been able to go anyway since Ryan is so sick. He is miserable with the chest congestion, sore throat, etc. that seems to be hitting every Michigan household around. So here I sit. We will have to see tomorrow if we can even make our party tomorrow night, but the way things are looking, it doesn't look too promising. I will most likely be taking Cobe to his 9:00 game alone in the morning. I don't see how Ryan will make it, nor should he spread his germs.

Jen took the boys to Chili Friday and the high school basketball game tonight with her family. Thanks Jen! They were very excited to go. They played out in the snow all afternoon so I am sure after playing hard and going to the game, they will be tired tonight. I am going to finish up my BSF lesson for the week while they are gone and turn in early myself. I have a stuffed up nose, so I am hoping it stops at that. We can't all be sick at the same time. Sadie seemed to feel great today, so I am hoping she is on the mend. She's felt fine the whole time though, so her illness is deceiving.

Our showing seemed to go well this morning. The couple was extremely nice and had a 3 year old little girl with them. She played with Sadie while her parents looked around. They said they had 2 older children as well, so I don't know if our house would be big enough for them since we only have 3 true bedrooms. They have already sold their house, so I know if we don't hear back soon from them, then they pursued something else. I didn't ask them when they had to be out. I was mad at myself when they left because there were several things I wanted to ask them that I didn't. I never want to seem like a pushy sales person, but then I regret not giving them a sales pitch as soon as they leave. I still believe though that God's timing will be revealed. Our house will be filled with the perfect family for it. :-) If you feel like you are the perfect family, then please give us a call to set up a showing. Haha

Still not well

Ryan took Sadie back to the Dr. this morning, and he didn't seem to think she had improved. He said her left lung still sounded bad, so he has now put her on steroids for 5 days. The doctor warned that the steroids may cause her to be hyper and crabby, but since that is her normal personality, I didn't think I'd notice a change. WAS I WRONG!!!! She has been extremely crabby all day. Way more than normal. It is wearing off now so she is finally content with life. She only has to take it once a day so I hope she isn't crabby for a solid 5 days straight.

We had a wonderful snow day today. The roads weren't bad at all, so I am surprised, but will take one whenever I can get one. We hung around here while Ryan and Sadie were gone, then the boys and I went to Lynette's for pictures while Sadie and Ryan slept. She took some pics of the boys and Cobe stayed to play with Landon. We picked him up later this afternoon after making a stop at Family Fare. Now we are home for the evening. Mark just came over and the boys are in the basement playing PS2.

Tomorrow is another showing of our house in the morning, then a regular work day- no snow predicted that I am aware of. Then Lynette and I are heading off for dinner and shopping in Grandville. Saturday morning Cobe has a soccer game at 9:00. Ryan and I are going out Saturday night to the Lamers' for Euchre. Sunday we'll head to Sunday School and church, then I have a health class Sunday night. I went last week with Lynette (it is at her church- Community Reformed), and it was amazing how much I learned. It is a series and each week is a different topic. I missed the first two classes, but plan to go to the rest. I informed Ryan of all of the changes we need to make and he was hip with it. We'll start making little changes so it isn't overwhelming. And we'll see how long it lasts! haha

Hope everyone enjoys their upcoming weekend!

A Busy Day! Whew!

I am exhausted. I cleaned all afternoon after I got home from work because I got a phone call that someone wanted to come see our house tonight. She had called on Monday and asked to come this Saturday, so we set it up for then. Then she called this afternoon to see if tonight would work instead. I stashed things left and right to get ready. She and her husband came around 6:45. They haven't even put their house on the market, so I assume nothing will come out of the showing. As soon as they left, I got another phone call of someone who wants to come through Friday morning. So at least the house is clean and picked up somewhat. I only have to worry about keeping it that way for one more day. It will be hard, but I can pick up again Thursday night and re-do the floors which seem to be the main thing that get trashed.

Amanda and Kyle really need prayers tonight and throughout the next several days. They have three sick little girls. Gracyn is in the hospital with RSV, and Selah and Braelyn are at home with RSV. Click here if you want to see Amanda's updates. Please keep them in your prayers. Sadie too- she goes back to the doctor in the morning to be re-checked for her viral lung infection. I think she is doing better- she has been doing her nebulizer treatments like a champ! (see pics below)

Well, even though it has snowed like a banshee all day, I am sure we'll have school tomorrow, so I am off to bed to get some much anticipated shut eye!