The Kinney Family

one of those dayzzzz...

2012-02-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

It was a DAY yesterday. Nothing really all that bad, just a cummulative effect of random nonsense I guess. Camden was up a few times in the night, which is strange for him. So it started off with both of us feeling tired. He was generally crabby, seemingly teething. I had planned a yummy crockpot dinner that i was looking forward to, but had to get going early in the morning. Just after we got Ethan out the door to school, i knew i had to run to the store for one last ingredient i had overlooked on my grocery list for this meal. I load Camden and Ellery in the car, go get a pack of Taco Seasoning. We get home, i log onto the recipe website, and read a similar but different list and begin to freak out that i am somehow now missing 3 other ingredients and can't get the meal started in the crock pot. I text Kyle, cuz I ain't going back to the store AGAIN. I start scrolling around, only to realize that i was reading the wrong recipe, i breathe a sigh of relief and humbly text my husband to not go to the store afterall.
Camden takes an altogether too short nap for my satisfaction so i have a plan to get us out of the house until its time to get Ellery from school. I get us loaded back in the car, first stop to get gas cuz i am totally on empty. Get out to pump, realize i have left my debit card in the pocket of the coat i wore to the grocery store this morning, and strangely am wearing a different coat. I find an old credit card and get enough gas to get home. I rethink my plan of getting out of the house, since Camden is only get more irrate in the back seat. We go home, and i set about trying to pick up before the post-school maddness begins.
Its about 10 min before i have to leave to get Elle from preschool. i turn my back for a minute only to turn back around and see Camden looking slightly alarmed and COVERED in cocoa powder. He had gotten it out of the cupboard and the top came right off. He begins to pace around the kitchen floor looking nervous which results in little footprints of cocoa on my floor. I strip him down and throw his clothes in the sink. I turn to get a rag to start cleaning up and he goes directly to the laundry room to get the swiffer mop and sets about "cleaning" up. I was so amused at his thoughtfulness, i could hardly be mad at the kid. I scoop up a bunch of the powder only to realize that this stuff is hard to clean. I go to get the vacuum and think, "is it ok to vacuum this stuff? maybe next time i turn on the vacuum it will emit a giant cloud of chocolate all over my house..." this thought leads to, "well its not Anthrax, so i guess a chocolate dusting isn't so bad." I set about scooping more and vacuuming. I then realize we have mere minutes to get Ellery from school, Camden is half naked and i smell something foul coming from his little bootie. Sure enough, now we need to do a quick diaper change. I have no time to fetch clean clothes for the kid, so i put him in his one piece snow suit with nothin but a diaper on underneath.
As we are driving to get Ellery, i think, "Oh crap, i really should call the pediatrician about that diaper rash, turned yeast infection on Camden's butt that won't go away." I then wonder if i make that call now and they tell me, sure stop in now, i will have to bring my kid to the Dr in a snowmobile suit (its 45 degrees out) with nothing on under it but a diaper. I decide to postpone that call altogether.
We get Ellery, she climbs in the car, takes one look at Camden, and says, "are we going sledding?" I say, "no, but wait til you see the mess Camden made at home!"
We walk in the door and she sniffs around the air (she was a search and rescue dog in a former life, i swear she has a killer sense of smell!) and says, "Yum, its a chocolate party! Can i lick that off the floor?"

on another note, this boy said his first sentence tonight: "This book-book."

Everyone says, "write that down!"

2012-01-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

when the kids say something funny, i usually post it on facebook. to me that feels like i have written it down, but i guess not really. I usually think, "oh, i should blog about that." but then never do. so even if its only funny quotes, i am going to try to Write that DOWN!

Ellery, this girl is the most complex (read:moody) person i have ever met. you just never know what you will get with any Ellery encounter. She certainly has some funny things to tell me though...

a few months back, the 2 of us were recalling what a treat it is for her to be the only girl in the family and how lucky she is to have 2 brothers and a wonderful daddy. to this she replied, "yes, i have 3 boys. One to love, one to play with and one to wrestle!" i asked who was which, she says, "i love camden, i play with ethan, and i wrestle daddy!"

a few weeks back, she started climbing into bed with Kyle and i in the middle of the night. When i asked her about this, she indicated that she was scared of the monster in her room. I went on to tell her that there are no monsters in her room, to which she replied, "well actually there is one because i prayed to God to send one to scare ethan and its hiding behind the curtain!"

a few days back, her bedtime prayer went like this, "Thank you for your great baby Jesus, even though we don't really HAVE baby Jesus, thank you for baby Camden, who sort of looks like baby Jesus."

and in general, if she is being naughty and i tell her in my haste, "I am never going to let you do (insert activity, treat, etc) again. She will reply, "oh, i know you will forget about that and give it to me anyways." which is strangely good insight for a 4 year old, since mostly she is absolutely right!

i am a terrible blogger

2011-11-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

really, its been over 6 months list my last post? i think it was last years New Year's resolution to blog more often about our family events in order to create an ongoing journal to capture all that we are experiencing. Apparently i fell short. try, try again.
Camden turned 1 year old this month. I am stunned. It feels like this year went by faster than ever. I knew it would. I was so busy with a huge project at work that lasted from Feb-October. I reminded myself all thru those months to pay attention to life. To pay attention to the baby I adore who was growing faster than the speed of light. To my oldest, who raced through Summer time doing all things boy. To my sweet ellery clare who started preschool this fall and is gaining her independence. I told myself over and over, to pay attention. But I am not sure if i did. Here we are entering the holiday season of 2011. I am stunned.
We just returned home from a tirp to Disney World with Kyle's parents. Camden's first trip. He did great, i think he enjoyed the people watching the most. And he has an eye for Princesses :) Ellery got a make over in the Bippity Boppity Botique. In true ellery fashion, she was disgruntled for the first 3/4 of the time she had with her make over, but then finally started to enjoy it and loved the results with real makeup and lip gloss and a hair do completely smackered with glitter! She was brave on so many rides. She had to coax Ethan into more rides than he dared go on. She was finally tall enough this year, and she really enjoyed herself. Ethan had a great time. He journalled all about his trip, his favorite thing every day. He loved Test Track and Rock N Roller coaster.
Ethan is doing tremendous in school. His school work is enjoyable to him and he races through his math homework each night. He loves his teacher and i think she is a perfect fit for his personality. He told me the other day that i am super lucky to have a son as funny as him :)
Ellery is coming into her own. She is a hard nut to crack, she knows her mind and is not swayed for any cost. I am sure this will serve her well later in life, but it makes childhood demands challenging at times. She is a beautiful big sister to Camden. She adores him and plays so sweetly with him.
Camden walks all over the place. He is learning words, Mama, Papa, hotdog, cheese :) He loves to chase his brother and sister around the house and he tries to play their games. When its just him and i at home, he loves to play on the floor and show me all his toys.
Life is good, we are tremendously blessed and have so much to be truly thankful for.
Here's to doing a better job in the coming months on blogging our days.

Taking a MINUTE...to breathe

2011-05-10T16:22:00.001-07:00

Camden is 6 months old. and i love him to pieces. he makes my heart swell with that kind of love that brings a lump to your throat. its so bittersweet to watch him grow so fast. On the one hand, i love every new adventure he brings, but it is going by so terribly fast. I truly want to pause time and savor this forever. He is trying so hard to crawl, he gets up on all fours and starts rocking, and sometimes the legs move, but mostly in reverse. He cut his first tooth finally last week after 3 months of drooling nonstop. And just today the other front bottom one broke through. He loves food! he hasn't met a baby food he doesn't like yet and is getting really good at getting Cheerios and Puffs into his mouth. The kids adore him and cheer him on for every little thing he does.

Last week Ethan and Ellery ran in the Borgess Fun Run. Its a 1 mile run for kids and Ethan has done it 3 years now. Ellery, always being much more timid, ran for the first time this year. At first she was not all that into it as all the crowd walked to the start line. But once the crowd looseded up and she was able to run with all her heart, the pure joy spread over her face. She did get tired, and needed some water. And i admit, i did carry her for a bit, but i taught her about the mental game that running is and told her to look for the finish line. When she saw it, she hopped down and ran with all her might to cross. I truly hope i remember that moment forever. She was so proud of herself and so happy. it was wonderful to watch!

