Official Welcome

Ok, since I figured out how to embed the slideshow in the last entry I had to try embedding a video. Check this out!!!!




This is way too cool!!!!!! :)

I Couldn't Resist

Ok, ok, I know. I tend to get a little carried away when I start something, but this blogging thing is sooooooo much fun! I get to show off my babies and I can't think of a better way to spend my time! This one is just for fun. Matthew had just gotten out of the pool and was showing me his very cool Power Ranger moves! Some of the poses are priceless. Of course I had to add a little commentary to the some of the pictures just to give you the full effect of his overall attitude while he was "showin' me his moves". I just wish I knew how to add music!

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Amateur Gardeners

This summer, we decided to give gardening a try. I have been wanting to put a garden in since we moved into the house, and we finally got around to it. Stephen was especially excited and picked out most of the plants that were planted. We put in carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, romaine lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli and cantaloupe. Everything is growing like crazy with the exception of the spinach. For one reason or another, the spinach plants never really did anything. I also put in some cilantro, parsley and basil in a planter and they are doing great as well. Stephen goes out every day to check for something he can pick. We are already planning to put another garden in next year, but with even more. We will be adding green beans, peas and maybe even try some corn. I took some pictures of the garden if you want to check them out.

Beautiful Butterfly

Stephen has become quite the little backyard naturalist. He is quite intrigued by all of the little creatures that live in our yard. It is not uncommon to have 2 or 3 make-shift bug boxes hanging out on the deck full of his latest finds. Believe it or not, I actually helped to contribute to his latest discovery. I found a caterpillar on one of the carrot plants in our garden. I made Stephen pick it up because I of course choose not to directly interact with the creepy crawly things. I simply admire them from afar. However, I do encourage Stephen's curiosity of such things. I have wonderful memories of sitting outside at dusk with my father and watching spiders spin webs in the doorway of our garage. It was one of the most fascinating things I had ever seen. I want Stephen to have memories like these to look back on when he is grown and raising his own children. Anyhow, back to the caterpillar. He collected the caterpillar and then we of course went right to the computer to find out what kind it was. (The caterpillar picture above is from the internet.) We found out that he had collected a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar. He kept the caterpillar in a Gladware tub and made sure to keep the fresh carrot tops coming. After about 2 weeks, he went out to feed the caterpillar and found instead a bright green chrysalis. I cannot even put into words the excitement that went through that child's body! I'm glad that something so simple can bring him such joy. The hard part now, was waiting to see what the butterfly that would emerge was going to look like. Yesterday afternoon (Thursday) as Stephen was getting his bike out of the garage, I heard a loud squeal and was afraid that something had happened. Stephen came running into the house, box in hand screaming "IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT!" Lo and behold, there was a beautiful butterfly in the gladware container. We let her go in the backyard and watched as she flew away in the bright blue sky. When I looked at Stephen, he had the biggest smile on his face and said, "There she goes. Maybe she'll come back to visit." It's moments like these that I am so full of love for this child that I could absolutely burst. Just the pure and simple joy that he is able to find in the tiniest of creatures reminds me that no matter how ugly the world around us gets, you can always find little bits of beauty somewhere. I hope that as Stephen gets older and things get a little tough, that he will remember moments like these and be inspired!

Fun in the Sun!

Boy oh boy today was a hot one! Michael took the day off and the 4 of us headed off to Rocky Gap Beach in St. Joe. Believe it or not, Lake Michigan was actually pretty warm and clean. The boys had a fabulous time splashing in all of the waves and daddy even got in on the action splashing around with them. The boys and I spent quite a bit of time at this beach last summer, so it was especially nice for Michael to go with us today and share in the fun! We of course had to pack lots of snacks and spent quite a bit of time playing in the sand. We didn't have much luck with a sandcastle this visit...maybe next time. After much fun in the sand and surf, we packed up our gear and met Granny and Grandpa for an early dinner. It was a nice way to wrap up the day! Check out some pictures of our great day at: http://picasaweb.google.com/MMeister326

John Ball Park Zoo

Michael was finally able to sneak away from work for a day so we took full advantage and spent the day at the zoo. All of us had a great time. If you ever get over to the Grand Rapids area I highly recommend you visit the zoo. We enjoyed petting and feeding stingrays, riding a camel, watching the lions and hanging out with the wallabies. It was great watching the boys react to everything. At one point Stephen said "Look at me. I'm petting a cow!" I cherish days like these because I know that the boys will be grown before I know it. I have also come to realize during days like this that I am truly blessed. I have a beautiful family that I love spending time with and a job that allows me to do so! Check out some of our pictures at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MMeister326/JohnBallParkZoo

Happy 4th of July!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend. We spent Friday night in St. Joe with my mom and then came home early Saturday morning. Friday night we went down to Lake Michigan to watch the fireworks. Even though the water was beyond cold, the boys still had a great time splashing in the waves and building moats in the sand. Matthew was quite taken with the sunset and kept saying "OOOH mommy look at all of the pretty colors on the water". Right after the sun went down Matthew ran out of steam. Once he was still and wrapped up in a blanket, he fell asleep about 5 minutes before the fireworks started. I had bought some fountains and sparklers at Meijer, so we did those Saturday night. Matthew was awake for those and he and Stephen had a good time with the sparklers.

Swimming Lessons

Hello all! I am going to give this blogging thing a try. I figure this will help keep in touch with everyone and let you know what's going on with us and the boys in our little part of the world. The boys have been very excited because they got to take swimming lessons this past week. Our neighbor that lives behind us was just certified through the Red Cross to teach swimming lessons. The boys had a great time and can't wait to continue next week. It's been amazing to watch how much they have both improved with their swimming skills just in 4 days.