The Alles'

Cabin Fever

2012-01-15T12:50:00.006-05:00

Well, we haven't had the coldest winter, but it still feels like cabin fever sometimes. Here are some things that we have been keeping busy with..besides preparing for our new arrival!!
Katelyn played dress up one day, and this is what she came up with...don't know why the picture is cut off.
We also played golf in January. Daddy also played golf on January 11 this year!

Steve and I had an awesome date night in December. We were given tickets to Cirque de Noel by my parents to celebrate our anniversary. Before the show we went out for dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse downtown. Delicious! I told Steve to take a pregnant shot of me because I haven't been documenting my belly like I did with Katelyn..and I kind of regret it.
We went to Holland for the ice sculpture festival. It was very cool. We ate supper with all the Hollanders at 5 pm at 8th Street Grill, took Katelyn to the potty like four times, then had to change a huge poop in her pull up before leaving for home. Good times---we made it home by 7 pm.

Here is Katelyn in a fort she made at Grandma Roedema's house. She has been making tents and forts all over our house.

Daddy took Katelyn outside in her new sled. They made snowballs and snow angels, but the snow wasn't good for creating Frosty.

Piano

2012-01-15T12:49:00.003-05:00

This was my Christmas present for years to come. Steve surprised me with this beautiful digital piano right before Christmas. I had no idea! It brought tears to my eyes. Having a piano in our home has been a dream of mine for awhile now. The love of music and playing the piano is dear to me--although I have a lot to relearn about playing. I hope Katelyn will love to play the piano too. My mom saved most of our piano books and I have looked through it to start my own music collection. It has been so relaxing to sit down and play--it really helps with a variety of emotions.

POTTY BREAK!

2012-01-15T12:44:00.003-05:00

We have been trying to potty train Katelyn. She has been doing okay. She really is proud of her big girl underwear, but we have to use pull-ups or diapers for naps, nighttime, and anytime she wants to poop. She also is going through a stage where she will just run around naked, or we will find her in bed completely naked. Definitely keeps things interesting around here.

Christmas with Family

2012-01-15T12:23:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Roedema side with a brunch and appetizers in the evening. Grandma had all the kids put a candle in the Christmas cupcake to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus--because that is what Christmas is all about.
The picture is a little blurry--but this was the present Katelyn had been asking for--a Dora guitar.
In a pretty Christmas dress, opening up her Christmas stocking...
We celebrated with the Alles side on Christmas Eve. Katelyn kept asking, "is it my turn yet?" in reference to opening presents.
Christmas day was a nice morning of church, big breakfast, and spending time with the three of us at home. We all took long naps too.

We are so blessed with beautiful families and nice things. But most of all, the gift of Jesus in our lives.

Christmas Fun

2011-12-19T15:11:00.005-05:00

This was our second year going to "Breakfast with Santa" at Thousand Oaks. Grandpa and Grandma Alles had just returned from Florida and came along this year. It was fun making crafts, decorating gingerbread houses, giving Frosty and Rudolph high-fives, and riding in the carriage. No picture with santa this year--too scared.

This is just a picture of Katelyn in her big girl undies. We were playing the music from the Nutcracker ballet and she was dancing by the Christmas tree for us.
We always love the Meijer Gardens at Christmastime. They have the trees decorated from around the world and the model trains which Katelyn loves. The weather was so mild that we even walked outside at the gardens.

This is a picture of the Roedema cousins on Christmas night. Grandma gave them each a santa hat to wear.
Of course, with all the Christmas fun, some little ones just aren't cut out for the busyness and need to take a quick nap in the car.

Babymoon!!

2011-12-01T15:30:00.006-05:00

Steve and I went to beautiful Siesta Key on a five day vacation--without Katelyn. We missed her, but needed some adult time to focus on our marriage and each other before baby boy enters our lives. We didn't take many pictures..but I still wanted to write about our time together. We enjoyed beautiful weather, walks on the beach, bike rides, and going out to eat every day. We rented a convertible which was awesome! Some of the highlights of our time include:

On one of our cooler days touring the winter home of Edison and Ford located in Ft. Myers--driving with our top down to Ft. Myers, Sanibel/Captiva, and Naples. We got into the Edison Estates free with our Meijer Gardens membership. It was very interesting. We took the audio tour. On Sanibel, we ate at Cheeburger Cheeburger--Steve says it was the best burger he's ever had. It was good! We enjoyed the shells on the beach and also were in awe at the homes on Captiva. Naples was also fun. We walked the city pier and then went to PF Changs for dinner. Then, we shopped together at the Miromar outlets in Ft Myers. A long day, but we had a great time!

For Steve, it was a much needed break from work---and to enjoy some drinks on the beach. And nice for me to have rest time before starting my new teaching job at Calvin. I was given the okay by my doctor to "live a little" and cheat on my diabetes diet. We ate out at Tommy Bahama and Dry Dock--two of our favorites. We also had big breakfast quite a bit--usually after sleeping in! One night, we went to St. Armands Circle to the Starbucks for coffee. Together, we narrowed down to 2 names to name our baby boy.

On a cloudy morning we toured the Ringling Mansion in Sarasota. It was spectacular! The Ringlings were once the richest couple in the WORLD--all from the circus! They held fabulous parties at the mansion during prohibition--and never had any children. It was so interesting.

Many thanks to grandparents who took very good care of our little girl when we were away.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T15:16:00.007-05:00

Katelyn has been at the child development center located in the new YMCA while I worked 2 days a week with the Calvin nursing students. She will contine to attend one day a week so she has some structure in her routine. It was an adjustment for all of us, but she has done well there. Daddy went to her "thanksgiving feast" and she was so happy that he came to eat with her.

We went to our church on Thanksgiving. I put Katelyn's hair in curlers.

Dad and Mom Roedema has us over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was delicious as always. We got a nice picture of them with the grandkids and a shot of the siblings--all three sisters pregnant and B putting up with us all.

Allergies......

2011-12-01T15:16:00.004-05:00

Katelyn was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy along with many environmental allergies this November and we came home with an epi-pen and inhalers for her to use. Pretty overwhelming, but good to have some answers and a plan. We will reassess her allergy situation before she attends Kindergarten.

We decided it was time for a specialist after she broke out in hives around her mouth from cashews. She has had some ongoing issues with rashes, eczema, and did have a major scare at 13 months with a reaction--but the blood work was "negative" for allergies. We were very impressed with the allergy office that we took her to. She had the scratch testing done on her back--it was a 3.5 hour appointment and I am so glad Steve and I went together to help her and each other through it. Steve was encouraged to get testing done and has benefited from his consultation--discovering that he has many environmental allergies too.

Here is the picture of her back after the testing---our poor baby.

She did well. We struggled at first with her accepting the use of the inhaler--which she calls "ducky" because of the mask that covers her nose and mouth. But, we have a system down, and she does fine taking it before bed now. It seems like she was always coughing at night this fall, and now we know that she had some asthma. With the inhaler, she sleeps better at night because she doesn't cough anymore.

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-01T15:14:00.000-05:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

It's A BOY!

2011-10-24T15:34:00.003-04:00

The day we found out the gender of our second baby was a Friday. A friend from church told me a fun idea about having cakes made for the purpose of revealing the baby's gender. I picked out 3 cakes—one for our little family Friday, one for Saturday, and one for Sunday. Steve, Katelyn, and I went to Holland for dinner at the brewery and then to Kollen park. It was a beautiful day in the 70s. After Katelyn played for awhile, we found a quiet park bench and cut into our cake. Steve video taped it and I cut the cake. To all of our surprise, the cake was BLUE! It’s a baby boy-and a baby brother for Katelyn. What a fun day. After the park we went to Tip Toes to look for a special boy present. Steve found a blue onesie that said “Chick magnet” on it. Katelyn got to pick out a necklace. We finished the night off with a coffee from JPs.

