For the Love of Lindy

As you may know by now there has been a HUGE outpouring of support for Lindy and Dusty and their family. This is amazing.
If you aren't on facebook you might not know exactly all that is going on. There is a t-shirt sale, bake sale, benefit concert, rummage sale and a few other things in the works.
All of the profits from these things will be going straight to the medical expenses for Lindy and her family.
If you would like more information on these things please contact me and I can get it for you. There are TONS of places to help.

Keep on praying, praying, praying. Our God is amazing and can work miracles, we know He can. Lindy is bound and determined to beat this thing but will need ALL of us praying to make that happen.

God Bless..... www.verbeekblog.com

Prayers

I am posting to request prayers for a family that is here in Zeeland. She went all through school with me and has three beautiful children and a wonderful husband Dusty.
Lindy needs your prayers. She has been struck with the horrible disease that is called cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer and had been dealing with that for the last year. BUT since yesterday her world has been turned upside down once more. She found out that her cancer is back. It is in her brain this time and is inoperable. There are too many tumors to deal with. My heart just aches for her and her family. They don't deserve this, no one does!

Please pray for peace for this family as they go through this journey. The Lord is the great healer and they need to lean on that right now.

You can link to her blog from mine. verbeekblog.com

Playing Catch Up

Well I guess I have to play catch up for the last couple of months. We have had a busy summer here.

T-ball ended, school ended and I began working three days a week again. This means that I have a babysitter coming to the house once a week. The kids love it, b/c it is Natalie, their favorite. She is awesome and makes my job easier. I don't have to get the kids up for anything and she can drive which means she can take the kids places, if need be!

We have had a couple of weekends at the cottage. But our longest trip was to Ohio to see my family down there. My brother and sister and their families were able to come also so it was fun to have them there. My mom came but my dad had to miss it b/c he was in Montana for a mission trip with his church!

This is a picture of all of the kids that were there. 17 kids under age 12!! It was a busy weekend.

The boys were able to go fishing on Saturday. The caught a ton of fish for us to eat that evening.

On Saturday we rented a bouncy house for the kids to play on. They had an awesome time running from the pool to that during the day.

This is Haylie, Chloe and Hannah. They get along great when they get to see each other. Such a fun time for them. They are turning in to quite beautiful young ladies!

We were treated to a "spa" day on Friday. it was a bit rainy and gloomy that day so we headed to our "appointements" and had manis and pedis. Thanks girls, you did great!!!

Noah and Owen, Double trouble! They are 4 months apart and have a great time together.
Kylie, Me, Sarah, My mom, and Lori.

That was the weekend of July 8. We had VBS at our church the following week. I was in charge of registration and putting everyone in groups and making sure all the kids had a place to go. Kind of a big job but after the first night is over it is pretty easy. The kids loved VBS and it was a blast to see them enjoy it so much. On Friday night that week we had a community celebration in the lawn at church, it included a dunk tank. Of course Jeremy was a participant but Hunter wanted in on the excitement too. He got dunked!

Friday after the celebration Jeremy decided to take the kids to the cottage for the weekend. I had a work party on Saturday at the beach so I stayed behind. I had the whole weekend to myself with no kids and no hubby. It was nice for a while but I missed them on Sunday and was ready for them to come home.

This week was busy again. Seems like every night one of us had something to go to.

We had a great weekend this weekend. I don't have any pics to show for it though.

Friday night I went to a craft show to sit with my friend Sara while she was there.

On Saturday I had a girlie day with Haylie. We went to see the movie Ramona and Beezus. It was one of the cutest movies I have seen in a long time. After that we did a little bit of shopping and then headed home.

I got ready to go out with my girlfriends from high school. We then headed to my 15 year class reunion. It was a fun time seeing old friends and catching up with everyone. Most people have 2 or 3 or 4 kids and are as busy as we are.

Sunday was church and then we headed to the beach for the after noon. The waves were great so we got the kids some boogie boards for them to enjoy them with.

