Rice Cereal

Evan started rice cereal on Friday. He had a quizzical expression on his face for the first few bites. But, after a little while, he was opening his mouth on his own and even grabbing for the spoon.

The Question Box

Each night at dinner, we take turns pulling a question out of our "Question Box". The Question Box is a simple cardboard box into which I have put questions to spark conversation and get the kids engaged in dinner-time conversation. Last night, the question was "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

It was my turn to answer, and before I did, I asked Andrew: "What do you think I should be when I grow up?"

Andrew answered immediately and emphatically, "An ELEPHANT!"

Grandma Time and Goo-Goo Goggles

Grandma came to visit on Thursday and Friday. The boys had fun playing and reading with her.


Grandma brought Nathan and Andrew play glasses that she had found. They were a huge hit! We started calling them Goo-Goo Googles in reference to Dr. Seuss' ABC book.




Big G, little G, what begins with G?
Goat, girl, goo-goo goggles! G� g� G!















Grandma even got in on the fun! As a side note, you can see our demolished 3-season porch behind Nathan and my mom. The walls, ceiling and floor are all torn up and ready for the next step: framing of the new windows and slider.

Rosy Cheeks and Fun with Feet

Evan has had rosy cheeks all winter long. We think it's really cute.

Here's Evan's progression (rosy cheeks and all): Hands on Sock, Sock in mouth, Toes in Mouth.

Bob the Builder Hat and Misty Disguises

Nathan got a Bob the Builder Hat from a storytime that we recently attended. He wears it around the house a lot. He also has a pair of funny glasses which he calls his "Misty Disguises". Here are the two together in a funny picture.

Snuggle Time

I was resting on the couch Thursday evening when I was visited by two little boys. Of course, they wanted to "rest" with me. We had fun snuggling, but resting is almost impossible with two squirmy boys...


Then, Nathan saw Elbert resting on the chair. He wanted to "sleep" with Daddy.

Nathan's Artwork

Here is a scanned image of the picture that Nathan drew this morning. He told me that the bigger person on the left (with the big smile) is the teacher. The yellow person on the right is the student. They are both carrying bags that attach to them with velcro. The people below the line on the bottom are underground. The people above the curved line on the top are above ground.

Andrew's "Mustache"

Andrew was coloring with a marker this morning after breakfast. I was in another room when I heard him say "I'm putting it on my yips." (Translation: I'm coloring all over my face!) He can't yet say the "L" sound, so every word that begins with "L" sounds like a "Y". After telling him that we only color on paper, I had to take a picture of his blue mustache.

Nathan's Crazy Hair

One of Nathan's favorite things is to have Elbert make him "crazy hair" after his tub. He loves to look at the wild styles Elbert creates.

Evan Waking Up

Here are a series of pictures of Evan sleeping, waking up, and stretching. *Usually* he wakes up with a big smile on his face.

Visit to Lansing

We have some good friends who live in Lansing. We drove over for the day on Friday. Evan enjoyed "playing" with 8-month old Karalynn.




Nathan was enamored with Tyler's
digital camera. He was concentrating so hard. He had fun taking a picture of me while I was taking a picture of him.





Andrew kept playing with a cell phone. He "called" me over and over.


The kids were wiped out after all that playing.

Playing in the Snow

We have a LOT of snow on the ground right now (with more in the forecast). It was finally warm enough on Thursday (if you call 30 degrees warm) to let the boys play outside. Nathan and Andrew climbed up our huge mounds of snow on either side of the driveway. Evan was content to watch.

Evan's Hair

Evan has some funny hair right now. He has a huge bald spot in the back, but he's sporting a great mullet!


























Of course, we love "Wild Hair Days", too!

Fun With Water

On Friday, I gave the boys a big tub full of water with some toys. They played for a long time in the kitchen pouring and dumping out the water.

Evan was content just to watch, mesmerized.
















Here's what they looked like afterwards! Andrew stayed pretty dry, but Nathan needed a complete change of clothes!

From the Mouths....

On Monday, I made fresh bread to enjoy with our dinner. Andrew looked at the bread and said "Please, you make me some cornbread for dinner?". I informed him that I had made fresh bread and that I would make cornbread for another meal.

About 15 minutes after putting the kids to bed that night, I heard Andrew crying. I went in there and asked him what was wrong. I couldn't understand his answer amidst his crying, so I asked Nathan (my translator) why he was upset. Nathan told me that Andrew was crying because he wanted cornbread.

Every night at dinner this week, Andrew has asked if I made cornbread. Guess what is on the menu for tonight -- CORNBREAD. We'll have a happy boy for sure. I guess it's the simple things...


On Tuesday, Elbert heard thumping upstairs after the boys had been put into bed. He went in there to see what was happening. He brought Nathan downstairs and asked him why he was out of his bed. Nathan's reply: "I was leaning out of bed, and gravity pulled me down." We saved our laughter for after he was in bed.

Redeemer 2008 Talent Show

Here is a videos from the Redeemer Talent Show (1/26/08).

This is the Yeh/Ondersma Family Singers performing "The Goldfish Song". Elbert played the guitar and Julie Ondersma, Elbert, and I all sang the lyrics. Nathan, Andrew, Silas, and Chloe Persennaire were the "fish". The kids had a blast performing, and they asked after we were done if they could do it again. It is a song that the kids learned at story time.

Enjoy!