Day By Day With The DeVries Family

2012-01-26T18:03:00.001-08:00

Wow, It's been forever since my last post. Life has continued in it's usual fashion; Constantly busy. We survived the holidays with multiple parties and too much party food. It was so much fun this year watching the kids enjoy Christmas, and really get into it. I will try and post pictures of the last couple months in my next blog entry. One post at a time! Ryan had off from school for 3 weeks so it was awesome being able to spend time with him while he was home. Now unfortunately it is back to our "normal" busy schedule of him being either working or at school every night. Its life as we know it right now, and its the way it has to be for a while. It's crazy that he has less time at MCC now then what he has been there for to become a RN. That being said, he still has many more years of school ahead of him and it's the life we will know for a while. God has been so faithful through this entire journey. The way things are always so well laid out, it couldn't be anything but His guiding hand.

January 10, Evan turned four! I can't believe how old that little man is getting. He acts and talks so grown up these days. I love his love for learning new things, asking deep questions and his curiosity for life. He is such a joy and Ryan and I are so blessed to be his parents. He is so special and has such a pure heart.

Alivia is nearly potty trained. I say that, when really she is potty trained, I just haven't given up the pull ups yet at night. I don't remember the last time she had an accident. She is always dry at night and naps, I just haven't been able to let go of the pull ups yet. This is probably bad on my part, I just haven't wanted to deal with wet sheets in the middle of the night, just in case. I think we will go one more week for sure and see how she does. She is doing fabulous and I'm so so proud of her!

Baby #3 is definitely a rambunctious one, just like his/her siblings. I am measuring right on for 31 weeks, so the baby is right on track. For the most part, I have been feeling pretty good. I've been over the ickiness since about 16 weeks, which was a huge blessing. My job being a more physical one however, I am completely wiped out at the end of my shifts and usually find myself falling asleep by 8:00. Though I could complain about all the aches and pains of pregnancy, I feel incredibly blessed to be carrying this baby. I already feel and know what a blessing this child will be in our lives.

Speaking of Baby #3--I guess I'll share what's been on my heart lately. Though I wasn't pregnant very long with my third pregnancy, I lost my baby (or babies--I'll never know til I meet him/her--them someday) at about 6 1/2 weeks. We were told at our ultrasound there were two "somethings" I even have the picture still. Talk about shock--(you should have seen Ryan's face at that ultrasound-priceless!) I found out it could be twins on May 13 (It was Friday the 13--a day I don't think I'll ever forget!) My doctor called me that weekend to tell me he wanted me to do blood work. So I did--my first draw my HCG levels were in the 2000's--a normal range for being so early. Then I had blood work done again two days later and they dropped to the 900's. My doctor, (who I can't speak highly enough about) called me at 8:00 at night, just to give me my lab results. Unfortunately I was miscarrying and waiting for it to happen. I can't tell you the devastation one feels after learning you're pregnant, finding out it could be twins--then, finding out you lost them. I have to say it was one of the most devastating things I have ever gone through. I think only a mother who has lost a baby will truly understand the hurt that comes with the loss. I guess the reason for my story is because the last month I have been thinking so much about this lost baby, or babies. My due date was the 12th. It has come and gone, and though I have not forgotten, it seems life just went on as normal. I don't expect others to remember. I know I haven't remembered others due dates that have lost their babies, but now I know how it must have felt for them on that day that came and went with out any acknowledgment of that little life. I've always said I believed life began at conception, but now I can say it and truly believe it. Anyway, I guess this is my way of acknowledging this little life, or lives. I look forward to the day when I will get to meet him or her, or them. I'm almost confident this lost child, or children will be one of the very first waiting for me when I'm called Home some day.

One might wonder how I can feel sad about my miscarriage when I'm carrying another child. And don't get me wrong, I don't want my miscarriage to downplay my pregnancy with this baby at all. I love this child I am carrying and can't wait to meet him or her. This child was a gift and a reminder of God's hand in my life. A reminder that my timing isn't always God's timing, and that's ok. His timing is perfect and He never makes mistakes. I'm so excited to meet this little peanut I can hardly stand it. We are so blessed.

Well, I think I've given my two cents for the night--maybe a little more than needed. Hopefully I can get my act together and post some pictures of my cute little kids soon. Happy weekend everyone!

A picture is worth a 1,000 words...

2011-09-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

We went "camping" at Ryan's parents house over the labor day weekend. I guess you'd call it camping to Corey and Heather as they stayed out there in their trailer, and me, well I am not as adventurous and slept in the house. :-) We had a great time each day we were there. Ryan had to work that weekend unfortunately so our time was more limited than Corey and Heather who camped all weekend, but every day we had fun as did the kids. We took the kids on a hike on Labor day, had a gigantic slip and slide in the backyard (which everyone took part besides me!-oh and Clay!) had fires, hobo pies and watched the guys play badminton. It was a great weekend and can only sumed up in pictures

News!

2011-08-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Though life is crazy, and will never stop being crazy in some sort of way, Ryan and I are happy to announce our crazier news. Baby #3 is coming beginning of April! Sorry to disappoint, but just like Alivia and Evan, we will not be finding out what the baby is. (The surprise is so much fun!) I had an ultrasound last week and we were able to see the heartbeat and the little nugget. Everything looks great and my feelings of ickiness is just another reassurance that things are as they should be with the pregnancy! After a heartbreaking miscarriage and the healing that has come out of that, we couldn't be happier. God is faithful over and over again. Once again, He's proven that.

PiCtUrEs

2011-07-25T10:03:00.001-07:00

We went downtown one night for dinner at Boatwerks, and then took the kids to play in the fountain. This was Livvy's first time playing in it, and she loved it. It took the kids a while to warm up and get used to it, but once they got into it, it was hard to take them away!

Heres a goofy one of Evan. Ryan had his soaked to the bone. It was such a hot day out, Ryan took Evan in the sprinklers. Eventually the hose got involved and Evan even had a go at soaking Ryan.

It's pretty bad. I haven't taken too many pictures lately because life has been so busy. Here's another of our little princess. She is getting too big!

2011-06-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting this page badly. I wish I could say life is less busy, and I have all sorts of time to spend on here updating; unfortunately I don't. A lot has happened in the last few months. Ryan has finished his A&P1 and has started A&P2. Life consists of Family, Work, School. There isn't much time for anything else, so if you haven't seen us lately...that would be why!It has proven to be a busy life, but it's the life we have chosen for right now, and we are making the best of it. Thankfully we have great work schedules and I am only taking one online class this semester, so our kids get an abundance of our time.

Evan and Alivia have been loving the warm weather. It is so much fun watching Alivia get to enjoy her first summer walking around, and getting into things. She is a handful however. I've found her twice in the last week getting into my things; first it was my eye shadow; second it was the baby powder. (I do recall my precious little son getting into the vaseline around her age...)She is a blessing, and such a joy to watch her figure things out, and be creative in her own little way. Evan too has such an imagination! Most of the time he pretends to be Buzz light year; somedays he is a pirate. It depends on his mood, but he loves to pretend. He is starting to go through the stage of ignoring mom and dad, acting as if he doesn't hear me telling him no two feet away. (Anyone else have this problem with their three year old? wow!) I am so grateful for my little buddy. It's days when out of the blue he gives me a big hug and kiss and tells me he loves me, or days when he tells me all about Jesus and what he did for him on the cross, that make the not listening part worth it. The faith of a child is so precious. I absolutly love hearing him talk about Jesus.

Ryan and I are coming up on six years this July. I can't even begin to comprend how six years have gone by. I am so blessed to have this man. He is such an example to me. I couldn't have asked for any one better to walk this walk with me. Through the last six years, we have gone through some pretty tough life experiances. Job changes, lay offs, building and selling, a cancer scare, children, career changes, and the most fresh wound I'm still healing from. God has been so good in our marriage. I'm blessed to have gone through these things with Ryan because he has made me stronger through them. Six years have been wonderful. I can't wait to see where the next years take us.

I think I am done being all mushy now. I will update with pictures of the recent happenings in the DeVries family in the next week. Hope all is well with everyone, and everyone is enjoying their summer so far!

Spring. Yay!

2011-04-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an awesome day! I think my car read 84 at one point. That is enough to get excited about. :-) We went to my parents house yesterday to celebrate my brother's birthdays. With the weather being so nice we were able to tlet the kiddos run wild outside. It was an awesome day of family time and getting to see all the kids enjoying the wonderful weather. So much to be thankful for.

If anyone is intrested to know.(i'm not even sure who reads this anymore!) I am finally done with my orientation and am working alone in the OR. By alone, I mean, I don't have anyone tagging along and babysitting me. :-) It is such an awesome place to work and it couldn't be more fitting for me. God always knows what He is doing! School is almost done for the semester for me and Ryan as well. (thank goodness!) As much as I love school, it will be nice to have a 3 week break and enjoy some time together without the nagging feeling of having to finish homework. This is true for Ryan especially. He is doing Anatomy and Phisiology right now which is hard on it's own, not to mention he is doing a Honor's credit in Anatomy as well, plus a history class. How he can juggle being a dad and husband, a full time employee and student is beyond me. He is an ispiration.

The way the nursing program works, is there is a wait list in order of when you are ready. Ryan's ready date was May of 09. They just called for the fall program and they stopped at I believe it was February 09. Which means, he isn't in this fall like we were hoping, but will be in the following Summer Semester. YAY! This actually is probably a blessing. It gives us a little bit more time to figure out work schedules etc...We are about a year away now for sure from him being in the program. (Me, unfortuantly I am about 4-5 years away!)

Evan and Alivia are growing like weeds of course. Alivia is saying so so much. Everyday it seems like she is saying new words I never heard her say before. Just recently she now is saying "I love you," everytime she says goodbye to someone. She is just adorable. Stong willed of course, but we love her all the same. Evan is also becoming such a little man. His vocab is just crazy. I love listening to him pretend and have conversations with people. He is not a shy child that's for sure.

Speaking of the little man, he is refusing to take a nap, so I should leave it at that. Have a great rest of your week!

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-02-27T17:43:00.001-08:00

I'm going to be on top of this and post pictures of our weekend away this past weekend. For Christmas this year, my parent's surprised us with a night away with all kids and grandkids. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast. Couldn't have asked for a better night away. (Other than a little bit more sleep!) We had so much fun though, and we are looking forward to our next getaway together. We are so blessed with such amazing parents.

Birthday Party Pictures

2011-02-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our very special boy at his thrird birthday party. He had a blast. It is hard to believe my baby boy is 3 already! Somedays it seems like he is older the way he talks, and then some days I can't even believe my 6lb 11oz baby prince is 3. Love this little man.

2011-02-08T09:15:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I went the whole month of January with no posts. Staying home with two kids, you would think my life would have slowed down a bit, but it actually seems busier! Somehow I am always finding ways to stay busy, whether I want to or not.

Well, one of the ways my time has been spent lately is I have been going to MCC on Wednesday nights. It is nice beacuse Ryan also has a class on Wednesday nights so we ride up together. What a nice 45 minute drive to talk and spend time with eachother--with no kids screaming for your attention. The class itself isn't the most intresting class, but it has a lot of good information and I have fallen in love with the process of school again. What a differnce highschool is to college. In highschool I found myself not caring as much, thinking I knew where my life was headed so why bother studying so hard. I wasn't a horrible student, I just didn't try. Now, it seems I am just as obsessed as my husband is with getting an A and I have been managing to do so. I really really enjoy it, and am looking forward to taking more classes next semester.

On another note, another thing I have been doing is volunteering at Holland Hospital Friday afternoon's for 4 hours. I had been volunteering in Surgery, where I was basically just stocking things, wiping off stretchers and doing other small tasks the staff needed done. I was there twice in January when a position came open for a Unit Tech job. (A unit tech is typically a nurses aid. In surgery, it's very different than the typical unit tech.) I was encouraged to apply from another Unit Tech in Surgery. I applied on a Wednesday, had an interview on Friday and found out the job was mine about a half hour after the interview. WOW IT WENT FAST! It is amazing to see the people and experiances God has put infront of me at the most perfect time. This whole experiance with Holland Hospital has come really from no where. The idea to volunteer was kind of spur of the moment, to see if I liked the hospital setting (which I do!!) and the way I was led to Surgery was nothing from myself. And again..the open position 2 weeks after I started. It was amazing how things fell into place and I know it was God being God, His faithful self blessing this. Awesome. I start my orientation on Monday, and I will be training anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks I was told full time. Once my training is done, I will be working two days a week. Perfect for what I was looking for! :-)

Enough about me. Ryan is also enjoying school. He is in a very hard class right now, Anatomy and Phisiology. One of the most hated class of nursing students because it's so hard, but he actually enjoys it! He spends a lot of his time home studying, but does an amazing job of balencing work, school and us. I'm so proud of him. He is doing so well!

Our little man turned 3 this January. How did that happen? I remember vividly the anticipation leading up to his birth. The morning I went in to be induced. The excitement and wonder of what we were going to have. Then to find out he was a boy! Ryan cried like a baby and I wept as I saw him for the first time. Now, three years later, this little baby has become a rambunctious, energetic 3 year old. He loves wrestling with daddy, playing tractors, playing pretend, and doing chores with his pappa. He loves to laugh and everytime he does he melts his parents hearts. We love our little Evan. What a gift he has been to us!

And our Livvy Bug. She too is growing up so fast! She is talking so much more lately. More words we can understand than just her baby jibberish. She has an attitude she can turn on in a second, and her will is one of the strongest I have seen. But even so, she is a sweetie pie. Everyday, when Ryan opens the door, coming home from work, she runs to the entry way screaming "DADDY!!" It puts a smile on all our faces. She is our little livvy bug and life wouldn't be the same with out her.

I plan on updating with more pictures soon, and adding some of Evan's birthday party. I'm a huge slacker these days. Hope to get to it soon!

The Recent Happenings

2010-12-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, I need to get on this! You would think staying home I would have more time, but it seems almost like the opposite. Taking care of two little munchins full time is busy! :-) I am loving it though. I am enjoying my time off a lot. It is fun being able to see the kids learning and progressing on a daily basis. So much fun! The things that Evan says sometimes take me such by suprise. He is getting so smart, and more of a smart alec as well! Sometimes its hard not to laugh as he is saying something I should be diciplining him for. Ah, the joys of being a mom. :-)

Well, I havent even posted pictures of the kids from Halloween. How horrible am I? I guess I figured, most people who read this have Facebook so they saw it on there. We will skip the halloween pictures and I will start off with just a few randoms of the kiddos.

