Aventures with a Blue Marker

This is what happens when I leave a two year old with a blue marker for a few seconds unattended. As soon as she saw me she burst into tears, knowing she was in trouble! I didn't even scold her, I just went for the camera! She was doing a good enough job of being repentant. At least I have already learned me lesson with permanent markers; this one was WASHABLE!! April 27, 2008.

Toad in a Box

Joshua Toad and his mischievous grin! April 26, 2008.

Bean in a Box

On Sabbath we got out the foam letter blocks and made a few boxes out of the squares. Then Josh got the idea to put them on his head, and of course, his little sister's head, too! She thought it was so funny, she laughed and crawled around bumping into things. April 26, 2008.

Emmy Playing Outside

Emmy is really enjoying the playing out in the green grass too! She loves to ride her tricycle and even drives the gator pretty well now. She still occasionally runs into the car, but she's learning how to steer it where she wants to go! April 21, 2008

Josh Playing Outside

The grass is getting green now and the kids are really enjoying all the outdoor fun after the long long winter! Josh was rediscovering the joys of running through the grass in his bare feet! And the second picture was of him on top of the play house/slide thing in the yard and wondering how he was going to get back down! He has grown up so much in his mind in the past six months, really understanding and grasping many things that he didn't before his surgery. He takes life more seriously, and appreciates certain things more. These pictures were taken the day before we drove back down to Grand Rapids for his six month post-surgery check up (actually it has been 7 months now). The checkup went well; his blood pressures were even in all 4 limbs (before the surgery he had high blood pressure in his arms and very low bp in his legs.) and had another echocardiogram done which showed a nice open aorta without much scarring and no indication of further problems, so we won't have to go back for another 2 years!!! Yea! Praise the Lord! We were also referred to a pediatric enterologist (sp?) for further testing on his vocal chords. His cardiologist was fairly certain that his voice change is from damage to his vocal nerve, which has caused permanent paralysis to one side of his vocal chords. Usually there are no complications to this other than the breathy voice, but sometimes the paralyzed side can sag and cause choking, and sometimes the scar tissue can cause tightening which can lead to a feeling of not being able to breathe. So these will be things that we watch for. I watched a video taken of Joshua last year at this time singing "Jesus Loves Me", and the difference in his voice was overwhelming. I'm sad to see that go, but I know that I would much rather have a healthy boy than a singing boy any day! And to be living in an age where surgical repairs of any kind that give him a full future is a blessing indeed! April 21, 2008

Pizza on Fridays

Usually on Friday nights we head across town and have pizza and salad and juice over at Grandma and Grandpa J's house. This time we got to play outside too for a change! Grandpa took the girls for a wagon ride and Josh took off his shoes and socks and played in the mud. The food was great, and everyone had fun! April 18, 2008.

Sunshine!

It was such a nice sunny day! Wehung clothes up on the line, had a picnic lunch, and laid a blanket out for an afternoon siesta. April 18, 2008.

What happens to a Gallon of Milk...

When you leave it in the back of your car for a week! I discovered my mistake when I was cleaning out the car on Friday morning, THANKFULLY it wasn't left in there another day, I'm sure it would have exploded all over the back of my car in the warm 74 degree weather we had that day! So I took it out to the compost bin and held the lid open just enough for Colby to shoot it with his pellet gun, but the jub was swollen so tight it shot him back at about 3 1/2 feet away! As you can see, he wasn't too thrilled and had to change his clothes before doing anything else! April 18, 2008.

Some pictures of Elayna

Some pictures that I took of Elayna last week. The first one shows her blonde curls above her ears pretty well! The next three were taken when I tried on a swimsuit to see if it would fit this summer. Elayna thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen! She was bouncing around the couch and hamming it up and we were all laughing! April 14, 2008.

My Husband and I

Love each other so much!!! 6 1/2 years of marriage as of this past Monday! April 12, 2008.

April Snow Showers bring May Flowers?

This is how the world looked this morning, April 12, 2008.

A Colorful Spring Day

This is just a fun colorful outfit to brighten up everyone's day that I put on Elayna on a cold rainy day! April 9, 2008.

