Stats for Sam and Nolan

Sam and Nolan both had well-child check-ups today (3 years for Sam, 15 months for Nolan). I wanted to do them together, so I had to wait until after Sam's birthday, which is why Nolan is almost a month late...he'll be 16 months old tomorrow.

I think today's appointment was one of those God things. When I scheduled these appointments, I had no way of knowing this was the last day we'd have insurance through Bill's former job. Tomorrow, we join the ranks of the uninsured (but I still don't want nationalized health care!!!). I am waiting to hear from the state if the boys will be placed on MiChild or Medicaid, and to see if I qualify for anything. Bill will probably wind up doing an individual policy through one of the agents at my work. It is surprisingly inexpensive. I will go on the policy with him if I don't qualify for state assistance.

Anyway, back to the appointment. Sam weighs in at 37 pounds (90th percentile) and 38 inches tall (63rd percentile). He's still a very solid kid, but is slowly losing his chubby look. He seems so much taller to me lately!

The nurse and I decided to weigh Nolan with his wet diaper on. The verdict? 20 pounds, 4 oz! We got the all-clear to turn his car seat around! His weight puts him in the 3rd percentile. Height-wise, he's still lagging behind at 28.5 inches (that's the 0.8th percentile). His head is gigantic, which I have said all along...71st percentile! Maybe that means he'll be a genius someday.

The doctor also helped us out by giving us some prescriptions that are affordable today, but will be pricey tomorrow. We're all set for a couple months now! Please keep praying that Bill lands a job soon!!

Cran-Hill, Part Two

The boys loved camping. I could have done with a little less rain...of the 8 days we were there (Sunday to Sunday), only Monday stayed totally dry. This meant that by Saturday, the ground was totally saturated, so when we had an extremely heavy downpour first thing in the morning, we got some major flooding. Nothing important got wet, except for my camera. That's what happens when you fall in a fire pit (it was completely filled with water, so I didn't see it). I didn't get hurt, but the camera won't ever be the same. Sigh.

Here's a bunch of pictures. There are even more on my Facebook page, so check them out!


This is Sam not riding a pony. He chickened out on us! TJ, however, loves ponies and rode them on two separate occasions.

We already have our lots reserved for next year. I'm hoping it will be warm and sunny!

Sam's 3rd Birthday

Sam's birthday party at the campground was nice. He really doesn't care to be the center of attention (he shook his head while we sang "Happy Birthday"), but he was still excited to open his presents and eat his cake, which Eric and Kristi kindly picked up at Meijer on their way through Big Rapids. My grandparents also drove up for the day, and joined the rest of us already camping. And yes, it rained a bit on Thursday, but at least the sun was out by dinnertime.

Sam's presents primarily had an outdoor theme: we got him a chair, binoculars, a bucket, a shovel...you get the idea. He loves being outside, so we thought it was the perfect theme. My mom gave him a scooter and two packages of Lightning McQueen underwear (we are being optimistic here!). Sam's favorite gift was the $5 flashlight my mom picked up for him at the Barn Store (TJ, Clark, and Suzy also each got one). That figures...the spur-of-the-moment gift is his favorite.

A few things I want to remember

On Monday night, Sam, my mom, and I were walking back towards our camp sites. Sam was sloooowly eating raspberry sherbet in a cone (What a mess! I think he is still stained red!). He looks up at me and says, "Am I having fun?"

Tuesday morning, Sam wandered in our trailer and found Bill busy shaving. Sam asked, "Whatcha doin', Daddy?" Bill told him that he was shaving. Sam said, "Oh! Is that your shaving iron?"

Most of you know that Nolan will eat anything that isn't moving (except strawberries). People will ask me, "Can Nolan eat this?", and I usually respond with "Nolan will eat anything. He's a machine." This morning, TJ was sharing his cereal with Nolan and a piece fell on the floor (we're camping...it's still edible). TJ said, "Nolan, you can eat that. You are a machinery baby."

Today is the big day. Sam's third birthday! I asked Sam if he was excited to open his presents. He replied, "I don't want presents. Just cake." Typical!