A picture of the cake prior to the surprise inside!

As you can see, the cake was destroyed, but very delicious.

Saturday, we had all the Roedemas over at our house for a harvest party/Brian’s birthday. We had Dad and Mom Roedema cut the cake. Mom said that she knew it would be a boy after I told her that the baby kicked me so hard that it took my breath away a few weeks ago. She also told us later that she had been praying specifically for God to give us a boy which is really special to us.

Sunday, we went to the Alles house for a birthday celebration for Mom Alles and Josh. No one could wait until after dinner, so we had Dad and Mom Alles cut into the cake. It was fun to see everyone’s reaction to the color of the cake!

Fridge

2011-10-24T15:16:00.003-04:00

Daddy still likes to put her up on the fridge...Check out her long legs!!

Mad about not getting a cookie......

2011-10-24T15:14:00.001-04:00

New Swingset

2011-10-20T16:47:00.004-04:00

We were thrilled to find a great playset at Meijer on clearance at the end of the summer. Steve put a lot of work into preparing the land and assembling the set. We even had some trees cut down to make a nice place for it. It will be so nice to have for years to come. Thanks Daddy for all your hard work!
Katelyn liked to watch Daddy on the "woader"

Katelyn got to help Daddy put down the "carpet"

The finished set--I picked up the baby swing from the rustic market for $3.00!

Her favorite part of the set is the glider...and she likes to go "way high"

Fall fun

2011-10-20T16:23:00.002-04:00

We had the Roedema's over to our house for a harvest party. We went to the Lenhart's farm in Dorr for a hayride and to see all the animals. It was 80 degrees!

One Sunday afternoon after the church picnic the three of us went to Meijer gardens for a walk. They have all the beautiful pumpkins and mums displayed. We had Katelyn sit on what she calls a "daddy-sized pumpkin".

Exciting News!

2011-09-14T12:56:00.002-04:00

We are expecting our second baby blessing in 2012. February 22, 2012 is the exact due date. We are so excited and thankful for another pregnancy after a long journey with infertility. We hope to find out the sex of the baby in a few weeks at our 20 week ultrasound so stay tuned!

New Bike

2011-09-13T20:14:00.001-04:00

Petoskey trip

2011-09-09T13:07:00.007-04:00

We didn't have any plans for Labor Day weekend this year, so we thought it would be fun to take a family trip up north. We found a great deal on a condo right next to Petoskey State Park. It had plenty of space for us, and we were impressed with the amenities. The ride up was easy because Katelyn took her afternoon nap, and we also let her watch cailou and curious george dvds.
Dad and Mom Alles were also vacationing up north, so we met them in Bay Harbor at Knot just a Bar for supper on Friday night. We walked through the marina and looked at all the big boats.
Saturday morning was very rainy. We went to Harbor Springs for breakfast at Turkeys. It was really good. We couldn't enjoy the sidewalk sales because of the rain, but Katelyn wasn't acting herself, so we went home to put her down for a nap. When she woke up, she was hot and irritable. I drove to Walgreens for a thermometer and her temp was 103.6. We had plans to watch the first Michigan game with Dad and Mom at our condo, but we decided it was best not to get together. We treated Katelyn with Motrin and tylenol and she seemed better, with no temperature Sunday morning.

We wanted to go to Mackinac Island, but thought it would be best not to push it. We did enjoy a nice drive to the bridge and stopped at a park/beach in St. Ignace. Katelyn really liked throwing the rocks into the water. There was a craft fair going on and we also wathced the ferry boats leave the dock. Katelyn fell asleep on the way home, so we took the Tunnel of Trees back so she could sleep longer. We planned to go out for dinner and maybe go mini golfing that night, but when Katelyn woke up her fever was 104 and she was miserable again. We made the quick decision to pack up and head home that night. Katelyn was a trooper in the car, even after our dvd player started smoking and she couldn't watch videos anymore. Once again, a crazy vacation, but we loved spending quality time together.

Big Girl Bed

2011-09-09T13:06:00.004-04:00

The nursery is now closed and will open again in February, 2012! Katelyn has taken well to her new room and new bed. Thanks to my wonderful husband, we have a special yellow room called the sunshine room. I picked out cute bedding from pottery barn called daisy garden. I think I will put some flower decals on the walls eventually. Steve was putting together a cheap0 bookshelf from Walmart one evening. All the pieces of wood were all in a heap and Katelyn says to Steve, "Daddy, it's beautiful!". The transition was pretty easy--she doesn't try to get out because the bed is so high up. We keep reminding her that the crib is now for the new baby and that she is too big for her crib..as seen in this first picture....

Sleeping soundly in her new bed--except backwards.

Camping in Holland

2011-09-09T12:56:00.006-04:00

Steve and I wanted to take Katelyn camping this summer and decided to stay close to home in Holland. We had a nice site in the Lake Macatawa campground. Uncle Wes loaned us his pop-up trailer at the last minute because Dad's had some maintenance issues.

We had beautiful weather. We enjoyed the short bike ride to the state park. We walked on the pier and showed Katelyn "Big Red". We watched boats go through the channel. We went on the swing at the beach. I didn't do a lot of camp cooking--we went out to the Windmill for breakfast and got some cinamon rolls from DeBoer bakery. We also enjoyed a dune dog and Fricano's pizza. We walked downtown on Friday night and Katelyn played in the splash pad.

Katelyn got a special hat at the hot dog stand

She loves to swing

Checking out the boats

Here comes the pizza!!!

The splash pad

Saturday was stormy, but we spent time at the outlets, the mall play area, and Barnes andNoble. We had lunch at a favorite, China Inn North.

Saturday was also our 6 year wedding anniversary. We decided to eat at Ottawa Beach Inn and had just started our salads when Katelyn threw up all over herself and the table. We rushed out of there and she got sick a few more times. Dad and Mom came to help us pull the trailer back because our hitch wouldn't carry both the bike rack and the trailer. I called the pediatrician because I had a feeling the vomiting was related to constipation. Once home, Katelyn pooped and said "I feel better now, mama". We hopefully won't have to deal with that problem in the future with daily doses of Miralaax. I am glad we decided to stay close to home! We still made good memories and enjoyed spending time together as a family.

Crystal Mountain 2011

2011-09-09T12:51:00.005-04:00

We spent a whole week up at Crystal Mountain resort with the entire Roedema family. We had nice weather and very nice places to stay. Steve worked in the Traverse City office for the first part of the week, and was able to come back and vacation in the evening. We enjoyed the pool, going to the kid's pool, feeding the trout, riding the chairlift, visiting Frankfort beach, watching the tall ship come through the channel, hiking the Empire bluff trail, golfing, playing games at night with good laughs, and eating good food! It was busy with all the little kids, but it was great to be together for an extended period of time. Thanks Dad and Mom for a great time and great memories!

Dad and Mom at Frankfort beach with all the grandkids.

Our last morning we captured a family picture of the three of us and of the entire clan:

Here we are on top of the mountain after taking the chairlift. Katelyn got her face painted and there was live music. Fun!

We hiked the Empire Bluff Trail and the end result was so beautiful!

Bathing Beauty

We fed the trout everyday

Tigers Game-Adults Only!

2011-08-03T14:14:00.004-04:00

We had a great time at the Tigers vs. White Sox game--even though the Tigers lost. We were worried about extreme heat, but our seats in the upper deck gave us shade by the second inning. Uncle Wes loaned us his 15 passenger van so it was fun to all ride together. Thanks Dad and Mom for treating us to the ball game!

Highlight of the day for the guys was getting their picture taken with the Fox girls. Brian bought a beer from them and he and Dad got a picture with them. It's true..I just didn't want to take part in getting a picture on my camera. Here is B with the woman in his life now....

