A Day with My Cousins

Ok so I am only staying over here in the place they call "the real OC" for one night, but I thought while I was here I would take the liberty of informing all of the VandeLune followers about what happens when I come to town and up the kid count to 3! I am sure most of you know me...my name is Leah Grace Roe, I am 10 months old, I can stand by myself and crawl with the best of them. I love to eat, especially fruit! And I love to shake, throw, or put in my mouth anything and everything I can.

So Dad and I got in the truck this morning and I really had no clue where we were headed, no one bothers to tell me anything they just assume I am not going to care I guess. Whatever, I guess I usually don't. Anyway, I fell asleep like 5 seconds after the car was moving and the next thing I know Dad is looking at me through the window...and so is aunty Erin! Yes! I am pumped now, she is like my favoritest aunt ever...but wait what is she doing here and where am I? I don't know but where ever I am Dad is putting a lot of stuff in Erin's car, now he's hugging me and telling me I better not learn to walk...but Dad, I thought that was the plan? I am confused but hey Dad is smiling, Erin is smiling...might as well smile. Wait a second, Dad is putting my carseat in the car and now me in the car too. Ok, so I am going with Erin...that's cool, I got my binki and cup-I am set for a while. I decided just to take in the sights on this car ride. Didn't say a word the whole way to OC. Guess I needed some quiet before I entered into the chaos right? Just kidding.

When we got to OC, Gracie and Karys were standing at the door waiting for me! Yay! I love playing with my cousins! But once I got inside Karys was like all up in my face all the time, talking to me like I was a baby or something...I am almost 1 you know! Erin and Rob tried to tell her to give me some space. I like a little room to crawl around...but yeah, she just likes to tell me hi like 300 times....she and Gracie both got me hooked up with some great toys though and we had lots of fun playing in the living room! I love this place...I got grilled cheese for lunch, got to jump on the trampoline-or should I say be jumped-with Gracie, and took a really short nap in my own crib. I couldn't stay sleeping long, thought I might miss something! Then after I helped Karys wake up Gracie, we played somemore...Karys likes to take my toys, but thankfully Gracie always gives me something else. We had an awesome supper, chicken, more fruit and even some ok veggies. And then the best part...we got to ride in the bike stroller and go to the park. I was really getting tired, but I loved this! I got to sit with Gracie, she held me really tight the whole way. We swang and slided and I was spent. I fell asleep when Aunty Erin was talking to a lady who moved to OC from Sri Lanka! I did wake up for a bath and some more play time before bed....but as we speak I am sleeping and down for the night!

Erin tried to trick mommy and tell her that I had been crying all day and that she better come and get me...but my mom knows me well! She knows I am an angel and would never cry...right mom?

The girls were busy playing doctor and I was having a blast finding so many different things to play with. Thank goodness they aren't trying to give me a shot!Uncle Rob driving the ladies to the park in the bike stroller! He is such a funny guy And good at changing diapers!Me and the girls in the stroller...we were nice and cozy in there and they took good care of me on my first bike ride!Gracie being silly in the bath tub...have to admit I was pretty tired at this point and ready just to smell better and get my jammies on.

3NN Reunion

Back Row: Stacy Kanis, Jess (Ortman) Mowry, Kim Tjeerdsma, Chassity (Pelland) Deur, Jaime Meyer Front Row: Tracey (Halma) Branderhorst, Me, Wendy (Marlow) Visser

So after that great meal...you know the BLTs with fresh p-b-matoes! We headed down to pella for the weekend. The main reason for going was to hook up with Bryan and Tracey at some point bc they were back in the area visiting family. Because they were back we were also able to connect with the rest of our college friends. My freshman year was a memorable one. I lived on the third floor of north hall. About 8 of us freshman became really good friends and in that process grew close to the 6 sophomore girls who lived on our wing as well. Last year was the first year we all gathered at Chassity's to reconnect and just reminisce. this year we did the same thing. Chass, being the social worker/counselor that she is, had the idea that we take turns sharing our highs/lows of the past year. Basically a life update and then a time for question answer before we would move on to the next person. It was great! So nice just to reconnect with old friends and just hear where they are at in life and what God is doing/showing them in that season! It was a blast...I fell asleep even mid-conversation b/c I just didn't want to go to sleep and miss the precious time we had together. However, we did decide that b/c next year will be the 10 year anniversary of that fresh/soph year we are really going to celebrate for a weekend!

