Time to Catch Up!

While waiting to put the Disney Trip on the blog, I ignored everything else that was happening, so now it is time to catch up from the new year...even though it is April already.

 Henry turned 5!

 We celebrated Christmas at Papa's after we got back home.

Big boxes are a ton of fun to play with.  The kids kept pretending to be delivered to the house and then made a few forts out of them.

We went sledding at VanRaalte Farms and pretty much had the hill to ourselves.

Henry has been training to be an "Olympic"

I am playing Hedbanz with Stella and Henry. Henry is cheating by looking in the slider. His first question is the answer every time. I can’t believe Stella still wants to play.

I went to Florida with my sisters for a few days and left each of the kids (and Jer) a card and a balloon (or candy).

It was a wonderful time of relaxing and hanging out with my sisters.

So refreshing and hard to leave!

 Especially when I came back to so much cold and snow!!

 More training :)

Henry and papa helped me rewire the lights in our laundry room downstairs.

 The girls had their first skating party - and it was both of their first time on skates.

Dead bug was one of their favorite parts of the night.

I told Henry to get dressed for church. He put on a plaid shirt and camo pants.
Jeremy: Henry we want to dress up and match nice for church.
Henry: I have a nicer pair of camo pants that match even better!

Walking at DeGraaf Nature Center

 Leila practicing her piano

I snuck back after putting the girls to bed and found them reading a book together.

Henry has gotten into reading more lately and loves super hero books!

Jer brought home some drawings from work - the kids enjoyed looking at them and then coloring a large picture on the back.

 Walking in Sanctuary Woods

 Playing Wii

One night Henry couldn't sleep so he snuck into the girls room and laid down by Stella and fell asleep.

Teaching Leila how to load the dishwasher!

Henry drew this picture of me - wearing mom's necklace.  Apparently he noticed that I wear it a lot.

More allergy testing!  The biggest spot is from milk.  He resisted so much that he broke a bunch of blood vessels in his face.  Poor buddy.

 Papa watched the kids for a weekend and Jer and I went skiing at Caberfae.

Stellar mom moment: when you realize you dressed your son for spirit week PJ day one week early.

Henry: Mom I see a girl fish!
Me: How do you know it’s a girl?
Henry: It has red lips!

Stella's class went on a maple sugaring field trip.

Leila led devotions for her class.


Kid Quotes: 

Watching the football playoff game...
Stella: Whose yard are they playing in?

Stella: Is there such a thing as snow shorts?
Me: No.
Stella: Oh. But there is such a thing as snow pants!

Stella: Mom, you know that poem? I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream? It isn't really true. Cuz I don't really like ice cream that much.

Stella hit Henry in the car.
Me: Stella, no dessert tonight.
Stella: Well that’s good, I didn’t want dessert anyway.
She is already using reverse psychology! What are we going to do when she is a teenager??

Henry: Mom, I want to be in the Olympics.
Stella: Me too, I want to do the one where they’re on the little sled.
Me: Skeleton? Of course you do.
Henry: So, can I be an Olympic?

Stella is in our bathroom with me while I’m getting ready.
Stella: What’s that?
Me: Hair stuff.
Stella: For daddy’s armpits?
Me: No. Hair stuff. For my hair.

Henry: I keep remembering a movie we watched a long time ago. Like 24 years ago.
Me: You’re only 5.
Henry: No, I said YEARS.

Stella comes into the bathroom to talk to me while I put on makeup.
Stella: Can we look for a scarf for me?
Me: Go eat your breakfast and then we can look.
Stella goes back to the table and yells: Mom, can you get me a fork?
Me: You are obviously closer. Go get a fork.

Stella: You know how they have daddy daughter dances? Do they have mother brother dances too?

Stella: Can you ask Siri who the first one alive was?
Me: Adam.
Stella: Can I see a picture of him?
Me: There weren’t cameras when he was alive.

Stella: Mom can you google who is the luckiest person on Earth?
Me: It’s me, because you’re my daughter.
Stella: But can you google it? Because I don’t believe you.

Me: Listen Henry, do you hear that? The birds are singing!
Henry: Tweet tweet!
Me: That means it’s almost spring!
Henry: I wonder if the fox saw his shadow yet.
Me: You mean the groundhog?
Henry: Yeah, that hedgehog thing.