It was Negro League day and the first 10,000 fans got a hat. Here are Mom and Dad staying cool--but not looking cool in their new hats.

Father's Day

2011-06-29T15:32:00.003-04:00

We had a nice time Father's Day weekend. We celebrated with the Alles Family with a pizza party and with the Roedema Family with a Sunday dinner. We love our Dads and I am so thankful for my husband for the wonderful Dad that he is to Katelyn.

I tried to get a Father's Day pic before church, but someone was a little crabby.

Grandpa "WOO-HOO" with all the grandkids on Father's Day

Tubes

2011-06-29T15:29:00.002-04:00

After frequent ear infections, we were referred to an ENT who recommended ear tube placement for Katelyn. The procecure lasted less than 10 minutes and her doctor was very kind and attentive. Katelyn did very well, and didn't even cry at the hospital. She was so proud of her special bed--and Little Einsteins was on the TV, so she was all set. The nurse gave her hospital labels to put on her babies and also let her pick out a new stuffed animal which helped to distract her. I think Mom and Dad were more nervous than we needed to be. Her tubes will be in about 1.5 years, so hopefullly this winter the trips to the doctor are decreased. Since having the surgery--and getting rid of the left over fluid in her ears, Katelyn has been speaking much clearer and is no longer tilting her head to the side to even out her equilibrium.

Grand Haven

2011-06-29T14:55:00.012-04:00

Our kick off to summer was a camping trip to Grand Haven. It was mostly Grandma, the grandkids, and the girls--but the dads came on the weekend. We had pretty good weather. Some of the things we did were: ride bikes on the boardwalk, get pronto pups, go to the park, go to the farmer's market, browse Goodwill, go out for breakfast and dinner, play with cousins in the sand, ride the trolley,eat ice cream, and watch boats.

When Steve came out for the weekend, we took a hike at Rosy Mound Nature Center. It has a lot of steps because you have to go through the woods and over the dune to get to the lake. It is a beautiful place.
The first night, Grandpa and Grandma showed Katelyn how to walk on the rocks by the pier. She is sporting her new Hope College sweatshirt.

Grandma and Katelyn on the beach.....

Both Levi and Katelyn wanted to sit by Grandma on the trolley.

Ice cream time!

Steve and Dad staying away from the chaos inside the trailer...

One look at the chaos inside the trailer....

Katelyn liked ringing the Coast Guard bell.

Puzzles with Grandma

And, if you get bored camping...you can just sit around and pick your nose.

Summer activities...

2011-06-20T14:20:00.007-04:00

Summer is finally here! Here are a few things that we have been up to so far.....

Katelyn has been a good helper for me when I watched Alexa for Aunt Kris. I would take them for bike rides together if the weather was nice. Alexa just turned one at the end of May, and we had fun at her birthday party. Katelyn and Levi needed to have a candle to blow out before we could all have our cupcakes....

Blandford Nature Center is a few blocks away from my parents house..and where we would go on Sundays for walks in the woods. It is a really neat place. The trails are nice in the summer and in the winter. There is a boardwalk over a pond where we look for turtles and frogs. There are cages with injured animals/animals that could not survive in the wild outside that you can observe. It is mostly birds, but they have a bobcat now. Inside the building there is a "hospital" with owls. I took Katelyn there for the first time, and she loved it!

She went up and down and around this tree about 20 times..

Here she comes!

She didn't want to stop very long for me to take her picture. She stopped to look here because they had just fed the big birds a rat or mouse, and she was looking at a bird with a tail hanging out of its mouth...yuck!

We had a fun family day out for breakfast, and then to John Ball Zoo.....

The neighbor girl has a "bubble mower" so Katelyn wanted one too. I got it on sale and we had to use it inside for a couple days until the weather was warmer.

Mother's Day

2011-05-19T18:30:00.010-04:00

Mother's Day was very fun! After church we went to Panera Bread for lunch. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to go out to Tulip Time. Steve spoiled me and let me putz around the whole day. It was a great family time together--and that is all I wanted. We went to Kinderplaats--a children's carnival. Katelyn played some of the games..but was a little young for most of the rides. She liked the petting zoo. We enjoyed looking at all the colorful tulips. There was an art fair in Centennial Park. I got an iced coffee and we taught Katelyn how to do the windmill dance like the dutch dancers. After visiting tulip time, I did some shopping at the outlet mall and got a delfts plate from the dutch store. Then we ended the day at Tunnel Park! We sat by Lake Michigan for the first time of the summer. It was a perfect day, and I enjoyed every minute with our little family!

Cutest dutch girl ever!

Steve and Katelyn took the plunge. Katelyn didn't have time to be scared.

Katelyn was scared of this game--but she took the candy prize anyways.

Mommy and daughter time

Our tulips

2011-05-19T18:22:00.003-04:00

On the nice days, we play outside. It has been fun to watch all of our plants come out this spring. Katelyn and I have been watching the progress of the tulips we planted. They are so pretty! I push her around the yard in the wagon and she helps me with the yard work.

Easter

2011-05-16T18:39:00.004-04:00

Wow, these pictures are small....Anyways, we had a busy day with both families celebrating Easter. Katelyn was all about the egg hunt this year. She had me hiding eggs around the house for that whole week afterwards.

Here are all the kids at Grandpa and Grandma Roedema's house opening their Easter basket.

My mom put out "Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit" and the kids loved it.

Katelyn liked finding the eggs with the coins in them at Grandpa and Grandma Alles house.

Here is the only shot I could get of her in her pretty Easter outfit. I even curled her hair with a curling iron for the first time that morning.

Fun things to do.....

2011-05-15T21:08:00.006-04:00

We have been keeping ourselves busy around here. Steve and I just finished a furniture renovation project. I didn't take before and after pics, but lets just say we really like our "new" furniture. We painted our old furniture a nice cream color, and changed out the hardware. Here are my two fav people posing with our new purchase. We have great plans to take our bikes on trails for the weekends--and maybe camping a few times. We have already taken her to the park in town in it. Katelyn loves it!

It seemed like warmer weather was NEVER going to come, so I bought some paints as an evening activity. Katelyn was concentrating so hard. Her first painting was so brilliant that I matted it in an old frame and put it in our living room. (Thanks for the idea Nate Berkus).

Here is another activity that Katelyn enjoys...I don't enjoy having all my clothes torn off the hangers when I am in the shower though.

And, when the day is done...she sleeps so nice. She has only successfully escaped her crib twice. Hopefully she'll sleep for us a little while longer in there.

Bath time

2011-05-15T20:42:00.004-04:00

Bathtime is so much fun. The other night I got some cute shots of Katelyn playing in the tub.

Here, she is talking to her turtles..lining them up, and them making them swim.

Katelyn is not even close to being potty trained, but she does go pee and poop on the potty. She told me she had to pee on the potty after her bath, so I wrapped her up and set her on the big girl potty.

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-06T14:31:00.005-04:00

We had a fabulous time visiting Grandpa and Grandma in Siesta Key. The weather was gorgeous, and even though Katelyn was diagnosed with an ear infection/sore throat the day before we left, she did fine. She took good naps and slept well every night. This first picture is of Katelyn watching a curious george dvd. We borrowed a portable dvd player and as you can see, Katelyn was glued to it---AWESOME for the plane. We were delayed flying out of GR because the plane was being de-iced. Our flight home was better--and Katelyn took naps both ways. We spent most of our time at the beach. We took bike rides and walks to the Siesta Key Village. We went to the park by the beach. Mom and I went shopping to the outlets and to Ross, Marshalls, Home Goods, etc. I finally found a bathing suit I liked and bought it. We browsed in Books-a-Million on a rainy night. Steve and Dad played golf one day. Steve and I enjoyed a couple "date nights" away. We had delicious food and drinks and a great time together. One night Steve and I went into the village after we put Katelyn to bed. We found a bar serving Oberon--very tasty. I finished two books. We watched the season opener of the Tigers game and a lot of college bball. Sounds relaxing, and it was. We didn't have a care in the world. This picture was taken at St. Armand's Circle. We were waiting for a breakfast table to open up. Dad and Katelyn were throwing rocks to pass the time. Before breakfast, we walked the bridge that takes you to St. Armands/Longboat Key.