Love you girls! Thanks for the conversation, laughs, and memories!

Our first trip to a garden

So in trying to update the blog I am going back a little ways, but I figure better to do that than to leave anything out. So yeah...I think we need to go back to the Thursday before we went to Pella. We were going to have BLTs but didn't have any tomatoes so we headed out to the Schuiteman garden to grab some and found some amazing goodies while we were there. It was so fun to not only watch the girls experience the garden but also just to be reminded of how many foods we eat are grown. I know that sounds weird, but sometimes I think we take for granted all of the fresh produce that we enjoy just from the aisles of the grocery store! Thanks God for the amazing process of growth! Prayers for the farmers and ppl whose jobs and livelihoods depend on the growth and production of those things. Anyway, enough of my rant...check out these garden pics!

Rob and Gracie gathering the tomatoes. Gracie was so excited to pick one right off the vine!Gracie holding a "p-b-mato" ;) She has the hardest time saying the word tomato...it is so funny. the more we tried to help her the more jumbled the letters got...so sounds good to me for now!Rob found a great yellow squash! They were all getting so big and tasted great grilled!Karys loved it! She wanted to pick all sorts of things...even tried a raspberry right off the vine!The girls just venturing through the garden. Watch out for the watermelon, ladies!

Posing by all of the yummy veggies! They have such a hard time looking into the sun, Karys is always saying, "Too bright"

Finding our Groove

I love that they are starting to pose for pictures together! Still takes about 10 shots to get the 1 where they are both looking at the camera...but hey, what do you do! Thankds to Auntie Heather for these great new outfits! The girls were so excited to wear them to the park! We have loved heading to the park on days like this. We are just trying to fill our mornings with activities b/c the girls have been tired, still recovering I am guessing, and they nap all afternoon. We are still struggling though to find our groove, the balance that allows us to get through a day without a fight, a tantrum, or a tear. Maybe I live in a fantasy world in thinking that there are days out there like that that actually exist, but for now I will cling to that hope! Gracie is just growing up so fast! She is such a poser when it comes to pictures, which I just love ;) She is such a beautiful little girl...Who loves to read and sing about Jesus, and play with her babies of course;)Karys is a crack up! This is just a glimpse of her silly eyes...ask her to see them next time you see her! They are hilarious....the best part is that she is so serious! She knows it is funny but she really just likes to entertain others.Ever since spending so much time at the lake this summer, the girls hate wearing shoes. As soon as we get where we are going or there is a lull in the travel the shoes are off!
They are just starting to play so well together, of course as I write this there are still the moments of struggle where they both have to be separated to thier own corners...
Love this picture!
Monkey see, monkey do!
They both love climbing and hanging on things..."Mommy, look at me! I am a monkey!"Pure Joy! She is so much fun! Started saying "Yes, Maam" back to me when I ask her to do things! It is hilarious!

Weekend at Shetek

We got the chance last weekend to head out with a lot of our friends to Lake Shetek. It was such a blessing b/c Heather and Seth had given us a free weekend of babysitting for Christmas last year, so they came up and took care of the girls while we were gone (visit thier blog to see the adventures the girls had while we were away!) Anyway, we had amazing meals, great weather and tons of laughs! On Saturday we even formed our own Olympic activities and lit a torch to kick it all off. Rob and I, being very new to the game Heartland Strategy, got off to a rough start when we got 5th out of 6 teams...but we came back to redeem ourselves when we won the Bag-It tourney! The rest of the activities kind of took a back row seat to the tubing that occurred int he afternoon! It was so fun and I have not laughed so hard in a long time. My cheeks hurt when we were done 1-because I took a knee to the jaw, 2-from smiling so much! It was fun to watch the boys too...they just had no inhibitions jumping from tube to tube...the pictures were hilarious and I hope to have them on snapfish soon!