We are gearing up for another week of summer but also starting to thing about school a little bit. How can you not with all the school supplies in the stores already.

Until next time.......

We are still here (long, picture heavy)

I know I haven't blogged in a while but I really didn't think there was much to blog about. We haven't had much going on here in the last month or so.

This week, though, was a busy one. We finished up school. That meant parties and a lot of fun for all the kids. I can't believe how fast this school year went. I now will have a 3rd and 1st grader and a kindergardener. I know that the next time I turn around they are all going to be in high school and then getting married. It is going waayyy too quickly.

We started in late may with Noah graduating from Pre School. He will be on to Kindergarten next year and he is very excited. He can't wait to be in the same room Hunter was in this year.

Noah on his big night. We are so proud of you buddy!!
Noah had a great friend in his class, Camden. He knows him from three school and also from our Tues. morning bible study at church. He is sure going to miss him next year as Camden goes to ECC for Kindergarten. Thanks for being such a great friend buddy! See you soon.

Hunter began his first season of T-Ball and he is loving it. He is on the Zeeland Lumber Tiger team and can't wait to get to each game.

Next was Memorial Day. We normally go to the cottage on Lost Lake with the in laws but this year was different. We had to stay home this year. Jeremy had to work and we had a couple of kids that were supposed to be in the parade. The parade got canceled b/c of rain and the kids were really disappointed. We still managed to go out for breakfast at Russ', a tradition in our family. After that we decided to make it a family day. We headed to Craig's Cruisers for mini golf and then to Skippys hot dogs for lunch. At the end of the day we went to my brother's house for the annual Memorial day cook out.

I think this was Haylie's favorite part of the day. A HUGE dill pickle on a stick!!!


Hunter loves playing with his little cousin Ella.

Haylie had her dance recital on Saturday. They got to show off all they have learned in the past year. She took at Hip Hop class at W.E. dance in Zeeland. It was a great experience for her. She took the class with her friend Megan Morley and made some new friends also.

This is my hip hop girl. She did a fantastic job at the recital, we couldn't have been more proud!!


Our niece Lily took ballet at the same place this year and they were in the recital on the same day. It seems like yesterday that Haylie was 4! Lily did an excellent job also, such a little ballerina already! Great job girlies!!! Love you!

Thanks for bearing with me during this long post. I promise to be better at updating so they won't be so long.

Until next time........

Easter, belated

We had a fantastic Easter! It was a beautiful day filled with family and fun.

We went to church in the morning. What a blessing that was. Jeremy sang and so did my niece Marissa, so beautiful.

Then we headed to my aunt and uncle's house in Grand Haven for lunch. The kids had a great time playing and holding my cousin, Emily's, hedgehog. She is a teacher in Chicago and that is her class pet she took home for the weekend.

Here are a few pics from Easter.

Hunter checking out the hedgehog.

My three kiddos all cleaned up!
Best pic I could get of the cousins that were there. Haylie, Parker, Hunter, Noah and Griffin.

Haylie growing up so fast!

Little Griffin.

Noah's Song

Right now Noah is up in his bedroom playing by himself! He is singing at the TOP of his LUNGS:

"Thank you for saving our sins, He is so powerful. He is so awesome! He got died on the cross, thats right, thats right. God is the master and King! And he is saved our sins, and we like it when he saved our sins. GOOOOOO JESUS, GOOOO JESUS!! Whats up?? Whats up? Are you having fun with all those people. When He saved our sins he was awesome. Help me be nicer. My dad too. Thank you that Jesus saved our siiinnns! I am sorry God that you had to die on the cross. "

I had to type as he was singing because I knew I would forget it.
I love that kid!!! Preacher in the making????

MEXICO!!