Katelyn and I would take walks outside around the house. I don't even know what these things are..but they fell off the palm trees. She would hoard them and I would help her collect them in the butterfly net. When it was time to go in she said, "okay, see you in the morning pumpkins".

She also liked to look for "lizzies". She would take the orange "pumpkin" and say "Here Lizzy, come and get it!"

The beach was beautiful. Katelyn was a little scared of the big waves. She went in with Daddy. She was a Daddy's girl this trip. We had fun looking for shells and sand dollars. Steve tried to build a sandcastle for Katelyn, but she would destroy everything he made.

We took a walk to the marina in Sarasota to see this huge boat. I guess there is an art gallery inside and they were having private parties on board.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for having us down to your house! We miss you and the warm weather already and can't wait to come back again!

SPRING!

2011-04-05T16:31:00.006-04:00

It has been a long winter...and we welcomed some warmer weather by going to the Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies. We went with Brittany, Brady, and Hudson from church.

Here is the look Katelyn gave me after I turned off my hair dryer and stepped out of the bathroom to see crackers everywhere. This was a sign that we needed to have some outdoor activities to occupy our time.

I also took the slide inside for a change of pace. It doesn't go with the decor--but who cares.

The day before St. Patty's day was beautiful. I took Katelyn to Whistlestop park for a couple hours. She and I both loved it!

Birthday continued...

2011-03-11T19:08:00.005-05:00

What 2 year old doesn't like Elmo?? We had an Elmo party at Grandpa and Grandma Roedema's house on Katelyn's birthday. I thought about making Elmo cupcakes, but Sam's Club made 30 for 12.99....They were delicious!

Things can get pretty hectic at dinnertime with all the little ones--but it is always fun.

Doesn't Steve look great in his birthday hat?

Me and my birthday girl

Grandma and Maci Jean

Katelyn sitting on her birthday chair opening her Elmo card.
Levi was right there on all the action--so cute.

We got a few birthday girl pics...she wasn't sure at first, but then warmed up!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

2011-03-11T18:45:00.002-05:00

Our little girl is two already! We love her so much and she was pretty spoiled for her birthday. The birthday celebration began the week before at Grandpa and Grandma Alles' house. We had a birthday breakfast for Katelyn and Aunt Krissy. Brandt and Katelyn enjoyed playing with the balloons.

Here is a picture of Katelyn modeling her new raincoat. We have already used it once!

Great Grandma Windemuller gave Katelyn a cute polo dress and a toddler backpack. Here she is showing them off....

Great Grandma Alles gave Katelyn some nesting dolls brought home by some friends from Russia. She loves getting to the tiny baby at the end.

The three of us went out to BW3 for supper to celebrate her birthday on Friday night. We like it because it is kid friendly, and of course the wings are awesome. Katelyn loves the balloons and the kids treat bag there. She also got a free kids meal and ice cream.

Almost 2!

2011-02-24T15:24:00.004-05:00

The other day I came across some 2-3 year old developmental guidelines. I wanted her to ace her 2 year well exam, so I started checking off all the things she can do. One of them was recognizing genders. I have been asking Katelyn if she is a boy or a girl and she'll say, "boy mama" and laugh. Another one had something to do with emotions. So we've been practicing different "faces" of emotions.

Happy

Sad

Excited/Surprised

Katelyn had her 2 year well exam today. She was so cute. I prepped her before the appointment, explaining that the doctor would listen to her heart, check her ears, and say "Aaaah". I then told her that if she did that and was nice, the doctor would give her a bracelet.

So, in the middle of the exam she said to the doctor, "all done, bracelet now". As far as the growth curve... she is 25% for weight-25 pounds. She is 70% for height. And, done with shots for awhile. She didn't even cry with her shot today! She is getting to be such a big girl.

some pics to get caught up....

2011-02-24T15:07:00.004-05:00

Lets see...what have we been up to all winter. Katelyn likes to play in our new storage ottoman. She empties all the toys and sits in there to watch Cailou and Einsteins. "watch Einey in the new bench" she'll say. She loves books right now. She loves her bath. She gives daddy a hard time when he is home alone with her...and she'll cry for DA DA at night because she loves to play with him when he comes home from work.

Steve has been crazy busy at work and he just enjoyed a much needed break on a golf trip with his dad and bros in Florida. While he was gone Katelyn and I did some fun things with friends and family. Mom and Dad Roedema took us on a ride out to Grand Haven to see the frozen lake. There was a beautiful sunset. We ate at the Clover Bar for pizza and ran into our cousins and Uncle Wes. On the way home we got a candy bar to eat on the road---the whole evening was very reminiscent of a treasured childhood tradition.

Here's Katelyn with Roxy. She likes to pet her soft ears and give her a bone to chew on. Doesn't Roxy look thrilled to have Katelyn around?

We got a little bored with Steve gone. I decided to give a 2 year old a pedicure. I only had to do the paint twice. She looks ready for the beach!

Marla really likes Clover Bar pizza!

Some Christmas pics

2011-01-10T21:40:00.006-05:00

I love to make butter cookie cutouts at Christmas. Katelyn helped me this year. Next year we will be wearing aprons! She liked to cut out the shapes.

Our first party of the year was with the Roedemas. It was a full day and we were glad to spend time with everyone. I think we got a pretty good shot of all of us! We all look rosy thanks to Steve's "Frostbite" martini we all had.

We had to get a picture of "the girls"

Uncle Keith and Aunt Kris got Katelyn this huge art set. Did you notice that it has 1500 pieces? Yeah, we'll be getting our use out of that!

Grandpa expressively showing Katelyn her new puzzle.

Grandma giving Katelyn some new stamps.

We spent Christmas with the Alles family. We had brunch and relaxed! It was nice to have Great-Grandma Alles there to celebrate with us too. Daddy and Grandpa took Katelyn sledding down the icy driveway--and she loved it.

Katelyn helped Uncle Josh and Aunt Krissy open their present--a ceiling fan for their new house. The girls took a tour in the afternoon and it is a very nice place!

The three of us had a nice family day on Christmas Eve. We were able to attend the candlelight service at church which was meaningful. We ordered pizza and Katelyn ate a whole piece! After pizza we exchanged gifts with our little family. It was really special to spend the time creating memories with our family.

Daddy loved spending his vacation time with Katelyn--and she was Daddy's girl. They went sledding together in our yard and Steve taught her how to make her first snow angel.

Here is our little angel all tuckered out from the Christmas activities.

Getting ready for Christmas

2010-12-16T11:49:00.004-05:00

Katelyn has been loving the "Christmas Countdown" calendar we bought for 2.99 at Target. Each day after lunch or supper she gets to open the window and there is a small chocolate inside.

Here she is in her festive Christmas dress which made her ornery because the fabric was too itchy.

Two reindeers together. Katelyn had fun helping me take care of "Lexa" for the day.

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-11T14:46:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday the three of us went to Thousand Oaks for "Breakfast with Santa". We brought a gift for the kids at the St. John's home--so Katelyn ate free. The breakfast buffet was good! Katelyn didn't eat much because she was so distracted by Rudolph and Frosty. She loved them! She didn't cry with Santa, but she also wasn't thrilled to be on his lap either. After breakfast we went into the big banquet hall and they had stations set up. At the first one, Katelyn made reindeer food-(oats and glitter). Next, she colored with Daddy. They also had the movie Rudolph playing for the kids to watch. We were able to go on a carriage ride too. It was cold, but fun! After the carriage ride we warmed up inside with some hot chocolate. It was a fun family time together.

