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!