Ethan is about to be officially 6 and a half. He has rounded a corner. We really have struggled with him on an off over the past few years. He can be very disrespectful, but as quickly as that comes on, it seems to also just as quickly dissipate. Right now we are enjoying the phase of improved behavior. :) This is my favorite recent story of Ethan...we were at Meijer, just the 2 of us a few weeks back. I was paying for the groceries and he asked for a penny to ride the horse. I gave him one, he went over to ride. Mid-ride, he hopped down, ran over to me and said, "gosh mom that was really embarrassing! what was i thinking, I am practically a first grader!"

that's the update on those beautiful kids of ours. We are looking forward to a fun summer. Hopefully we will get to spend a lot of time in Grand Haven on the boat, and doing lots of small summer time adventures. No big vacations planned until November when we are headed to Disney again! wahoo!

Grow up Good, Grow up Slow

2011-04-10T16:33:00.001-07:00

Since Camden's birth, I admit, I am a big sappy mess. I know he is going to be our last baby, and I absolutely adore this boy. I try really hard, admist the chaos to savor every minute of him as a baby. He is 5 months old now, and I beg him to grow up slow! He is at the stage when his face lights up when he sees me. It melts my heart everytime.

Today, i had the opportunity to go to the grocery store with just camden. It was the first time that he and I have been alone in a really long time. As we went to check out, the cashier boy (couldn't have been more than 18) was so friendly and struck up a very polite conversation. He began to tell me that this was his last shift before heading to Marine Corps bootcamp. I honestly got immediately choked up. First, because I so clearly remember when my (baby) brother went off to boot camp. We were insanely proud of him, and terrified for him as well. Second, because, as a mother I can hardly imagine seeing my boy go off to boot camp and subsequently war. We completed the work of bagging up our groceries. I wished the boy a safe adventure. I looked at Camden and told him to "grow up good, grow up slow."

Good Intentions, Bad Execution

2011-03-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

I had such big plans for this blog, but here it is again, more than a month has gone by with no posts. I think about posting a lot. Apparently, thinking about it, never amounts to actually doing it. This morning, I sit with a quiet house (kids spent the night at Gma and Papa's) a cup of coffee, the sun is bright and I have a whole hour before I have to get ready for church! This was Camden's first sleep over, I sure hope he did good. Ellery assured me that she would take good care of him. :) Kyle and I actually had a date night, but with no real plans. It was sorta funny, we just weren't sure what to do with ourselves. The idea of going home and taking a nap, was tempting. but we pushed through that and ended up trying a few new restaurants downtown, with drinks and appetizers, it was great. The kids just keep growing, so fast, those little buggers. Camden rolls all over now. He is a drooling mess, I swear some teeth are about to break through, but can't see anything yet. He started eating baby food and LOVES it. His cheeks just get bigger and bigger! the kids think he is the coolest thing ever, they often fight over who he is looking at, who can play with him, who will bring him a chewy toy, etc. The "big kids" as we now refer to them, are either the best of friends, or they are fighting/bickering over the most ridiculous things. We had a peak of spring a few weeks back, and they spent nearly 2 hours drawing together with sidewalk chalk on the driveway. Ethan is definitely exploring his independence. He asks to go for walks or bikerides around the block by himself. I was the "mystery reader" in Ethan's classroom last week. He didn't know i was coming, and it was so great to see his eyes light up when i walked in the room. He even got to sit in the "special person" chair next to me as i read the book. it was cute! Ellery is going through the stage where she doesn't want anyone but Mommy to do anything for her. She follows me around and i refer to her as my shadow. I actually have stepped on her, and she smiles at me and says, "you know i am just followin ya." She has been asking lately, a lot about heaven. Both Ethan and Ellery are very curious and have lots of questions about heaven, but these conversations are hard for me. Yesterday she said to me, "Mommy, why is it taking so long to get to heaven!" Its this very strange balance for me to not freak out and say, "don't talk about going to heaven!!" vs. lettng her be excited to meet God and not make it be a scary thing. But ugh, this is something i am not sure i will ever handle well. Kyle is working hard with 2 stores now. I am very proud of him. Since he took over the new store, this store has been ranked #1 in the company many days! its really exciting to see the growth in both stores, and to see the hard work paying off! He works 12 hour days, but has been able to consistently be home on the weekends, which has been really great. The stress of managing 2 staff sets is a bit much at times, but all in all its good! I am getting around to some running again. Dean and I are signed up to run the Fifth Third River Bank run in May. We will do the 10k. Wish us luck!

gratitude

2011-02-08T16:57:00.001-08:00

So, i didn't really anticipate how life would change by returning to work. Granted, I only work 2 days a week. But those 2 days involve an hour drive to GR each way, and an all new role at work when i get there. In many ways, I am really excited to be doing something new. Many of you know, I have been with the same agency in GR for 11 years. The past 6 years, I have been a program supervisor. But over my maternity leave, many things changed at the agency and there was a need for a Project Manager as our agency not only moves into a brand new building, but comes together with 2 other local agencies. There is much work to be done, and i am that gal. I really like the challenge of something completely new. And let's be honest, i am a task master and i do love a good spreadsheet. so this is right up my alley.
Aside from that, there are the logistics of managing all the scheduling rig-a-ma-role for the kids and then having to fit everything i used to do in 5 days, into 3.
I have to admit, i have been wearing my grumpy pants for the past few days. Feeling overwhelmed by life and not sure where to begin to tackle things and get my life back to a routine. My temper has been short, and I have not been in the running for Mommy of the Year awards. But then, being the facebook addict that i am, i ran across a friends link to a blog of a family i have never met. This man apparently lost his pregnant wife in a car accident. The baby was delivered and is fighting for her life. He is begging God for a miracle. This kind of sadness breaks my heart. I took this as a sign for me to change my attitude. Being grumpy is not a good use of the blessings i have been given. Life is too short to be mad at the kids or irritaed about not having everything in order in my life. I have been in prayer for this man and his baby girl all day. Its devastating to think about that kind of loss in life.
I need to work to have a grateful heart much more often...

Footie-Foot

2011-01-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

It didn't take long after Camden joined our family for Ellery to realize that my hands will often be occupied and unable to play with her. When he was about 2 weeks old, she invented this game she calls "footie-foot." Literally, she sits at my feet and plays with them. She has decided that one foot is the Mama and the other is the kid. She talks to them and requests that I make them talk back to her. This can go on for a long time. But its a game i eagerly play with her. Afterall, how great is it that i can play with her while holding her baby brother on the comfy couch. I admire her willingness to improvise our play techniques in order to accomodate Camden's needs. For the most part, she is pretty tolerant. Ellery also enjoys playing sleepover. She brings down many blankets from her bed and makes one bed on each couch for us to sleep on. Now really, i am happy to play any game that involves me "pretending" to sleep. This is what makes it really easy for me to be tempted to play with Ellery-I like her style. On the flip side, it is sometimes a struggle to play with Ethan. He has always been the kind of kid that wants you to follow very detailed instruction on how to pretend play with him. It makes me kinda crazy, and i told him this once. I told him that its not fun to play with someone who dictates your every move. So the other night, he asked me to play with his Batcave, and I could be Joker and Penguin. At the time he asked, I also had some paperwork that needed to be filled out for his school. So i sat on the floor with the papers and the 2 guys i was supposed to be playing with. But this time, without me really noticing, he didn't tell me what to do AT ALL. So what happened? I sat there for 15 min filling out papers and then it was time to make dinner. He burst into tears, saying that I hadn't even played with him. My response was that he never told me what he wanted me to do! Of course, to this he replied, "I was trying to let you play however you wanted like you told me to!" Ugh, i struck out there huh?

All in a day's work...

