Yeah, it was a snow day!

I needed it to be a snow day so terribly bad! I felt awful last night and knew that I wouldn't be any good today. Thankfully I got the call at 5 am and was able to go back to bed. Addisyn let me sleep till 8 and Kylynn slept till 9. We were in our pj's all day and I got the house all straightened. I made sugar cookie dough and some fudge. Tonight Jason and I went out for dinner and finished up some Christmas shopping. Now it's vacation for the next two weeks, much needed!
I also just finished up my second class. I'm 1/4 of the way done, YEAH!!!!!!!! It's a great feeling but I have a long way to go. The end is in sight and I'm working for that extra money!
Hopefully everyone is able to dig their way out and enjoy the weekend!

Another Wedding

For those of you that check out my blog I thought I'd post a few pictures from my sister-in-laws wedding from this past weekend. They are on my facebook but some of you don't have that. We had a great time and the girls did amazing! I can't believe Lindsey is married. Seems like just yesterday I was messing around on the computer and someone yelled down to me that we had company, Lindsey and Brian, they were engaged! Wow, time flies. Hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for the holidays. I'll be more excited after next Wednesday when my second ESL class is over with! Have a great rest of the week! Praying for a snow day!

Bridesmaids, Kristi, Krista, Rachel, BRIDE, Karie, Janna, and CourtneyOur FamilyMommy and AddiBride, Groom and the flower girls, Kylynn, Cambrey, Addi, Avery, and LilyDancin the night away, Kylynn and Lindsey

A little late

Our 9 month old! My baby is 9 months old, well last week she was. We went to the doctor this week for her check up and she weighs 20 lbs 1 oz and is 29 1/2 inches long. She's in the 96th percentile for height and 75th for weight. One long skinny girl, hope for her sake she stays that way:) Kylynn and I on the other hand will be short and fat:) After digging out all of the ear wax the doctor said she had an ear infection, poor baby. Probably why she had a tough time getting to sleep last week. So in the last 3 weeks, two cases of pink eye for her and an ear infection. Hopefully she'll be feeling better sooner. The antibiotics have already helped, I can tell. Oh and she is getting her second tooth. So her first 2 teeth within a month, I think they are going to all come quickly now. She seems to be more affected by them than Kylynn was. They are all different though, I have to remind myself of that.
We decorated the tree tonight, Kylynn absolutely loved it so I let her stay up to help me. Glad I have a helper cause Jason hates that part of Christmas. I'll just have my girls to help me I guess. Enjoy the pictures. Hope everyone has a great weekend. We have Lindsey and Brian's wedding on saturday so I'll have pics early next week. Not promising too soon cause I have a presentation next wednesday. Should be fun, my parents will be in town to help with the girls, which will be a huge help. It will be interesting to see how they do though, Kylynn actually has to throw the flower petals this time and Addi rides down in the wagon. TGIF!!! Almost!

So much to be THANKFUL for...

As I sit here and reflect on life I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. My girls are healthy, except for the pink eye, again, my husband and I both have good jobs, we have a home, we have family who loves us and we are healthy as well. I just praise God for all of his many blessings and I hope that all of you are able to praise God for the blessings he has given you. May you all enjoy your thanksgivings and I hope you are surrounded with family and friends who love and care for you.

Potty pics and more

Kylynn on her Elmo Potty! She is so proud of herself!

Kylynn's princess dolls, they are usually lined up like this, she is pretty particular.

So we have been successful all week, I'm so proud of her. Except for last night, I think her dad wanted to shoot her. She flooded the bathroom with toilet paper. I wish I would have had a camera, or a fly on the wall maybe. He says we can no longer put toilet paper on the roll. Honey, it is called teaching her not to touch it or put it in the toilet. He's got a lot to learn. Anyways, Jason and I enjoyed a quiet evening out tonight and had a wonderful new babysitter, Katie, Kylynn loved her. We had a nice dinner and did some shopping for Christmas and the usual errands that need to be done. Enjoy the shots of Kylynn and Addisyn.Our little Addisyn, trying the sippy cup.

Kylynn and her dolls, she is so happy!

Potty Time!!!!

I think we are getting somewhere! Kylynn has been going on the potty all day, yeah!!! Last week she started at my aunt's but wouldn't go at our house. Today I was able to bribe her with a little Belle doll and it worked. She went when we got home and then we went to buy her doll at Target and she went when we got home again. She is so proud of herself it is so cute. We'll see if this continues. I'll post new pictures soon I promise. Life has just been crazy busy. Jason goes hunting soon as well, just what I need with this lovely grad class of mine. Thank goodness I only work 2 days next week and I have my family to come down and help me out. I am just so exhausted when I come home at night. My class this year is really sucking the life out of me. Hopefully it will get better. Have a great rest of the week, I'll try to post pictures but it might not be till the weekend.