And now here are a few from Christmas...What a fun time! It was so cool to see the kids getting excited about it! Evan finally understands what Christmas is a little bit and it was cool seeing him get excited about it.

I guess you could say a lot has changed lately. I hesitate to talk much about this on our blogg, but in the last couple months Ryan and I have decided I would be joining him in the College world. I will be taking one class this semester, easing myself into it. We decided we wanted to both be a "nurse family." :-) I have come to the conclusion, (as much as I love my kids!!!) staying home isnt for me. I enjoy working part time, and I know that once I am able to stay home while Ryan is working as a RN, I would probably get bored with the kids in school etc.. I have always had an intrest in the medical field, the opportunity just never arose. Its funny how when God closes a door in your life, He soon opens a new one. One you never thought you would open, but He did. And I have felt led to go down this road for a while now. Finally, the opportunity is here! :-) I also still am job searching. However, I also chose not to settle either. I am taking a course this semester as well to become a CNA and hopefully that will give me some medical experiance to get a job in the hospital as well. Life is constantly changing and things are always happening. When you think you have it figured out, its funny how God takes you somewhere completly differnt than you thought you would be. I also will be volunteering one day a week for 4 hours at the hospital. Hopefully that will help get me out of the house and help keep my sanity. :-) (again, love my kids, breaks are just nice!!)

Anyway--thats whats going on so far at the DeVries house. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! Happy New Year! Be safe!

2010-11-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

So my blogging has become rare these days. I am averaging about once a month which is so bad for me! And I am sorry to say I havent posted any pictures lately. Its funny looking back and reading some of my past posts about the happenings in our household. Recently, Ryan got a job at the hospital, which I already blogged about, but about a week ago he was offered a full time job there. (yay!) The timing couldnt have been better as about 3 weeks ago I was told that the dealership I work for was closing. Today was my first day unemployed. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing of cousre, but God has always been good to us and we are continuously blessed by Him. It makes things a little easier knowing He is taking care of us, and He always has. But wow..what a rollercoaster! Regardless, through these last 3 weeks of knowing I would soon be unemployed, I couldnt help but feel grateful for all that we do have. My kids are healthy, Ryan and I are healthy (other than battleing some sinus infections and minor colds!) We are very blessed and I have nothing at all to be worried about or feel ungrateful for.

With that being said, I am definatly looking forward to seeing my kiddos more in the next little while. Of course the hunt for a job is still on, but I will enjoy the days home. The kids are growing so fast, and Alivia is picking up so many new words latly, I am going to enjoy spending my days watching her learn new things and playing differnt games with Evan.

I will try and be a little better about keeping this updated, now that I have a little more time! Hopefully even some pictures soon! Hope everyone has a great thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for!

What a Month!

2010-10-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Most posts I start by saying not much has changed in the last month, but in this post, I cant say that. A lot has been happening.

For one, we celebrated our little girl turning 1! It is so much fun watching little liv bug growing up. She is saying so many more words these days, and becoming more and more obsessed with her favorite things. She cant go to sleep without her pipey and puppy. She loves them both and will not sleep with out them. It kind of makes it hard to find a time to wash the puppy.

For two, Ryan was called back to Tiara which I posted about already. He was back for a week when he got a call from Holland Hospital for an interview. While he was laid off he was applying everywhere. A position became available at the hospital for a phlebotomist. He had the interview and a day later got the job! We were forced to make a decison to either stay with Tiara or choose Holland Hospital. The path God has been leading us down for the last couple years, the answer couldnt have been more clear. He is in training still for the next couple weeks and is exactly where he is supposed to be. He couldnt be happier and is totally in his element.

Evan also had his second MRI for his neck. The specialist determined he did not have the problem which they thought was a possibility. All in all we had a great result from that appointment, which means no surgry on his neck. We do still have to meet with a specialist on the spine to discuss his tailbone to see if he will eventually need surgry on that.

The nebulizer has already been used a multiple of times this season due to colds and sickness again. Evan was in the ED a few weeks ago because of a 105 fever. He ended up having a bad ear infection and a bad cough. Tis the season!

Hope everyone has had a good month! I will post pictures soon!

2010-09-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

So I am like the worst blogger ever when it comes to updates. For everyone who has facebook, I am sure you already know Evan had his MRI last month and his results we pretty positive. He does not have the spinalcord issue that they thought he could have had. However...(and it always seems like in Evan's case there is a however!) He has to go back next tuesday to have another MRI done on something they saw at the bottom of his neck. They only have one image of it. What they saw was a gray image of something they werent sure what it was. He has a follow up after the MRI with his neuro sugeron for the results, and to talk possibly about his tailbone, if he will need surgry. Now that I have gone through this once, I am not as nervous about the whole sedation and everything, we just are hoping for some good news with no howevers this time!

Ryan is also back to work at Tiara..or Energetix actually. He has been back for about a week and it is going good. He got one of the better jobs at least where he isnt doing as much with the fiber glass as most of the people there. He is fortunate on that end. We have been blessed he has been called back. Now all I have to do is figure out a child care issue, and we should be all set!

I forgot to post Liv's stats as well, for whoever is intrested, but she was 20lbs 15 oz. I cant remember he height, but I know she was 50% for weight and 85% for height. Tall and skinny!

I hope everyone has a great week!

My baby is 1!

2010-09-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

A year ago tonight, I was so nervous of what to expect on having my second child. How my life was going to change, how Evan was going to handle being a brother so young. But a year ago tomorrow, my world changed for the better. The momemnt my doctor said "you have a little girl!" I literally screamed a little scream of pure joy and the tears came pouring down. Ryan looked over at me smiling the biggest smile, "You have your little girl!" In the middle of a lot of unknown, God gave us Alivia, and we are so so blessed to have her. We love her more and more everyday, and she brings us so much happiness.

She is starting to walk on her own more and more, still on wobbly feet. She has two small tiny teeth that have just poked through. She is still lacking long flowing locks, but I know they will come. :-) Her eyes are green like mine, and my dad says she is the spitting image of me as a baby. She melts my heart even seconds after a temper tantrum, and she has her daddy wrapped around her teeny tiny fingers. Aliva Kristine, we love you so much. We are so blessed to have you as our daughter and we cant wait to watch you grow!! Love you sweetie!

2010-08-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

August is almost half over already! On to fall my favorite time of year. (ryan's favorite time too for other reasons...hunting would be one of them!) Although, we have been extremly busy, we have found time to do some fun little things with the kids and even have finished the bathroom downstairs as well as repainted over the abnoxious blue in our basement. Ryan is finished with his last semester of Math, (EVER! other than Stats of course..) and will be starting his next semester end of August. It is so nice to be able to have this little break and not have homework that he has to worry about, and we can just spend our nights as a family together. We are getting so close to the time Ryan will be in the nursing program. We cant wait! Hopefully within the next year sometime he will get called. We will see. :-)

Our little princess is almost 1. Where did the year go? Looking back over the last year and seeing how she has grown, and all the little things she has learned to do, I cant help but be so thankful and feel so blessed for our little bug in our life. We love her so much, and cant imagine life without her.

Evan's MRI is coming up as well so I ask for prayers for that. For Evan, and for this mamma too. It makes me a little nervous knowing he will have to be put out for the procedure, but the results are what scare me the most. Please pray.

I will keep ya posted on Evan's report. Have a GREAT rest of your week! :-)

Grieving with Hope

2010-07-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have never lost anyone close to me. I know there will be a day when I will. It seems the last couple months til now I have been hearing such sad stories of people who are suffering in many differnt ways. I was going through something, and not neccisarily grieving in a loss of someone, but this sermon hit me. And now, it feels more appropriate than ever on the weekend of such heartache. My best friend was sitting in the church this night. I am so glad she was there, so she could tell me about it. I encourage you to listen. I know it is long, but take the time, and listen all the way through. God whispers in so many differnt ways to differnt people.

My links isnt working so paste it into your browser. The message is called Grieving with Hope. http://www.willowcreek.org/mediaplayer/playerHome.aspx?cid=3&id=14

Scroll down to the bottom when you get to their site and click on May 2010. You will see it there.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

2010-07-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just an update for those of you who know Evan, and know about his tailbone problem. Evan has from day one been our child who has all the issues. By issues I mean medical. Between kidney appointments, helmets, middle of the night ER visits, its always something. Evan was born with a wierd tailbone/base of his spine. His spine comes all the way down to flesh basically and there is basically just skin protecting it from poking through. He is able to run, and jump and do all the things normal kids do, but if he goes down a slide too hard, or jumps and lands wrong, it causes him a lot of discomfort. He recently has been complaining more about it, so we decided to go back to his pediatrican to seek what other options we had. (Up until now, it didnt seem like much of a concern)We were refered to Helen DeVos Neurosugery. When we went today, the doctor looked at it and decided Evan needs a MRI. The problem isnt now, but it could be later. If he would hit a growth spurt and the end of the spinal cord is stretched, the result could not be a good thing. In severe cases, some kids loose feeling in there legs unexpectadly. He goes the end of August for the MRI and will be seen the next day for results. He will have to be sedated for the MRI just because he wont be able to move for 45 minutes. (Poor buddy!) I am not worried about that part. The part I am worried about is him not being able to eat all day because his appointment is at 1:00. Please pray for good results from the MRI. If there is something that is blocking the base of the spinal cord, or something pinning it down, he will need surgury. I am sure everything will be fine, but no mom likes to think of their little guy having surgry for any reason. I will keep ya posted when I know more from his MRI! Thanks!!

2010-07-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Seeing how it has been about a month ago since I posted last, I thought I should probably update again. We have been staying busy outside enjoying the great weather, and have taken a few small little trips away as well. Ahhh, summertime!

Toward the end of June, Ryan and I thought it would be fun to take Evan to the water fountation downtown holland. It was a hot night and thought Evan would love it. We got icecream at Coldstone, then ventured our way down there. By the time we got there, it was packed and Evan was a little hesitant but eventually ended up loving it.

Over the fourth of July we went camping with our small group. (All except the Hills! :-( We missed you guys!) We ended up at Baldwin Oaks, and actually I was pleasantly suprised with that camp group. I never was a huge camper, as I didnt grow up camping, but the pool was fantastic, and the kids had a blast. On Saturday they had pony rides and free cotton candy for the kids. It was such a nice little get away for the weekend and we had so much fun with such great friends. Looking forward to going again! Here are a few of our fun weekend.

I also was able to get out for my birthday this past weekend and head down to Chicago to visit my friend who lives there. It was such a great weekend, and much needed. We had such a good time catching up, going for dinners and shopping. So much fun! The best birthday weekend ever.

Other than vacations, not a whole lot more has been happening. Ryan is layed off again for a little while, but that was kind of expected. We will see if they get any more work by fall. We will see! Have a great weekend everyone!

A Night Away

2010-06-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I will be celebrating our 5th year anniversary this July. We decided to take advantage of spring rates and we headed up to Crystal Mountain for a day/night. I highly recommend that place to anyone! It was both of our first time there and it was so much fun and SO BEAUTIFUL! One night wasnt enough, as we could have found so much more to do. When I booked our trip, I booked just a regular hotel room. When we got there, they told us they upgraded us to a one bedroom condo, ON THE GOLF COURSE! It was so nice and relaxing being away with just my hubby. Much needed, and cant wait to do it again! Here are a few of our condo. Unfortunatly we couldnt get any good ones of the two of us. Oh well.

Pictures in the Park!

2010-06-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Spring Grove park in Jamestown with some friends. If you ever want some awesome pictures, GO THERE! It is beautiful. I didnt get any good ones of Alivia or Evan because they were SO tierd, but we did manage a few good family pictures.

A Day At The Lake

2010-06-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ryan's parents were camping out at Gun Lake with his mom's side of the family. We decided to head down there for most of the afternoon. What a nice place! The kid had tons of fun, but were so tuckered out. Here are a few of our afternoon there.

I must explain the the little boy in his undies! If you know Evan, you know he spends most of his day running around in just his undies, so he had no problem with this. We of course forgot the bag with all the swimsuits, extra clothes, ect...so this is what he wore swimming. Lol. Kinda funny because that is so up Evan's alley.

Livvy Bug

2010-06-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

My little Livvy bug is now 9 months old..crawling everywhere, walking around furniture, saying mamma and dadda, ball and her own little version of "Evan." She is getting to be a little stinker too. She is a total diva, and loves to turn on the attitude when she doesnt get what she wants. She is a typical little girl in every way. She adores her big brother and follows him wherever he goes. Our little Livvy bug, we love you so much. You bring us so much joy everyday and we are so blessed to be able to call ourselves your parents. We cant wait to see what God has in store for you. We love you sweetheart!

Pictures are here!

2010-05-19T18:12:00.001-07:00

Here are a few recents of our Livvy bug. She sure is a stinker lately! She is into everything, crawling...pulling herself up, and she absolutly loves getting into her brothers toys. Oh sibbling rivalry...:-) And its only the begining!

Evan playing outside in his cozy coupe...or he calls it, his van.

My little sweeties

Our weekend away to Cabela's/Splash Universe

Tulip Time 2010

2010-05-13T07:07:00.001-07:00

Pictures are coming! I have been so busy lately as always, I hardly have time for anything, let alone blogging!

We have been staying pretty busy. Between projects at home, or weekend trips...there is always something! :-) Its funny though, because we purposly make it that way. There is always something needing to get done.

Ryan has had off from school the last 2 weeks which have been amazing! Its so nice to see him every night, and not have to have him leave to do homework. While he has been home, he has been working in the basement alot. He just layed the flooring and we painted the play room. He is working on tileing the shower and floor right now. Hopefully it should be complete by the end of the month or mid june! Cant wait! It will be so nice to have more space! When the weather is actually good, he has started Evan's playset. The tower is built and he attatched the slide so Evan can go down it. Evan absolutly loves it! He could go down time after time again and not get sick of it. Its so much fun to have more things to do outside now! We are just waiting on some nice days to get the swingset part of it built.

A few weekends ago we took a weekend away and headed to Cabela's, Splash Universe and Ikea. What a great weekend away! It was so nice to get away and relax for a few days. Evan and Alivia LOVED the water park. Evan loved going down the slides. My wonderful husband decided it would be fun to send Evan down the enclosed twisty slide and see how he did. My poor little boy! He didnt cry when he came out, but he definatly didnt want to do it again, and now calls it the scary slide. Poor little peanut. I didnt even like it, so I cant imagine the thoughts that were going through his head.