Cran-Hill, Part One

It's Tuesday of camping week. I came back to Grand Rapids this morning and worked half a day. I'm working all day tomorrow. For some reason, when Bill and I determined this was the best course of action (since I do not get paid vacation, and he is currently unemployed), I did not think this would be a big deal. However, now that I am sitting home alone, I am bored silly and missing my boys.

So, I thought I'd post a few pictures. The boys are having so much fun! Yesterday, TJ and Clark went swimming with Uncle John in Hillview Lake. Notice Uncle John is not wearing his bathing suit! He was convinced the boys wouldn't actually want to go in the water, so he decided not to change. He got his shorts a bit wet.

Sam, as usual, refused to swim. However, he was SUPER brave and put his hands and a toe in the water.

Nolan has been sleeping through the night, even in the camper. I am very grateful for this (as is Bill, who is in charge of him all night tonight!). Nolan wants to walk everywhere, but still refuses to let go. Here he is in his cage (throw him Cheerios or a cracker, and he remains tame!):

And doing some walking:

In Honor of Sam...

Sam will turn 3 on Thursday. He is having his party at Cran-Hill, since we are camping there all week. Look for pictures after our return.

I can't believe he is already turning three! My pregnancy with Sam was by far my least favorite. I think I puked through the first half, and cried through the second half. I was so swollen I was numb from the knees down. I had placenta previa and had lots of extra ultrasounds due to that (they got sooo boring!). I was sure he'd never arrive. But he did come one week early, and labor and delivery was a piece of cake, compared to his brothers.

Sam is my Sunshine. His smile makes me smile. His laugh makes me laugh. I am so grateful to God and for modern medicine that allowed me to give birth to this wonderful child!

Here's my trip down memory lane:
Shortly after birth, Sunday July 23, 2006:


At the cottage 3 days later (yes, I was crazy!):


My two sweet boys, TJ (age 2 1/2 and Sam, about 2 weeks old):


Happy Birthday, Sam!

The Cottage

It was Steve and Cindy's turn to have the cottage on Lake Michigan this week. We joined them Monday through Wednesday. The weather was beautiful, the water fairly warm (although only TJ swam), and the boys had a blast! Nolan woke up scared the first night, as he had no idea where he was, but allowed me to comfort him and went right back down. He slept through the night the second night!

We walked the pier, ate S'mores on the beach, played in the sand, and posed for the usual family photos. Thank you, Milo and Abby, for another amazing visit!


The fishermen were telling us that the fish weren't really biting the morning we were out there. While we were standing there, three of them caught fish! The one below was so excited, he offered to let TJ put his perch in the bucket. TJ wasn't quite brave enough, but he did pet the fish.


Sam was particularly drawn to the weather gadgets on the side of the DeVries' home. He told everyone he saw all about the 'wind indicators'. He's pointing them out:

Bell Concerts

My older two boys love bells. Particularly church bells. Every Sunday at 9:00 a.m., TJ is in the storage room off of the balcony at church, helping the custodian ring the bell. TJ and Sam watch YouTube endlessly. Did you know there are a gazillion videos of random church bells ringing? I get bored after about a minute, but not my boys! Even after I turn the computer off, they walk around the house, swinging their arms, saying, "Bong! Bong! Bong!" Honestly, sometimes I want to put my hands over my ears and yell, "Stop the insanity!"

I blame this on Bill. I blame all of their weird traits on Bill. Wouldn't you?

Anyway, during the summer, Grand Valley offers free carillon concerts on Sunday nights. If you want to go to the downtown campus, those concerts are Wednesdays at noon. Last year, Bill took TJ to two concerts. This year, he has taken both boys to the past two Sunday concerts, and intends to attend a few more. He said last week, the boys were transfixed for the first 20 minutes. I guess passersby were smiling at them...they were so focused in on the bells and the music. Bill said TJ was a bit more wiggly tonight, but they still lasted an hour.

In early August, the boys will have the opportunity to tour the top of the carillon. I wonder if they will ever come back down. Bill used to play the carillon when we were in college, and took me up there once. Anyway, I hope he gets to a play a little for them.