A Two-Year-Old and Spaghetti

All I can say is thank heavens for bibs and washcloths and running water in the bath tub. April 8, 2008.

Elayna's Curls

In case you haven't been able to see this in the previous pictures, Elayna really does have curly hair! Eleven months old, taken April 7, 2008.

Dirt Crawler

We were all so thankful for the warm weather and the bare ground! Even Elayna wanted some freedom outside! April 3, 2008.

Sicky Little Emmy

Emmy was the only one this year to get the flu. She was down for two days feeling pretty yucky. This was taken on the second day when her fever was at its highest. April 2, 2008.

Tucker-Roo-Roo-Rooo

Tucker is a shorter, compact little dog with legs made of springs. He can jump straight up over the tailgate on Colby's truck, and he can easily jump over most fences. We had to get really creative to pen him in and keep him there. Here's a shot of him playing with Colby. March 29, 2008.

Sunshine, Fresh Air, and Joyful Freedom!

Yes, there was still a lot of snow on the ground, but the roads were clear, and the sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky. So Sabbath afternoon we got out Joshua's big tricycle and took the little tricycle out of the house, bundled up the kids, stuck Elayna in her backpack and took a little walk over to Bill and Rose's house. Joshua pedaled his trike the whole way there and back, but Emmy had to park hers by the side of the road partway there and ride on Daddy's shoulders the rest of the way. Joshua's legs were going just as fast as they could! It was wholesome joyful abandon in the form of a little boy, and just watching him made me feel like I was flying, too. March 29, 2008.

The Girls Getting Ready for Church

I know in just a few years the routine for getting ready for church will drastically change. The girls will pick out their own clothes and fight over bathroom space to do their own hair. But for now I really do enjoy getting their little baby girl selves dressed up for church on Sabbath mornings! March 29, 2008.

Naughty Bean!

What is it with little crawlers and dog food?! Check out the little mischievous smile as she crawls away from the destruction! March 28, 2008.

Poor Twert!

Even Twert gets cabin fever sometimes! March 27, 2008.

The Monster Truck Collection

One day when his sisters were asleep and he didn't have to worry about his trucks disappearing he got them all out and lined them up in the kitchen before having races and doing some crashing. He had a great time! March 27, 2008.

Elayna in Her Pink Dress

We were trying on her Easter dress to make sure it would fit her on Sabbath! March 19, 2008.

Take a Picture of ME!!

Josh had been taking some pictures with the camera and wanted his turn to smile for a picture! March 18, 2008.

The Mud Truck

Even Colby was getting anxious to get his toys out of the garage after the long winter! He drove the old Explorer up onto the drift in front of our house. This drift was the last "natural" one to completely melt. March 17, 2008.

Gator in the Snow

It snowed and snowed this winter. And in between the snows, it never fully melted off. We went for three full months without seeing the ground at our house. Occassionally, though, the sun would melt the top layer, then it would freeze hard at night. So one day Colby decided to get out the gator and see if it would drive on top of the snow. It did stay on top, but couldn't get any traction, so he drove in some siding screws into the tires for the "studded snow tire" effect. That worked fine as long as the snow was still hard and frozen. But as soon as it started getting rotten and packy it just picked it all up and made four big snowballs around the gator. But for this day, the kids were THRILLED!! March 16, 2008.

2 Kids ~ 1 Tricycle

This is what happens when you have two little kids stuck in the house all winter, and only one tricycle to ride in circles around and around and around the kitchen table. Usually they take turns, but now and then we have to learn to cooperate! March 15, 2008.

The Bean Pod

Just about every night this winter Elayna wore this sleep sack to bed, and since we call her Bean, this became the bean-pod. She learned how to crawl in it, stand, climb, sit in the highchair, and anything else she wanted to do. March 12, 2008.

Josh's Pinkeye

All three of the kids had pinkeye, but Josh's eyes were the worst. His pinkeye drained into his sinuses and infected them as well. One of his eyes was nearly swollen shut one morning, and this picture was taken when he was well on the way to recovery! March 12, 2008.

Piano Players

The kids enjoyed playing the piano while recovering from pink eye. March 11, 2008.