2011-01-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have been inspired to resurrect the blog. (thanks Susan) Not so much for pictures, though those will be here now and then along with videos since i learned to upload those :) but mostly for the sake of journaling. I have always kept a handwritten journal for each of the kids, but honestly, by the end of the day, i rarely get to writing. I valued the idea of my kids having something in my handwriting to look back on when i am long gone someday, but for the sake of getting things written down, i better do it this way.
Today was one of those days that make me still step back and feel surprised that i am a mom and that these little lives look up to me to make their world ok. Ethan has always been my knowledge seeker, yet he is tremendously sensitive and inquisitive, he cares deeply and is over the top sentimental. He has always struck up powerful conversations while we are in the car. We have discussed death, heaven, who he will marry, the list goes on. Today from the very back of the van, he says, "some kids have a mom and a dad that live seperately." I validated that this was true, yet not ideal and not what God hopes for families. He went on to say that he hopes that his mommy and daddy always live in the same house, and that he hopes we always love each other so much that we never move to seperate houses. He then went on to ask if they were still husband and wife. I told him no. He seemed shocked. Ellery piped up to add that our family all lives in the same house. Thankfully, by the grace of God, yes we do. A few minutes later, he asked me if he had to go to the same "public school" next year. I said yes, until 5th grade. He protested, saying he doesn't want to go to the same school but instead a "school were we can learn about God and Jesus." This broke my heart. I had no response.
All in the same day, his conversation turned to this, "Mom do you remember when i was 3 and Jordan taught me to pee standing up? Well, I really miss sitting down to pee, so sometimes i am going to just sit down. Is that fine?"
Ethan has sure given me a run for my money though, discipline wise, we have certaibly struggled and i have had my least favorite parenting moments with him. But this report from Grandma made me beam with pride. She took him to Olga's (his choice) for a special time last week. The waitress there commented that she remembered him from when he was there with his dad a few weeks before. She went on to say that he was so well behaved and polite that he left a lasting impression on her! wowzer, i will have to remember that next time he is making me lose my mind!
Ethan also found pure delight in making his little brother laugh out loud for the first time. It was a moment i hope i always remember.
Speaking of his brother, Camden is my wish come true. I love him immensely and feel incredibly blessed for that little miracle boy. He is nearly 3 months old already. The time moves more quickly with each child i think. My grandmother used to say about cute babies, "I could eat you up." and that sums up my feeling for Camden.
And sweet Ellery Clare. She is so different than her brother in so many ways. Its fun to have such a different personality. She is sassy and she tells naughtly little lies out right. But she can also be so nurturing and sweet. She gives the best hugs and often will ask for a hug and a kiss just out of the blue. If my hands are not currently free for a hug, she will ask Ethan for a hug and a kiss and he obliges. He did tell her once during a tender moment that it is very sad that they cannot marry each other, but that they will have to marry someone else. Ellery has been attending MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) with me for the past year and a half. I drop her off in a classroom and then go have 2 hours of fellowship with other moms. Last year i had to peel her off my leg and she cried most of the time i was gone. This year started out just as difficult, but the last 2 times, her teachers have said that she is really "blossoming" and engaging with the other kids and she seems to genuinely have fun! that is great news, since she will be starting preschool next year at the same church.
Ok, enough rambling for my return to the blogging world. Hopefully you will keep up with us...next time maybe i will mention in some detail about our Biggby business and how we now own 2 stores! my dear husband works so hard and still has energy to come home and be a wonderful daddy. He deserves a shout out in the blog as well :)

A very Merry Christmas

2009-12-29T04:53:00.000-08:00

I hate posting to this BLOG. The settings are terrible and it takes FOREVER to organize the pictures the way you want them. So these are all pretty much backwards!

So this is Uncle Andy and Ethan chicken fighting with Kyle and Ellery, not sure how this became a good idea. Luckily, it didn't end in tears!

Reading new books with Grandpa Bob.
The boys playing with Ethan's new DS--it looks intense.

The girls playing with Ellery's new princess collection.

Super excited about her new Cinderella music box.

Christmas morning at our house, Santa brought a princess caslte for Ellery. Ethan quickly had Super Mario invade the castle!

She was overcome with excitment for this gift!

See, backwards....the cupcakes and chocolate milk left out for Santa.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve service. Of course, the princesses had to come along.

Ehtan and his new pillow pet.

Christmas Eve morning we woke up at our house with G&G Blauser.

Playing in the snow.

Decorating Christmas cookies.Ethan singing in his school Christmas program.More backwards...the kids making the cupcakes for Jesus' birthday.

Snow angels.

Helping put the star on top of the tree.

Dressed up and playing with Uncle Andy.

Pumpkin Time

2009-10-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

Bring on the Pumpkins!

Our trip to visit Sr Mary at the Franciscan Life Festival

2009-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I took the kids to the fall festival to see one of his old teammates, Sr. Mary. We all had a blast and it was great to catch up with a good friend.

Ethan flies a kite for the first time!

Ellery finds a new best friend

Sak racing...

Sr Mary teaches the kids to spin yarn.

Kyle and the kids paint some pumpkins

Checking out the animals.

Running the fields

Summer Time

2009-08-04T16:38:00.001-07:00

We haven't had any grand vacations this summer, but lots of little things. And until this week it really hasn't felt like summer with the weather. So we...

Checked out the playground of the brand new elementary school Ethan will go to in the Fall of 2010. He misses the age cutoff by 5 days for this year. He will do a year of PreK and then head off on the bus to this school. He loved the very cool playground!

had popcorn and pajamma parties...

random baby doll parties...

A trip to GR for the John Ball Zoo with my Dad...

A little go kart racing with Daddy...

And FINALLY we kicked off the month of August the right way...with a BEACH day! We spent the day today in Holland with our friend Leslie and her little guy Corbin. FUN!!!

Memorial Day weekend 2009

2009-05-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

We spent some time in Grand Haven for Memorial Day, even got to spend time with Andy-our favorite Vet. It was a great weekend, and a fun start to the Summer!

Ethan and cousin Gabe, watching for boats.

Ellery and Grandma, first Pronto Pups of the season.

Watching for boats, eating her corndog.

Holly was in on the action too...
Popsicle time, Ethan and Gabe.

Bubbles!

Ellery, too tired to go on!

Second wind....bring on the BUBBLES!

Throwing sand back in the lake.

Gabe's not afraid of the FREEZING cold water.

Ellery forgets what sand is like since last year.

Let's bury Gabe!

That looks like fun, now my turn!

One of my favorite pictures... Grandma and Papa

Uncle Andy playing with Elle

Sidewalk Chalk

2009-05-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ethan really does not enjoy writing his letters. In fact, he absolutely refuses to practice with me. He will only write at school. So when the Spring arrived and the side walk chalk came out, i was so surprised when he started to write his name in the driveway. He wanted to write all sorts of things...here is his first name.

Here he wrote his entire name, but its hard to see.

Then he labled the dog :) and above that he wrote "van" !!! yea!

kids in the tubby. they will hate these pics when they are older, but they are so cute! the middle one is our "extra" Katie...ellery's cousin twin :)

Mother's Day

Superman, a road race, and a Birthday Girl!

2009-04-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we went to visit our friends, the Spykerman's. Their son Jordan, the same age as Ethan, had a Superman costume. Ethan was over the moon about this. He talked about it everyday after we got back home. He begged and pleaded for one. Eventually, I broke down and ordered him one from ebay. Unfortunately, it had to be shipped all the way from China! So it took forever. The postman tried to deliver it, but we weren't home. So on Monday, we got to go to the Post Office and pick it up. Ethan had a special slip the postman left on the door, and was happy to present this to the office worker, and ask for his package. Ethan's eyes were so big when he was handed the package. We barely got out to the lobby and he sat down, tore into it and promptly put it on. The grin on his face was priceless. He was just beaming! He ran back in to show this off to the postal workers, who all got a bick kick out of it. Then we had to go to Biggby and show Daddy. The whole store full of customers got a good chuckle out of how happy he was in his costume. He, of course, wanted to sleep in it that night. And then wanted desperately to wear it to school the next day. I was able to convince him that he could not wear it to school. But we did have plans to go to GR to see the Butterflies after school that day. I couldn't break his heart and tell him he couldn't wear it at all that day--so Superman went to see the Butterflies!

He really wanted one to land on his finger! Here is also both Grandma's and cousing Katie, and Aunt Jen.

After a while, he decided that maybe the butterflies didn't "recognize" him in the costume, and he figured that is why they weren't landing on his finger. This is his sad face since, even without the costume, none landed on his finger.

This past weekend, Ethan finally got to run in his first road race. Since I started doing races again last year, Ethan has been more than excited to get to run in his first kids race. One of the local hospitals sponsors a 1 mile kids run. He did great! I had to run with him since the little kids could easily get lost. He ran so fast and weaved in and out of packs of kids. He was a little sad that he didn't get first place (there were hundreds of kids!) but otherwise we had a great time.

Ellery's birthday morning. She got to open one present. A cabbage patch kid. She loves it! I asked her what she wanted to name it, she promptly replied, "Surprise!" so that is the baby's name :)

Out to eat at Bob Evan's for some Birthday Pancakes :)

The birthday party. She had a great time. I made her a cake of her favorite cartoon--"Yo Gabba, Gabba" for those of you who don't have the pleasure of knowing this obnoxious tv show, this little pink person is called "Foofa" yes, obnoxious!

So, she's 2 years old! I truly cannot believe that she is 2 now! The time has gone so fast. She is really cute right now. She talks in nearly complete sentences, and says something surprising every day. She loves to sing and dance. She really has some rhythm, and has different moves for different beats. She loves baby dolls and coloring. She adores her big brother, but they also like to fight over toys these days. We are very blessed to have this little girl in our lives.

lots of fun

2009-04-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

A quick trip to the Campbell Family Farm to see the new lambs.

