Even though I posted a lot of 'real' pictures last week...here's the collage:
What a great weekend! We were even surprised to have an extra day! Friday was our first snow day of the year. We were ecstatic and enjoyed sleeping in (me!), vegging in front of the tv in jammies (kids!), and HOURS of playing outside! The kids even had their first day of college...they attended my class! I teach future elementary teachers science at Hope and the kids jumped right in! The kids had a blast teaching my students the water cycle IN SPANISH! They drew it out, and explained it! It was remarkable! They were perfect and my students lOVED it! Saturday I was able to watch Noah's last basketball scrimmage, and all the kids enjoyed play time with friends. This day also had hours of playing outside (including playing outside with Grandpa M. AFTER dinner Saturday night until we had to call them in because it was so dark!!) Sunday we spent the day at Double J Ranch's water park. We gave this day to the kids as their 'Gold' gift this year for Christmas. This is a day of quality time together...a treasure. We had a blast. The kids swam for 5 hours straight! All 3 kids went down water slides many, many times! Tom must have made 100 trips up the steps with a one kiddo or another! Have I mentioned what a wonderful dad he is? Though I will have you know I did go down the 4 person slide about 5x myself! (Not really a water slide person!) We got home in time for Sunday night movie night before starting up a new week. What a wonderful weekend!
Believe it or not, I do use my 'real' camera sometimes! Here are some shots of last week (see collage below for descriptions):
The rest of last week was amazing (after Valentines Day!). We enjoyed breakfast with grandma and grandpa Mosher at Deboer before school (and before they flew off to Florida for a few days). My dad's coffee cup left that great smiley face on the paper covering of the table, what a great reminder to be happy!! We got the great shot of the sea gulls at the beach! Saturday we travelled to Jackson after basketball. We had a great time having lunch and visiting with my grandpa. The kids brought along a lot of art work to show him! We had amazing (and gigantic) ice cream at 'The Parlour' in Jackson with Aunt Chris and Uncle Mike. We even made a stop at The Toy House, my favorite toy store as a child (actually, it still is!). Sunday we enjoyed some relaxing, and snuggling!
I know I posted a lot of photos from last week, but to keep with my pattern of 'looking' throughout the week, here is a collage.
MY AMAZING NEW KITCHEN!!!!
Beautiful glass knobs I had to choose from for the kitchen!
My Perry the Platypus cupcake for the class party.
The rainbow cake!
Frosting dipped oreos for the class treat (in school Monday....yes, I know the entire class was AT the party WITH cupcakes on Saturday....but the kids really wanted a school treat too! I consented, but did not bake!!)
Baking pans on Friday night!
A beautiful coffee shop we stopped at on their birthday.
My 8 year olds heading out in the van WITHOUT car seats for the first time.
Singing to the kids on their actual birthday night with the 1/2 of the cake that was left, while watching the Superbowl!
Oh what a beautiful week it was!!
The celebration began at 8:31 this morning when we began the 'birth-time' hugs (followed by 8:32 and 8:33). We enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls, lots of snuggles, and a special day in Grand Rapids. We took the kids to a wonderful lunch at Mongolian BBQ. The next stop was Barnes and Noble where they got to pick out a book (and enjoy a cookie/cupcake). Followed by a stop at Crazy 8 to pick out an outfit. The last shopping stop was Toys R Us where they got to pick out a toy. On the way to the next stop (a great local coffee/tea shop I researched in EGR) they decided they were too full for hot chocolate! The parents and grandparents who were meeting up there enjoyed a coffee/tea! The final stop of the day was at Devos Children's Hospital in GR, where their wonderful 8 years began, to donate the toys from their birthday party yesterday. This is such a special way for us to give back, and always brings a tear to our eyes. Back in Holland we had a Superbowl 'party' with nachos and popcorn and a few more birthday snuggles. They started out so tiny 8 years ago today, and since then they have brought us infinite amounts of love, laughter, and joy. They are amazing, they are strong, they are smart. We are blessed beyond measure.
Today (actually, the baking began last night) began the 8th birthday celebration! This morning we had the kids class party at Hope College. The theme was 'The Science of Phineas and Ferb: Roller coaster Physics!". It was awesome! The kids built roller coasters in small groups, as the entire class, and even learned about Newton's Laws! 22 kids from their class were able to attend. Following the party we had lunch at Froggy's with grandparents and the Bolt's. That was followed by cake and presents at home. We are having a great day, and their actual birthday isn't even until tomorrow. We have fun plans with the family tomorrow, stay tuned! Now we are enjoying a little relaxation, the sunshine, and giving thanks....