We of course headed over to Cabelas as well. No big purchases there. Ryan has everything he needs for next hunting season so there wasnt much we needed to look at. Evan loved seeing the fish, and the animals, and Alivia just liked looking around. (Speaking of hunting! I forgot to mention, Ryan got his first turkey ever a few weeks ago! I am not real sure what he is going to do with it, but the meat is in the freezer....do people actually eat wild turkey?? Anyway...he was happy and now it looks like he has another hunting season in the spring! Oh joy!)

Ikea was wonderful again as always. We didnt get a whole lot, mostly stuff for the kids rooms and little things here and there, but it is always nice to make a trip out there to see everything again. Good times.

The kids are growing like weeds!!! Alivia is crawling all over the place. She started doing that about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Her favorite word is Muumma which is awesome. :-) The little stinker is also pulling herself up on stuff now. I couldnt believe it when I turned around yesterday and she was standing next to her table. She has done it numerous times since then as well. Cant believe my baby is so grown up already!

Evan is basicly potty trained. Occasionally he will have a accident, or just doesnt get there quick enough but he is so much better about telling us when he has to go, or sometimes, just goes by himself. I LOVE IT! Its so nice not having to by two sizes of diapers everyweek!

Well...I think thats about all. Pictures will be coming!

2010-04-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I feel like the days are just flying by. I cant believe it has been another month, gone. Again...life is pretty much the same. We have been enjoying the warmer weather so much lately. Evan just loves being able to ride his bike, and drive around his cozy coup. When the weather was in the 70's last week, I had both kids out while I pulled a bunch of weeds. Alivia is loving the sunshine too. Its so much fun watching them both enjoy it so much.
Ryan's parents were so generous to get us playset for the kids this past weekend. We hopefully will be able to have a bluiding day on Saturday and get it together if we have everything stained. Evan has been so excited for it and talks about it all the time. We've told him that if he tries really hard to remember to go on the potty that Grandma and "Papa" will get him his playset. We are actually to the point with the potty training that we are more than comfortable taking him places. He hasnt had a diaper on in probably over a month. He is doing so well and we are so proud of him. Of course he still has the occasional accident. Most the time it is due to too much excitement that he forgets. We are still remiding him to go, and he does do well with telling us. That is something we are still working on though. Hopefully now that he has his swingset, we wont have a relapse!

Ryan is finishing up this semester with Math and his CPR class. He will have about a 2 weeks window where he will have off, then start up his summer class of Math again. :-) Life is always crazy, but probably one of the best things he could be doing for our family right now. Tiara had another lay off about 3 weeks ago where he was laid off again for 2 weeks, and it is looking like after May 17 they dont have any work lined up. We will see but it just reinforces our dicison for a differnt career. Its funny how God leads us in the direction we are supposed to go when we never even imagined this is where we would be in life right now. He is so faithful.

Alivia is getting SO close to crawling. She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth only to belly flop on her belly. She cant quite figure out how to get her knees infront of her yet. I think I remember Evan doing the same thing, then actually crawling around 8 1/2 months, so if it takes that long, FINE WITH ME! I know when she starts moving it is only going to be more chaotic in this house. Evan already is having problems with her wanting to play with his tractors. I think we will have a few fights to break up coming up!

We decided a while ago we needed to start searching for child care. It was getting to stressful for me to try and line something up every week and I hated having to ask my family all the time for help. We decided to hire someone to come to our home instead of bring them somewhere. This saves me SO much time in the morning. It was pretty exhausting trying to get two kids, fed and dressed and out the door, all while trying to get ready myself for work. And it is nice to have the kids be able to stay home in their own home, and play with their own toys. (Thank you to all of you who have helped me out, and have offered to help!! It means so much to me!)
ANyway...we hired a college student a friend of mine recommended. She used to Nanny and seems like she'd be a great fit for the kids. Only 2 days a week and she starts the begining of May. It could always change too depending on if Ryan gets laid off in May again...We will see!!!

Anyway...there...not much new, but thought I would update again. I would post pictures, but I havent had the camera out lately. My charger is MIA and my battery is about dead...if I cant find it soon i will have to order a new one...I hate not taking pictures of the kiddos!

2010-03-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

2 posts in one day! Not bad! I just thought I would post some pictures of my cuties because its been a while. Not much has changed with them, just growing like crazy!

Evan's 2 year.

Livvy in her Maroon Platoon shirt. Ok..so I know she always has this headband on, but without it, she looks like a boy! I had to make it somewhat girly. I need more headbands Tracy! :-)

These are just some randoms of the kids lately. Life sure is busy!

Update

2010-03-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would update. Because Alivia had a UTI already, it is standard procedure to do a VCUG. They also wanted to do a ultrasound to check to see if Alivia had developed hyrdronephrosis, which is the same problem Evan has with his kidneys. We went to DeVos last week Friday for an ultrasound and the results showed she does have it. Hydronephrosis is not life threatening. Let me briefly explain what it is...The kidney is connected to the urethra, which carries urine to your bladder. Hyrdronephrosis is dialation of the kidneys, or in other words, urine is backing up and flushing back into the kidney. In Evan's case, he has an obstruction where the urethra and the kidney meet, which is causing the hyrdronephrosis. We arent really sure what is causing it in Alivia's case. Over time, as kids grow, they typically grow out of it. Worst case scenerio if he doesnt grow out of it, they go in surgically and take the blockage out. At this point, it isnt hurting Evan. If it wouldnt get better and we didnt do anything about it, it would lead to kidney failure in that kidney...but thats worst case, and Evan is a grade 3.5 out of 5, so he is ok. What this means for Alivia is just more doctor appointments, and visits to DeVos, but thats ok. DeVos is great and its a blessing living so close! Anyways, just thought I would update!

2010-03-10T17:14:00.001-08:00

Ok. Its been a month, and I havent posted ANYTHING! Just shows how incredibly BUSY we all have been lately. I cant say exactly what it is either that is making us so busy, but it always seems like every night we have something going.

We have been little by little finishing a room and a bathroom in the basement since last summer. Its been getting closer to being done, and hopefully this spring should be complete! With Ryan in school, and livvy taking over Ryan's office...finding a place where he could escape to do schoolwork has been getting impossible, unless he wants a 2 year old little boy interupting every 2 minutes. :-) It will definatly benefit us in the future as well!

Alivia is growing by the minute. She is six months old now and I cant believe how fast time went. The next six months are going to fly by as well, and she will then be a year! She is rolling everywhere, eating solids three times a day...sleeping pretty good. The last couple nights have been a little better, but for the last month, she has been waking up a couple times a night looking for her pipe. It was making for some long nights on this mamma. Anyways...she is just one of the happiest little girls I know. Constantly smiling, jabbering like crazy. She is just getting cuter by the minute. We are falling in love with this little peanut more and more every day. She's such a blessing.

Last week was one of the harder weeks on us lately. Evan was just getting over a double ear infection and Thursday we noticed Liv was running a fever. Friday she still had a fever and she was not herself. Ryan ended up taking her in Friday night because her fever was getting higher. They checked for a UTI and bladder infection, but it came back clean. By monday, she was lethargic and it was freaking us out so we took her back in. Her temp was 104! Thats way too high for a little peanut. They took some blood and were able to tell she had an infection, and later that day found out she had a UTI. :-( Poor princess. After two shots and a weeks worth of antibiotics, she is doing 100% better. I felt so bad for her though. I had never seen her look like that. It was heartbreaking. Thank goodness she is doing better and we now know what to look for!!

Evan is growing like crazy too. His vocabulary is getting insane. I cant believe what he says, or how he knows what to say sometimes. That little boy is so stinkin smart. Backyardigans are probably his favorite show still. He also is big into Dora and Diego, and he loves the Imagination Movers in the morning. His favorite food lately is probably quesadillas or pasta. He loves all his john deere tractors, trucks and bike. He is definatly into signing and dancing, although poor boy is probably cursed, because both his parents cant do either. :-) His favorite song by far is Jesus Loves Me, and a close second The ABC song...SuperWhy style. He is so much fun and we love getting to know this little man God's blessed us with.

I will try and post pictures this weekend. Ryan is leaving me for a night this weekend with his dad, brother, and his brothers inlaws to the casino, so I might have time, maybe less tho! I'm sure Ryan is looking forward to a night away, of "watching" other people gamble and the free drinks! We arent big gamblers at all, but I am sure it will be nice to get away and have some guy time. I'm a little jealous!

Randoms!

2010-02-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

So, I had some pictures that I havent had a chance to post, that I thought I better get on here. We took Evan ice skating a few weekends ago and he did so good! He loved it and screamed the whole way out because we had to leave. After 45 minutes of it tho, my ankles had about all they could take. It was such a good time, and fun to be able to take just Evan out and do something fun. Here are a few of that, and then just random ones. Have a great week everybody!

2010-01-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last post? Wow! I guess I havent had anything too exciting happen the last couple weeks. I did however just finish course one of the Wilton Cake decorating class, and will be starting course 2 in March. I absolutly love it! Its always been something I wanted to learn and know how to do, so I am super excited to be able to do some of the things I learned. Unfortunatly I have been eating a lot of my cakes as well. I wish I had the will power to not cut into it after bringing it home, however...I do not. I may have gained back the 8 pounds I lost just in the cake! Anyways...

Alivia is growing up so fast! It is amazing seeing her recognize things, and doing more. She giggles and smiles, kicks and rolls on her side. She has rolled from her belly to her back, (only because she gets mad on her belly, so she tries very hard to get off of it.) She is dramatic beyond belief compared to her brother, but we absolutly are in love with our little princess. I always thought the baby stages were so fun, but I think I have come to the conclusion that I love every stage. As they grow, it just gets better and better.

Evan too is growing like crazy! At his 2 year appointment he weighed a whopping 31 pounds and is now 3 feet tall exactly. 86% for height, and 85% for weight. He is a little pistol. The things he comes up with and says are just hilarious. It is so much fun being able to have full on conversations with the little guy. My favorite thing is listening to him pray, and thank Jesus for all the things he is thankful for. Most the time it is food, fruit snacks, and tractors...He is too funny. He also is developing quite the will power. He is to the age where he thinks he can do what he wants, and when told the opposite, can throw quite the fit. He has entered the terrible two's with a vegence! All in all, we love him so so much. He definatly is entertaining and makes life intresting.

It is so funny how Evan is developing his love for his sister. Dont get me wrong, there are days where he wants nothing to do with her, but on the others where he shows affection, it is the sweetest thing. Alivia just adores her brother. Every time he talks to her, her face lights up. So cute! I am sure there is a day coming when they wont be the best of friends!

Not much else to say. Ryan is still working, and the date that they have work through keeps being extended, which is a positive thing. Still doing well in school as he started another semester a few weeks ago. Its hard to believe he has been in school over a year now! So proud of him

Life is pretty much the same for me as well. Sorry, I dont have time to post pictures. Maybe sometime soon. I dont have time for much lately so I should probably get offline and do something productive!

What's New Lately

2010-01-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

This year for New Years we went to the Double Tree hotel in holland with some great friends, and had some great times. I know the kids all had a blast, and Evan had so much fun trying to keep up with them! We pretty much hung out all night, ate some great pizza, went swiming...ect. We had an awesome time, and hopefully will have the priveledge of going again next year! Here are a few pics of New Years.

Here are just a few randoms lately. Evan making Alivia talk on the phone. It is so funny how much she loves her big brother. He looks at her and she gets a smile on her face. So adorable. Dont mind the food still smeared on Evan's face. He always seems to have something on it.

Not much else is too new over here. Ryan once again, starts his winter semester tomorrow night. He is taking two classes this semester again, so back to being busy! Things are also still going well at Tiara, so that is another blessing there!

Our house has been plagued lately with every sickness imaginable. Evan has had a cold/cough for about 2 weeks now. Prior to that, he had "Hand Foot Mouth." It probably sounds worse then what it was. He didnt have a bad case of it, but the virus is very contagious, and unfortunatly my nephews got it as well. That being said, our family Christmas had to be rescheduled for this past Saturday. We just cant beat the sickness over here. I was hoping 2010 would be a little healthier but so far it isnt looking that way.

I did want to say it is Evan's 2nd birthday today!! I cant believe my baby is 2. What a gift Evan is to us. We are so blessed to have him and love seeing him grow and learn new things everyday. These past two years have been amazing getting to know this little man God has given us, and we look forward to the many years to come with him. Happy Birthday little guy! Here are some pictures of his birthday party this past Friday night at our house. He got a ton of fun new things, one of his favorite being his new John Deere Tractor. He absolutly loves tractors!

Christmas in Pictures

2009-12-27T16:53:00.001-08:00

Pictures!!

2009-12-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of the kids most recently. We took Evan sledding by Ryan's parents house yesterday for a little bit. He loved being out in the snow. He even went down the hill by himself!

2009-12-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post some pics and update a little bit.
Life has been a little bit busier lately. Ryan is back to work it seems like for good now. This is a huge blessing, but also makes things a little more hectic with the babysitting situation. They apparently have 15 boat orders which means they have work thru Febuary at the least. It looks like it will probably be longer than that, if not indefinatly. Yay!
When I came back to work, knowing Ryan was soon going back as well I went down to four days a week which has been SO much nicer. I would love to go down more, but at this point, the work load at work may be too much for me to do that, so, I guess I have to hang in there a little bit longer! Its a nice break, and its nice to feel important and needed other than mommy needs, however I do miss my kiddos!!! They are growing so fast!!!!

Here are a few pics most recently taken:

We had baptism today for Alivia, as well as my nephew and cousins baby too. After baptism we had lunch at my brother and sister in law's house celebrating my nephew Garrett and Alivias baptism. What a blessing this little girl is to us. We love her so much, and she brings us so much joy. Love her to pieces! And how fun it was to be able to share this special day with Dave and Wendi and Garrett. Thanks Dave and Wendi for hosting today! Here is a pic of my Livvy pie in her baptism dress...without her cardigan. (I forgot to get a pic when she had everything on!) Yes, her dress is PINK...we arent a traditional family. :-)

"He gives. He takes away."

2009-11-25T12:26:00.001-08:00

So..sometimes when I am bored, I blog hop and read intresting articles and blogs, and I came across one by a lady. I dont know her, I dont know the circumstances in her life, so some of the people she is talking about doesnt make complete sense to me, but you can get the gist of it. Never did I think of this verse this way until now, but it makes complete sense. I thought this was kind of a cool post, so I copied it and pasted it to share...