Happy Halloween!

My girls, our butterfly Addisyn, and Kylynn as Belle Our little butterfly!

Happy Halloween! We had a great night with the girls, despite no nap for Kylynn today. We came home and played in the leaves, had some dinner, Chinese:), got ready and headed to Grandma and Papa's first. She did really well and really enjoyed herself. She got to trick or treat with her cousin Cambrey. We then headed over to Auntie's house for some more trick or treating. I think she made out pretty well. It was a fun evening for her. This also helped me get a better attitude towards Halloween, I always hate dressing up but watching her just glow in her Belle dress was a wonderful feeling.
They just loved the leaves, Kylynn loved playing in them, Addisyn loved eating them.
Cambrey, Addisyn, and Kylynn - Cousins

Kylynn, Auntie, and Addisyn

We've been a little busy here, hence the lack of blogging. I'll update everyone soon with the happenings in the Vugteveen home, but I do begin class again this week. I've had 2 weeks off and it has been so nice not having to do any school work. Conferences are this week as well. A busy next couple of weeks for me so keep our family in your prayers.

Research paper time...

Yup, that's right I just finished my second research paper for the ELL class I'm taking. I am very excited to submit all of my work tomorrow and have 2 weeks off. I won't have to do any reading, posting, or going to class:)

We've been pretty busy around here. The girls both have colds, no fun, but it doesn't seem to stop them. They both sleep wonderfully and have fun playing all day. I shouldn't say that, now I'll have one up tonight.

We visited Grandma and Grandpa VanDyke a few weekends ago and went to Gallaghers to help grandma get a pumpkin. We picked our own pumpkins out this past weekend. Are you really supposed to pick out pumpkins in October when it's 80 degrees. Kari and I about died in the heat. While we were in TC we were able to catch up with Trish and the kids. I finally got to meet baby Camden. He is adorable, such a cute little chunky guy. The girls had a great time together, I really wish we lived closer. Someday maybe.

We celebrated Jason's birthday yesterday. I felt terrible, I left after dinner and headed to school to work on my papers and he was with the girls for the night. I didn't even get a cake or anything. It must mean we are getting old when your birthday is just another day. We are so blessed to have him in our lives though. He is a wonderful husband and a terrific father to my girls. Kylynn just loves being outside with him and helping him unload the dishwasher. Yup, you heard that right, she likes to unload the dishwasher. We're training her early.

Enjoy some updated shots of the girls. It's getting harder and harder to get good pictures.

The days are flying

It is already the end of September and my baby is 7 months old! Wow, it seems like just yesterday I was adjusting to 2 little ones, I think I'm still adjusting but Addisyn is getting so big. She really is a happy baby and cheers me right up after a tough day at school. Kylynn is getting such a vocabulary it is hillarious. This week on the way to school she told me I need to pay attention to her. She likes the Sugerland song, do do do, so every morning and on the way home from school it is "mommy do do song." I now have to limit it to one time or I'll listen to it the whole way to Auntie's and the whole way home. She also tells me to turn it louder. Quite the character she is.
Both girls are pretty snotty right now. Kylynn's is green so I was told to watch it and if it doesn't clear up to call the doctor cause she's fighting an infection.
Another busy week for me. I am wrapping up my first class this week so I have to go to a Bosnian restaurant and work on some research. I have to get Addi's blood work done to check for Spherocytosis and get the girls fitted for Lindsey's wedding. Addisyn had her ears checked last week and thank goodness they were perfect!
Off to take a nap, everyone else is already I just wanted to update this! I need my zzz's when I can get them.

She's Sitting!!!!

Here is a video to show you she is sitting! YEAH!!! Today at my aunt's she sat for 1/2 hour before tumbling. Tonight she tumbled after about 10 - 15 minutes but I think Kylynn running around and the dogs might have had something to do with that. She is so much fun! Enjoy listening to our Addi and watching her sit, yeah, that sounds like fun.

I'm also so excited, I called a cleaning lady tonight and guess who's going to hire a cleaning lady? You got it, ME:)!!!! Hallelujah! What a relief this will be, it will just be one less thing I have to do right now. I am so looking forward to October 3 when I can come home to a spotless house:)

She's getting big...

My baby is getting so big! She weighed 16 lbs 10 oz (70th%) and was 27 1/2 in (95th%). So her daddy is right on his predictions, she will probably be the tall skinny one. I just looked in Kylynn's book and she was 3 lbs heavier and 1/2 shorter. Should be interesting to see how these girls end up. Addisyn is doing much better with her sitting. The doctor said she looks great where she is at. She will start straight up but then bend over quite a bit. I just can't get over how happy she always is. It has been such a blessing to have such wonderful girls, I can't complain at all. My were and are both very good babies. Maybe we shouldn't have another one. That could throw our world upside down:)
I'm back at it full force and it is really overwhelming right now. I'm anxious to get settled and into a routine. I just feel like I'm in over my head. It doesn't help that I have 30 students and no extra help. Hopefully in the next few weeks I may get some para help and I have a wonderful mom from last year that will be helping me on Mondays, YEAH!

