Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day!!  I love being a Mom . . . even to sweet little grumpy boys like this one!!  Aliyah just knocked over his tower and he wasn't too happy with her.  

But please take note . . . THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN WITH MY BRAND NEW CAMERA!!  You heard that right!  Daryl and the kids surprised me with a Nikon D3100 camera.  It's exactly like my Mom's camera except is is (obviously) newer and I can take video with it.  So nice!!

My Mom opening her Mother's Day present from us - a new Bible.

Her new apron from Anna.

My very special Mother's Day gift from my parents.

This picture has a lot of meaning behind it.  My Grandma Stegink has this exact same picture hanging in her house.  I've always loved it and have wanted it ever since I was a little girl.  I've mentioned a couple of times how much I'd love to inherit that picture from her someday!  The problem?  Both of my aunts want it too!!  Aunt Ellen (my Grandma's oldest daughter) has had her eye on that picture for much longer than I have so when it comes to who gets it . . . I'm pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole.  Fast forward to a few weekends ago . . . my Mom and I were at some garage sales when we stumbled across this picture.  I gasped and said, "Mom!  Look!!"  She quickly grabbed it and offered the owner $30 instead of $35 for it.  We couldn't believe our luck!!  He said yes but then immediately retracted the agreement when he saw that there was a number on the back of the picture.  He was concerned that it was actually worth something and that he wasn't selling it for enough.  He said it was no longer for sale until he was able to research it further and make sure it wasn't an expensive picture.  We left our name and number with him in case he changed in mind.  We left the garage and I was in tears.  I proceeded to cry all. the. way. home.  It surprised me because I didn't realize how much I wanted it until after he told us we could no longer have it!  I saw so angry and so disappointed!  Well . . . he called us about an hour later saying that he found the picture online for 30-some dollars and that he was now okay with selling it to us for $35.  My Mom went out and got it and then surprised me by giving it to me today!  I thought she was going to keep it in her house and that someday I would inherit that one.  It was a pleasant surprise to receive it as a gift so soon!!  I can't wait to hang it up in my house!

Dad and Grandpa relaxing outside 

Hope loves playing with this tee and jump rope.  She is definitely my creative player!!

Samuel was trying to catch the ball with his butterfly net!

Mother's Day 2012.  I am SO incredibly blessed!

Me and my littlest girl.  Why does time go by so quickly?!

I absolutely love this picture.  It's definitely going in a frame!

I love how the blue hat brings out her blue eyes!

"Grandma!  Are you in there?"

My little Children's Place model :)

Aliyah "helping" me cut up strawberries

My Grandpa and Grandma Bishop.  It was a joy sharing Mother's Day with them.

I had a wonderful day!  I am blessed with a wonderful husband, beautiful kids, and a godly Mother who has set a great example for me!

Hope and Mommy

Tonight I had the rare privilege to spend some one-on-one time with Hope.  I took her to see the HPA (Homeschool Performing Arts) Kids show - Cinderella!!  It was a perfect show to take it her to because it was  only 35 minutes long from start to finish.  The kids that performed were all between the ages of 8 and 12.  Hope loved the singing and the dancing.  She would bob her head and rock back and forth to the beat whenever the music would start.  After the clock struck midnight and Cinderella ran off the stage, down the stairs, and through a side door, Prince Charming was frantically asking people to help him find her.  Hope shouts (rather loudly), "She went over there!" (pointing to the side door).  She couldn't understand why in the world he didn't see that!!  Then a few minutes later, Cinderella was saying, "There's no hope . . . " and Hope loudly proclaims, "But I'm Hope!"  Such a sweetheart!!  I love that girl and the way she thinks. :)
At the end of the show, Hope was still looking for Cinderella (b/c Cinderella didn't have her "princess dress" back on again after she ran out the side door) and waiting for her to come through the side door.  It was so special for me to have that time with just her and to have some good Mommy/Daughter time.  We both really enjoyed it and had a great time together! :)

Hope wanted a pretty necklace just like Mommy :)

John Ball Zoo

We made it to John Ball Zoo before the admission goes up to regular season rates.  It was the last day of pre-season rates and the whole state of Michigan was there, but we made it!  The parking lot was full of cars and school buses and people were literally flocking towards the entrance when we got there.  We weren't sure how it was going to go and if the kids would even be able to see any animals but it went surprising well.  It didn't feel like a lot of people were there and we saw everything that we wanted to see.  We just took our time and didn't rush.  It's amazing how much more fun and relaxing it is when you go at the kids' pace and not our pace!