And then there is the costumes. We've gotten REALLY into dressing up in costumes! Ethan is also showing off his artwork. He has a unique medium...apples. this is the happy face he creatively made on his apple. cracked me up!

Here is Ellery in her princess skirt.

And then...guess who...

Stay tuned...we have a big week and lots of updates to come :)

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-03-30T05:13:00.001-07:00

Our neighborhood hosted an Easter Egg Hunt, so we checked it out...it was COLD! but the kids seemed to have fun :)

We had our nephew Reed for the weekend too...

Kinney cousins: Katie, Reed, Ethan, Ellery

Campbell Family Fun

2009-03-24T12:09:00.001-07:00

My extended family got together last weekend. My cousin Sarah, and her baby Chloe came from Pittsburgh, Ellery and Chloe got to meet for the first time.

Sarah and Chloe

Ellery and my cousin Emily

A rare picture of Kyle and I--somehow we always forget to take those!

It wouldn't be a Campbell get to gether if the cousins didn't do a "hair train" back in the day when we were all little, we would end up with some fantastic hair do's :)

Silly Elle

Reading with Uncle Andy

Ellery really liked Chloe's toys, and Chloe in the background

Strangely, Ellery was REALLY into the basketball game on TV.

Florida Vacation

2009-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

My parents headed to Marco Island, FL early this February. They planned to stay for 3 weeks. I guess they couldn't stand to be away from us for so long, so they insisted we come join them. It worked out perfect since Ethan didn't have school this last week due to conferences and he had just finished his first round of soccer, so we had nothing on the calendar. We headed out last weekend. Kyle joined us for the first few days, but then headed back to work on Wednesday. The kids and I stayed until Friday. The weather was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time. Ethan spent almost the entire time swimming in the pool. The ocean was too cold to really swim in, but we did some seashell collecting on the shore. Ethan and Papa did some fishing off the dock behind the house and they caught Ethan's first fish. Ellery slipped in the big bath tub the first day or so of our vacation, so all of her pictures show her first black eye.

Too FUNNY not to share!

2009-02-14T04:49:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I am about to post this to the world wide web, but I laughed so hard--i just had to share. It was chore day this week and Ellery is very insistent on "helping." So first we folded the laundry. (can you see what she has around her neck?)

Then its time to vacuum! Please don't make me tell you what that is on her head...

So they aren't the sexiest...

New Member of the Family!

2009-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Meet Holly! She is about 2 years old, a border collie. She is so sweet. We found her on Craigslist and I love her already. She is very well behaved and really great with the kids. She is pretty mellow, but when we take her outside she is ready to GO, GO, GO! I think I will be able to run with her this spring...we'll see about that. We aren't exactly sure about her history so we just have to take it as it comes and see what she is all about. I have surprised myself by how much I really enjoy having her around so far. :)

We've been up to...stuff...

2009-01-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

I was putting away laundry and realized the kids were way too quiet. We all know that this is a sign that something is going on...well those wonderful bath crayons apparently are good for much more than the TUB...I guess I am thankful that they kept it in the bathroom!

Kyle warned me that finger painting could go all wrong. Of course, I didn't believe him. Ethan used the entire can of each of 4 paint colors on ONE PAGE! Somehow it managed to stay on the newspaper I had put down, but the picture itself is not one for the fridge, that is for sure. I was actually surprised that Ethan even touched this stuff. He usually does not like to get messy like this. I guess we learned something.

And the most fun of all this week--Ethan started soccer. This is the first time he has done an organized sport. He was beyond excited to go, counting down the days. Kyle had taken him out and gotten him the right shoes, shorts and ball. He was so cute! He really had no idea what he was doing, but he is such a happy, funny guy. He just ran around cheering for everyone, saying, "Look Mom, I am doing great!" It was so much fun to watch him.

One of my favorite Ethan stories ever...

2009-01-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

So Ethan and I were looking at a book today, a CARS book of course. On one of the cars, there is a bumper sticker that says "I (heart, as in the shape) U" I tell him that when you see a heart shape like that, sometimes that just means, "love." He says, "I know mom, but do you know who lives in our hearts?"
I reply, "no." He tells me, "Jesus lives in our hearts." I say, "yes that is true Ethan." and go back to looking at the book. He then goes on to say, "and when he gets a little hungry, he sneaks out of our hearts and gets some food from our tummy!"

I love it!! How cute!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T11:48:00.001-08:00

Does she look like a mischevious little girl or what!?! My grandma Bakker would have called her a "pill" and that she is! We started our celebrating by visiting G & G Blauser and Uncle Andy too! we spent the night there on the 23rd and opened presents christmas eve morning. Ellery got a doll which is as big as she is--she loves it. she is so mothering. It is crazy to watch her. Ethan got another Lightning McQueen and he played with this so enthusiastically, he didn't really care to open any other presents. After the festivities in Grand Haven, we headed back to Kzoo for church on Christmas Eve. Here is Ellery all dressed in her holiday best.
Santa arrived despite my doubts that he would be making any deliveries after how naughty they were last week.

Ethan got a harmonica in his stocking--he actually plays it pretty well!

The Batman helicopter

After Christmas at our house on Christmas morning we headed over to G & G Kinneys for more festivities. The next day was Christmas with my Dad and brother, then a fun get together the next day with old friends. So after 5 days in a row of parties, we were TIRED. and the kids began to think that everyone they saw was sure to have presesnts for them.

We are excited for the coming year. 2008 has been good to us. The kids have grown and changed so much and continue to bring us tremendous joy. Ellery is 20 months old now and is really funny (most of the time.) She is at that stage where new words spill out from her all the time. So much so that i think she surprises herself. She is putting two words together now. Her favorite phrases are, "don't push" "we're home" and my personal favorite, whenever someone sneezes, she says, "bless you!" She and Ethan are good buddies, he gets a kick out of her new tricks and she eggs him on when he is naughty. Good times!

Ethan is a smart little man. He got a ton of books for christmas and he is getting closer and closer to really reading all the time. He loves school and soaks up knowledge like a sponge. Here is a little story for you. (the backstory is that when we put him to bed we only read 2 books, but at grandmas house, she reads 3 books, and he has been learning at school about how the angel came to Mary and told her that she would be a Mother.) So the other night I read him his 2 books and was tucking him in when he told me that an angel told him that I was going to be a Grandmother! Much to my surprise I asked him to expand on that...he says, "if you were a grandmother you would read me 3 books." :)

Bowling :)

2008-12-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

We went bowling today--how fun! The kids had never been, and it has been a really long time since Kyle and I have been bowling. Ethan LOVED it, Ellery made a great cheerleader, she yelled, "go, go, go!" and "ball, ball, ball!" the whole time. Kyle won, Ethan came in second place and I was third place. Ethan was happy to gloat that the "BOYS won!" Ethan thought it was fun to wear special shoes for bowling.
Ellery helps pick out the ball.

Kyle instructs on technique.

There it goes!

Ellery watches and thinks the ball return is fascinating.

A little encouraging from mom.

Then a little round of mini golf. Ethan could use a little more practice here!

And they finish it off with a little arcade motorcycle riding. What a fun day!

Christmas Cookie Making

2008-12-15T16:42:00.001-08:00

My mom and I have a holiday tradition of making christmas cookies, buckeyes, fudge...part of the fun is that we all stay in our PJ's all day while we bake away. Here is Mom, starting off with the fudge--my Grandma Bakker's handwritten recipe.

The guys contribute in their own special way.

We force them to help decorate at least ONE cookie. Ethan still loves it and doesn't know he is supposed to pretend like cookie baking is no fun!

Ethan and I work the cookie gun.
Some love for our littlest cookie decorator.
This is Ethan's masterpiece, I think he did a good job!

Ethan is FOUR years old!

2008-12-10T09:09:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Ethan's 4th birthday this past weekend. Can you believe he is FOUR?? I cannot! He is honestly such a good kid. Sure he makes me crazy some days and we definitely have our challenges, but he is a tremendous blessing and we are so proud of the little guy he is!!

The party starts with a birtday hug. Ellery LOVES to hug her brother, he usually accepts one hug, but she likes to give him LOTS!

Presents of course.

This year's challenge...a Super Mario birthday cake.

He's a little cross-eyed, but otherwise, not too bad.

He probably tasted awful with all that frosting, but the birthday guy didn't seem to mind.

And G & G Blauser

Ethan got this pretend shaving kit for a gift. It was quite a hit. He set about shaving right away with the help of Aunt Alicia holding the mirror for him.

The next morning, wearing his new Super Mario jammies, and playing with "Tonka" the new bounce back racer he got too.