Yellow Balloon

2010-12-11T14:43:00.001-05:00

Last night we went to BW3 for dinner. It is a surprisingly kid friendly place to eat. I think Katelyn said "yellow balloon" about 100 times. She was so excited that she had to hold the balloon while I was trying to get her ready for bed. I told her to "pose" in front of the Christmas tree--so cute!

Marker Madness

2010-12-11T14:28:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when you leave a almost 2 year old alone for under a minute with markers. Luckily they were washable!

Siesta Key

2010-12-11T14:09:00.009-05:00

We just returned from a great vacation to Siesta Key. We stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Alles and we had a lot of fun once the airplane travel was done. :)
Here is the best family shot of the week--not going to make the Christmas card this year!

Katleyn absolutely loved the beach. We had been preparing her for what she would see and wear to the beach. She loved to wear her "beach shoes". It was a little bit too cold for swimming in a bathing suit though.

The Siesta Key village had a Christmas tree in the gazebo. Katelyn is pointing at the santa claus on a surf board.

We took lots of walks together on the beach.

Here is Katelyn dressed up for Aunt Nancy's birthday party. She got the dress from great-grandma Alles for her 1st birthday.

On a cooler morning, we drove to Myakka River State Park. There was a short hike to a canopy bridge which was cool. We also went on the "bird watching" boardwalk where some people had their scope on a bald eagle. Katelyn played at a park in a picnic area where there were signs warning pet owners to keep their pets close by due to alligator attacks. Yikes!

Having fun in the bath tub...

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for having us over to your Florida house!

Katelyn visits Daddy at Windemuller

2010-12-11T14:03:00.002-05:00

Silhouette

2010-11-28T21:23:00.004-05:00

Who is that cute little girl? Last weekend Grandpa and Grandma Roedema took Katelyn overnight. My mom took her to Snapdragon where an artist captured Katelyn's silhouette. It is a special and thoughtful gift that will be treasured.
The next day, Grandpa and Grandma took cousin Levi and Katelyn downtown to see the santa claus parade. It was nice for Steve and I to be together and sleep in! We used the gift card given to us for our five year anniversary to go out to dinner on Friday night. We had an awesome meal at Reds on the River in Rockford. We even had a special chocolate mousse with a candle on it with our coffee. I think we sat there for 2 hours enjoying each other and the good food! It was wonderful!

Family day

2010-11-28T21:04:00.005-05:00

We went to see the reindeer at Meijer Gardens on Saturday. The gardens are decorated with Christmas lights and all the trees from around the world. It is so beautiful in there. Our favorite was the railway garden. Katelyn was in awe. We thought it was pretty cool too. We went out to Logan's for dinner and then took a ride to see some Christmas lights in our new truck. Katelyn yells "Lights! Oh wow!"

We told Katelyn to act like she was praying for this picture to get her to sit still--it worked. Doesn't she look like a perfect little Christmas angel?

Had to get a shot by the Dutch tree.

Katelyn sitting in Santa's sleigh.

My Two Favorite People

2010-11-28T20:38:00.004-05:00

We had a fun weekend. Thanksgiving was at our house this year. I made my first turkey--and after getting over "cleaning" the parts of the bird, it was pretty easy. It was nice to spend time with my two favorite people.. Together, we decorated our tree. Katelyn helped by putting on the pine cone ornaments and the bows. So far every morning she has said "Wow, Christmas tree!" She loves playing with our nativity scene and says "Baby Jesus". She also has a new friend, the stuffed snowman who we named "Frosty".

We also worked on potty training with Katelyn. I have had the potty seat for awhile now-so we thought we would try her. She peed and pooped a couple times! We were so excited. It will be a work in progress, but she seemed to catch on pretty fast.

A few pics

2010-11-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

Katelyn loves to climb on our furniture now. I know when I hear "Whee..." when I am standing in the kitchen to go and check out what she is doing. She also got a hold of Steve's razor the other day. I was in the shower, and usually let her roam around upstairs with the gate locked. I got out of the shower to see her "shaving" her face with the razor. Luckily she only had a small mark from it.

Katelyn and Daddy love playing in the basement when the football games are on.

I took these two pictures before church on Sunday. I dressed Katelyn in a new outfit. After it was on she looked at me and said, "I cute".

We also almost had a poopie on the toilet. She told me she had to go, so she sat on the big potty for a few minutes. Nothing happened, so I took her off the toilet and she ran into her room without a diaper on. Minutes later, I saw poop on the carpet by her books. It was pretty funny.

Halloween

2010-11-07T12:44:00.003-05:00

Katelyn was a bumblebee and a lady bug for halloween this year. She did "trunk or treat" at Remembrance Reformed with her cousin Levi. She caught on quickly and loved putting the candy in her plastic pumpkin. Levi was a monster and Alexa was a pug. The grandparents spoiled the kids with lots of treats. Check out Katelyn's face when she sees Grandpa R opening a new truck for the kids to "share".

A beautiful morning at the zoo

2010-10-07T15:06:00.003-04:00

This morning, mom, Er, Kris, me and the kids went to the zoo compliments of a free pass given to me by one of Steve's cousins. It was so nice there! Katelyn was proud of her "meow" pants and coat. We survived about 1.5 hours with all the kiddos. We fed the ducks and that ended when Katelyn picked up a huge chunck of goose poop.

More Meijer Gardens...

2010-09-28T13:37:00.002-04:00

We made Katelyn stand by this creepy boy sculpture made for art prize this year. I think she liked him.

More pictures from the past couple of weeks....

2010-09-28T13:15:00.003-04:00

Katelyn likes to help Mommy make chocolate chip cookies.

When Daddy is watching football, Katelyn likes to share the "tah toos"--someday she will say cracker.

A couple weeks ago I got a nice children's table which matches our big kitchen table at a garage sale for $10.00. I set up a arts/crafts area for Katelyn. The first picture is the look on her face when I asked, "Are you suppossed to use your crayons on the screen door?"

Fun at the farm

2010-09-25T14:02:00.005-04:00

This morning we checked out a farm/corn maze/pumpkin patch in New Salem. I have heard of this place before, but thought it was mainly a haunted maze attraction. We were surprised at how many things there were for little kids to do and how close it was to our house for a change. There was a nice playground and a play house. Daddy helped Katelyn pump the water through the well into a big basin. Katelyn liked to point at all the tractors, but she was scared to sit on one. She loved the "pig" merry-go-round. We went in the farm and saw kittens, doggies, "moos", "baas", goats, bunnies, and horsies. Inside the shed they were making fresh donuts. They had a little corn "sandbox" which was a mess, and of course Katelyn loved it. We had a great time and might even go back tomorrow!

Pure joy

2010-09-20T19:21:00.003-04:00

This morning, mom, Kris, me and the kids went to Meijer Gardens to enjoy the "Color Fall" displays. The mums and pumpkins were out and were so colorful and festive. Kris took this pic of Katelyn emerging from the children's gate. She had to go through at least ten times. I have so many other pictures I want to post, but seem to be having some technical difficulties. We ate lunch at Robinettes and took some delicious donuts home. I am already looking forward to going back!

Go Blue!

2010-09-06T10:42:00.004-04:00

Saturday, we went to the first Michigan football game of the season. The Big House set a record with over 113,000 people in attendance. That is a lot of people! The weather was perfect for a football game. We were all excited that Michigan won. We had a great time with Steve's family and thank Dad and Mom for the great seats we had!

A picture of the girls..one of the best things about the huge crowd was that there wasn't ever a line for the women's bathroom...the guys had to wait for once. :)

Maci Jean Koopmans

2010-08-30T13:45:00.005-04:00

Ryan and Erin welcomed their new baby girl into the world on August 25. We were shocked to have another girl baby on the Roedema side--that makes three in a row! She is perfect and we are so happy for them.