Here are some highlights from our day:

• The chimpanzees were very entertaining today.  They were chasing a squirrel around their cage until it went up a tiny little tree.  Then all the chimpanzees circled the tree and were throwing up their arms and shouting "hooo! hooo!"  That poor squirrel!  He took a running leap and ran for a much bigger tree.  He made it there safely but the chimpanzees were in hot pursuit.  The chimpanzees lost interest after the squirrel made it safely to the big tree . . . but there was one chimpanzee that could not give it up.  He was still "yelling" at the squirrel and throwing his hands up in the air long after the other chimps had gone back to sleeping and picking bugs out of each other's fur.  He then started throwing sticks at the squirrel.  And then it got really good.  He'd reach around by his butt, poop out a little bit of poop, and then chuck it at the squirrel.  Not kidding.  He was totally throwing his poop.  The kids were fascinated and disgusted all at the same time.  After he threw the poop, he'd lick his hands and reach around to his butt, catch his poop again, throw the poop, lick fingers, and repeat.
• The lion stood up and moved.  That's the most I've ever seen the lion move when we've been at John Ball Zoo.  The kids saw it.  Super fun.
• We were eating lunch on the platform above the spider monkey cage.  Aliyah's banana rolled off her plate and slipped through the bars just so and landed in the water inside of the cage.  I'm not kidding.  It was a total accident - promise!  As soon as the banana dropped the monkeys all came running towards it.  Since it was in the water it took a really brave monkey to wade in and grab the banana.  Then he ran for all he was worth away from the other monkeys while stuffing the banana in his mouth.  It was pretty entertaining.  But actually I'm just really glad that we didn't get kicked out of the zoo for feeding the animals!
• We saw a cute little porcupine with really bad BO.  Who knew porcupines stunk so badly?
• The river otter was a definite highlight for the kids.  They enjoyed "chasing" it as it alternated swimming in the water and running on the land.
• The bobcat, snow leopard, and cougar were all bumps on a log.  We actually couldn't even see the bobcat.  It was hiding really well.  But yet, Aliyah talks about the "bob. cat." constantly and she says it was her favorite animal at the zoo.  I think she just likes saying the word!!
• The grizzly bear and the black bear were up and moving around.  One was pacing back and forth and would occassionally stop and look at my kids as if it was thinking, "Hmmm.  Those little kids look so yummy.  I wonder how I can get a taste of them . . . "  And then it would begin pacing again.  Kind of freaky.  I actually felt bad for the bears until I heard that they were in the zoo because they were becoming "pest bears" - bears that were not afraid of humans (one from Yellowstone and one from Alaska) - and they needed to get out of the wild because they were not afraid of humans anymore.  Then my thoughts turned to, "serves them right, put them in bear jail for life!" ;)
• The penguins were awesome!  They were really active and swimming all over the place.  The kids had a blast watching them.  They would even follow Hope's finger around as she dragged it around on the glass under the water.  Samuel loved chasing the "polky dotty" (polka-dotted) penguin around as it swam.
• The petting zoo was not my favorite.  Aliyah didn't like it either.  Hope was pretty indifferent towards it.  Samuel enjoyed brushing the goats with the brushes that were provided for the kids to use.  We didn't stay in there long because the pig was getting mad at the goats and causing quite a ruckus so the zookeeper asked everyone to leave so that they could switch the animals out.  Good idea!  That pig needed a time out!
• Aliyah absolutely hated the person in a bunny costume.  Totally. Freaked. Her. Out.  The first time we saw the bunny she burst into tears immediately.  After that she kept asking, "Bunny?  Gone?  Bunny?  Go?"  I kept assuring her that the bunny went the other way and that she was going to be just fine.  About 30 minutes later we were sitting at a table and waiting for the ice cream that my Mom was treating everyone to.  I got up for a quick second to grab another chair from an empty table.  Of course, the bunny choose this very moment to walk right by my sweet Aliyah.  I heard an ear-piercing shriek and I look to see Aliyah scrambling off of her chair, falling/sliding under the table, and then crawling/stumbling towards me with big huge loud cries.  Samuel kept trying to reassure her that it was just a person dressed up to look like a bunny but that made no difference to my sweet 21 month old!  Samuel said at the supper table tonight, "I think next time we need to find another zoo without a pretend bunny!"
• Hope took everything in.  She was incredibly observant of the animals and of the other people around her - asking loud questions about everything.  Love that girl.  Unfortunately, she was not incredibly observant of the curb in front of her as she was running to the playground after we were done inside of the zoo.  She never even saw the curb and her face plant into the grass made that a proven fact.

Snot Queen

Enough Said.

The Bossy Duck

Samuel (as I was pulling the van into the driveway): "Home Sweet Home!"
- He told me that he learned that phrase from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I don't doubt it.  He loves that show.



Me (in a super stern voice): "Samuel, you are being very bossy to your sisters right now and I want it to stop."
Samuel (with a smile and a little laugh): "Like the bossy duck!" (He fed the ducks with my Mom the other day and one of the ducks that they fed earned the title of bossy duck because of how bossed the other ducks around.)
Me (trying not to smile): "And did you like the bossy duck?"
Samuel (laughing harder): "Yeah!!"

Okay, never mind.  Forget that lesson.  But it did lighten the mood and stop him from bossing around his little sisters!

What happens at Grandma's house . . .

Stays at Grandma's house!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

When I wash Hope's hair, I'll often do it in the kitchen sink.  It's easier than doing it in the bath tub.  Hope likes to "torture" her babies in the same way that I "torture" her.  I love watching her play!