HAPPY 4th Birthday ETHAN!!

Tree Getting Day 2008

2008-12-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

The annual Kinney/Spykerman Tree Getting Day was a success this year. We started this tradition about 4 years ago with our friends Kristin and Steve and their son Jordon (4) but we have only been able to pull it off 2 times in 4 years. Last year we had just moved into our new house and there was a bad ice storm on our scheduled Tree Getting Day, so we got our tree from a parking lot. So this was Ellery's first real "Tree Getting Day." Being that she is 19 months old and a bit moody, we got some good pictures. (not really) Upset already...But we are off on the wagon ride.The boys are ready to find their trees.Let the hunt begin, the Spykerman's actually find their tree in record time. They cut down nearly the first tree they saw.

Not sure why this pictures are blue...

And now the Kinney's find their tree and the boys set to cutting it down.

Ethan even got to meet Santa. I was very surprised he would talk to him and sit on his lap. I think he only did it because Jordan did first. Ellery was happy to have a popcorn ball. :)

random pictures...funny stories....

2008-11-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

So this is Ethan's Lightning McQueen lunchbox. Sis loves to try to fit into things, she tries to climb into everything. So this time she is trying to fit in the lunch box. Determination...

And SUCCESS!!!

And now Ethan has to try it.

This was last week when the weather was so warm. Ellery thinks she is a big girl now, climbing again.

The action shot of her sliding into the pile of leaves :)

And INSISTing we put this coat back on and go BACK outside!

playing cars like her brother does

watchin a show and eating Fruit Loops with Daddy

Papa Kinney and Ethan's conversation

2008-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

The kids were at G/G Kinney's last week and this is the conversation Papa and Ethan had. Papa sent it to me via email at work, I was laughing and crying at the same time. I thought you all might enjoy it too. For those of you who may not know what "woobie" is...its ethan's life long lovey. which is now essentially a ratty old, torn up burp cloth which he has slept with ever since he was a baby.

Ethan: Hi, Papa.
Papa: Hi, Ethan.
E: Papa, I am not a baby anymore.
P: I know you aren't. You are getting to be a big boy. Why do you think you are not a baby anymore?
E: Because I am giving up woobie.
P: (shocked) Ethan, that is very mature. Does this mean I can sleep with woobie?
E: No.
P: Are you going to give woobie to your little sister?
E: No. She has her own woobie.
P: Well what are you going to do with woobie then? Shall we have a funeral?
E: Papa, I am going to keep woobie here at your house, just in case.
P: Well that seems wise. You may not be able to go cold turkey.
E: No, I don't like turkey.
P: That was a figure of speech, but you should know that I really like turkey.
E: Yeah. I know.
P: Well now that you know that you aren't a baby anymore, you must be thinking about your future. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?
E: I'm going to be a doctor.
P: That is a difficult but worthy undertaking. Your mommy and daddy will be very proud of you.
E: Yea, Mommy said I would be the best boy if i was a doctor.
P: I would think that too. You know if you want to be a doctor, you are going to have to work really hard in school.
E: Yeah, but I am already a doctor at home.
P: You are? Well then you must know what a cardiac arrest is.
E: Yes...you should always rest when you are going to the doctor.
P: (amazed at his wisdom) I will have to remember that.
E: (as he started to change into his jammies) You know how to tell if your underwear is wet or not?
P: I know how I tell, but how do you do itn?
E: (naked, he holds his underpants up for all to see) You start in the middle and you make circles with your hand all around the front.
P: That seems like a good system.
E: You know Pull Ups don't have tags.
P: That makes ithard to tell the front from the back doesn't it?
E: (While trying to stuff both legs in one leg hole of his underpants) Yea, that is why I like tags.

how cute is this?

2008-11-05T10:15:00.001-08:00

Ethan's first school picture. What a cute little smile.

Me and my boy doing my favorite thing--playing in leaves!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T16:39:00.001-08:00

Ethan as a Dinosaur and Ellery as his Dinosaur EGG Somehow this is the only picture I got of the 2 of them next to each other!
What a cute EGG!

A happy little Dinosaur

This is one tired dinosaur

We had near 70 degrees for Trick or Treating this year. It was such a beautiful night. We got to meet a few neighbors we hadn't met yet. We only made it around the big block and then Ethan was tired and ready to go home. I think he actually had more fun handing out candy from our house than going out for it himself.

It was Ethan's idea for Ellery to be a dinosaur egg. My mom made the costume. It was quite a hit!

18 months and a Rainy Day

2008-10-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ellery is 18 months! We celebrated with her first try at PIGTAILS :) Ethan did not like them at first, he told her she had horns. He wanted her to go back to 1 ponytail. But he finally got used to them, and Ellery also seemed to enjoy admiring her new look in the mirror. She is such a big girl now, new words everyday, a funny sense of humor, and imitating her brother all the time.

Some bonding time with Daddy....

and now with the colder weather sticking around, we have had to be more creative with our indoor activities...so we are bringing back laundry basket racing. This time, Ethan is old enough to be the driver and Ellery loves taking rides! He pushes her round and round the house."I am a serious laundry basket racer."Nice racin Sis."

Another rainy day event--blanket pulls!

Half Marathon Pictures

2008-10-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here I come, approaching the finish line...

am I still running? it felt more like crawling! there I go, across the sweet, sweet finish line!
Summer meets me at the finish line.
I am freezing cold after I stop moving. If you look close you can see all the salt on my face. I was too cold to sweat, but the salt definitely came out of my pores. gross!

Wahoo! We found the beer and chili tent--so yummy!
Cheers to a race well run!
Do we even look like we just ran for over 2 hours?

Nemesis No MORE!

2008-10-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

I AM SO GLAD that is over...the half marathon, as in 13.1 miles! It was a very chilly start this morning...barely 40 degrees. But my friend Summer and I were there, and were ready to conquer this. We did great! Our goal was to finish 2 hrs 10 min. We went really strong at that pace for the first 9 miles. At about 9.5 miles, I started to fade. I looked at Summer and said, "GO!" I could tell she had a lot more energy than I did and that I was slowing her down. She hesitated for just a second, and then off she went. I tried to keep her in my sight, but she was FAST! Mile 11 and 12 were really not fun, but i did not stop! As I got closer to the finish line I got my second wind and picked up the pace. I FINISHED! I was exhausted! I thougth I might not ever be able to move again. But let me tell you, this was the best finish line ever. They called my name and time as I crossed the finish line, and i stumbled toward the water and lots of food they had out. After I became more coherent and found Mom and Dean and Summer, we set out to find the BEER and CHILI we were promised. There it was, and this was good beer (New Holland!) and some really yummy chili. My plan was that Mom and I would go shopping for the day after to keep my muscles moving. As we were getting ready, I asked about getting lunch. To which my mother replied, "You just had that bowl of chili, so we can wait awhile if you want." I thought that was amusing, silly mother. I just ran for over 2 hours straight, I intended on eating nonstop for the next several hours...so we got Applebee's.
After all is said and done, I am glad that I did it. I am glad that I set a goal, and finished it. I am glad to have shared this experience with Summer. And I am glad to have shared this time with Summer to pray for my cousin Sam at each mile!
I am not sure I will ever run that far again. I think I might like the 10 mile Bridge Run which I didn't get to do this year. And I would for sure do another TRI, but the half marathon is checked off the list!
My mom took some pics, I will post those when she sends them to me.

2 Pumpkin Patches in 3 days!

2008-10-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Oh how we love fall. This past weekend we went back up to Greenville (near our old house) and met our old neighbors at Klackle's...which started out as an apple orchard but has grown so much over the years, its a giant fall festival. It is decked out with face painting, farm animals, camel rides, blow-up slides, and the "Enchanted Pumpkin Ride." We had a blast!

Today I took the kids and met Aunt Jen, Katie, and Grandma Kinney at a local Pumpkin Patch for some more fun. Ethan loved pulling the wagons around, and showing the girls all the pumpkins to find.

Its a Lightning McQueen Party, and Dreaming of Christmas

2008-10-04T15:32:00.001-07:00

We decided to try to count up how many Lightning McQueen cars (from the movie CARS) Ethan has. This is what we found in the toy box, who knows how many others are around this place! Ethan thought it looked like a Birthday Party... There are 10 (including the one hiding in his hand) and they all have a slightly different name. Things like "bug lightning" or "Flash Lightning with Piston cup tires"

Then the giant Woody crashed the party.
I remember being a kid and going over to my Grandma Bakker's house about this time of year--just when the JC Penny catalog came out. She would give me a pen, and let me circle all of the things i would wish for at Christmas time. I loved that! I sure do miss her, especially this time of year, since she always had me help her wrap up the presents, and she just loved the holidays so much. Ok, I digress...so this is Ethan dreaming up his holiday wishes on Kyle's lap. He saw Kyle with the catalog and asked, "what do you want for Christmas Daddy?" They pointed out some toys they both thought would be fun to have. Ethan commented that maybe they could share that very cool remote control car.
I do love fall...its is the perfect precursor to all things festive to come. I love the holidays, the wishing, the dreaming, and the family time. I also love thinking about creating memories for my kids around the holiday season. What will they look back on when they become parents and want to pass on happy memories to their kids?