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

-Job 1:21

"He gives and takes away. How many times have you heard this verse quoted? Or misquoted? I thought about this verse today as I contemplated that perhaps God was "taking away" something precious in my life. But I don't necessarily know if that is what Job had in mind when He said these powerful words. God is good. He doesn't take things from us to hurt us. I believe He allows sacred and precious things to be ripped from our lives at times. Take Todd and Angie, for instance. The most precious thing in their world was taken from them this week when they lost sweet baby Audrey to death after just two hours of life. Did God "take Audrey" away from them? Why would He do that?

On the same token, did God "take away" our current ministry? If He called us here, is He now "taking away" the opportunity to love these people and serve them? Is he "taking away" a pulpit where Josh could be proclaiming His word? Is he "taking away" our home, just to uproot us? Would He "take away" these things, even if it would make us stronger? NO. NO. NO. And again I say NO. I will never credit my good God with "taking away" good things such as this. Instead, I will give credit where it is due. Satan and his evil armies have grabbed hold of what God has given and they have "taken away". Satan is to be blamed, but God is to be given praise. For He has indeed taken some things away...

God has taken away our fear.
"For the Lord your God is living among you.He is a mighty savior.He will take delight in you with gladness.With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
-Zephaniah 3:17

God has taken away our sin.
"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."
-1 John 1:9

God has taken away our tears.
"He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears."
-Isaiah 25:8

God has taken away our ashes.
"He will give a crown of beauty for ashes"
-Isaiah 61:3

God has taken away our weakness.
"Yet it was our weaknesses He carried."
-Isaiah 53:4

God has taken away our sickness.
"He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases."
-Matthew 8:17

God has taken away our exhaustion.
"Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength."
-Isaiah 40:30-31

God has taken away our hunger.
" You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies."
-Psalm 23:5

God has taken away our darkness.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid?"
-Psalm 27:1

God has taken away our defeat.
"I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me."
-Psalm 30:1

God has taken away our mourning.
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing."
-Psalm 30:11

I praise God tonight for all He has taken away. I can rest secure in knowing that He Gives and Takes Away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

Livvy's Stats

2009-11-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post Alivia stats. She was 10lbs 14 oz and 22 1/4 inches. She is in the 50th precentile for both height and weight. By far bigger then Evan ever was. He was always 25th precentile for weight until he was almost a year. Anyways, we are currently retesting for intolerance to milk because she had one postive the last time. I am hoping it is a fluke because she is doing really well with the formula she is on. Anyways...Thats about all. I'm husbandless this weekend and enjoying my CLEAN house. It is so nice to leave the house, and come home to exactly how you left it. :-) Still looking forward to when he comes home on Monday. I am sure by then I will be anxious and ready for him to be home!

Oh yeah...forgot to post this, even tho it is pretty big news. Ryan got called back to Tiara. This time it should be for good. If not, it will at least be until mid January. Praise God!

Pictures!!

2009-11-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking big time with the pics. Here are a few of when we went up north to my Grandpas cabin on drummond island the begining of October.

We have been potty training for a while now, and Evan is doing AWESOME! He tells us when he has to go and gets so excited about his potty chair. We are so proud of him! I came home the other day and found him modeling his new undies! Daddy thought it was time he had some, so he made the trip to meijers with both kiddos and got Evan his very own Handy Manny undies. Evan is so proud of them and doing great! He has only had one accident so far and if he has to go...he makes sure to tell us. He doesnt want to get Handy Manny wet!

And finally here are some recents of my babes. They both are getting so big! I cant believe Evan will be two in January already! Time flies. And little miss Alivia is definatly packin on the pounds! Already in some 3 month outfits...:-( We go monday for her 2 month check up. Hopefully we will have better news about her formula situation.

.

2009-10-31T06:56:00.001-07:00

So this post isnt about anything to do with my family. Blogging is theraputic for me, so getting things off my chest and writing about them helps me sort things out in my head sometimes...

A good friend of mine is going through a really tough time right now. Her best friends husband (who is also a close friend to her) has been in the hospital now for over a week, I think actually going on two weeks. He has had problems for a while with his liver. So many things have been going wrong with his body. Last week though, it seemed as though he was starting to make a recovery. He was out of his coma, talking and it seemed as though he would be getting ready to come home, or at least go to a rehabilitation center until he was well enough to come home. Just in an instant something went wrong and he is now back on a ventilatior. His kidneys started to fail, and pretty much the doctors said they are doing what they can to keep him alive. She asked me something last week that I didnt know how to answer. I ask this question all the time of God. "why?" Why did God let him come so close to getting better, getting everyones hopes up that he would make it and be ok...then all of a sudden take that away? I had no answer for her. I wish I had some amazing Christian answer but I didnt. I tried finding scripture, but all I could find were verses about God being with us through the storms. There have been so many times in my life I have asked God WHY? Why did my parents go through what they did? Why did Ryan get layed off? Why did our neighbor loose their little girl? Why did our friend's 2 month old baby have to have a liver transplant? Why is Michael in the hospital fighting for his life? Why why why? The list goes on and on. I cant understand, and I never will until I meet Jesus face to face and can ask Him then.

I have been thinking about this for the last couple days, dwelling on this question like all Christians have in their lifetime. The only conclusion I have to come to is to look at the past, then look at the present. Seeing the path God has led us down, from tradgedy to where we are today. I look at my parents. Being on the edge of divorce so many years ago, to where they are today. God is so faithful. I look at the time when Ryan was layed off. The stress in our life, the worry. But God was there, He was faithful, and we have made it to where we are now. Not saying things are great, but they always work out! God is so faithful! I look at our friends who had to go through their son having a liver transplant at 2 months old...to where he is today, now a 2 1/2 year old little boy! God is so faithful! I cant understand Grace's death, or Michael fighting for his life, but I know God is STILL faithful. I may never be able to answer that question of why, but I am confident of His faithfulness through all of the heartache.

Sorry for going on and on, but I guess I needed to even remind myself today of this. Thanks for listening!

slackin

2009-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

So apparently having another child and working full time again proves I cant post as much as I used to. :-) I havent even posted pictures of our family vacation from 2 weeks ago yet! I'm slackin! (Although...not quite like some people we know...umm Tracy...:) ) Anyways...

So, whats new with us? I am happy to announce my less than 7 week old daughter is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! This is a Godsend. I think after what He dealt us with Evan, He maybe thought He should give us a break with this one. :-) We have kinda worked it so her last feeding is between 10 and 10:30, and she has been sleeping between 5:45-6. We will take it! I dont know either if I blogged about it either, but we did switch her to formula a few weeks ago due to her crazy tummy issues. She did great her first 4 weeks, but it was like a switch flipped and after every feeding she would cry and fuss. She just couldnt get comfortable. We also had some more issues with the original formula she started on so we took her in to the doctor. Her doctor thought maybe she has an intolerance to milk, so we had to do some tests. Out of three tests, she had one positive, so we have to test again in 2 weeks. She is on the gentle formula now and seems to be doing much better, however if she has more positives, she may have to go on a special kind of forumla that doesnt include milk or soy. Hopefully she wont have another positive, and we can continue on the formula she is on. Poor baby. I hate watching her in pain!

I'm also back to work now which is going just fine. I dont love it, and its not ideal but it works for right now and we are all adjusting ok. I said this when I had Evan too after I went back to work, but it is crazy the actual ache you have when you miss your kids. I feel the same way now when I am at work. The actual physical ache. Crazy I know, just because I still get to see them when I get home, but yeah...still sucks being away from them.

Well anyway..I will post pics of Drummond Island later but we went up there the begining of October. We havent been there since Ryan and I were first married. It was good to be up there again and just relax before coming back to work.my grandparents have a cabin in the woods, so Ryan was able to hunt. He saw a few deer but nothing great(By the way, I forgot to post anything, but the night before we left he sat out and got a nice size doe.) Evan loved riding the four wheeler and playing outside. It was cold but so much fun. What a great way to spend my last week of maternity leave.

Not much is new with Evan. Just talking like crazy. The things he says lately are hilarious. He always suprises me with words I didnt know he even knew! We have been working more and more with him on the potty and he is doing great! Pretty much everytime we put him on he goes, so he is getting the hang of it. We will just keep working with him.

I'll post some pics later. Looking forward to having our small group come over tonight. It has been too long!

2009-10-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

After a just over a year, we have decided the house is coming OFF the market. This is something that Ryan and I have prayed about, stressed about...me, cried about. (I did just have a baby, and am still completly emotional!) Over the last three weeks, we have been so up and down with this disicion, and I have been so confussed on what the right disicion would be. I kept praying God would just make it so clear on what He wanted us to do. Praise God, the answer became very clear, and it looks like we will be staying for a while. This is just such a relief to me. I have been so stressed wondering if we were making the right or wrong disicion. I just wanted to know one way or the other where we were going to be. Thankfully, this burden is gone, and I know now we will be here. Our friends live literally right down the road from us, so we are happy to be able to stay close to them as well. Anyway, no more showings! Although, that was one way my house was forced to be clean...we will have to see how well I can keep this up with out having to be forced to clean!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We are off to my grandpa and grandma's cabin for a nice long weekend. I will not have a phone or a computer til Wednesday night! Yikes! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Harvest Party!

2009-10-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday night we (my siblings and I) hosted a Harvest Party at my parents house. I believe it turned out to be a huge success! We had tons of fun watching the kiddos do pumpkin painting, horse/pony rides, hay maze, hay ride, digging for candy in sawdust...and eating yummy food and drinking cider. My parents have a perfect house to do this kind of thing. Hopefully we can continue to do these parties. I think the adults had just as much fun as the kids! Here are just a few pics of Sunday night.

Life Lately

2009-10-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Can you believe it is October already? Seriously, I feel like we just left July and now its October?! Oh well, its my favorite time of year. Leaves changing, apple cider...mmm. Makes me want to sit down with a good book in my pj's and read. Fall means a lot of differnt things to the DeVries family. For me, I cant wait for the first day I trade my flip flops for socks and tennis shoes, apple cider and leaves changing...For Ryan, it means the begining of hunting season. Its a very anticipated time of the year. Ryan has been going crazy with hunting fever. So much so, he is sitting in the rain tonight hoping to get one. I think this is CRAZY, however Ryan doesnt seem to see the problem with it. CRAZY!! Anyways...

Evan has been adjusting really well to his new baby sister. If anyone knows Evan, they will know he has issues sharing his toys. Evan is the typical little kid. When someone has something, he wants it, if they go to something else, he then goes for that...anyway...with his baby sister, he actually wants to give her all of his favorite things! His beloved "kitty" and all his favorite tractors and cars...it is so cute. (and amazing!) Anyway...he loves his baby sister. They are so cute together.

Unfortunatly, Fall means the start of cold and flu season. This is never good for Evan. Whenever Evan gets a cold, it is never a good situation. Trying to prevent some of his breathing issues, Evan has been on a steroid inhalent since August. He is going to be on this for a year doing one treatment a day. When Alivia came home, we slacked a little a missed a few treatments...which guess what? Yup, Evan is sick again! Thankfully though, the steroid is helping a lot and he is not nearly as bad as what he has been in the past, thank goodness. He also does abuterol every four hours right now trying to kick this cold. He does ok with his nebulizer, but most times Ryan will give it to him while he is sleeping so he cant run away. Here is a pic of him and his "fishy" mask.

And little Miss Alivia. She is growing SO FAST! How is it that she will be a month old on Tuesday? My baby is growing up! Her cheeks are getting chubbier by the second thanks to her insanely good appetite. She is so precious and we are so in love with her! How could I doubt loving two children equally? Its so natural! Here is a pic of her in her mossy oak onsie we are borrowing from Aunt Heather. (Thanks Heather!) Now all we need is Ryan to get a deer to have her picture taken with Daddy and the deer, and her mossy oak onsie. So cute! (For those of you who havent lost your husbands due to hunting season, and wouldnt know what Mossy Oak is, it is a hunting brand) Anyways..

Ryan is still doing great in school. Two classes right now. One online, and one he has to go up to Muskegon on Tuesday nights. It is hard to believe he is almost done with his first year! He is also working some. This last week he was called back for two days. There is talk about 12 more boats from now until January, but you never know if that is rumor or actual truth. We will see!

I am loving my time off and not quite ready to go back to work the end of this month. I love staying home with the kids. However, right now I know I have to sacrifice and work while Ryan is layed off in school. It is just a stepping stone for the next chapter in life. Anyways... Hope everyone has a wonderful rainy weekend!~

Alivia's Stats

2009-09-20T09:14:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention last week Alivia's stats from her first doctors appointment. On monday when we went she was up to 7lbs again, which was only an ounce less then when she was born. Her jaundice level was an 11 (they dont worry until its around 15) but her doctor wanted us to come in on Friday. As of Friday her levels were at 8 and she weighed in at 7lbs 8 oz! She gained 8 ounces in 4 days. She is a little pigger. Anyway, she is sleeping awesome as well. She goes anywhere between 3 1/2-5 hours at night! I will take it!! I was so not expecting such a great sleeper considering Evan didnt sleep through the night until he was almost 10 months old! Maybe its a girl thing, I dont know, but I love it!

2009-09-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

How is it that my little boy has grown up so fast? Every night Ryan and I go in his room and watch him sleep for a while. I know this may sound corny and cheesy, but I love doing it, and probably never will stop. Anyways, in the last week my little boy has grown up so much to me! He isnt my little baby anymore. After holding Alivia, and going to hold him, he looks and feels like a giant. I love that little man so much. I just cant believe how fast time goes. It feels only like yesterday we were changing his newborn diapers, getting up with him for middle of the night feedings. As much as I love the stage he is in, I am a little sad knowing these years are going to pass us by so quickly. I just have to make the most of them while I have them. And I guess while he still loves his mamma coming in his room at night for cuddles.

We're home!

2009-09-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

After 48 long hours after the arrival of Alivia, we were finally able to come home Thursday night. I really do love staying at the hospital, but by 7 on thursday night, I was definatly ready for my own bed, and good food again! Alivia is doing great! She sleeps way more than I remember Evan sleeping. I feel like I only have brief moments of awake time with her before she is zonked out again. Nights are going so much better than I anticipated. She is up about every 3 hours to eat, eats for about 20 minutes, then is out again. I actually feel like I am getting some sleep! Evan loves Alivia, unfortunatly tho he has a bit of a cold. Because of my niece Ashley who as a newborn got RSV from a cold, almost didnt make it, I am super paranoid about her getting sick. We are constantly washing hands and rubbing on the antibacterial lotion. Ryan caught a little bit of it as well and has barely touched her in 2 days. Not the greatest homecoming having a house full of sick people, but at least so far she is still healthy! We go to her first doctors appointment tomorrow so I am anxious to see how much she has gained. She is a little pigger when she eats. Ryan and I feel so blessed to have our two precious little peanuts!