Jason is in Pittsburgh till Thursday so it is single mom life for me, fun. The girls and I went for a walk tonight, it was a beautiful cool night. Addisyn fell asleep, so precious. We came home and gave her a bath and bottle and off to bed she went. Then Kylynn wanted ice cream so I shared a bowl with her, she ate most of it:) Then it was time for her to go off to bed. Now I'm just updating some things and I did a little class work for my class tomorrow night. I am so blessed to have my aunt around who watches my girls and will take them longer if needed. The girls absolutely love her and it is just so comforting to know they are loved and in great hands. We truly do appreciate her and love having her watch our girls.
I have to say she saved me today big time. Jason forgot to tell me last night that she was out of formula, I had Open House. So we had no formula and Kylynn went to Auntie's in her footie pj's and had no shoes. So Auntie went to Costco today to buy formula and swung by the house to get Kylynn's shoes for me, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I wanted to just go home and cry. I felt like a horrible mother. There is just so much going on right now that I have to sit back and get a little more organized. But with 4 baskets of laundry to fold, classwork to do for my grad class, and other household chores to do it is tough to relax. I'll make it though, the Lord only gives us what we can handle. He must think I can handle a lot:)

One busy woman!

I tell you what, I have been running around lately like a chicken with my head cut off. I start school tomorrow and it has been crazy for about 2 weeks now. I've been busy setting up my classroom, packing for the UP and starting grad classes. Yup, grad classes. I'm going to be working on an ESL program which will take me 2 years but when I'm done I'll have my plus 30 and go over to another pay scale. Plus when I finish the district pays me back so it's for free, can't been that.
Our baby is 6 months old already, this is a common sight! Her mouth wide open with a big smile!Our short boat trip a few weeks ago. Daddy did good buying Kylynn a life jacket! They match!

We just got back a few hours ago from the UP so I'm going to add some pictures of that and what's been happening around the house. Addisyn is now 6 months old! Wow, time flies. She is gaining weight, loves her food and is working on sitting up. We are so blessed to have such a happy baby, she is always so happy, even at 6:40 when I wake her up in the morning, she has a smile on her face. Kylynn enjoyed the UP and playing with her friend Emma. She is excited to go to Auntie's tomorrow. Time to get into a routine around here.

Emma Jones and Kylynn, wish we lived closer, they were so cute together.

Jason and his tractor. This is where he was all weekend! In his glory!Our family at the Cabin - we had a great time!

Summer days...

Our summer days are coming to an end. We've had a busy week. Monday and Tuesday I worked in my classroom all day getting it set up. Wednesday we went out to Courtney's to use the pool, my day to get some sun. Also my birthday so that's what I wanted to do. Jason and I went out to one of our favorite restaurants in Spring Lake, Old Boys Brew house. A beautiful evening for that. Today we had lunch with Jason and then tonight we went to the fair. Because of our wonderful friends the Arnold's Kylynn got a VIP bracelet and got to go on all the rides her little heart desired. I think her favorite was the Fun Slide. I wasn't to keen on the helicopters and I know I won't do that one again. I'm not a fan of spinning rides. We also looked at the animals, Kylynn liked the horsies and the bunnies. A fun night with the family, and some cute pictures. Tomorrow night Jason and I are headed to the White Caps, hopefully it doesn't rain. We're home for the weekend but we'll be prepping for the UP and me going back to work. Hope everyone enjoys their last week of summer!

We got some new chairs at Cabela's last weekend, Kylynn loves them!

Kylynn and Addisyn enjoying their play toy. Addi can now go in the swing, she loved it!Mommy, Addisyn, and Kylynn at Aunt Courtney's poolKylynn by the dairy cows, she's saying cheese but she doesn't like to look at the camera.

Kylynn is smiling, mommy is a little overwhelmed by this one!

A new VanDyke

Trevor and Katie are now married! We had a wonderful time in Naperville this weekend celebrating with the two of them. The Matre's were great hosts and we are happy to have Katie join our family. Kylynn made it down the isle, she was a hit! Along with the ringbearer of course. She danced the night away as well. She was just about asleep on Aunt Kari and the music came on and she was out on the dance floor till we left at midnight! I'm going to try to add a new slide show to show some of the photos but here's a video of Kylynn dancing, sorry about the sound, it's bad. I just wanted to show how cute she was with Jonathon.
One more week before I'm back to work:( I'm ready though! Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying their summers. I can't believe my little brother is married! That is just crazy!