Just a bit confused...

2008-09-29T13:00:00.001-07:00

We have this ceramic Santa, he is about 18 inches tall. It has been in the basement and Ellery has just noticed him the other day. We get him down so she can point to his eyes and nose, etc. When she is done, Ethan has to have a turn. So he says, "Thanks for for all those presents you brought me last year. That was really nice of you." Then Ethan turns it to face me and he says to me, "Don't you want to thank God for the nice presents he brought us?"
oh yikes!

Playing at the Park with cousin Katie

2008-09-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

We thought we would enjoy a nice fall day at the park yesterday, turns out it was nearly 80 degrees and we were HOT by the time we left. But Ellery LOVES to swing...she points to a swing and says, "wee!" Its so hard to believe she is 17 months old now! she is starting to have a lot of words. She recognizes anything with the "Biggby" logo on it and says, "dadda." :) She has lots of personality, with lots of funny faces and sweet sing-songy voice for singing in the car. She knows parts to "The wheels on the bus" and will sing along. Ethan thinks that is so funny.

Ethan loves his preschool. He got to do show and tell today. He was so excited last night he could hardly sleep! he came out of his class afterwards just beaming. so cute.

these adorable kiddos

2008-09-16T07:15:00.001-07:00

Hanging out in the "couch fort"

This girl, i am so in love with...

and this BOY!

The budding artist, cousin Katie, and they finally like bath time

2008-09-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ellery took her first shot at art work. Good thing the markers are washable! she did a great job and I think we have an artist in our future :) This is Ethan helping her. He is wearing his superhero cape (aka-red pillow case.)

Cousin Katie (three weeks younger than Ellery) has been over this week. The girls are always happy to see each other, but they also like to fight over toys, blankets, sippy cups and anything else that comes along!

Ellery has never like bath time. She is very particular about the water temperature and she does not like to get her hair wet. But recently as we have spent more time at the lake and in the water, she has decided she actually LOVES to take a bath.

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-04T12:12:00.001-07:00

Ethan was very excited to start his first day of PreSchool!! He was jumping around on the front porch and could hardly hold still long enough for the pictures, but we wouldn't miss documenting this big day. He was all smiles the whole way. And in true Kinney fashion, we arrived early, so he was the first one to his class. He got to spend a couple of minutes with his teacher finding his coat hook and cubby and checking the place out. We picked him up and he came out of the class just beaming, "I love preschool!"

THOMAS DAY!

2008-08-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

It was our second annual trip to the beautiful town of Flint, MI to see Thomas the Tank Engine. Ethan loved it so much last year, we thought we would go again, this time take Ellery. The weather was supposed to rain, but turned out to be a really nice day. We all had a great time!

Ethan's got his ticket and is ready to GO! waiting for the train to depart...

Heads hanging out the window to see where we are going.

Ethan was so excited to jump and slide in the blow up Thomas.

I think we tuckered them out....until next time.

We had a BIG day!

2008-08-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Our dear friends and old neighbors made the trip down to Kzoo for an afternoon of old fashion play time. It used to be that we wandered out our front door to find the Zimmer girls, no doubt covered in dirt and full of play. But these days it takes a bit more effort to play. But they all play together just like the old days and are so happy to see each other still. The brood keeps growing as Kara just had her 3rd baby girl, Kortney. The girls didn't bring their bathing suits since it was actually pretty cool out, but they couldn't resist the sprinkler. So off came the clothes and on came the hose!

Next, we had a visit from Ethan's preschool teacher. She came over to meet him and help him decorate a bag for school. He nearly talked her ear off and was very emphatic that he would like for her to stay for a sleep over, alas, she could not. And did he really pick out PINK for his hand print paint? Yes, he did. But to his credit, it was on the top of the pile?? As she was leaving, Ethan says, "you forgot to tell me what things you will teach me in school." She kindly rattled off a list of things like Bible stories, science projects, letters, and songs. To this he replied, "um, no thank you Miss Sheffers. But I would like to meet my new friends!"

PS-on a totally different note, "game on" to this ridiculous half marathon. its only 13.1 miles, right?

half marathon...my nemesis

2008-08-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

so the thing is...i used to tell myself that i wouldn't like a half marathon--i would get bored with all that running...so guess what? I don't like the half mararthon, and i am getting bored with all that running! grrrr....
hopefully seeing Katy this weekend will inspire me. But i am secretly hoping she tells me that she doesn't want to do it either ;-)

I am heading to NY state this weekend for a Burton Girls weekend (college friends) SO excited!! 4 days of relaxing and girl time!! YIPEEE!!

Another Ethan quote

2008-08-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove to South Haven to meet my parents at the beach. Ethan loves to have his window open, which he only just realized he can put down himself. So he is looking out the window at the big puffy clouds in the sky and says to me, "look Mom, I just saw God!" I respond, "did you say hi to Him?" Ethan looks back out the window and shouts, "hi God, thanks for making us!"

A Half Marathon...really?

2008-08-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Anybody free on October 19th? wanna run 13.1 miles with me? Katy Frey and I are in so far. she lives in chicago and was the one who "talked me into" the TRI, so now we are doing the 1/2 marathon in GR this fall. this should be interesting...

otherwise here are some random pictures from our summer so far. i know i put these up on Facebook, but i don't think they are on the blog...i have to keep all my fans happy!
Ellery is officially walking now, she choses walking as her primary mode of getting around after a long time of taking a few steps, then crawling. She is developing a very silly personality which she reserves only for those she likes the best. She is not near as social as Ethan was at this age. Most people see her "scowl" which we discovered might be a Campbell family trait. She really looks alot like my cousin Marie...and they got to do some bonding when all the Campbell women gathered in Grand Haven last weekend. Of course, I don't have pictures of that weekend, I guess i should track those down sometime.
Ethan is starting preschool in just a few short weeks. That is so hard to believe. He is pretty excited though. He got a letter in the mail from the lady who will be his teacher. He was SO excited about that.

Pictures from the Triathlon

2008-07-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Tracy's Tri Tale

2008-07-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

A triathlete--really!!! Here is the story...
After months of training, the big weekend had finally arrived. The GR girls headed down to Chicago to spend the night at Katy Frey's house. (thank you so much Katy for encouraging us all to do what we never imagined we could!) Katy's boyfriend Mike, made us an awesome dinner! Coray and Steve also came over for dinner, it was great to catch up with old friends. Saturday we headed over to the race complex in Wisconsin and got registered and all set up. We met up with the rest of our team, a total of 10 girls...5 i had not known until this weekend. My parents and Kyle made it to town. We had dinner together with the big group and then got to bed early! We had to leave by 4:45 am to get to race site. I have to give credit to our #1 fan--Kristen Fergus. She didn't actually do the TRI, but she was a huge support all along the way! She had made us all goodie bags, a cheer sign, got up before dawn with us and was enthusiastic the whole way. Thank you Kristen!!
It started out to be a VERY chilly morning. Luckily our heat didn't get into the water until close to 9am. There were nearly 5,000 participants so it was a morning of waiting and stretching, and trying to keep warm. Our group of 400 purlple swim capped women made our way down to the water. It was a mix if anxiousness and excitement. The water was actually warmer than the air which was a pleasant surprise. I actually wasn't that nervous, just really happy to be there, sharing this incredible experience with some amazing friends, old and new.
The swim went really easily. I had a tiny moment of freakout when i thought about how deep the water might be, but i quickly "changed what i was thinking" and just hauled across that lake. The lifeguards on rafts called out, "only 200 yds to go!" I could hardly believe it. I was almost across.
A little jog through the transition area to grab my bike and helmet...then off to the bike portion. After only about a mile, I came up on Katy Frey and her purple thunder bike! we got to ride the rest of the 12 mile course together. I was chatting so much with her, I nearly crashed right into a cone! that would have been bad. This leg ended up being the hardest part for me. The wind was incredible!!! At least 30 mph winds! They seemed to get stronger at every corner. I was glad to have Katy next to me so I didn't get too discouraged. As we came around the last bend, I saw Kristen cheering with her cow bell and pom poms, then my mom, then Kyle and Dean. It was great. I think they were surprised to see me so soon.
Next, back to transition to rack the bike and head out to the run. I had thought this part would be bad, since the bike to run typically is hard on the muscles. I was surprised at how good I felt. My goal was to NOT WALK for the 3 mile run. A lot of other women were walking, but I just kept telling myself that I could do it, and I didn't train this long just to walk now!!
I heard people saying it was just a mile left to go, so I kicked it up a notch. It really felt good! My other goal for the day was to finish the whole thing in under 2 hours. I crossed the finish line, looked at my watch---1 hour 46 minutes!!!! WOW! there was Kristen with her camera flashing, Kyle and my parents. It was awesome. I felt great. I had trained well, and finished strong!
It was such an amazing experience. I LOVED IT. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every step of the way and can't wait to do another one.
Our team had lots of champange waiting at the finish line! A toast to a awesome team of women!