Welcome Alivia Kristine DeVries

2009-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we welcomed into our family our new precious daughter, Alivia Kristine! She was born at 6:56pm, weighing in at 7lbs 1oz, and 20 1/4th inches long. She is absolutly perfect, and we are so in love with our new little miracle. God has never been more evident to me then now, when looking at my wonderful family! He is so good!

Waiting....

2009-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well there is an end in sight! Just a little bit longer and we will be joined with another little peanut to love. I am getting excited, and nervous...and worried for Evan, hoping he doesnt feel neglected by his mommy spending so much time with a new baby. As much as I am excited about having another child, I cant help but be a little sad knowing Evan wont be our baby anymore. I love that little man more than anything on this earth and the thought of sharing my time, and loving another human being like I love him is somewhat overwhelming and scary. I know it will be natural, and I know it will be instantanious. I know all these things, but just to comprehend them, it is unfathomable to me. I know every mother must feel something like this when expecting thier second child right? Anyways, I really cant wait to meet this little one, and it will happen very soon! I cant wait!

While we have been waiting this past week, we have had 3 showing requests, (2 that I actually agreed to!) one of which are coming back through again on Tuesday. Talk about BAD TIMING! Where were these people a month ago? We have been debating for so long about taking our house off the market, and once we actually are probably going to do it, we get all these showings. Anyways, I know if something comes of this, it is GOD's timing which is always perfect, and I need to keep reminding myself that. However, I cant get to ahead of myself and automatically assume our house will sell, but just the timing part is frustrating. So anyway...thats that.

Ryan is back in school again, taking on his second English class and another diversity class required for nursing. Hopefully it will be a decent semester for him and not too difficult with all that is going on. It was hard getting study time with one child, adding another to the mix might be intresting!

Well, that is all for now. Hopefully my next post is introducing our new little peanut!

Tri Ponds Camping

2009-09-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

I figured if I didnt get this on here now, I would forget about it and not post anythhing. This past weekend we spent Friday-Sunday morning camping with our small group from church at Tri Ponds campground. All though the weather was cold and rainy, we still managed to sit around the fire all day Saturday and had a great time. The pool there looks awesome, but unfortunatly didnt get a chance to use it due to the weather. It was a great time to get away with great friends. We had so much fun and look forward to doing it again next year if everyone is able. Hopefully the weather is a little nicer then. Here are a few pictures of Evan in his cosie coup, which was a big hit with the kiddos.

2009-08-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here I am, bored at work with nothing to do. I thought I would post something seeing how its been a few days. Obviously nothing has changed much as far as the baby goes. I did go to the doctor today, and everything is great! He said my baby is measuring still small and guessed it to be almost 6 pounds. (yay! No 9 pounder for me!) Blood preasure, weight, heartbeat, ect...everything looked great, now we are just waiting on little baby DeVries to make his or her appearance! We are still not 100% decided on our girls name. It is still down to the two we have been going back and forth on for the last couple months, but our boys is set and has been since we found out we were pregnant again. I am getting so excited to meet this little one who has been using my bladder as a pillow and ribs and sides as punching bags. I remember Evan being active, but this one is out of control sometimes! Anyway, I did progress quite a bit from last week to this week, so we will see! Yesterday I was having contractions about every 10-15 minutes, but eventually died off. At least I know things are working!

Ryan has been extremly busy lately, gone almost every night. Between helping my brother and sister in law on thier house, and managing his and his brothers food plot he has been quite busy. Deer season is approaching very very soon, and of course, he has hunting fever bad. I think he has forgotten sometimes we have a child who will be arriving in less then 2 weeks! Just kidding. But really though, Him and his brother have been working very hard on their awesome food plots, putting in under ground sprinkling back in the woods to irrigate it, and as of right now, building an 8x8 box blind to film out of and take the kids (corey and heathers this year!) out in. Somehow Ryan has it in his head I am going to go out there a night and film him. We will see. All in all though, as much as deer season frustrates me due to stealing my husband away, everything they have done so far is quite impressive and very cool. They have a lot of awesome bucks on video and still pictures, so it could be an intresting year this year. Hopefully one of them gets the nice 10 point they have on camera!

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. We will be spending Friday night and Saturday night camping with our small group from church at Triponds camp ground. I have never been there, but hear it is a great place to camp and close to home which is perfect. I have no doubt that I will make it through the weekend, but at least it isnt a far drive home and to the hospital if for some reason something happens! We are fortunate that Ryan's parents have a motor home we can steal for the weekend, so no tenting for us! Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll post soon if something happens!

Update

2009-08-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would give an update on baby DeVries. Looks like he or she will be staying put for a while. I'm not dialated at all, and only 50% efaced. Ughh. Not that I should be frustrated seeing how I do have 3 weeks left, but I am just getting to the point where I am definatly ready to have this baby.

Also, Ryan has been back to work for two days now. He said it was like he never left. Everything is exactly as it was left, and it didnt take long to get back into the swing of things. Although he could do with out getting up early again, its going better than he expected. :-) It looks like right now that he will be working this week, off a week, then back on a week. They are unsure of what is to come, but they do know they have two more orders, so it looks like he will be working more in september. We are so grateful for Ryan to get called back. It couldnt have come at a better time.

Anyway...thats all for now...I will let ya know if anything happens!

2009-08-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Whoo, 200th post. Crazy I have blogged that much. Anyway...I just thought I would share with whats been going on at the DeVries's lately...

So I am offically 36 weeks Friday. (if you cant take a little whinning, feel free to skip to the next paragraph) I cant believe I only have 4 weeks left, and then I think...ugh...I still have 4 weeks left. I do recall when I was pregnant with Evan hitting a rut with 4 weeks left and feeling misrible. I am such a baby sometimes and I will be the first to admitt it. I know some women can suck it up and deal with being pregnant no problem, but I am just not one of them. I have no problem with induction, and I know some people do...but for me, if the doctor feels my baby is fine and ready to come out, by all means, let it come out! I trust his opinion more than anyone elses when it comes to the well being of my baby, so if and when he is ok with it...so am I. Sleeping is so uncomfortable, and almost non existant, nothing fits anymore and my feet are so swollen by the end of the day. So anyway, I am just getting extremly ready for this child to come out! Sorry for the whinning! Blogging is somewhat theraputic.

I am sure most people who check facebook have noticed Ryan mentioning him going back to work on Monday. It is looking like he will be there for a week, off a week, then back on another week. There are always rumors of how many orders they have but as of right now, they have two boats to build, so Ryan will be there probably a total of 2 weeks. Obviously with me working full time, I am a little stressed about two weeks with Evan being gone every day, trying to find help for those weeks, but if it contines to look like Ryan will be employed we will definatly have to change my work schedule. It shouldnt, but it always amazes me at Gods perfect timing on things. For going back for a week, Tiara is picking up Ryan's insurance again for 3 months. Yay! And then in Novemebr if he is layed off again, his cobra starts over. Thank goodness for that! Anyway, I have to remember eveything works out, and we are always taken care of.

Well that is about it for now...no recent vaseline mishaps to report so we are doing good. Hope everyone has a great week/weekend!

35 weeks

2009-08-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that I have 5 weeks left in my pregnancy, and crazier...my sister in law is down to 3!! This is nuts. Where has the time gone, and how did we get to August already!? Months have flown and I am finding myself panicking a little. I have so much to do, and I feel like I am running out of time, something I dont have a lot of these days.

I have been making a little progress I guess in the baby's room which used to be our office. I finally have it organized and cleaned, and the furniture is all in there, it is just waiting on finding out what our little peanut is, boy or girl. In order to make it "feel" like its room, I want it to be gender specific, and in order to do that, I must wait before buying new bedding and decorating. Toys are all washed and in my rubbermaids, (not that we will need them for a while) and most of Evan's baby clothes are washed and ready to go. Now I just have to work on getting the car seat cover washed, bassinet washed, swing washed ect. Everything has been sitting in our basement for a year so it has drywall dust all over it. Anyway, too much to do, not enough time! I'm totally nesting, and half the stuff I want to do, I cant until the baby is born anyway!

I've been stressing about my work schedule as well lately. Oh how I wish things were differnt right now and I could stay home with my babies, but unfortunatly my time is not now, and I have to work. Ryan is doing awesome with Evan and I know that our kids couldnt be in better hands than with their own dad, but I think if it were up to Ryan, he would rather be working supporting us while I could stay home with our kids. I know all in time, and eventually Ryan will be out of school and have a good job again...just all in time...which sometimes I have to let go of, and just try and focus on today. Something I am not good at. :-)

I forgot to post as well Ryan finished his summer course with another A! I'm so proud of him! He worked so hard and was able to get another A under his belt, so he was happy and thankful for that. While working on side jobs and doing school work he has been busy! Right now he is helping my brother and his wife Wendi laying tile in their house they are building. Cant wait till it is done for them! I know what it is like to live with family while being pregnant. (sorry Wendi! I feel ya!)

Anyway--I think that is all for now...nothing else is new, just waiting for our munchin to arrive!

2009-08-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just had to post what a proud mamma I am. My little man went on the potty today! I wish I would have been home. I got a call from Ryan today saying Evan got a sucker for going on his potty today. Yay Evan! I guess they were dancing and clapping, and Evan was so excited. Being so young yet we take it a little bit at a time, but if he is willing to try, by all means, we are going to let him. The sooner I have him out of diapers the better!

Evan's Vaseline Mischief

2009-08-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Oh Evan how I love you! We layed Evan down tonight, and he was quiet for about 45minutes until we heard some banging at his door. Ryan went to check on him to see why he was awake when I hear him calling from Evan's room, "Meg, we have an issue!" Out walks Mr. Evan with a stunned look on his face, COVERD in vaseline. Stupid me yes, I have all his lotions and vaseline and butt cream ect in his top drawer, which he now figured out how to open easily. When I saw him I couldnt help but laugh. I was in tears I was laughing so hard, which scared him enough he started crying. I spent the next two hours trying to get it out of his hair. (with not much luck) It is better but still very very greasy. So far we tried dish soap, corn starch, baking soda with baby shampoo, and straight baby shampoo. The bakingsoda mixed seem to work the best, but if anyone has any other suggestions, PLEASE let me know. :-) I love my little man to pieces. This is so typical of him.

He got a sucker while we tried keeping him occupied enough to try washing it out.

Dr Appointments

2009-07-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

We had a busy morning today. Ryan, Evan and I drove up to Grand Rapids for his ultrasound at Devos, and checkup with his urologist. It is hard to believe it was 9 months ago since his last visit! We couldnt have had better news from his doctor. When Evan was born, his kidney was dialated to a grade 4, (which is the highest grade it could have been) When I say dialated, that just means that there was urine backing up in his kidney due to a blockage and that is how severe it was. The last time we went 9 months ago, they did see some improvement, to a high 3, but not anything huge. His doctor has been pretty optimistic with Evan all along thinking that over time, this dialation will gradually go down, and praise God, his kidney is now at a grade 2! Yay! His doctor also said that he has only had one patient out of 250 kids that he did a study on, that went from a 3 to a 2, go back up to a 4 and had to have surgry. So Evan's chances of it suddenly getting worse again, are about 1 in 250. That most likely means he will not have to have surgry and his kidney will be fine. His doctor said it is functioning just fine so no worries there. Dr. Steinhart used a good example too, he said Evan's kidney is like a balloon, and because it was stretched and dialated to a 4, just like when you let air out of a balloon, the balloon gets a little floppy and doesnt keep the same shape, so Evan's kidney will always be a little deformed, or "floppy" just because it has gone down in the dialation. (sorry if I lost ya with that example!) Anyways--long story short, Evan has improved and we go back in 18 months for another ultrasound and checkup. Praise God for good results today!

I also had my 34 week check up today which went great. Everything was great, blood pressure, weight gain, baby's heart beat, ect...I go back in 2 weeks again and then the fun part begins where they see if I am dialated at all. Fun fun! Anyway, everything looks great, things couldnt be better. God is so awesome and so faithful!

It is so hard to believe July is over, and we are on to August. 4 more weeks until my new neice or nephew will be here, and 6 until our little munchin will be here. I am getting so excited, and am finally starting to "nest." I want my house cleaned top to bottom, I am already starting to think about making meals ahead of time to put away in the freezer...I just cant wait. It will be intresting for sure, but so amazing all the same. I have to admit my fears and worries about giving equal attention to both my kids, and the fear of loving two children the same. How is it possible to love anyone like I love my Evan, but I know it is, and I know it will be natural, it is just hard to wrap my head around. It scares me, and worries me a little but I still am amazed at how awesome it will be too. I cant wait to make our family of 3, a family of 4! Thank you God for my amazing family!

Camping

2009-07-26T13:46:00.001-07:00

This past Wednesday we headed up to Cadillac to do some camping with Ryan's family. I'm pretty sure this will be the last year of us crowding in Ryan's parents motor home. Next year with two kids, I dont think we could pull it off with the limited space we have. Anyways. Evan had an awesome time spending time with Grandpa and Grandma, and his busy busy cousins, Brooke and Kenzie. Here are a few pictures of our fun family weekend.

4 Years

2009-07-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am a day early, but seeing how we are leaving tonight for camping, I thought I would post something now. I just wanted to post something quick about my amazing hubby that I have been married to for 4 years (tomorrow). Its amazing how perfectly God matched us, and how He knew exactly what I needed in a husband. He is my best friend and I couldnt have asked for a better husband and father to my kid(s). I admire so much about him; his persistance to give us the very best, the playfulness, the dorkiness, his love for Evan and our baby and his faith that is so simple but never waivering. I love him so much and am so blessed to have been married to him for 4 amazing years! Love you hunny!

Prayer Request

2009-07-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick prayer request. Evan is going back to DeVos on Friday the 31st to have another kidney ultrasound, then meeting his urologist afterward for a check up. We are praying things continue to look good with that right kidney and hoepfully no fluid back up. The last time we were there about 6 months ago, things were starting to look better and the specialist was very optimistic things would gradually get better on its own. So, lets pray thats the case and things have gotten better in the last 6 months. I will be sure to post an update friday on Mr. Evan and my 34 week appointment as well. Time is flying! I cant believe July is almost over!

