June Update

Yay for moms! My mom came up again to help take care of the kids while I had my gall bladder removed. I think she's come to Michigan four times since January (c-section, pneumonia, back injury, and now gall bladder). Although we wish it wasn't under these circumstances, we have loved spending extra time with grandma! We are so thankful for all of the support she has provided our family as we've faced a crazy 2011 so far.
My surgery went very well and the doctor reported that the gall bladder had become inflamed, infected, and was even turning black. We were all happy to get that thing outta me! I keep anticipating another attack but am so thankful that I won't be having one! Ever again! I was having pain in my upper right quadrant, but after I sent out requests for prayers the pain went away completely. I followed up with a Hidascan appointment that the doctor requested to make sure my liver was functioning properly and that I did not have a blockage or leak. Everything came back normal and each day I feel better and better.
Hannah attended a preschool camp for a few days at the beginning of the month. The theme was camping and she enjoyed it. She came home with cool crafts and stories upon stories of all of the exciting things that she got to do.

We went to our 3rd Annual Small Group camping trip to Sleepy Hollow State Park mid-June. The weather was overcast, but no rain! It was fun to be together as a group again and the kids played hard.Timmy turned 5 months old on June 12th. I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. I don't remember it going this quickly with Hannah. This month he has found his toes and we have also discovered that he is extremely ticklish on his neck. He is such a wonderful addition to our family. Just love that boy to pieces!
Hannah, of course, continues to entertain little Timmy. In the video below she is saying, "I'm irritating you." Luckily, Timmy is enjoying it right now. I imagine in a few months he'll be getting her back for this when he's mobile :)

Today, Hannah, Timmy, and I took a trip down to the Toledo Zoo with our friends Hilary, Carleigh, and Lowen. They were all very well behaved and we had so much fun. The weather was beautiful!(Baby Elephant is only 12 days old. Soooo cute!)

We look forward to a visit from the Coddingtons at the end of the month. It seems like it's been such a long time since we've seen them. Can't wait to show of our little treasures!

Timmy Looks Like...

Who do you think Timmy looks like?

Caleb?

Hannah?

Kara?

Timmy!!

Memorial Day Memories

We ventured out to Fort Custer (near Battle Creek, Michigan) for our first camping trip of the season and Timmy's first camping trip ever. It's only about an hour and a half from home and we had heard that the mountain biking trails were fabulous.
We went with another family from church, the Kerns, and Hannah had a lot of fun playing with their boys.
On Saturday morning, one of our old friends from Grand Rapids came up for the day and met Caleb for a ride on the trails. They had a lot of fun riding through the woods in preparation for their Iceman race in Traverse City in November.
In the afternoon, we were able to go to Binder Park Zoo for the first time. They had a fantastic African exhibit.
You'd never know it by the picture below, but we were under a tornado watch for most of the afternoon on Sunday. We watched several campers pack up and high tail it outta there and wondered if we were nuts for sticking it out. Really, there was no where we could have driven to in Western Michigan to escape the storms anyways.
By about 5:00pm the sirens were blasting and we raced to the bathrooms for shelter. There was a tornado that had touched down in Vicksburg and heading our direction. I was pretty nervous in light of all of the other tornadoes that had been happening lately in the south. The Lord kept us safe and sound.

When we left the campground on Monday morning we realized the damage that had been done just 5 minutes from us. All of the power was out in downtown Battle Creek and there were several large trees that had been uprooted. It was shocking. Not one tree was down in the campground, but here, 5 minutes away, the damage was extensive.

We are thankful that God protected us and everyone in the campground. Although many campers' sites were flooded, no one was injured in the storm.

May Update

We had a busy and fun month of May! Timmy is changing so much each day. This month he found his little thumb and has been going to town on it. He loves to smack and slobber all over it.

Even though Hannah spends lots of time playing with and taking care of her baby brother, she has found plenty of time to be "wacky." Grandma Margie has a Dr. Seuss book that describes "wacky" things and ever since she read it Hannah loves to use that word...it's one of her favorites.
Hannah and her preschool friends melted our hearts when they put on a little program for us mommies for Mother's Day. They made special place settings for us, delicious snacks, and sang several cute songs. It was just darling. What a blessing my little girl is to me! I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mommy.
Timmy got to use his jumperoo for the first time. He wasn't quite sure what to do....as you can see by the puzzled look on his face in the picture below.Timmy's first laughs! So much fun!!!

I have a weird daughter. I was dusting the other day (Yes, I actually found time to dust! Although you'd never know by looking at my house today!) and Hannah asked if she could have a turn. She got out every single little person and creature that she owns and cleaned them each individually. She added in a baby wipe to make sure to get them shiny. It kept her busy for hours and cleaning her toys is currently one of her favorite activities. :)
Timmy's had a bunch of firsts this month. He had the opportunity to try rice cereal for the first time. He did a pretty good job and didn't even make too much of a mess. As he explores more foods, however, he is beginning to discover what fun it is to stick his fingers in his mouth and explore the textures. Hannah asked to try a bite of his cereal (because it looks so delicious...not!) and the look on her face was priceless. I don't think she'll be asking to try any more of his food any time in the near future!My precious little girl graduated her first year of preschool at the end of this month. The teachers had a cute little ceremony for the kids. We will miss Miss Lisa and Miss Amy so much. They did such a fabulous job! Hannah's has grown so much this year at it has been wonderful to watch her blossom.

Timmy's 4 Months!

Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz (35th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (17th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.5 (40th percentile)

Health Happenings

So, 2011 is the year my body has decided to go bonkers on me. It's been one thing on top of another. Despite it all and the challenges it has presented our family, I am thankful that all of these issues have been temporary and not chronic. I can't imagine what it would be like to live with an illness or pain every day of your life.

January: Timmy's birth via c-section
February: Bronchitis/pneumonia
March: Fell and hurt my back
April: Gall bladder attack
June: Gall bladder will be removed

There's a month missing in there....May. I hope we don't have to fill it with anything besides regular old doctor appointments! ;)

Strong Museum with Uncle Aaron

On Monday, we visited the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. It is amazing! We were thrilled to be joined by Uncle Aaron.
Hannah had some quality time getting to know Uncle Aaron. It was so cute to see her run up and grab his hand to drag him to another exhibit.


Timmy just hung out in his stroller the whole time. He was a cooperative little guy which made it even more enjoyable for us. Hannah has asked about every hour since we've been home when can we go back to the Strong Museum. I wish we had something like this near us!