What a Difference

This picture was taken in June of 2013.  Feintsje was just a couple of weeks shy of his second birthday.

Here he is three years later.
I'm waxing nostalgic over here.
Feintsje marches off to full-time kindergarten on Tuesday.
Since he was six weeks old he has spent two or three days a week with me.  Those days are in the past.
Oh, and I shall still have kids here during the week.
Hertsje will be going to morning pre-school three days a week, and she will spend those afternoons with me.  I can't wait!
Feintsje and his siblings will be here for about an hour and a half after school a few days a week, so I shall see them.  But it won't be the same.
Broeder has started daycare full time but I'm hoping to get to see a lot of him, as we still intend to babysit so his parents can go out and do fun things together.
Still, it all feels so different.
Not BAD, just different.

Me and change, we don't get along.

In Memory Of

This statue is in one of the parks in Saugatuck.

I love it.

I've probably posted pictures of it in the past.

If it wasn't that this park is across the street from the public restrooms, I would probably never know it was there.

The statue is compelling no matter the angle.

 Can you tell that the girl is holding a hand puppet?

I just LOVE this!

I especially LOVE the puppet!

Do you know who Burr Tillstrom is?

The dedication notes that he was a famous puppeteer, and a distinguished citizen of Saugatuck.

But do you know who he is?

Burr Tillstrom created those famous puppets, Kukla, Fran, and Ollie.

There.  I taught you something.

I feel accomplished.

If you are looking for something to do I would highly recommend Saugatuck.

Hair, Long Beautiful Hair

THGGM is amazing.  He can French-braid hair!

Here he is doing Famke's hair early Thursday morning.

I could not French-braid hair.  I could never even make a ponytail come out straight.

After Famke's hair was finished, she asked Hertsje if she would like a ponytail.

Hertsje said, "Why of course I would!"

And they both lasted!

Jonge Made The All Star Team!

This season is Jonge's FIRST season playing baseball.  And he has LOVED every minute of it.

 As you can well imagine we are all crazy excited for Jonge!

Sharing

Look who is ALL BETTER and made it to the baseball game last night!  Feintsje!  But, sadly, he shared the germs his oldest brother gave to him with his sister.  That leaves Kado.  Hopefully it will miss him.  It's his birthday on Monday.

On Sunday

So, the temperature reached a balmy 39 degrees on Sunday.  Long cold winters can and do make people go a bit crazy anytime the mercury rises above freezing.  THGGM is no exception.

Manufacturing Spring

 Last Wednesday night I crawled into bed feeling sort of sick.  That lasted about an hour.  After that, "sort of" doesn't even begin to describe it.  Ugh.  By Sunday afternoon I was a bit cabin fever-y, which isn't something that happens to me very often.  I LOVE to stay home!  But, I busted out of here long enough to go to MIchael's where I purchased basket filler and a bouquet of fake Lilies of the Valley.

 Today my handsome helper and I set about removing any reminders of winter and adding little touches of spring.  Feintsje is a good helper, and made sure to smell every candle in the house.  Although I much prefer REAL Lilies of the Valley, the fake ones will just have to do until the real ones arrive.  It's still going to be a loooong time before those enter the scene.

I did try to get a good picture of our handiwork.  But, without a flash it was just too dark, even though the sun was shining.  With the flash, everything looked all washed out.  So, I just HAD to use the sketch effects on my camera.

Today I felt sooo much better that I had Green Bean Spaghetti for dinner.  Have you ever had that?  Just replace spaghetti noodles for green beans.  Add spaghetti sauce, top with mozzarella cheese and throw it in the oven.  THGGM adds Italian sausage to his.  It was so delicious that I had seconds!

Then, about two hours later, I had second thoughts.

A half hour after those second thoughts I was right back where I was Wednesday night.  So, I do highly recommend the Green Bean Spaghetti, just wait a few days longer if you are getting over a case of  the stomach/intestinal flu.

A Little Something Green

 And this is where we shall put our new something green when it is delivered sometime later this week.
And this weekend my vacuum died.  It was very sad, as I love my vacuum very much.  But, I'm hard on them.  So the same kind (Hoover Wind Tunnel) will also be delivered.  Until then, let's just guess how clean it's going to be around here.  Oh!  And speaking of clean!  I went to my first ever Norwex party last week, and my order will also be delivered next week.  I see a lot of cleaning in my future...

Fun Times

 Yesterday was a 'jump up and throw your blanket into the air' kind of day.

 I've no idea what Kado was singing about in the video below.  I had requested that he sing Baa Baa Black Sheep, and at the beginning he is explaining to me why he isn't going to sing that.  It does sound as if the song he does sing is about sausage, but who knows.  It's very difficult to understand someone with a clothes pin hanging off their lower lip.















My sister came by yesterday with her grandson.  These two are second cousins, but if you ask them they are best friends, buddies, and pals.

Sigh...

 Oh, look!  I'm not the only one who likes old doll heads!

Now, I'm NOT the crazy doll head lady or anything, I only have three.

And I would NEVER have this many of anything displayed in such a lovely old secretary, but still.