Last week Jeremy and I had a much needed trip to Riviera Maya Mexico!! What an awesome getaway it was. We left on Wed. morning and came back late Sunday night. We really enjoyed ourselves in this amazing resort. The Grand Princess Resort is beautiful and relaxing. We sat by the pool for three days straight and ate at some fantastic restaurants. We hope to go back in a couple of years, I have already started the savings account!

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Our room was beautiful.
We had a pool right off our balcony!!! Very cool.


This was our path to the pool. All of the landscaping was in pristine condition and manicured to perfection!!

Our view of the pool the first day! So beautiful and fun. We enjoyed listening to music from the dj and watching the activities they did each day too!We got pretty hot during the day so there were many dips in the pool. It was not heated so it was pretty cold but was very refreshing!Jeremy enjoyed a friendly game of water polo each day.

On our way to dinner one night. The grounds of this place are amazing!!! Mimosa's for breakfast! What a great way to start the day!

40 Days

Today begins my 40 days of Lent. I don't remember ever giving anything up for lent. Well, this year I am going to do it. I am giving up Facebook, yes, you read that right FACEBOOK!!! I can do this. For those of you who know me know that I am on facebook a lot! Too much really. I have our computer on the coffee table and when I am just sitting here watching tv, folding laundry, or just vegging out I am usually online on facebook. I play a silly game on there all the time too, Bejeweled Blitz! So, here goes. No facebook for 40 days. This SHOULD give me more time to do things around the house that get passed up b/c I would rather veg on FB. Already today I have gotten all the laundry put away and cleaned the house. I plan to go through some closets and cupboards and organize them better. I plan to get the storage room organized, the kids play room and Jeremy's side of the closet. Garage sale here I come!

This week has proven to be busy already. Monday was work and then a meeting at church. Tuesday was a little better. I had another meeting with our Disney planner in the evening just to go over our past trip to make sure we had a good time and she wanted to make sure she did her job. It was fun to see her again and to chat with my mom and sister in law. Kylie couldn't make it. After that meeting I decided it was a great idea to go get groceries at 8pm in the evening. Actually, that is a great time to go to Meijer, there isn't a sole there! I did savings angel and saved myself over $50 and also had $1o in bottle returns. Today was bringing Haylie to school, come home do laundry, give the boys lunch and then bring Hunter to school. Noah took a nap and I did more laundry and watch Curling at the Olympics. That is actually a great sport to watch. I had to look up the object of the game on the Olympic website but once you know the jest of the game it gets pretty intense. We headed to my niece Olivia's basketball game after I picked the kids up from school. She played a really great game and it was close to the end! Then we came home for 1/2 hour and headed to church for dinner. Now, I am home alone until Jeremy gets home with the children around 8:30. Jeremy is then heading to the airport to go get his parents when the arrive from Arizona.

They are coming home because our uncle, my mom in law's brother in law Ben had a massive stroke on Sunday night. Last I heard he was blind in one eye and had partial paralysis. He can't remember what he is supposed to do with an ink pen and has swelling and bleeding in his head. As of last evening his swelling hadn't gotten any worse since Monday night, which is good. They won't know exactly how much damage has been done until all the swelling goes down. We are really praying for a miracle for him. PRAY, PRAY PRAY.

Tomorrow is work and then going to sign my last baby up for Kindergarten. I can't believe I am at that point already! Noah will be in K-garten and Haylie in 3rd grade and Hunter in 1st! Ugh, before I know it they are going to be driving and I will NEVER see them!

That is enough rambling for now. I guess I have nothing better to do though, no FB!!!
Until next time........