So you are probably wondering where the pictures are--well...i couldn't manage a camera in all of this...so Kristen was our photographer for the whole weekend. She took over 300 pictures, and hasn't gotten them posted yet. And my parents took a ton of pictures too...I am waiting for those too. Once I get them, I will add some. (i promise not to upload all 300+) as tempting as that might be :)

Love to all who supported and encouraged me along the way!

Funeral Talk and Vacation

2008-06-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ethan has always been a very inquistive guy--nothing gets past this kid. The other day we are driving home and we are passing a funeral motorcade. He notices that all the cars have flags on them....there are moments in my life as a mom, when i just take a deep breath, pray for the right words, and dive in! I recognize in myself, that I had lots of irrational fears growing up. And I mean LOTS, a trait i would prefer not to pass on to my kids. One of my fears still is the concept of death and all that surrounds it. Not really a conversation I was ready to have with 3 year old, but here is how it goes...
"mommy, why do all those cars have flags on them?"
"it means they are all going to the same place."
"they are all coming to our house?!"
"no, it means they are all going to a funeral." (pausing, hoping this would be where it ends)
"what is a funeral?"
"well, sometimes people die. when they are very old, and their bodies don't work so good anymore. just like when you pick flowers and we forget to put them in water--they die. when somebody dies, all the people that loved them go to a funeral to say goodbye."
"where do they go when they die?"
"to heaven. but not until they are very old, like about 100." (he pauses for a very long moment)
then, "oh mommy people don't die!"
ok--enough for onen day, let's leave it at that for now!

Onto a lighter note--we had such a wonderful little family vacation this past week. Kyle and I have had a rather chaotic year and haven't had a ton of quality time with just us and the kids. So we planned a really great little 3 day vacation to Indianapolis. I had heard there is a great kids museum there and we also discovered a really amazing zoo. the hotel we stayed at even had an indoor water park...so it really worked out perfect. It was only a 4 hr drive and the kids did really well. The zoo was amazing--dolphins, elephants, butterflies...tons of fun things to see. The next day we went to the 4 story kids musuem. also, very cool. both the kids seemed to love the fun, and kyle and i were pleased at how smoothly everything went. for those of you who say you have forgotten what kyle looks like and never see him on the blog...hopefully you will recognize him :)

Time at the pool...and people say ellery looks like her dad...you think?

A walrus, kyle and ethan on the roller coaster, me and ethan take a ride on the 3D spongebob

sleeping hippo, silly monkey, petting zoo, giraffes, and butterfly exhibit, ethan was hoping a butterfly would land on his arm if he held it really still

Ellery is down for the count

Now the kids museum

"that will be 2 money's please" diggin for dino bones a long chat with his "best friend Dory"

another one down 2 min after we got in the car

Binder Park Zoo

2008-06-17T17:42:00.001-07:00

Our "community" babysitter Becca is joining the Peace Corps and heading to Africa in just a few weeks. Becca babysits our kids, along with our niece Katie and another boy who is a neighbor to G &G Kinney. So we all pass Becca around and all our kids love her. To help send her off in proper form, we all went to the Zoo in Battle Creek which happens to have an "Africa Exhibit." I have been trying to explain to Ethan that Becca will be moving to Africa, so we won't see her anymore. But now, I am afraid, he will think she simply lives at the ZOO!

Everybody ready?

Ethan and Scotty go for a drive in the road Ranger

"can you see anything from there?"

A little ride on the tortise

"Hang onto me Becca, I need a closer look."Becca shows Ethan Zambia on the map of AfricaPetting the goats, Ethan named this one Thomas :)

The girls are all tuckered out!

Green Guy

2008-06-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

no lie...just about 2 or 3 days ago i was tellling ethan about a book i used to love when i was little called, "Tabitha takes a Bath." I always think of this book in the summer time because the girl in the book plays and roller skates all summer long and refuses to take a bath, so eventually she turns green. Ethan was amused by my telling him about it, we even looked for the book but with no success. So just yesterday, Ethan had been wearing this sort of tie-dyed green tshirt. we got it a few years ago in Petosky, and it just fits him now. While he was outside, i sprayed the back of his neck with sunscreen. Not realizing any of this amounted to anything...until we went to give him a bath last night!! his neck had turned GREEN from the tshirt dye and sunscreen! Ethan and I laughed so hard! how ironic, that i was JUST telling him about this girl in the book and then it happened to him. Ethan actually thinks its pretty cool that he is turning green, and doesn't want to take a bath. as with many things, i often have him call one of his grandparents for confirmation that what mommy is saying, really is a good idea. (sidenote...my original thought when i started this practice, was to instill a sense in him that his grandparents are wise, and sometimes it good to seek wise counsel. but in effect, this may have circumvented my own authority with my child! sometimes he absolutely refuses to believe me until a grandparent can confirm it. so i guess i have that to undo now...go figure.") back to the story. Ethan gets ahold of Papa Kinney who thankfully confirms that it is a good idea to take a bath when you are turning green. thanks.

Am I cute or What?!?

2008-06-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

Finally some top teeth :)

Very first pony tail!

Funny and Sweet all in the same day...how lucky am I?

2008-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ellery is at that exploring age, you know getting into everything. While I get ready in the morning, she plays around in the bathroom. I figure, she can get into whatever she wants as long as it won't hurt her. (pause here, in case you think its socially unacceptable to discuss things such as tampons, you can stop readin now...) So today, she discovers the box of tampons. She is delighted and the crinkly sound of the wrapper. She crawls away with 2 of them. Ethan says, "how come sister has 2 popscicles?!" I reply, "those aren't popscicles." Of course, the next question is, "then what are they?" I say, "tampons." He laughs, "oh, tampons!" as if this is nothing new to him. I have a hard time prying these tampons out of Ellery's hands, we are trying to get to the grocery store, so i let her have them in the car. I don't let her take them into Meijer. On the way home, she plays with them some more. I hear Ethan say, "sister, its my turn to play with the tampons." so they pass them back and forth like this is the best new toy they have had in a long time. I get a little giggle on the way home from the dreaded task of grocery shopping.

That was the funny story, later in the day comes the sweet story. We're on the way home from another errand. We are getting on the highway and Ellery starts to crab in the back seat. Ethan says to her, "sister, are you afraid of the highway? don't worry, me and mommy are right here." She continues to crab at him a bit, and later he says, "don't worry, i am your big brother, i will keep an eye on you." ahhh, a moment of gratitude for the zillion times i have told him to be kind to his sister, be careful of his sister, watch out for your sister, just love your sister! :)

LOTS OF FUN IN MAY!

2008-05-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

The month of May started out a bit slow, but lately we have been BUSY! we have had playdates at the kids museum, birthday parties, trips to the beach, and Memorial Day in Grand Haven.

We met our old neighbors Kara and her 2 girls, Jasmine and Makenzie up in GR at the Children's Museum. They are just about to wrap up thier Bob the Builder exhibit, so we had to make it one last time. Ellery really got into it this time too!

Somewhere in there we had Katie's first birthday party...i lost track of my camera early on and don't have a single picture of the birthday girl, but she was super cute and had a great party!

And here is the post-bath hairdo Ellery has worked for a full year to acheive! :)

Me and Ethan being silly...yes, he has a flower in his ear. (actually a dandelion, and this is how he holds on to them...)

Here is Ellery's first visit to the beach. It was COLD! the water temp was only 49 degrees. ethan wanted to run right in, he kept asking if he could swim. When i told him it was too cold, he replied, "no its not mom, its just right." (speaking of that, apparently ethan already outgrew calling us "mommy" and "daddy" i didn't expect that so soon!) Ellery loved the sand, but the wind was so chilly on her little cheeks we didn't stay long.