It's always nice to be in good company.

So that's what I'm doing today, between loads of laundry and dishes.

I'm perusing the magazines I picked up at Barnes and Noble this morning.

So far I'm only looking at the pictures.

Soon I shall get motivated enough to actually move.

I hope.

Maybe not.

It's awfully hot today.

Building Stuff

Play truly is a child's "work".

I'm never happier than to see any one of them take delight in the things they have made.

Thursday Afternoon

Jonge and Famke had afternoon dentist appointments today.  The little boys came to play with me. Or so I thought.  Actually they both took very good naps.  So I spent some time perusing the joys of Pinterest.

I'd like to mention here that the dentist that they go to gives out the coolest toys.  And they get a cookie when they are all done.  Wow.

Today Famke is officially four and a half.  Time.  Where DOES it go?

 Feintsje woke up just before they came back.  We had a little photo-shoot together.  The light wasn't the best.  But he is a very interesting subject and was cooperative.  Maybe I'll have time to post a few of them tomorrow.

Or, maybe tomorrow I'll take 200 MORE pictures of him.  One just never knows.

Then DiL2 came over.  That's grandchild number five in there!  We are all sooo very excited as we should be able to meet her face to face sometime this weekend.  If you are so inclined, please pray for a safe and healthy delivery and baby girl!

Jonge and Famke found a game to play.  I could not tell them how this game works.  My reason for buying it was that I liked the cute little game pieces.  So they made up rules as they went along and pronounced it 'not fun'.

Animal Lotto was more fun.  The mommy had a migraine.  Kado had just gotten up from his more than three hour nap.










So that was my afternoon.  For dinner we had smothered chicken and cauliflower augratin.  And I've been crocheting all evening.

My Dog

Yesterday it snowed about eight inches.  Snow has never been a problem for Zeke.  He plows his own paths with nary a problem.
Today it warmed up a bit.  That was fine with him.  Most of the day he goes in and out.  Famke lets him in and Kado gives him bones.
Now look at his legs in this picture.  What you see on his legs is also covering the underside of him (this picture is after he shook himself a few times).
Remember, he has been in and out a half dozen times at this point.
But this one time he must have forged a new path in the snow.
Due to his color, I didn't notice what had happened until he shook himself really hard and marble and golf ball size snowballs flew off of him and all over the room!  Poor dog, he could not figure out what was happening to him.
Of course, I tried to help him, but since he hadn't a clue what I was trying to do, he would not cooperate with me. The biggest snowballs were stuck under him.  Famke had a great time picking them up off the floor and throwing them into the sink.
It was the strangest thing I have ever seen.
He has been out at least six more times and it hasn't happened again.

Last Sunday Morning

Before we left for our trip Up North, the family all met at Oldest Son and Daughter-in-law's home. They prepared breakfast for us using all locally grown foods. It was WONDERFUL. Such a nice start to vacation!

Jonge had just lost his fourth tooth, so that was a sight to behold also! Four teeth and he is just 5 1/2.

Kado picked some Rosemary in the yard and was having a great time sniffing it.

Of course, no family gathering is complete unless we play 'pass around the baby'. We've been playing this for 5 1/2 years now and we never tire of it.

And it isn't just Famke who is a baby hog.

But, as you can see, Feintsje enjoys gazing at his family.

I thought this picture of Jonge was cool.

Just before we left for breakfast, as we were packing up the car, I was thinking about how everything was going soooo very smoothly. I hadn't had a melt down or anything. Just as I was thinking that, I smelled something 'funny'. Not funny ha-ha, the OTHER kind of funny.

And then the melt down happened.

Zeke (my dog) had a bowel issue. All over the dining room carpet, the rug under the dining room table, and all across the kitchen floor.

Besides the horror of having to clean up the floors, I spent a considerable amount of time hosing off a dog in the backyard.

This WAS NOT in my plans.

So, if you care to view the next dozen or so blog posts of our lovely get-a-way to Traverse City, keep in mind the frantic scrubbing frenzy that happened on our way out the door. It was AWFUL. And be thankful that I don't take pictures of EVERYTHING.

Wonderful Wednesday

Feintsje is an adorably sweet baby boy.

His only sister, Famke, has claimed him as her own. Feintsje seems to like that. Famke is a baby hog (i'm just saying...).

It's quite possible that Jonge was getting tired having me ask him to smile so I could enjoy his toothless grin.

Kado is a very social little boy, except when he has business to transact. Then he finds a solitary place to hide. Today while in his solitary place he was singing Happy Birthday. Even though me and my camera are far from him (love that zoom lens) it's obvious that he could sense the intrusion.

Tonight Kado actually ASKED to hold Feintsje. And he did, and they both enjoyed it very much.

This is the mommy of them all.

Today we made packing tape bracelets and bookmarks. I really get into that. Thankfully, they always seem to enjoy it too. Jonge did find a tiny toad, but on his own he decided that it was in the best interest of the toad that he not add him to his bookmark.

Someday I'm going to have to grow these in my yard.

Someday.

I might.

You don't know.