Pucker Up!

Movin' and a-Groovin', Splishin' and a-Splashin'

Hannah's latest trick is cruisin' around the furniture. She also loves walking behind her push toys and using our bar stools to steady herself as she takes steps. I'm just waiting for her to let go and take off any day now! She can stand on her own, but plops to the ground after only a few moments. She has become quite the climber, too!

Last weekend, we took a trip to Grand Rapids to visit our friends, the Ponsteins. Ashleigh is one year older than Hannah (almost to the minute) and the girls had a lot of fun playing together.

First Words?

Hannah has been using the words "da-da" and "ma-ma" for quite some time now, but recently it seems like she actually knows what they mean. Her new favorite word is "Uh-oh." At least, we like to think she can repeat it :)

New Toys!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Caleb and I have been blessed with wonderful jobs throughout our marriage. I remember when things were a little uncertain when we were living in Grand Rapids. But, we have learned that God will always provide for us no matter what. He always presents a solution for us. We have been blessed by our move to Brighton and of course our little Hannah!

As a stay-at-home-mom, the budget has definitely gotten tighter and tighter. With the rising cost of living we weren't sure how much longer I could stay home to raise Hannah. I had started looking into extra ways of supplementing our income, but wanted to do something meaningful and worth my time (financially, emotionally, etc).

After VBS, the Pastor and Children's Ministry Director approached me about an opportunity to take over the Wednesday night programming for K-5th graders. I gratefully accepted the position and look forward to growing in new ways. I'm excited to be a part of the outreach and hope to bring some creative ideas to the table. Also, I'm looking forward to the accountability I will have to read God's Word and study it more in depth.

What an answer to prayer! God is so faithful!

Peek-a-boo

This weekend, we went camping with our church. The weather was beautiful and the fellowship was relaxing. It was quite an adventure getting settled in, however. We loaded up the car like a family of hillbillies with the canoe strapped to the top and the camper and bikes hooked up behind us. The neighbors got a kick out of watching us load in all the baby gear as well.

When we arrived at the campground, Caleb asked me to help him back the camper up into place. Unfortunately, I either didn't say, "Stop!" fast enough or Caleb wasn't able to brake fast enough and we bumped the fender into the fire pit. Oops! Luckily, it wasn't damaged too badly. Then, after Caleb had gotten everything unloaded and the wings popped out, he asked me where the camper keys were. Oops again! I thought he brought them. Thankfully, our good friends, the Houtmans, were willing to take a detour to our house to get the keys. We owe them big time!

Hannah was a trooper this weekend! It must be terribly difficult to be confined to a stroller and pack 'n' play all the time when you can crawl! At first, we would set her on the blanket, but then her curiosity got the best of her and she ventured further and further off the blanket to explore. She tasted several blades of grass and even a few rocks.

My favorite part of the whole weekend was when I put Hannah down for a nap and sat down to relax at the campsite next to ours. Little Miss Hannah figured out that she could stand up in the pack 'n' play and pull the curtains apart so that she wouldn't miss any of the action. She would squawk and laugh with delight at her cleverness. The picture below shows her peering out at me (you have to look really closely to see her little face in the middle).
Despite being strapped in most of the weekend, Hannah did a fabulous job. She let anyone hold her and play with her and enjoyed showing off all of her tricks. Here are some pictures of her and her buddies.