And the Memorial Day bonfire. Here is Brian and his son Gabe, and Ethan working on S'mores. It looks like this fire might be a bit over the legal size--Good thing mom and dean are friends with the firefighters :)

And, finally, another birthday party! This time its for Corbin Bolt who also just turned 1! Corbin and Ellery are 4 weeks apart...lots of fun :)

Ethan's Quote of the day

2008-05-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

So of course, i have been trying to teach ethan some manners with such bodily functions as passing gas...the other day he rips a rather loud one, and i say, "ethan, was that your toot? what do you say?" and he looks at me, and replies, "uh, mom, it was just a whisperey one." :)

Is May really halfway over already??

2008-05-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

I am not sure we have been up to much...at least not much i have been taking pictures of...

Ethan has been playing with a new friend across the street. He is 5 yrs old, and he has 2 older brothers and a baby sister. Their Daddy was just deployed to Iraq for a whole year :( Ethan is insisting on dressing himself these days, which is fine, but of course takes FOREVER! He also went to a kids birthday party where there were real live pony rides. yikes. so he got a new hat as a suvenior. I could hear him in the closet rumbling around, saying, "i am going to look great!" out he comes with my boots on--not matching boots of course. but he thought he was pretty cool.

Ellery still isn't thinking much about walking, although her cousin Katie has taken off! i can't believe they are a year old already. Katie's party was just yesterday, and although i did bring my camera, i took no pictures. ugh.

We're trying to make some plans for a few short family vacations this year. We might try the Indianapolis Childrens Museum, and then of course the annual trip to Thomas the Train's house :) but that won't be until August. Ethan is eager to get the pool out soon and invite his friends over for some swimming.

Is this where my legs go? he thinks this is funny....funny once, i tell him

How do i look?

She loves climbing up and chairs and she is so proud of herself when she gets up there

Hanging out with Papa Kinney

All the boys at G&G Blauser's house

Ethan spends the day with Daddy

2008-04-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Kyle took the day off yesterday and spent some one on one time with Ethan. Whenever they have time just the 2 of them, they have always worked in a trip to "toys r rest" as E calls it. And as Ethan has gotten older, he is gaining an appreciation for Kyle's favorite store Best Buy as well. So yesterday they burned off some serious energy at BounceLand and then went to their favorite stores. By the time I got home, they both met me at the garage door beaming with happiness. Kyle had a bigger grin on his face than Ethan even...so i couldn't even imagine what they had been up to. Turns out Kyle jumped the gun a bit and spent what seems like half our stimulus check already!! So thanks to Uncle Sam and a little daddy time...ethan got a new bike, 3 new trains, and a Wii.

a little too much of the Wii for a first timer!

seriously fell right out of his chair and went to sleep.

building the new big boy Thomas bike

off he goes.

Ellery's First Birthday!

2008-04-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

cupcake time! let's see if she makes a nice big mess... she starts out with a bit of caution...
but eventually, dives right in.
mommy's girl

my best effort...i never claimed to be an expert cake decorator!
opening presents
Ethan was SOOO excited to get a gift for HIM :) thank you Randy&Christee
cousin Katie takes in all, preparing for her party next month

I've said it again and again, time just FLIES right by. Our baby girl turns 1 on Wednesday, but we had her party this weekend. The weather was just beautiful, we sat out on the deck and had a wonderful time. Ellery tried hot dogs for the first time and loved them! She really had no interest in opening presents, but Ethan was thrilled to help. She got some really cute GIRL toys, so now she won't be stuck playing with race cars and pirates. It will be interesting to see if she cares one way or another. She's not walking yet, not really even trying. She says, momma, dadda, some variation of "kitty" and i think she calls ethan "bubba" (as in brother) i also could have sworn she said "peekaboo" the other day too! she is just a delightful girl. i can't believe we are so blessed to have her :)

Praise the Lord--spring is here!

2008-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

ethan remembers what its like to SWING!
Ellery gets her first try at it.
"um, please push me gently!!"
WEEEE! and the ice cream...

we were beginning to think it might not ever arrive--and STAY...we finally got out for a nice long trip to the park. the sun was shining and all the moms were in full chatter mode-so excited to be out. ellery went on the swings and giggled her little heart out! her brother of course had to help push her. and ethan even learned to try to pump his legs. I am realizing more and more how much ethan is like me. Not only are his eyes becoming more and more like mine--which i find to be so profound to look into your childs eyes and see that they are yours...but in other ways as well--its the little things...like he notices when we go to someone elses house and they put their toilet paper on "backwards" bc ours always comes off the front of the roll. Or today, at the park i realize that my son is completely directionally challenged--which he can only get from me. the kid could NOT figure out how to roll DOWN the hill! he kept rolling to the side or even back up the hill. then hew would sit up to see if he had made it down--only to discover he wasn't really far from where he had started. To finish off our big spring event, we decided to go for ice cream. I discovered a new addiction i think! there is this place called Ritters ( i don't know if they have these elsewhere) but its frozen custard. OH MY GOODNESS! i am sure it has quadrouple the fat as ice cream--but who cares--it was so YUMMY. good thing i am training for this triathlon cuz it looks like Ritters might be our new favorite place this summer. I guess i also didn't fully process that being a mom to a 3 year old requires one to constantly lick the drips off his ice cream as well, so basically i ate TWO ice creams. i think it was well worth it though. Happy spring!

2008-04-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

we had a wonderful little getaway this past weekend up at Bev and Scott's cottage in Newaygo. the weather was gorgeous--even better than when we were there last August. the kids loved being outside and we even had to worry about sunburned heads ;-) welcome spring!!! Ethan is hanging with the guys...
oh that silly Bev!
ethan helps Nicki win a game of cards.

ethan loved climbing up and down the hill
the girl loves her daddy
Les and Corbin :)
Corbin...super cute little bugger
Bev and ethan look for fish in the lake...

Ethan's Quote of the Day...

2008-03-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, can you please stop eating those crackers. I can't even hear James (a train) with all that crunching." after which he calmly took away my plate of crackers and moved it out of reach!

2008-03-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

Momma's turn for new shoes! Its true--Tracy is training for a Tri!
Argh--Becca made me this new pirate hat.
So, i had visions of a new spring wardrobe, however, i didn't really expect that would mean, new running shoes, (Thank you Papa Kinney!) a swim cap, swim goggles, bike helmet, bike shorts, etc... :) i start the swim part of my training next week. yikes!

2008-03-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ellery is 11 months old!! ahh, my sweet baby girl ethan joins the fun
can't you just feel the love?
These PJ's ethan has on are covered in robots. this is the first time he has ever really worn them. whenever we try to put them on him, he says, "no those are too robot-ey." :)

2008-03-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma Blauser comes for Playtime!!
and only gets a little stuck in the Pirate Ship :)
we had such a nice time finally seeing Grandma and playing all day. we missed her! ellery survived her first major accident. i am not sure if i have fully recovered however. I left the basement door open and she went right down. i had my back turned and the next thing i knew, i heard the thumping, then screaming! i am fairly sure i cried for longer than she did. she appears to be just fine. In other news, i have started my training for the Sprint Distance Triathlon I am doing this summer!! i am still certain i will drown in the lake, but they assure me that someone will haul me out if that indeed happens :)

2008-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

what a beautiful girl! this is what happens when a 3 year old picks out his own new shoes!

Happy Birthday!

2008-03-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

nobody can keep their eyes open today

we're bloggers!

2008-02-26T15:08:00.001-08:00

1st visit to the dentist looking for Grandma Blauser
10 months old!
"Can I please stay out just a little longer?"
My favorite treat--HOT COCOA!

ok--i started this blog site about a month ago--but never got it really set up. I am trying again. I hope to be able to use this site instead of sending the mass emails all the time. You can add us to your list of Favorites and check back on what we have been up to whenever you want. Someday

i might even learn how to upload videos!

Ethan went to the dentist for the first time. He really had a good time--mostly playing with all the toys in the waiting room. But he climbed right up in the chair and let the dentist poke around in his mouth. He has been having a good time playing outside in the snow. He pulls his sled around and gives the snow a ride :) His favorite part though, is coming inside for hot chocolate.

Ellery is 10 months now--went to the dr yesterday for a check up. she is doing great. she is "tall and thin" 97th percentile for height, and 20th for weigtht. that must be my brothers genes!

Speaking of brothers--Andy called from Iraq on Sunday. it was great to hear from him. He says that he is bored for the most part, but he also says, "we're careful what we wish for!" i would certainly rather he stays BORED!

Coffee is selling, and kyle is still there all the time. but he comes home happy. we like that :)