Our first attempt at having all the cousins together...

Lately...

2010-08-30T13:29:00.003-04:00

Katelyn is acting so grown up! She loves to stand on her stool and brush her teeth. She was very good for her new babysitter this weekend too. She loves playing with my makeup, my drawer of "feminine hygiene items" and my "pretties" (necklaces) when I am trying to get ready in the morning. She also knows where Daddy's deoderant is and how to put some on. As you can see, she got into the toilet paper on this day.

This is the only good picture we got of the two of us on our 5 year anniversary getaway. This was taken on Mackinac Island. We had a great time just the two of us! The trip started out in Traverse City on Wednesday. Steve worked and I had all day to go shopping and lay out at the beach. I was almost bored because I didn't know how to act without a toddler around all the time! We had a great dinner and drinks on the Bay and that night Steve gave me beautiful diamond earrings! What a fantastic surprise! Thursday was beautiful weather so we took advantage and spent the day on the island--highlights included going out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, riding our bikes around the island, sipping on Summer Shandy, and enjoying our Starbucks on the ferry with the sunset in the background. Good thing we actually got some exercise, because we ate a lot--oh, I forgot to mention the huge waffle cone I had. The rest of the trip we stayed at Boyne Highlands and enjoyed Petoskey and Harbor Springs. We attempted to golf at Bay Harbor, but deciced to head home on Saturday due to weather and actually the real reason was because we missed our baby!

I love you Steve! Thanks for being my best friend!

First corn on the cob

2010-08-11T10:36:00.003-04:00

Do you think she liked it?

Tigers Game

2010-08-11T10:32:00.003-04:00

Steve and I enjoyed a day of baseball together while Grandpa and Grandma watched Katelyn. The Tigers aren't playing well, but we love going to Comerica Park. We watched two games in one day and it really felt like summertime being at a baseball game. The first game we sat in luxury seats in the shade and Paws came and sat by me to take a break. We ate at Hard Rock Cafe for supper, and then sat in the upperdeck for the night game. It was a great day and a fun date!

Crystal Mountain

2010-08-06T14:09:00.006-04:00

Dad and Mom Roedema treated us to a great vacation up at Crystal Mountain. We always look forward to this trip because of the quality time we get to spend with all of us in one place! With all these kids, it is hard to get everyone in the same place for an extended period of time! Also, it is a beautiful place to visit.

Thursday night we got settled into our condo--this year we had to get two places. Ryan, Er, Levi, Steve, Katelyn, and I shared the condo at the bottom and the rest were at the mountaintop. We jumped in the pool before supper and it was so nice! Katelyn is getting used to the water, but she didn't want to stay in for very long. Katelyn and Levi squealed in delight at each other, and it was pretty noisy in our condo. We stretched Katelyn on her bedtime quite a bit because of course she wanted to keep up with Levi and did not want to miss out on any action.

Friday was a beautiful day. Mom made a HUGE breakfast and after we went to Frankfort to walk the pier and visit the shops. We picked up our "Passport to Fun" tote bag which had some coupons for freebies around the area. We visited Gwen Frostic for some notecards..and Katelyn liked the owls. We also got our free donut and coffee at a bakery in downtown Frankfort. We spent Friday afternoon by the pool. Steve and the guys hit some balls on the range and Mom and I took Katelyn to the waterpark. We were there for 10 minutes and the lifeguard announced that we all had to get out of the water because someone's kid pooped in the pool . Luckily, there was a sandbox that Katelyn enjoyed playing in more than the water. We had a Mexican themed dinner Friday night-and I was in charge of making quesadillas. We kept Katelyn up late for a 7:00pm hayride. It was SLOW--so slow that she fell asleep on Grandpa's lap. Then we enjoyed ice cream for a special treat. What a relaxing day!

Saturday was the golf day for the guys and the spa day for the girls. We all got pedicures and the wonderful part was the use of the jacuzzi, meditation room, sauna, and steam room. We should have taken a picture of us with our fluffy robes. Mine was pepto bismol pink. Saturday afternoon was rainy, so we took a drive to the Cherry Hut in Beulah for our free pie(compliments of the Passport to Fun package). We drove around Crystal Lake admiring the lake and the cottages and really wanted Katelyn to take a nap, but she never did. Sat. night was our traditional steak dinner--and of course, the grillmaster(Steve) came through for us. After dinner, the weather cleared and we took a ride on the Crystal Clipper. There was a concert at the top of the mountain and Katelyn liked the music.

Katelyn sat by Daddy on the chair lift. She wasn't scared and said WHEE! the whole time. She also waved at all the other people on the ride.

Katelyn and Daddy at the top, with one of the condos we stayed at in the background.

Sunday morning Dad and Mom took us out for breakfast, fed the trout at the pond and we packed up to go home. We really wanted to stay a couple more days! On the way home, Steve, Katelyn and I stopped at Rosie's Diner in Rockford. We had good intentions to take Katelyn to the dam and by the river to feed the ducks, but she was exhausted from our busy weekend.

The trout pond feeding frenzy--

All tired out on the trip home:
Some Favorite Family Pictures:

Steve, Katelyn and Alexa

The girls--and maybe one more girl to add to the bunch soon!

We forced the guys to take this picture:

Our little family--with one joyful girl

The whole family

Thanks Dad and Mom for a great weekend with memories that we will cherish for a lifetime!

This is a side note: If you want to keep a 17 month old happy on a two hour car ride. Follow these instructions:

1. Give her Daddy's phone to watch Elmo videos

2. Let monkey drive the car. What's worse, texting while driving, or letting a stuffed monkey take hold of the wheel?

Wedding Day Pictures!

2010-07-12T20:20:00.001-04:00

2010-07-12T20:13:00.001-04:00

Wedding!

2010-07-12T20:10:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Josh and Krissy! It was a beautiful wedding day and a great party. We were happy to be a part of their special day.

Messy food

2010-07-12T20:04:00.003-04:00

She loves spaghetti..I hate to clean it up. I bought these larger bibs from Ikea that are supposed to be for art projects and let her go to town. Mommy and Daddy had fun slurping up the noodles too. :)

Her first Oreo cookie was so good that she ran away to the bottom of the stairs and hid from us so we wouldn't take it away!

Fun with cars

2010-07-12T19:48:00.003-04:00

Katelyn helped me wash the Honda the other day. She had a ball playing with the water and of course she got her clothes all wet, so we stripped her down to her diaper. She also helped me dry. She wouldn't stand still to get her picture taken.

She loves her car from Grandpa and Grandma. We take rides around the yard and look for turtles. birds, and pretty flowers.

Sprinkler Time

2010-06-24T21:09:00.003-04:00

The close up of Katelyn is because she knows to say "cheese" now when she is getting her picture taken. It is cute how she will actually pose for some of the pictures now.

Father's Day Pics

2010-06-24T21:07:00.003-04:00

The Gardens

2010-06-24T21:02:00.003-04:00

My mom has off of work most Thursdays, so we try to do something fun with Grandma. The Meijer gardens has Chihuly on display this summer. It is so cool. I can't wait to go back again!

A Father's Day Prayer

2010-06-19T22:12:00.001-04:00

A Love Letter From Our Heavenly Father

Dear One
You are not here, at this moment in time by some mere coincidence any more than you are on this planet by some random act of fate. I created you and I have a unique purpose for your life that you and only you can fulfill. Many things vie for your attention and affection, but your life is about much more than what you can see with your own eyes or touch with your own hands.
I love you, I love you so much that I sent Jesus to this earth so that you and I could be reconciled. His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you. In Jesus, My love is revealed, and I long for you to know the peace, freedom and forgiveness for which He died. I gave up everything I loved to demonstrate my impassioned love for you. Jesus' death for your life. His rescue is for all who call on Him as Savior, including you.