2009-07-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

So I gotta post it...go to www.tracyvdmphotography.wordpress.com and leave a comment on Evan's pics. Get me a free 8x10 or wallet sheet! Thanks Tracy. They are adorable! You made my life way easier not having to get down and take his picture with my nice big belly! I absolutly love them!

Weekend

2009-07-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

We had a very busy (again) weekend. Busy but yet a lot of fun. Friday was my birthday so we decided to go to the beach with some friends and grill out by the channel. I was hoping for good weather and was worried all day we would have to cancel due to the storms that were coming, but the weather couldnt have been more perfect. The kids enjoyed the sand and getting all dirty, and we even tried sticking Evan's toes in the water, but it was a little too chilly for him. After the beach we just grabbed some icecream in Zeeland and went home on time. It was a wonderful birthday and couldnt have asked for anything more.

Our friends are getting married this coming weekend, so we spent all day saturday getting ready for their bachelor, bachelorette parties at night. Us girls went mini golfing, out to eat...then back to my house, and some how ended up at the curragh for a few drinks. (I must say I did look kinda funny at the bar buying a drink for the bachelorette...real classy with my nice round belly!) Anyways...the guys just went golfing then back to the best man's house to grill out. Very clean and mild for the most part. :-)

On a differnt note, I cant believe I only have 8 1/2 weeks left of this pregnancy. I must be a baby or something because I am already SO ready to have this child out of me. As much as I love feeling he or she move around inside, I will not miss the kicks to the bladder, tossing and turning at night to get comfortable, (to be replaced every few hours to crying I guess...) mood swings, and emotional breakdowns. Poor Ryan. I dont remember feeling so emotional with Evan as I do with this one. I've found myself in tears a few times now, and I couldnt tell ya why I was crying. I believe today it was because I was headed to subway and found I had passed it 2 miles back. At that point I decided not to turn around and get my sub but to keep going. Something as little as forgetting to stop at a subway made me cry today! What is wrong with me?! Although I cant wait for this child to be born, I am not ready for summer to be over either. I guess I just need to take a breath, step back and enjoy my time with Evan and Ryan before this little munchin arrives.

2009-07-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

So its been over a week since my last post. Nothing really new has happened or changed. Ryan is pretty much caught up on his side jobs, now he just is helping my brother and sister in law out shingeling their new house they are building. Along with school work and side jobs, he has continued to stay pretty busy!

Not else is new with me, still working full time, and still going great. Ryan is doing a great job with Evan and I am so happy he gets to stay home with him. It is to the point now where I was putting Evan to bed the other night while Ryan was at school and Evan burst out crying because he wanted daddy to put him down. He sure knows how to make mamma feel good. Oh well, better Ryan than someone else I guess. :-) As far as the pregnancy is going, everything is going great. Baby is constantly moving. I am not really sure how it manages to do that considering it has to have NO room in there, but it does. Keeping me up at night, tossing and turning. I am to the point where I am starting to get uncomfortable, out of breath and finally the acid reflux and "morning sickness" is back again. Although I never was sick in the morning, more toward the evening...I am experiancing the joys of being pregnant all over again. Never did I have this with Evan so I wasnt expecting to feel yucky this late in the pregnancy but oh well. All is well with the baby and only 10 weeks to go!! Scary!

Evan is still doing well also. He is loving the summer weather, being able to be outside a lot more. I cant wait until next summer to get our swing set for the back yard. He will be old enough to understand it and I am sure love it, seeing how he loves his cousins.

As far as our house goes, we still havent made our final decision yet, however we have turned down many showings lately. A lot of people are "just looking" and I am not wasting my time cleaning my house for people who have a home to sell as well. Most likely we will end up staying here, and if we do we will probably stay for a while. Things change everyday, and we have realized God provides for us daily and we have to take each day at a time. He is SO faithful to us, and sometimes I dont know why we deserve such an amazing God!

I guess I have been a little busy lately. My friends are getting married in 2 weeks and I have made all her boquets and helped her a lot with the wedding. Next week we have her bachelorette party over here so we will have tons of fun. As much as I am excited for the wedding, it is a little bittersweet as they will be moving to Ann Arbour. Anyway...I think that is all for now. Have a great fourth!!! I am sure I will be posting pics soon!

2009-06-24T16:38:00.001-07:00

WHOA its hot out there! Ugh...I am afraid to see my electric bill after this month. Yuck! Anyway...Last week I was in Target and picked up this enflatable(sp?) pool for Evan. It was only 5 bucks and I knew he would love it. He was a little hesitant at first but after splashing around in it a while he absolutly loved it. Saturday we played outside for a long time while Ryan mowed the lawn. Evan loved it, and looked so cute pla
ying in it.

Despite Friday night being flooded and having friends stranded, we had a great weekend and Father's day. We spent Sunday with my mom's side after church, then had Ryan's parents over for burgers at night. Here once again are a few of Evan in his pool...giving kisses to Grandpa

Yes...he is naked. His diaper was quite soggy so at this point we just took it off and let him go all natural.

I thought I would also post my 28 week belly. Hard to believe less than 12 weeks!

Remember This?

2009-06-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Remember last June, about the same time when we had a really aweful storm and our subdiviosn was under water? Supposedly that problem was fixed...however last night proved once again that it wasnt. I couldnt get any good pictures of it this year, but this is from last year, and it was worse last night. Wonderful isnt it? At least it didnt come in the basement, but I am exremly irritated that the problem wasnt handled correctly...

Life

2009-06-18T15:19:00.001-07:00

There has been so much going on lately. Thought I would fill those in who may be wondering about Ryan's job situation.

Some people may have seen on the news that Ryan's company is branching out and decided to start manufacturing windmills for wind energy. We have known for a while Tiara was in the process of doing so but hadnt heard one way or another the status of this new company they were creating. Ryan did get a letter in the mail today, and did actually talk to HR yesterday about his job, and what all this means for him. Praise God, Ryan had made it through all of the layoffs and only is layed off temporarily. After talking to HR, he was told that if he had been layed off with the hundreds of others when they made their cuts, he would have to reapply and fight for a job along with everyone else. However, because he is still "employed" by Tiara, he will eventually get called back, possibly this fall. When he does get called back, he may get hired back as a Tiara employee or, they may ask him to resign from Tiara, and get hired as a new employee of their new company. It all depends on where they are placeing people. Praise God for this. He has been so faithful to us through all of this. Obviously when Ryan is back working full time, we will have to make a decision on my job and see what can be worked out as far as my hours. I've both been excited about Ryan going back to work, but also anxious and worried about what we will do about my current job situation. Just a tough dicison.

And in this whole mix, we have a house for sale and a baby on the way, only due in 12 weeks! This summer is going to fly by and that only just adds to my stress. I feel so unprepared this time, with the job situation and the house for sale. Ryan and I have been contemplating taking it off the market and the closer we get to having this baby, the more and more we are thinking we should stay. With Ryan getting a job back sometime soon, the decison is getting easier and easier. Our realtor is pregnant and due the begining of July, so I think we will decide by then. Please pray that this decison comes quickly and that we make the right one. I have been stressing about what to do, what not to do, and am feeling quite overwhelmed latetly. (maybe just hormonal! sp?) Anyways...

So thats the scoop with the DeVries's lately. Nothing too exciting, me just whining and venting a bit..

Evan also is doing extremly well with his bed. He very rarely gets up and comes out. I have only had to walk him back to his bed a few times, and I think the longest it took to get him sleeping was the other night and it was a half hour. I;m so proud of him! He is doing so well!

The nursery is all set up in the office now and ready to go...just waiting on baby now. 12 more weeks. I cant believe how fast this is going!! I'm getting excited but nervous with how I am going to handle a newborn and 20 month year old. It will be intresting but also cant wait. I love my little guy so much I cant imagine how much joy another little bugger will bring. Cant wait. Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Recent Happenings

2009-06-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy the last couple days. Ryan with his school work, me working during the day and then this weekend was just a blur.

Ryan and I headed out to tunnel park on Friday night to take pictures for a friend of ours daughter. It was so much fun, and she is such a doll. I'm nothing professional, but we did get some really cute shots (before she fell in the water! poor girl) And then of course of her and Evan who were just adorable holding hands, and giving kisses. They are only 2 1/2 months apart so it was fun.

Saturday morning we headed to McDonalds like we do quite a bit on Saturday mornings for some breakfast. Evan and I left Ryan there for a while so he could get caught up on some of his papers and homework, and we headed off to do some shopping. I was supposed to do more pictures but due to the weather had to cancel. After picking Ryan up we headed over to my parents house to pick up a twin bed and dresser my mom was getting rid of and thought we would try it out with Evan. We loaded everything up in my dads truck and unloaded it here. While Evan napped in the pack in play in our room I managed to clean his room all out and we were able to set everything up. It was so cute to see his reaction to his new bed when he woke up. His crib was gone and there was a big boy bed taking over his room! He absolutly loves it. He was going a bit nuts jumping on it and running back and forth on it. His room actually looks bigger for some reason and it is absolutly adorable. I found the cutest little boy bedding at Kohls and am in the process of re-doing all his wall hangings and frames. When it is all finished it will be adorable. Nap time didnt go the greatest yesterday when we tried laying him down (I found him in the living room about 2 minutes later) but today he got it completly. He never moved from when I layed him down. He just rolled over and went to sleep. (YAY!) I am sure we will have many trying nights ahead of us, but I am sure it wont take too long.

Saturday afternoon after his everything was set up, I dropped him off at Ryan's brother and our sister in law's house. Grandpa and Grandma DeVries were picking Evan up there for a sleep over Saturday night. Ryan and I were able to go golfing and back to a bonfire with friends of ours, kid free! Although we had a great time golfing and hanging out with friends, I missed my little guy terribly. Its so hard when you work all week, and then say goodbye to him on a Saturday night as well. Anyways...another busy Sunday here as well. Ryan doing homework, and me off to do pictures tonight. Crazy!

Good News!

2009-06-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

For everyone who doesnt check facebook status's...Evan had his EKG this morning, and it looks like he is still a healthy little boy! He did really well while the nurse took his blood presure, and for the actual ekg as well, Ryan said he laid really still and let the doctors do their thing. It turns out he does have a heart murmer, however it is an "innocent" murmer which means he most likely will out grow it, and nothing should come of it. Yay! They also took his height and weight again, and he gained almost another pound in a month! He is now in the 50th percentile for weight, and 96th percentile for height! He is growing like a weed. Praise God for a great report today!

Busy!

2009-06-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

It seems like Ryan and I have been going constantly lately. He is very busy with side jobs that he can hardly keep up, and I have been putting in 40 hours a week for two weeks now. Thankfully me working full time is going really well. I actually feel like I am home more, that may sound wierd. I think being home by 5 everyday when before I was working nights and saturdays, helps make it feel that way. Evan has been adjusting really well also. It helps tho that his dad is the one he is with all day. I am feeling much better about leaving in the morning, knowing he isnt going to sitters everyday.

Ryan is continuing his summer courses, Math and English and doing well in both classes. His english class is online, and his math class is actually assignments from a program, so he really doesnt have to go to class at all this summer which is nice...it is just trying to find time to balence taking care of Evan, doing his school work, and doing side jobs. I know it is only going to get worse the further along he is in school, expecially when he is in the nursing program. He is handling it well tho and I am so proud of him! Ryan also has planted a huge garden at his parents house that he is keeping up on, going out every other day. If you know Ryan at all, he is constantly making himself busy. He is not one to sit around. If its not one thing it another. I guess thats why I love him so much. Its always something! But I sure cant wait to have fresh veggies!

The weather is absolutly awesome lately and Evan is eating it up. He loves going to the garden and running around out there in the dirt. He is so funny to watch. He has become obsessed with tractors and bikes and he will let you know it if he sees one. I never realized how many tractors there are in the world until he started pointing them out to us. Love him to pieces!

Ryan will be taking Evan to his cardioligist on Wednesday, and to be honest, I am not even sure of all the tests they will be doing...if any for that matter. I covet your prayers tho for our little man. That is the last thing he needs right now is a heart issue. Thanks, and I will keep you posted on what we find out on Wednesday! Have a great week!

2009-06-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share this. If you can, check this video out. You will have to copy and paste it into your browser because I cant figure out the link thingy. Anyways...my grandparents own a cabin on Drummond Island that we grew up vacationing at. My uncle Scott, cousin Matt and Grandpa went up over memorial day and discovered it was broken into. However, it wasnt broken into by a human, it was broken into by a black bear! The bear broke threw a small window into the "bunk room" and made its way to the kitchen. The video will show you what it did, and really I guess it doesnt do it justice at what a disaster it was. The bear actually climbed ontop of the stove and made the stove cave in as well. I guess there was blood and black hair everywhere too. (My mom is going crazy just thinking about the aweful mess! If you know Sandy, you can only imagine what this did to her head!) Anyway...My cousin, uncle and grandpa cleaned the mess up, bored the window and came home, and asked a neighbor just to check up on it to make sure the bear didnt come back. A few days later, they got a phone call from Drummond Island saying the bear broke in again! This time through a differnt bedroom window. My parents leave tomorrow to go discover this new mess it made, but will definatly be taking proper measures to make sure it doesnt happen again. Can you imagine how my poor mom is doing thinking about the mess that awaits her tomorrow! Anyway..check the video out. My cousin Matt made it and it is kinda comical if you can laugh at it...second time around though, not so funny...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8wYa_vWQ1s

Evan's New Bike

2009-05-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

His legs arent quite long enough yet to actually turn the pedels but he loves sitting on it and pushing it everywhere. Now every bike he sees he has to scream out. "Bike Bike!" What a hunny. I am thinking toward the end of summer he will probably be just big enough to actually ride it, but he sure is proud of it.

Doctor Appointments

2009-05-27T14:52:00.001-07:00

Today both Evan and I had doctor appointments. Mine was the routine sugar test where I have to drink a nasty sugar drink that tastes like flat orange pop, and they prick your finger to test for diabetes. Thankfully my sugar was good so we didnt have to worry about that. I have gained a total of 12 pounds so far. Uhh! I only gained 21 with Evan so to have gained that much in 24 1/2 weeks feels like a lot. Oh well...