We are just so blessed to have such great friends! We spent Saturday evening just asking each other challenging questions...What do you want your obituary to say, what is your passion, what drives you, what is the one thing you want to be remembered for....etc. I just love the way we are able to share the different things that God is teaching us and the different ways we are being challenged. The highlight of our friendships is definitely the spiritual connection that we are able to share! Thank God....thank god!

Lighting the torch and getting ready for the Olympic festivities!

Heading out to the boat for some tubing and the Heartland Strategy tourney on the water

The girls on the tube...still on before we started flying around

Preparing to get situated to switch tubes

The boys just flailed themselves around trying to move from tube to tube
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't Rob came up from a fall one time with his shorts on his head...tubing takes more from you than just your energy sometimes!
And they are spent!
"Hey we lost a guy back there a ways!"
Got to ski! Love to ski!
Rob started off the skiing and did an awesome job on some really wavy water!
"The man" who miracuously fixed the boat lift
The girls-minus Lori-Yay! I love these ladies!

Our New Toy

So our newest toy at our house is a trampoline. Rob seems to tell the story that I was adament on getting one bc I grew up with one, and while I did not object to the idea whatsoever it actually was quite the find. I was working a personal property auction for my parents and they had one for sale. No one else bid on it so we ended up getting it for $50! My parents decided to give it to Karys for her birthday. What a great gift! The girls love it and have had so much fun with each other, bouncing, chasing, and just laying on it. I love it bc it is great exercise for all of us ;) but also wears them out so well b4 naps and bed! What more could a mom want!
Gracie getting bounced by Karys
i am so surprised at how well and high the girls can actually jump
They thought it was hilarious when Rob hid underneath it and pushed up on them
What a beauty! She is quite the crazy girl on the trampoline
"Can we please jump on it now?!?!"
Handing Daddy the springs he needed
That got boring though so they both tried to put them on themselves
Some of the final ones were pretty hard, it was my idea to sit and pull like this;) I wanted a pic of Rob's face doing this!
I am just gonna see if I can sneak on here quick when no one is looking....

Day 2 MS 150

An early morning pic of me...I was the first to head out that morning and kick off Day 2. It was so early but it was a beautiful morning! And I don't say that about many mornings ;)Coming in at the almost half way point...strength is found in this lady in more than those guns she is flashing ;)The girls did great! All three of them spent so much time in the car the past two days...and everytime we passed a biker, they would clap and cheer! So fun to watch them get so into it too!A rest stop along the way...these places needed more shade ;) The girls were making sure they kept each other hydrated! It was so hot out!Last stop before the finish...they both can still put on a smil and look good!
The five of us reunited again, a family....pushing, laughing, tearing up....an irreplacable moment
All of us...minus Rob and the girlies...crossing the finish line together with Mom leading the way! She led us up that last massive hill, in some of the hottest temps summer has seen straight down the home stretch!
What a woman! She wanted to give up at moments but she never did...she never does. There isn't much that stands in this lady's way and if it does it better look out, bc she isn't going to quit without a fight! She was amazing today, I won't forget it as long as I live! She did it!
My dad was amazing! He hurt and he was hot too...but he kept on going, and he didn't do it for himself at all but he did it for my mom! I love the way he loves her...so unselfishly. He was a trouper and he accomplished something great for himself along the way!

The entire crew, THE JOY RIDERS! At the finish line for a group shot...boy were we filled with joy at this moment! GOD IS SO GOOD!
Wow! Two amazing women embracing...they truly have demonstratd to my sisters and I what it means to love your sister and to be the one who will be there no matter what! Amazing love!
We were all SO glad to be inside the air conditioning when we were done, we just were able to veg for awhile on the cool floor without moving!

The view from the living room landing at the end of the day...it wasn't even 8pm yet ;)