You may or may not be aware right now that you need to be saved. But beloved, you do. Your dependencies will not last and your securities will fail, but take comfort, because I know what tomorrow holds. I see you and I know your thoughts, fears, concerns and secrets. I know you better than anyone and I love you more than anyone ever could. It's My desire to lavish My love on you. So come to Me...I will give you rest. Come to Me...I will give you peace. Come to Me...I will carry you no matter what your life is or will be. Come to Me...and I will be your constant rescue.
Come to Me by coming to Jesus, who came for you.

Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Colossians 1:16, Psalm 139, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:31-32, Romans 11:33, John 18:3,; 1 John 4:10, 2 Corinthians 4:18, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, John 17:26, John 10:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 3;23, Mark 4:22, Matthew 11:28, John 14:27, 1 John 3;1, Isaiah 53

Letter re-printed with permission;Heritage Christian Church, Westerville, OH 2006 Christmas Celebration, "The Rescue".

First Haircut!

2010-06-05T14:06:00.004-04:00

Katelyn sat good for her first haircut. Her bangs were getting out of control, so we decided it was time. We want her hair to look really pretty for the wedding too! I can't believe how grown up she looks!

Memorial Day

2010-06-03T13:41:00.003-04:00

We had breakfast at Mom and Dad's house on Memorial Day. We drove through wild storms to get to Marge's to pick up the donuts. We picked out special donuts for Katelyn and Levi because it replaced birthday cake for Levi's 2nd birthday. We had a fun time. Levi opened his presents a couple days early. We got the first picture of the cousins together, making sure not to let the older kids attack baby Alexa. We went to the Walker parade and it was hot and humid. Daddy shared a snowcone with Katelyn. Katelyn saw dogs, clowns, and loved the fire trucks.

Looking forward to a wedding

2010-05-29T21:14:00.003-04:00

The big day is getting closer for Josh and Krissy. Today I was treated to a wonderful luncheon shower at Thousand Oaks, given by Krissy's mom and sister. I think this is a nice picture of the future bride and groom: And, Katelyn even has a part in the wedding. She tried on her flowergirl dress with her new friend Natalie (Krissy's niece).

Welcome Alexa Grace Kramer!

2010-05-29T21:08:00.002-04:00

We are so excited for Kristin and Keith on the birth of a healthy baby girl! She is so precious. We had an exciting few days meeting her for the first time.

Summer Days....

2010-05-29T21:05:00.002-04:00

....are spent outside! Katelyn has been in her pool and loves the sprinkler. She had her first popsicle the other day. She also went to the zoo with Grandma, Aunt Erin, and Levi.

Katelyn and Daddy

2010-05-29T21:00:00.002-04:00

Waiting for Daddy to come home from work...

Playing in the yard

Blowing kisses

Up and Down

2010-05-29T20:50:00.002-04:00

The stairs.... I tried curlers one night, and she escaped to the stairs. She is quick.

Hi Mom! Watch me!

Tulip Time

2010-05-06T15:39:00.004-04:00

We had a great time today at Dutch Village. My camera died on me...but here are a couple shots of the day.

April fun

2010-05-06T15:19:00.004-04:00

At the end of April, Steve left on a business trip to Seattle for a few days. Katelyn really wanted to ride along in his suitcase..

We spent the day with Grandpa and Grandma Roedema one day when Daddy was away. We drove out to Countryside Greenhouse. The flowers were beautiful and there were so many of them. I'll have to go back in a few weeks to pick out my hanging baskets.

We drove through the Conference Grounds to check out the new cabins. Grandma and the girls and babies might stay there this summer. It was a beautiful day, so we stopped at Grand Haven State Park for a ride on the swings.

I also checked out a few garage sales. Her Katelyn is showing off her pretty yellow dress..perfect for spring!

O-fish-ally Cute

2010-04-19T20:17:00.003-04:00

Here's Katelyn in her new tshirt from Florida. She is so proud of her new booster seat. When I took it out of the box she climbed in and out of it at least 50 times.....

Easter

2010-04-19T20:11:00.002-04:00

Spring Break in Siesta Key

2010-04-07T20:20:00.012-04:00

We had a great time visiting Grandpa and Grandma Alles at their house in Siesta Key. This was Katelyn's first trip on a plane. We had a nice 2 hour direct flight out of Grand Rapids. I was anxious about how she would do and came prepared with lots of entertainment and snacks. She enjoyed looking through the emergency pamphlets and playing peek-a-boo with the man behind us...and I didn't even have to take out any of the entertainment. Grandpa and Grandma picked us up from the airport and had a car seat, stroller, and crib for us to use which was very convienient.
Katelyn had to try out Daddy's sunglasses at Cheddar's restaurant..our first meal in Florida. We all had the chicken tenders.

We enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking long walks on the beach and many times Katelyn fell asleep in her stroller.

Here we are at the Daquiri Deck enjoying drinks. Katelyn slept in her stroller half the time, and then when she woke up she had to check out all the motorcycles driving by.

We went out to eat, did some shopping, visited with relatives, and mainly just relaxed. Steve and Dad golfed and went to a baseball game. Dad and Mom took care of Katelyn so Steve and I could enjoy dinner out, take bike rides, watch the sunset, and sit out on the beach uninterrupted. :)

We took a family picture before going out on our date night.

One afternoon, we went to see Grandpa Windemuller at his farm. Katelyn loved the horses.

A day in the life...playing on the couch pillows, sitting in her "big girl" booster seat to eat, learning how to walk, bathtime in the sink..and falling asleep by "bumpa"

Katelyn loved the sand and the water. She did well taking naps in the car and slept pretty good for us at night. She continued to practice walking a few steps at a time and loved to say "hi" to anyone who would walk by. One downside to the vacation was taking her to the ER. After breakfast one morning, she began to have redness and hives around her mouth and throat. We quickly gave her benadryl which cleared it up after a short time. We took her to the ER just to be safe and really didn't get any answers about what caused the reaction because she had peanut butter, strawberries, eggs, and sausage. Luckily it was just localized and will be following up with her pediatrician at her 15 month appt.

Waiting for the doctor in the Emergency Room...

The first time we took Katelyn to the beach I was so worried about her getting sunburned, so I didn't put her bathing suit on her. We called her "Casper" because I put so much sunscreen on her face. We had so much fun watching her giggle with delight at the waves.

We created many memories this vacation and were glad to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma at their new house. We are already looking forward to the next time we can visit!

Carousel Ride and Ice Cream on 1st BDay

2010-03-22T15:03:00.002-04:00

Katelyn's Birthday Adventures: Part 2

2010-03-11T08:41:00.004-05:00

I had a great time planning Katelyn's party. I wanted to do a "garden" theme with flowers and butterflies. I probably went a little overboard, but it was fun, and she only turns one once in her life, right? The dollar store has great decorations..and with Easter right around the corner there were many flowery type things out there. I made Katelyn's cake. She picked at the frosting at first, and didn't really smash into it like we thought she would. She even tried "dirt" dessert. She really liked her balloons too. Both sides of the family came over at around 2 pm and stayed until Katelyn looked like she was going to fall asleep..she slept 1 1/2 hours after everyone left. It was a great day!
She was so good at the party, but still seemed a little "off" to me. On Monday she had her 12 month check-up and we found out that she has a double ear infection. Who knew? She is doing well otherwise but hates taking her medicine. Not quite 20 lbs yet--so we'll have to wait to turn the car seat around. I've decided to take it slow with weaning off the bottles until after we come back from Florida. We are ready for a vacation!