Our little singer

I'm going to try to add a video I took today of Kylynn singing her new favorite song, 'Jesus loves me'. But she only sings one line. She repeats, "Bible tells me so." Let's see if it works. She is so adorable singing it and she really gets into it.

Slacker Blogger...

So I've been slacking on the blogging thing lately. I have good reasons though! Last week I took a class through Grand Valley for 3 Graduate credits. It was a long week but well worth the credits. My mom was so wonderful and stayed with us to watch the girls for the week. It gave her some good bonding time with them and Kylynn loved having her 'guya' here. The weekend before Jason and I got away for the whole weekend with our small group, we had a blast, eatting, relaxing, playing games, and tubing down the river. Some very good times with our friends.

The girls: Andrea, Jayme, Erin, Kristen, and I Getting ready to go tubing down the river: The Vugteveen's, The Koetje's, The DeYoung's, The Arends', and the Kloostra's

Last night Jason and I went to his cousin Melissa's wedding. We had a great time without the kids, story of our life lately. You must think we're terrible parents but we have had lots of away time lately. That's okay, we're off to Uncle Trevor and Aunt Katie's wedding this weekend and we'll all be together 24/7. We're very excited and can't wait to see how Kylynn does. She is the flower girl. My bets are she'll do fine. She'll just follow Jonathan, ring bearer, down the isle. She loves big kids.

Jason, myself, Brian, and Lindsey at the wedding.

Today we enjoyed an old fashioned picnic with Jason's family. The whole gang was there and we had a new addition, Brandon brought a friend. It was great to meet her, I hope we will have more opportunities to get to know her better, she was very sweet.

Another cousin picture, poor Addisyn - Kylynn and Cambrey are cute though.

My girls, Addi and Kylynn. Kylynn has to be out of the CHEESE stage soon, hopefully!

No big plans for this week, just getting back into my classroom a few days and getting packed and ready for the wedding. We enjoyed our weekend home this past weekend, Jason go the house powerwashed and the deck, it looks great! It was our first weekend home since the beginning of June, it felt great!

Kylynn's 2 year pictures...

I forgot to add the link for Kylynn's 2 year pictures. They turned out beautifully. I am going to have a tough time picking out the ones I want. Well, let me rephrase that, the ones to purchase, I'd love them all. Click here to check them out. http://kristinkaystudios.smugmug.com/gallery/5565675_dfxq5#341145816_jUp9s
Let me know what you think.

Summer days...

Isn't summer the best? We have been enjoying the outdoors. Today we had a pool party over at Aunt Courtney's for Aunt Linney's birthday. Happy 25th Birthday Lindsey! Kylynn actually did some jumping in and I dunked her so that she'd get used to the water. Hopefully next time she'll want to continue where she left of and do some more swimming. I forgot to tell you about Kylynn's latest from the doctor. She weighed 29 lbs 4 ounces (80 %) and she was 34 1/2 inches tall (73%), so she's a little above average for both. She liked the doctor and she was really happy she got a cow sticker.
Aunt Linney and Kylynn. Kylynn, Aunt Linney, and Cambrey - looking at her momma I'm sureMy big swimmer girl.

Each new day brings more vocabulary from her. I really am amazed how much she soaks up and have to watch myself when I talk. On the way up to TC this past weekend I was telling Jason something about Kylynn and said "She's not a dumb cookie, she's a smart cookie." Kylynn continued to repeat me saying "I'm not a dumb cookie." It was pretty cute. I had to work on getting her to say she's a smart cookie.

My 5 month old sweetie, Addisyn Joy

So we are the proud owners of a boat! Or should I say, Jason is the proud owner of a DUCK boat. Yup, a duck boat. Kylynn had to sit in it tonight. My hunter husband got his duck boat. I asked what I get, there was no reply.

Last weeks happenings..

I had to update some things we've been up to cause I have some adorable pictures to share. Kylynn has enjoyed using her rain boots to help in the garden. We also went to the Binder Park Zoo on Friday. Kylynn enjoyed the animals, she loves the monkeys, wasn't too sure about the giraffes but liked the pigs as well. She does keep her distance. We also had a play date down the road with the Arends and Zach Koetje. Zach already left before the picture but he was there. Kylynn has been enjoying her summer, mommy too, we used her pool again this week and maybe this week we'll get out her sprinkler from Uncle Brandon.
Here is Mercy, Kylynn, Eldon, and ReubenMy little 5 month old! Getting a little chunky.I thought this was adorable, I just had to post this. Too bad she won't eat the tomatoes!Me and my girls at the zoo.Kylynn and the pig, she actually didn't mind being this close.