Evan actually had a re-check appointment. I never mentioned it before, but at his 15month appointment his doctor noticed a slight heart murmor. She wanted us to come back in a month to see if it was still there, and if it was she was going to have us go to a cardiologist. Ryan took him this morning and she did hear a slight murmor again, so we are waiting to have an appointment made for us with the cardiologist either in Grand Rapids or in Holland if they can fit us in here. She said if it was something very serious they would have heard it when he was a lot younger, but just to double check and make sure everything is ok they still want us to go see the cardiologist. I am praying our next child has a lot less medical problems than mr. Evan. Between his helmet, kidney issues and breathing problems...and now this, It is always something with him. Keeps life intresting tho. We will take him tho, regardless of health issues or not. Love that little boy to pieces.

Not much else to say...baby's heart beat was 152 today, loud and strong. I still cant believe we have #2 on the way! Time is flying!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our day on Monday. It was so busy but in a way relaxing as well. Monday morning Ryan headed out to golf with my dad uncle and brother in law, while us ladies from my mom's side went to breakfast at IHOP. In the afternoon we headed to my sister's pool and hung out all day and caught some rays. I actually caught a few too many, and now my back is fried. (joys of having fare skin!) Anyway..Evan loved being outside all day. I was obsessive about the sunscreen with him and tried making him keep his hat on all day. Thankfully it paid off and he didnt get burnt. He found a new love, his cousin Jake's lawn mower that he pushed around all day. No he didnt have a life jacket on, but I was litterally feet away from him all day chasing him around. That is one of my biggest fears so I was careful with him all day by the pool. At night we headed to Ryan's parents house for hamburgers on the grill and icecream for dessert. It was an awesome day off to just relax and spend time with the family.

2009-05-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

It feels like it has been a while since I have actually posted but really it has only been a week. Beside, I was sick of looking at my huge belly everytime I can on here to check blogs so I thought I would post something. Not really a whole lot is new. Ryan in on week 2 of his second semester and going strong. He has kind of more difficult classes this semester, English and Math so he is busy studying when he isnt with Evan or working on his side jobs. He just finished a big flooring job yesterday and off to work on the bathroom remodel again tomorrow. Praise God he keeps getting calls! He just got another one today so our prayers have been answered. Its amazing how faithful God is, and I am ashamed that I doubt His faithfulness sometimes. Just when I start to doubt He answers prayers and Ryan gets more work, so Yay for that!
Evan is busy busy busy lately. He is loving the warm weather and being able to play outside more. Ryan put in a huge garden at his parents house and Evan loves going there and playing in the dirt and helping dad. I wish I had my camera with me the other day, he was covered from head to toe in black dirt. Stinkin adorable but filthy! He is talking up a storm as well and putting multiple words together which is awesome to hear. Of course we as his parents can understand him, but I am sure others would have a harder time understanding.
Baby is growing growing growing! I am feeling bigger by the minute and I still have 16 weeks to go! Although it is going very fast I feel like I should be at least a few more weeks ahead. My sister in law is teeny tiny and she is two weeks ahead of me! Somedays are better than others but lately I have been feeling like a cow. I can only imagine what the next few months will feel like with the hot july and august weather. Oh the joys of pregnancy!
I am offically full time now, and have been consistantly working 40 hours a week. To be honest, it isnt as aweful as I thought it would be. I think just because I am home by 5, I still have time with Evan before he has to go to bed, where as before I was working nights, so by the time I got home, he was already in bed. But overall it is going quite well. I am adjusting and its not so bad.
We are looking forward to an awesome memorial day weekend of doing the annual get together with my moms side at my sisters pool. Not that I will get into a suit, but looking forward to the awesome weather!

22 week photo a week late

2009-05-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this from last week, but this is my 22 week photo. Getting bigger by the minute. I cant believe I am already 23 weeks! This is going so fast! Baby is kicking all the time, exspecially at night. I dont know what it is but Evan was always wild at night too. Anyways..here I am..

2009-05-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

This past week was crazy busy. So much went on with Tulip Time and then dealing with a sick child, not to mention a wonderful kidney stone for me! Thankfully, after a long night of no pain meds, I went in to the ER Thursday morning for some relief. They were able to give me an iv. I am not even sure what it was, but it was just strong enough to relax me and take the edge off. (If anyone has ever had a kidney stone, they will know, it is about 10x's worse than labor!-no exageration!) Anyway-I was at the hospital for only from 6-11 in the morning, after monitoring me and the baby to make sure I wasnt having any contractions I was sent home with some pain meds. Praise God I got home and only a little bit later got rid of my stone and the pain was gone. Friday I went to work and ended up going home due to the flu, when I got home Evan wasnt doing well at all with his breathing because of a cold that kept getting worse so we made a last minute doctors appointment and got him in. He had a double ear infection and some sort of virus he is on steroids for. You could say we were sick of hospital visits and doctor appointments last week! But thank goodness Evan is doing a lot better. Still coughing quite a bit, but I dont think his ears are bothering him as much and his breathing has been getting a lot better as well. Not much else is new. We had a great mothers day with both sides of our family. Sunday noon with Ryan's parents and at night with my family. Hope everyone had a great weekend and Mothers day and have a great rest of the week!

1st Visit To The Dentist!

2009-05-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

I know that it seems really early to be taking Evan to the dentist, considering he doesnt have much teeth. (I think 8?) But my cousins wife Rachel works at a pediatric dentist office, and I had asked her about one of Evan's teeth a while back. It looked like he had a little bit of tarter build up due to all the lovely saliva he produces, so she told me to take him in. I guess they see kids even younger sometimes. I was so so proud of him! He layed on my lap while the dentist scraped at his teeth (of course he cried but he was perfectly still while she worked) and then she even polished them because he was letting her. It was over in about 5 minutes at the most and he did awesome. We always fight Evan when it comes to brushing his teeth. We manage, but usually he resists us pretty bad. I bought an electric toothbrush (for kids) at the office that the dentist recommended. It is a life saver. Evan loves it and even wants to brush his teeth now. Makes things a lot easier on mom and dad for sure. So if you fight with your kid while brushing their teeth, get an electric toothbrush. They will love it!

Tulip Time

2009-05-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

We went downtown Tuesday night with my family to get some pictures of all the Kapenga cousins. The DeVries side was there too, but havent had time to get those uploaded yet. There is a total of 8 grandkids for my parents, 5 of which are under 3. I was pleasantly suprised at how well everyone did. We actually managed to get one where all the kids are seated still and looking in our direction.

I absolutly love Tulip Time. Dutch costumes on little kids are just adorable. I am sure they dont think so, but as parents it is fun dressing them in them.

phew! one week down.

2009-05-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

This past week was offically my first week back working full time. It went suprisingly well, although my brain does feel like mush after a long week of learning things and staring at numbers, and trying to figure things out on my own. Over all it went well and Evan still remembers his momma so I think it will be alright. I was informed that I will get the next couple weeks back to part time, before I am back at full time again, just because the other girl we work with is back from medical leave. I am excited that I will get to spend a few days with Evan here and there before it is an everyday thing again. This past week was just a "taste" of what is to come!

Last night Ryan and I headed downtown after I got out of work for some much needed "junk food." It was delicious! We split and elephant ear and cotton candy and even got the lemonade that I abosolutly love! We walked down to Centenial park at 7 to watch some dutch dancers and Evan loved it. He was so funny to watch. He danced along and tapped his foot. It was adorable. We made a brief visit to Ryan's brother's house to say hi on our way home and stayed up late, and got up early to clean and pick up for a showing this morning. Who knows what will come of it, but you gotta do what ya gotta do to get a house sold.

Ryan had a side job to go look at this morning so he dropped Evan off at our friends Andy and Jenny's house to watch the dandelion parade with Evan's girlfriend Abby. I wish I could have been there. Andy and Jenny took him on a pony ride with Abby and he got to see the firetrucks. I am sure he loved it. Hopefully someday my saturdays will free up where I can do fun things like that.

Ryan has been staying very very busy lately with side jobs, which is SUCH a blessing. He is currently doing a complete remodel on a bathroom, and has another flooring job coming up. It is awesome, and amazing how these jobs just keep coming up. Thank goodness he was gifted with carpentry!

Also-side note...I have to brag a little. I wanted to say how incredibly proud of Ryan I am. He just completed his first semester at MCC and got a 4.0! He worked really hard and got all A's or A+'s in his classes and I couldnt be more proud of him. One sememster down, only a ton more to go!!

Thats all for today...sorry for my babbling!

Baby Update

2009-04-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I had my 4 week check up today for the baby and everything seems to be right on track. Heartbeat was 148 so that has stayed pretty consistant the whole time, even tho I know the heartbeat thing is a myth as far as telling gender. My weight gain he said is right on track as well so I am happy about that! We did get the results back fromt he ultrasound and are so happy that this little peanut is healthy! As far as the kidney dialation that they saw with Evan at 20 weeks, this baby does not have any of it! Praise God! We are so excited about that. The problem is more comman in boys so who knows, maybe we have a girl on our hands. We will see! The baby is kicking all the time now. Mostly at night is when it is the most active. Things are starting to feel a lot more real! I cant believe I am half done being pregnant already. Today they even gave me my orange drink for my sugar test at my next appointment. I cant believe I am that far already!! Names are finally decided, and yup, I won on the girls name. Finally I get to claim something! Anyways--that is about it! Looks like we have a healthy little peanut.

Best Friends

2009-04-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We had a few of our friends over friday night for burgers and to enjoy the beautiful weather. We were outside most of the night. Here is a picture of evan and his girlfriends Abby and Jordyn. Abby who is right next to Evan is 1 1/2 months older than Evan and Jordyn is 2 weeks to the day older. He likes his older ladies!

Half Way!!! --I think...

2009-04-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well if I am as far along as I am "supposed" to be according to a due date of September 11, today means I am 20 weeks! Half way there!

Ohh what a week

2009-04-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

This week has been one of the most crazy stressful weeks in a while. You know when you just have a "day" where things just dont go right? I think I had a whole week of that. I wont bore you with all the details, day by day of what has happened...because really it is a bunch of little things. I guess you could say it was just a bad week in general.

One thing that has been on my mind a lot lately, I got asked this week to take a full time position here at the dealership. A girl I work with is going on maternity leave for 12 weeks at the end of May, and unfortunatly the other full time girl I work with decided to take a leave for 12 weeks. That just leaves me left in our office for the whole summer, when I only work 20 hours a week. My boss needed someone to work at least until my friend gets back from maternity leave. This is very stressful for me, and it going to be very hard I think. For one, I only have 3 weeks to learn EVERYTHING there is to learn...and when you are talking car deals, there is SO MUCH paperwork on everything. Two, I hate leaving Evan that much. I miss him so much on my long days on Thursdays, I cant imagine leaving him every day. I know right now, with Ryan not working, I have to take this position. It is going to be hard, but I know that it is temporary. I wont be working forever, and once Ryan is done with school and has a job, things will be so much better, it is just getting there! So for now, at least until my coworker gets back end of August I will be working full time...(until the baby comes really) It shows the faithfulness of God too, just when Ryan's insurance is running out at the end of this month, I am getting full time, so that is taken care of. Sometimes I have to remind myself that when we pray and ask God to help us, God's plan isnt always the easiest, but always in the long run, the best. I start on Monday. I know I may be sounding like a baby, because I know some mothers have to work full time and have no other choice, but this was never in my agenda, nor did I ever think for a second I would have to do this, but I do covet prayers. It is going to be hard being away from Evan so much and I know probably hard on him to. We are looking for a part time temporary position for until end of august and it most likely will be about 20 hours a week, working two nights and saturdays. If anyone knows ANYONE...a college student, anyone, looking for a position like that, PLEASE let me know. We are hoping to hire asap. LIke I said, it would be temporary for the summer.

I am very much looking forward to this weekend! Tomorrow is my last day off and then Monday I start my 40 hrs a week. Tomorrow we are having a bunch of friends over for burgers so it will be nice to just hang out and enjoy my weekend. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

2009-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend. As always, I think the best weekends are when you arent super busy and just get to chill out. Friday night was awesome because we sat home all night. We picked up a few movies...one was Yes Man with Jim Carrey. It was differnt but still funny I guess. I cant remember the other ones name, probably because I didnt watch it. It was one of those guy movies I make Ryan watch by himself.

Saturday like always I had to work from 9-3. That was a bummer considering how BEAUTIFUL it was outside. It looked awesome from the window inside my office at least. At night we celebrated my grandpa and grandma kapenga's 60th wedding anniversary at Beechwood Inn. 60 years in such a long time! It is crazy to think of everything and everyone that has come from just two people. I guess they counted, and with all my aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids...(including the new coming babies) there would be 70 of us at a gathering! All from 2 amazing people. Crazy! I gotta give them props for 60 years!

Sunday we went to church...Evan tried nursery and decided he didnt like it, so unfortunatly I hung out with him in the parent room...again. I know people are thinking, let him cry it out...he will get over it, but trust me, he wouldnt get over it. He has attatchment issues and I know he would cry the whole time. So Ryan was able to enjoy the service, while I chased Evan around. We went home for dinner and had yummy stomboli. Get this, apparently I was making it wrong all these years. Apparently you arent supposed to put the sauce in the stromboli, you are supposed to dip it in the sauce after it is done cooking...hmm, never knew that until I made it for some friends one night and was informed that I make it wrong. So Sunday I made it right, and I gotta be honest..it was much better. So enough about the stromboli, (I can be long winded sometimes.)Sunday night we had small group so we shipped our little man off to Grandma and Grandpa DeVries's house for the night, (over night, yay!) so we could meet with our small group. Once again, another fun night with them, and actually productive for once!! Looking forward to the next meeting.

So there you have it, not too exciting, and not that intresting, but it was a goodweekend nontheless. Have a great week and sorry for boring you with my blabbing!

15 Months

2009-04-17T16:33:00.003-07:00

Already? I cant believe my little munchin is growing up so fast. He is such a little man now. Here are his 15 month photos.

I forgot to mention, he has a big shinner on the side of his face. I feel like such a bad parent, but he fell on the cement at the park and scrapped the side of his face. Poor kiddo.

Ultrasound

2009-04-15T07:23:00.001-07:00

Did we or didnt we find out? Nope we didnt! And the baby reaffirmed our discision not to find out by not letting us anyway! Even if we wanted to know, we couldnt. The baby was in a position where the ultrasound tec couldnt even look. I guess we werent supposed to know anyway. The suprise in the end will be worth it and I cant wait. Today just made me more excited.

I am a little bummed tho. We will wait until Dr. Gerard confirms it, but the ultrasound tec said I was messuring close to 17 1/2 to 18 weeks, when really I should be almost 19. If that were the case my due date would be closer to September 18, than 11. Oh well, we will have to see. Here are some pics of Baby D #2!