Birthday Adventures

2010-03-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

March 5 was Katelyn's 1st birthday. Steve and I enjoyed thinking back on the day she was born, and all the excitement that has followed. We love our little girl so much. For her birthday, we went to Rivertown and Katelyn rode the carousel with Daddy. She loved it and said "neigh" and "wheee". We then had a Dairy Queen treat before supper. Katelyn liked her cone more than the ice cream. We got BW3 to go (it has been a tradition this first year..my birthday, New Years Eve) and ate at home so Katelyn could play with her new toys. We got her a princess tent, tee-ball set, plastic golf clubs, and a couple books. Daddy and I sang to her and she had her first cupcake. This is only part one of the birthday adventure.... our little girl is spoiled rotten!

Just hanging around and Katelyn's first dollar bill

2010-03-08T19:56:00.003-05:00

I LOVE YOU could not be said "A Better Way"

2010-02-10T20:43:00.002-05:00

A Better Way by Downhere
From the album Wide Eyed and Mystified

I'm not alone, I really believe
You never go, You never leave
Here and now, You always stay
“I love you” could not be said a better way

It's everything You've promised
There's no greater love than this
From prophets until today, A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken, You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said a better way

I am forgiven, I clearly see
It's why You came to do all you did for me
Trading earth with heaven, You took my place
“I love you” could not be said a better way

Because You redeem, I know what's to come
Everything I could lose here, You've already won
So You have my surrender, with passion obey
“I love you” could not be said a better way

Miss Independent

2010-02-02T16:34:00.004-05:00

Katelyn is almost 11 months old! She is a busy little girl. She is standing up holding on to furniture, etc. It was so cute the first time I came into her room to see her standing up peering her little face over the crib rail. She has already received her fair share of bruises from trying to be Miss Independent. She also has been holding onto utensils and trying to eat things herself. She loves to read and loves to play with daddy's shoes. She imitates me when I brush my hair. Her hair is almost long enough for two little pigtails. And, she is now brushing her teeth at night. I'll have to get a picture of that for later.

Valentine's Pictures

2010-02-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

These were taken at Target the other day...I love the piano shots. It is our dream to get a piano for our home someday. I would love to play again and also be able to teach Katelyn how to play. She already loves music.

"stooling"

2010-02-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

She thought she could hide.....

Trying to eat a dead fly...

2010-02-01T20:46:00.005-05:00

Katelyn loves to look out the slider door. She also loves sticking her tiny fingers in the track to find dust, crumbs, and yes, dead bugs...

Watch what happens when mom takes away her newly found treasure...aka a dead fly.

Just because...

2010-01-18T13:18:00.000-05:00

Happy 2010

2010-01-06T20:18:00.002-05:00

Our sermon on Sunday reminded us to remember the "big things" Faith, Hope, and Love. A simple way to look at the new year ahead with the joys and challenges that we will face. God is faithful to us and never changes. Knowing Him and the path of our salvation gives us hope in good times and bad. God's love for us encourages us to love others. Our car accident on Christmas reminded us of the frailty of life, of God's grace and love for us, of priorities in life..so many things went through our minds. I know we had angels watching over us that morning. We are so grateful for our health, our jobs, our families, our home, the list could go on and on. I wonder sometimes if I will ever have the words to describe how we love and thank God for our Katelyn. We have had an amazing year with our now 10 month old baby and look forward to watching her grow and develop. Lately she is crawling and pulling up onto furniture. I really have to watch her closely. She chewed up a book and also had a piece of string in her mouth. She discovered that she can pull on the curtains. We have lowered her crib again. She loves food..today she had cantaloupe and ravioli, what a mess! Each day is certainly a gift.

Sledding adventure

2009-12-22T08:50:00.002-05:00

Sunday we had a sledding adventure at our house. It took 10 minutes to get ready to go outside and then we were only outside for 10 minutes because it was too cold. As you can see, our little girl liked her sled. We warmed up afterwards with some hot cocoa!

9 month pics

2009-12-21T20:30:00.003-05:00

Erin helped me take some pictures of Katelyn with her awesome camera. I consider these her "9 month pictures" because I had to cancel our Target session. I think we got a few good shots. Levi was our assistant. It was fun!

Happy girl

2009-12-21T20:23:00.002-05:00

Katelyn is happy these days when she can sit in her rocking chair and read books or eat her num num grahm crackers.

9 months!!!

2009-12-15T12:51:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken last night. I couldn't resist. She sleeps pretty good, but we are still trying to figure out naps. We also have a baby girl who is getting her top two teeth and we have been having some "off" nights lately. Sometimes I think she just wants her parents to read her more stories at midnight and is crying for that and only that. The minute we pick her up out of her crib, she points to her bookcase and says, "oh".

Notice the left eye has a touch of brown? The doctor asked if that ran in our family..I have no idea! We have been dealing with this position for a few weeks now. Katelyn will get up on all fours, then collapse, then whine until we help her. When she does learn to crawl, it will bring forth a new set of challenges...but that's life with a baby I guess! Her checkup was good. We talked about how she pushes her baby food away and only wants finger foods which is okay at this point! I have been scrounging the freezer and cabinets for anything she could eat and also feeding her from our meals. So far, she doesn't like chunks of bananas...but it seems like most of the Roedema women gag on bananas anyways. :) She weighs 18 lbs, 4 oz which is the 40%. She is 80% for height. No shots this time! I have to take her back in next week to get her second H1N1 though. We also have started using the convertible car seat which means no more carrier. She seems to like it, but falls asleep in it all the time which is a problem when out and about. I miss being able to let her sleep in that thing while I shop, but I don't miss how heavy it was getting.

Santa

2009-12-15T12:47:00.002-05:00

We went out to Holland and saw Santa. I thought Katelyn would be scared of him, but she just looked him over. He liked the ears on her fleece.

Snow Day

2009-12-11T19:51:00.002-05:00

What do you do when you are stuck inside with a 9 month old?

You play dress up! I found a sun hat at a consignment shop in Florida and Katelyn wouldn't keep it on for a picture, so I put it on Pooh Bear. You also watch the snowflakes and the trees covered with snow from inside your warm house...

And, you get sick of your mommy trying to take pictures of you, so you don't smile at the camera....

Florida

2009-12-11T19:35:00.003-05:00

Steve and I just returned from Siesta Key, where the weather was not great according to Florida standards, but it was a lot better than what we have here! We left Katelyn in the loving hands of both sets of grandparents, and we really missed her! It was good for us to have some time awaythough. We rented a Mustang convertible and stayed at Steve's parents house a mile from the beach. Our days were spent taking long walks, going out to eat, sleeping in, doing pretty much whatever we wanted! We can't wait to go back with Katelyn for a spring vacation.

The pool. Nice, but too cold this time to swim in. Standing in front of the house:Sunset with my best friend!

Let it Snow

2009-12-03T16:09:00.002-05:00

Katelyn loves when Da Da comes home for lunch. She loves to look at her books. Today, I could tell that she was bored staying home with me.
One night, Katelyn pooped through her diaper, so I wanted to quickly wash her up without having to do the big bath. Well, I misjudged her size and called Steve upstairs to capture the moment.

Today, we had to wear the snowflake sweatshirt from great-grandma. I also found her hat and mittens.

Almost crawling....

I took her for a ride in the basement in her new sled that I found at the thrift store.

What's happening

2009-11-28T17:17:00.003-05:00

Is she getting big or what? We have been having so much fun watching her grow. She is so close now to crawling..so I have been safety proofing the house here and there. We have a new carseat for her, but we haven't tried it out yet. It is so nice to leave her in the carrier when she falls asleep. That thing is heavy though! Katelyn knows how to clap to music and when we sing the song, "Clap your hands, all you people". She is so proud when she claps. We also have tried more finger foods-cheerios, soft veggies, and fruit and she says "Num Num" when she eats. It seems like everyday is an adventure and we both love to hear her say "Da Da" and "Ma Ma".

We'll post more pictures later!