I sent him with the camera....He got some good shots.

Puka Sitting, Part 2

Much to my boys' delight, Puka the puppy came to stay with us for four days while her family was up north. Puka was a very good girl, and other than a few rogue holes in the front lawn, behaved herself quite nicely. Sam must have told me forty times that "Puka is a nice dog." TJ was dreading tonight, because she went home, and I couldn't say for sure when she was coming back. I think TJ would like the Lakes to go on vacation more often.

Nolan also likes Puka, as long as they aren't one-on-one. I attempted to take a picture of the two of them together, and Puka (in all of her puppy exuberance) bounced Nolan flat on his back. Nolan did not appreciate that! Hence, I am in the picture with the two of them.

Here's Nolan, checking out the situation in Puka's kennel:


Me, Nolan, and Puka!

Wee People Picnics

One of the boys' favorite things about summer is our Wee People Picnics. Cookie, the children's director at church, invites all children ages 0-3 (plus their siblings and parents) to her home three times during the summer for a picnic lunch. Cookie lives on 70 acres and has horses, cows, chickens, pheasants, a pond, a paddle boat, an island...the place is any kid's dream. She sets out finger foods and just lets the kids set the pace.

Wednesday was the second picnic of the summer. Our entertainment this week was watching Cookie's daughter attempt to catch an escaped calf. The water was a bit cool for swimming, but TJ still went on a paddle boat ride and was involved in a pretty intense water gun fight. Sam played with his ever-present squirt bottle and threw sand at people who got too close with their water guns. Nolan kept me on my toes up on the deck. He figured out pretty quickly that he could pull himself up to the table with all of the food, and could reach the banana bread! He loves banana bread, and managed to consume a rather alarming amount.

It's hard to believe there's only one picnic left this summer!

Strange children

My children are strange. I know most of you agree, and figured you would find these pictures highly amusing.

According to Sam, TJ did this. It's probably a fire hazard, but Bill thought it was awesome.


Note: There is a rule that says you can only have one pair of shoes by the back door. I am the only person who follows this rule!

Sam isn't much better. He likes to come in my bathroom after I'm through the shower. He always asks for my round brush. He doesn't want to style his hair. No, that would make sense. Instead, he uses it to 'clean' the shower. He thinks the brush is a squeegee, I guess.

Bad week

Have you ever noticed that when one thing goes wrong, everything seems to?

I'm sure many of you know by now that Bill lost his job on Wednesday. I've experienced a wide-range of emotions, but am doing my best to leave this one in God's hands. He has taken care of us so far, and I am convinced He will continue to do so.

Over the weekend, a long-time friend and former neighbor lost his battle with cancer. We rejoice that he is in heaven, but still have heavy hearts for his grieving boys and grandchildren.

Then tonight, my cat Aria suddenly died. She would've been 9 at the end of the month, so she was not an old cat. I got her when she was eight weeks old. When we moved into our new house, we left her at my mom's. She wasn't crazy about the kids, and she loved the quiet at my mom's. Plus, she was allowed to sit on the deck for hours on end, which she loved to do. I had every intention of moving her here someday...it just hadn't happened yet.

My mom called just as we were sitting down to dinner. She was in tears. She had found Aria on the deck. Her back legs seemed paralyzed and she was vomiting. My mom couldn't do anything for her. They found an emergency vet, and were going to rush her in...most likely to be put down. Of course, I wanted to go along, so my parents drove down here to pick me up.

Aria never made it to the vet. She died in our driveway. TJ cried just as hard as my mom and I did. My mom also got pretty badly bitten...Aria was out of her head at the end.

I don't know if she had a stroke, or if some bees or wasps got her. She was very allergic to stings, and after the last wasp got her, Bill and I didn't think she'd survive another sting. (Edited to add: My mom called the vet, and was told it was likely a certain type of blood clot that cats are susceptible to. It's a very painful way to die. My poor baby.)

I feel like I let her down, somehow. She was a very sweet cat.