Grand Rapids Weekend

Jim is on his last day of a 3.5 day weekend!! It was so nice to have him around - the boys got to spend some quality time with their daddy. Jim was actually in an adventure race on Saturday and since the race was near Grand Rapids, we decided to head down to his parents and stay for the weekend. Friday a bunch of family came over for pizza and were able to see the boys, some who were meeting Caleb for the very first time. We had a great time and wish that we were able to see them more often. Saturday Jim did his adventure race in the morning/afternoon while I saw my good friend Angie and Jim's cousin Jenna who finally got to meet Caleb! Then in the evening we were able to escape while the grandparents watched the kids and hang out with some friends from college (who also ran the race). We had a great time and hit up a brewery that we have not been to yet - good times remembering the good times from the college days. Then on Sunday the boys both slept until 8am and we just hung out and had dinner with Jim's grandparents and parents and then headed home. It was nice to have Jim around the entire weekend!! The BEAUTIFUL quilt that grandma made for Caleb!!! Caleb smiling at Aunt Lisa Aunt Sandy and Aunt Lisa Grandma and Ethan having fun! Aunt Mari and Caleb rocking :) Dani and Ethan had lots of fun together - especially outside! Caleb playing in his new quilt! Jenna meets Caleb!! Ethan and grandpa playing! Caleb and Grandpa Jastifer! Caleb and great-grandma Jousma:)

Grandma Comes!

Last weekend Jim was in Texas for a conference so my mom came down to help me with the boys an to celebrate her birthday! We had a great time as always! Thanks mom - love you!

Fall is in the air!!

This past weekend Uncle Mark, myself and the boys (dad was in TX at a conference) went to Gull Meadows to pick out pumpkins, eat yummy doughnuts, drink hot cider and play in "pumpkin lane" where they have fun slides, trains, corn mazes and all sorts of fun things for the kids. This year I was able to talk Ethan into riding the train which is pulled by a tractor. At first he was not so sure, I had to walk next to him, but it did not take long for him to fins out that it was more fun than scary. We had a fun time despite the cold weather!!

See...not so sure at first, but I promise you that he loved it by the end just like a knew he would!

5 months old!

Our little Caleb is five months old already and time seems to be flying by! He is definitely a mama's boy and LOVES his big brother (he loves his daddy too!!) If I need Caleb to stop crying, I just stick Ethan in front of him and he starts to giggle right away - so cute! He loves sitting up in his bumbo seat now, he can roll over and he is eating some applesauce, avocados, and even some banana, which is gulps right down! He is a great eater. He is sleeping well , getting up once maybe twice to eat and go right back down. He always has to be where the action is and is never happy in one spot for a long period of time unless he is in mama's arms. He is getting lots of hair, his eyes are dark and I have found out that he HATES flashes on cameras and is just like his dad and closes his eyes in a lot of the pictures that I take:) He is our Caleb and we love him!!

Last weekend grandma and grandpa Jastifer and Aunt Keri came down for a visit. We had a nice dinner and it was great to catch up! Thanks for coming! Grandma and Ethan checking out the blanket she made him before he was born - he goes nowhere with out it!!Aunt Keri and Caleb :-)

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa

Happy birthday grandpa Biener (10/3) and grandma Sowerwine (10/7) we hope that you had a great day!! Love you!

Ethan reading to Caleb

Bear Love

Ethan is very attached to his bear (and blanket!) and it looks like someone else is getting attached to it too!:-)

September Pics

There were too many to choose from...

"Time to Snuggle with Caleb on mama's bed."

This is what Ethan said to me today and he climbed into our bed with Caleb and covered them both in his blanket. It was the cutest thing ever!!

Ethan takes good care of his brother!

Mom and her boys!

I usually am the one taking the pictures so I do not get in them too often, but I love this one of the boys and I - I sure do LOVE being a mom!! Oh yeah....what do you think of my new glasses?

To my wonderful husband....

Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching the boys TWO nights in a row for me while I did my girl thing! I know that it was stressful with one screaming and the other wanting your attention and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! A mom just needs to get out every once in awhile- you are an awesome husband and father!!! Love you!

Renovations

Jim and I (okay mostly Jim) have done a lot of renovations to this house since we have moved in. This summer we did the landscaping in the backyard, tiled the kitchen, and finished the basement. It is now all complete and Jim did a great job! We had a lot of help from Jim's cousin with the kitchen and most of the basement, and Jim just finished up the painting and trim. I finally have all the toys downstairs and Ethan loves his new playroom and so does mom! No more toys in the living room (well there are some, just not as many now)!

Thanks Jim, you made a wife very happy!

Here are some before and after pictures:

The basement before (not our stuff-previous owners)....

.... and the basement after!

Here is the kitchen before......and after! Bye-bye 1960's red brick!

Reunion

Yesterday we had our great friends from high school out for a BBQ - it was a blast! We all have kids (including our friend Beth who now lives in TX who we missed dearly) born in the last 3 three year or so. Three of them were born in the last 7 months and the other three range from 1-almost 3 years old. We just talked and caught up, it was the perfect birthday present for me:) Thanks for coming out guys!

The boys: Cole (4 months- 2 days older than Caleb), Caleb (4 months), Henry (7 months)