Monkey Man

2009-04-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

So it was about 8:15 last night and all was quiet. Ryan and I were watching Extreme Makeover and thought our little man was fast asleep. All of a sudden we heard a loud "thud" and then a cry. Ryan went running in Evan's room and saw our little acrobat about 4 feet from his bed on the ground. Somehow, and we didnt know how, he had managed to climb out of his crib. Thank God he wasnt hurt, I dont think he even knew what happened. He has been climbing on EVERYTHING lately, ontop of the footstools, the couch, the side tables...anything he can climb up he will. But we never thought for a second he would be able to manage climbing over his crib. It was on the lowest setting! Ryan wanted to figure out how he did it so he put him back in, shut the door to a crack and watched. Not even a second after he closed the door, there Evan's little leg went, up and over. I guess he is just that flexible! Ryan had to take the bar across the bottom out completly and threw his mattress on the floor in order for it to be low enough for him not to escape. After knowing he wasnt hurt we had to laugh about it. Who would have thought our 15 month old would be able to climb that?? Only our little Evan.

18 Week photo

2009-04-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is my ever growing belly. I have definatly noticed becoming more round every day. It is pretty sad now when I walk into a book store and two people look first at me and then directly to my belly. Makes me wonder if they are wondering if I am just a little soft in the middle or if I am pregnant. Pregnant people! Here it is, thought I would share.

Pictures

2009-04-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I havent posted any recent pictures of Evan lately so here he is. I didnt have my flash on in the one on the vaccum. His favorite "toy." It is funny. He knows exactly where I keep it and will walk by the closet door and let everyone know what is in there. Silly kiddo. I also have his dutch costume ready, just have to possibly let the length out on the pants and sew a few buttons on his jacket. You can tell he is thrilled to be trying it on. I got him some wooden shoes from Velheers too the other day. What a handsome little dutch boy.

2009-04-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Finally my little boy is starting to perk up! I was praying all weekend for him to feel better, and not just that but actually be able to keep food down. I have never been puked on so many times in my life, given so many baths in a day and done this all happily as long as he was comfortable. He has been on his antibiotics since Thursday and today was the first day since Tuesday that he has eaten something and kept it down all day. I never knew pneumonia would make such an upset stomach, but thankfully today he is doing so much better and his coughing isnt as much.

I think Ryan and I are getting closer to figuring out our names for the baby. We have always been set on our boy name, but the girls are always so hard. They were hard for us when I was pregnant with Evan too. Why is it that I love a name and he hates it, or he likes a name and I hate it? It is so hard finding a name we BOTH like. And that is just it, I dont think we will find a girls name we both are in love with. Dont you think after carrying this baby for 9 months, going through all the hard labor and delivery, and then getting up with it in the middle of the night should qualify me to override his choices? I know he is the father and all...but doesnt my hard work and 9 months of carrying this child count for anything?? :) Yes, I am being dramatic. This has just been a huge issue today and we cant seem to agree. Although...I finally came up with a name he is SOMEWHAT ok with. And when I say somewhat...very very little okayness. Anyways...if anyone has any suggestions...I am all ears. (Or any suggestions on how to convice your hubby you are right...that helps too. :)

PS-I love my hubby and I am kidding for the most part on this post. :-)

2009-04-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

It looks like we can never win with our little Evan. I feel like he just starts getting healthy and another cold gets him. The last couple days he has been getting worse and worse with his coughing, and throwing up, he hasnt been eating hardly anything at all, so Ryan took him to his doctor last night while I worked. They werent sure really what was going on with him and thought maybe he had a case of pneumonia. Ryan took him to get chest x rays last night at the hospital and the results came back that it looked suspicious on the right side of his lung that it might be starting. I tell ya, one thing after another. He is on amoxicilin so hopefully it will clear up in a few days. It is so hard as a parent watching your kids so helpless and hurting, and knowing there is nothing you can do to make it go away for them. My poor man. He breaks my heart. Hopefully after another day or two he will be perking up a bit.

Quick Update

2009-04-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would quick post an update on Baby DeVries. We had our monthly appointment today and everything still looks and sounds great. The baby's heartbeat was 155, so pretty high. I remember with Evan is consistanly dropping every appointment and so far this little bugger has stayed high, so does that mean girl?? I dont know, we will see in September! I did have a dream last night we had a little boy so you never know. My doctor wanted to schedule our ultrasound for 2 weeks from today, April 15 so we are excited for that. I keep bugging Ryan to let us find out but he is so set in his ways. Some days I want to know and some days I dont. I know in the end I will be happy to be suprised, but it is just hard for me not to know!!
Oh, and I was expecting my due date to be pushed back a day or two, seeing how September 9 was the original date the nurses gave me when I called, and yup, my doctor said he had September 11 for my date. Maybe we will get lucky and it will be born on uncle Corey's birthday. So..two more days until the wonderful 17 week mark, instead of today. Oh well.

The three of us

2009-03-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

We were at my grandparents yesterday for Sunday dinner because they just got back from Florida. This is my cousin Emily and my sister in law Wendi. Wendi is due August 28th, and Emily is due September 10, a day after me! I would like to point out that Wendi is almost two weeks ahead of us and there is nothing there!! Makes me sick...:) Love ya Wen.

16 weeks

2009-03-29T05:28:00.001-07:00

Well here it is. My 16 week photo. I didnt think I would look so big so fast!

Pray

2009-03-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

I recently learned of a couple who lives in our subdivison who is in much need of prayer. Although I have never met the Wiersma's, only passed them and waved a few times, my heart aches for them and asks God for development on thier extreme premie twin boys and strength for Mark and Kate to get through the long journey they have ahead of them. Even though I dont know them, I know they love God and need prayer. Please pray for them and thier twin boys Max and Wesley. Thier blog where Mark frequently posts updates is www.mkwiersma.blogspot.com

It amazes me still everyday how God speaks to us, and uses strangers, to get His message across and remind me...God is ever present, all knowing, all loving. Even in the worst times and in the best times. That even when we face the unknown of life, God is still there. He is the same. Yesterday, today and forever. Sometimes it is hard to grasp the truth of that. That even when life throws you curve balls, God is still there, still God. Again, I am going to bring up the Wiersma family. The story of the delivery of thier twins astounded me, amazed me, and made me remember to quiet myself, and remmber He is God, the creator and lover of my soul. I encourage you to read thier last post. It will give you an idea of what I am talking about. Mark was talking about his wife after delivery, having no recollection of what was going on, but peacfully singing. "Be still and know that I am God." I was reminded of the Steven Curtis Chapman version.
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still
Be speechless

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still
Be still

Life is so uncertain right now for a lot of people. What is going to happen with jobs, housing, education...even life of newborn babies. Once again my momentary life issues have been put into perspective, and I have been reminded once again to Be Still and remmber who is in control, and regardless of any outcome, whether good or bad, He loves us.

As "the Body" we are called to pray for our fellow believers. The Wiersma's need prayer, and I ask today at some point you lift them up in prayer.

Cabelas, Splash Universe, IKEA

2009-03-25T07:03:00.001-07:00

What a fun but busy weekend...well, begining of the week I guess. We left Sunday with Ryan's family to Cabela's to stay until Tuesday. Ryan could hardly contain his excitment for all the good hunting deals. He is already overly excited about hunting season which doesnt start until October. I think he forgot that his 2nd child is coming in September. Anyways...Cabelas was fun, Evan loved looking at all the animals and fish. Ryan got his trail camera that he wanted for a great deal, and we all got our pair of Crocs. Evan was so funny when we put them on his feet. He kept looking at them and pointing at his new "gooos".

Monday we all headed to Splash Universe which was right across the street. Evan had a great time playing in the kiddy area and going down the slide with daddy and grandma. He wasnt quite sure what to think of it all at first but after a while he got used to it and had fun. There also was a lazy river there that we all floated on. I think that was Evan's favorite. He could have fallen asleep on Grandma. Ryan went down the huge slides, but i guess you could say I was a little nervous about that, so I stayed with Evan and let Ryan go with his mom, Corey and the kids.

Tuesday on our way home we decided to stop at IKEA which is only about 35 minutes away from Cabelas. There was a lot to see and thankfully with thier cheap prices, I only spent $30 and got a ton of stuff. I definatly like Chicago's IKEA better, but this one was still huge and fun to see.

This year was definatly differnt from past years having a one year old. He keeps us always moving, but it was a lot of fun too. Our only problem was Evan was so off schedule and didnt get his naps, so of course he is going to be a handful. But he is napping right now, and after today should be back on track, and hopefully back to his normal self. It was funny to listen to him today tho. At one point he looked at me and goes, "Kenzie? Kenzie?" Kenzie is our almost 3 year old niece who definatly buddies up with Evan. I knew he would be lost without those crazy little girls today.

2009-03-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Not too much is new this week. Ryan is still layed off and probably will be for a while. I dont think I can even put a number on how many weeks because first they said 5 weeks...then they said 9 weeks...but it still isnt looking good. I am just thankful for the insurance coverage, but who knows how long that will last with him being off so long...

Anyways...I am SO excited for the weekend. It couldnt come soon enough. Every year Ryan's family takes us kids somewhere. One year we went to Chicago, last year we went to Traverse City, and this year, we are going to the famous Dundee, Michigan to Cabelas. I know I know, most women would not understand why I am excited about this, but Cabelas can be really fun! Expecially when you stay over a few nights. I am just so looking forward to getting away and relaxing a little. There is also a indoor waterpark across the street we will be going to for half a day or so, so that will be fun for the kiddos. Possibly a trip to Ikea if we have time on the way home. Hopefully I can do some convincing. ;) But really tho, I am so excited. I just hope everyone's health is ok. So far my niece Brooke has the flu. I am hoping everyone is healthy and feeling good by then. Evan also has had a little bug in him the last couple days. Runny nose and coughing, so hopefully that will clear up. My throat is starting to feel sore tho, I am praying it stops at that.

Ryan has been actually staying really busy while he is off. He is still doing some side jobs for people and possibly doing another one for my sister. The basement he has been plugging away at little by little. The drywall is pretty much all hung, plumbing and electrical is all done, it just needs to be finished now. Exciting!

Evan like I said has been battling a cold the last few days, and also I am thinking teething. The last two weeks he has be SO grumpy and Mr. Attitude. I feel like I am constantly changing dirty diapers, only everytime I do, he screams in pain from his aweful diaper rash. This sounds like teething right? It just doesnt seem like the other times he was teething. He was grumpy and everything, but not like this, and I never changed so many diapers! Crazy! I hope he feels better soon. I want my happy little man back!

Not much else new with the baby. I am growing daily and feel like I am in the middle as far as clothing goes. My pants are all getting tight, and my regular shirts, you can definatly see a bump. It makes me kinda sad cuz I am only 15 weeks. Should I really be showing so soon? Uggh. I have felt little tiny flutters here and there which is definatly cool. Only once and a while and only if I am sitting a certain way. It is definatly feeling more real.

I think that is about all for the day. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Happy Birthday Jonas

2009-03-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

We had my nephew's birthday party last night. It is hard to believe Jonas is one now. It seems like yesterday my sister Amy and I were huge and preggo and now here we are with both our boys over one! Crazy! Evan had a great time last night too. Amy had a blow up bouncy thing for the kids to play in (although we had Evan stear clear of that, just because he would have gotten trampled) Amy had a pinata and bags for the kiddies to put all thier goodies in. (thanks to grandma, evan got mom and dad a lot of good treats!) And we even got to be entertained with my sister Lisa's interpretation of "My Sharona" on Rock Band. It was a good time, and everyone had fun.

First Hair Cut

2009-03-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

As you can clearly see in the last pictures I posted of Evan, his crazy wild mullet like hair do. I thought it was time to give him his first hair cut. After looking at those pictures of him by the vaccum, I realized, wow...it really was getting outa hand. So Tuesday while Ryan and his dad were plumbing the bathroom in the basement, I decided to get my clippers and scissors out and went to town. I think I did a pretty good job. I am sure a hair stylist would beg to differ, but oh well. He looks like such a little man now and no longer my little baby. Its kinda sad but it was time. I saved his clippings in a plastic baggy for his book. I didnt take any pictures of me actually cutting it, obviously...but I did take one of him afterwards. I will post it soon.

14 months

2009-03-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

I cant believe where this last year has gone. Evan is already 14 months today. He is walking, talking and learning so much more everyday! The last 14 months of having him has been such a blessing and joy. We love our little man to pieces. His walking has actually turned into running, and it is now to the point that if he crawls somewhere, it somehow looks strange. He almost never crawls, instead if he knows where he wants to go he is running there. He is so funny. His vocabulary is crazy. Sometimes I wonder how he knew how to say something. Of course he still has his baby talk jabbering, but some of the words he can say, it sounds so funny in his small little voice.

I have learned a very silly way of calming him down if he is upset. It is kinda funny and I probably look ridiculous, but by belting out every children's bible song I know, he instantly starts laughing and singing along. I think he can say "Jesus" but his idea of singing is saying "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.." over and over. Thats ok tho! If he were to sing, I am glad he is singing that! So people, if you ever pass me in the car and see me belting out in song...know my 14 month child is in the backseat and I am trying to entertain him. :)

I love all of his little quirks, because that is what makes him, him. Even tho there are days were he can drive me crazy with his disobediance, I love him more than anything and all the little quirkiness too. God has given us the greatest gift in the whole world of being parents, and exspecially intrusting us with His little man Evan.

Evan's Obession

2009-03-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

I dont know what it is about this vaccum, but Evan is completly OBSESSED! It is absolutly nuts. He even can say vaccum. My mom has a similar one only it is red, and it is the same story. Anyone who knows anything about my mom, knows that she is a clean freak and usually when you go there, her vaccumm is out. I dont know if it started there or what, but that is all he ever wants to play with. He knows exactly what closet it is kept in and everything. Now, if only he knew how to use it, that would save me a lot of time when getting ready for showings. :) I guess he has a little bit of Sandy in him. ;)

Baby Update

2009-03-04T13:53:00.001-08:00

I just thought I would update everyone on our little peanut. We went to the doctor and everything looks and sounds great! We got to hear the heartbeat which was awesome. It is such a reasuring sound, but it sounded loud and strong with a heartbeat of 165. Evan started off high and with every visit kept dropping, so we will see if it stays high or drops. For some reason I feel like I have a little girl on my hands, but who knows. I could be way off. I guess we will just have to wait and see in September!