Valentine's Day

I hope you all had a wonderful V-day. I did. My day started with my kiddos making home made cards for me. Those are the best b/c they get to use their creativity and show what they really want to say. I started to come down the steps to get my much needed coffee for the morning and was stopped by Haylie telling me to get back upstairs. Alrighty then!!! They brought the coffee and the cards, very sweet.
The celebration didn't last long. It was time to get ready for church. I had to teach Sunday School and Jeremy had to get to church early for Prise Team. Then it was home for tacos and much needed nap time. At least I took a nap, I am sure the kids were in jeremy's hair all afternoon. I was in my room in my cozy bed for a couple of hours.
Church again at night, at least that was the plan. Haylie complained of a headache but I didn't really believe her b/c I knew that there was a movie on that she wanted to watch. I made her get in the car and go. We got to church and she was crying in the back seat with clammy hands and forehead! Poor girl. So I dropped off the boys and Jeremy took them home with him. She came home and took a little snooze and was good to go later in the evening! Ugh, another headache for her. I am going to try the chiropractor, for sure this time. I'll keep you posted.
This week proves to be a busy week. School, workouts, dance, church....it is a never ending cycle.
Until next time......

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Not that I think many people care. I am not sure how many people actually read this. It is more for my recollection later in life, I think.
We have been sort of busy but pretty calm at the same time. The usual weekly stuff, Dance class, church, Pilate's and a little snow play.
Jeremy and I booked a trip to Mexico for the middle of March. We are both VERY excited. In 1o years of marriage we have never gone on a trip like this with just the 2 of us. We have made a few trips to the Traverse City area for a night or 2 here and there but nothing tropical. Thanks to my mom and dad we are able to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in style!!!
The kids have been plugging along in school. Haylie is making some great friends and I am grateful for that. Hunter is doing well. He is getting the hang of being in school and even reading pretty well. Noah LOVES to go to pre school and can't wait to get into Kindergarten next year. I have to go this week and sign him up for that. This might mean that I am going to go to work more! I could potential pick up 2 more days at work. This said, I would have to work it out so I can be able to bring the kids and pick them up from school. Since we don't have busing here it is a logistical nightmare trying to get all the kids where they need to be. Finding a place for just Haylie to go hasn't been a problem but next year it will be Hunter and Haylie plus Noah on a couple of other days. If I can work it out to be able to get out of work to do the driving it would be perfection!!! We shall see. I am not all that excited about working more but the mulah would be nice and it would get me off my lazy butt!!!
This weekend is Valentines day. We didn't plan on doing anything but my parents offered to watch the kids so we can head out for dinner tonight! Don't know where we will end up but it should be nice.
Haylie had a sleepover last night. We found out that a little girl that is in her class at school lives right her in Bluff!! I was very excited and this summer is going to be fun b/c she can ride her bike to her house and have another friend to play with around here. They were very cute together. I might have to have her over more often b/c they ended up cleaning up the boys bedroom!!! Made the beds, brought the laundry down and emptied the trash and even vacuumed!!! Love it.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Magical!!!

Fireworks over the Castle. One of my favorite moments.

We have been home for 2 weeks now but it doesn't seem like it. We had one of the most fun vacations of all time. My parents took the whole family to DISNEY!!! (minus the babies, and we missed them) My parents have been planning this trip for 4 years. It was a trip to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful woman who helped us plan the trip and made all our reservations for us and got us some preferred seating at a few shows! What a wonderful experience! Hunter and Lily at the Playhouse Disney show.Block Party Parade at Hollywood studios. Best parade ever!!!

Mom and Jeremy Celebrating their birthday's Ohana, the first night.At the bus stop waiting to go to Animal Kingdom.Dinner at Ohana the first night. SOOOO good, best food of the week.Hunter with the Gorilla behind him.Our first sight of MICKEY!!!! Preferred seating to Lion King show!! They kids got to get involved in the show. I don't have a pic of it but my dad did too. He was picked to show the crowd how to make a sound like a warthog! It was really cool. Best show we saw!The boys with Minnie Mouse at breakfast at Tony's Town one morning.

My Pirate boys!!

Hunter with one of the evil step sisters at the Cinderella's royal table dinner. They were hilarious!

We had a wonderful time and are already planning our next trip. There is so much to do that we could have a whole other trip and not duplicate anything we did this time.

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES!!! LOVE YOU!

Following are some memories we made.