Brendan's 1st Haircut

It was definitely time... my little redhead was starting to look like he had a mullet at times! So, Sunday after church, Luke (who is now the family barber) trimmed up Brendan's hair. I was a little hesitant because once they get their haircut they look so much older but I have to say that it's definitely an improvement.

Crane's Orchard

On Tuesday we went to Crane's Orchards to pick some more apples (because we've already used all of our apples from our first picking) and to try out the maze there. It was perfect weather for picking apples and enjoying all the stuff Cranes had to offer. Jackson enjoyed the hayride there too.

Pumpkinfest and KIDS!

What a perfect weekend we had! Saturday we headed back to our Zeeland roots to watch the Pumpkinfest parade. Our niece Lauryn was in it and we wanted to see her in her first parade. Little did we know that my dad was also going to be in the parade, riding on the Borculo Christian float. Jackson was all concerned because Grandpa was riding on "the hook" of the float (he was sitting by the hitch). It was great seeing the boys' reactions to the parade though. Later that evening we were invited to join the "Hope College Reeverts" gang as many of the girls made their way into town for Pumpkinfest. Oh boy - there were a lot of kids there but we had such a wonderful time chatting and catching up with them.

Pentwater

I had been watching the weather diligently for a week as we prepared for our camping trip. The forecast looked like it would be cold but not wet..... how wrong they were! We left Friday after work for a weekend in Pentwater. Years ago we started going up there for a 5K/10K race that took place on Saturday evening. The race has now somehow disappeared ... it was usually such a small race that we both would medal in our age groups. Anyway, we still have gone up (except for last year because I was VERY pregnant and we were moving out of our old house this weekend last year as well). Jackson had been looking forward to camping all week long so to watch his face on the way up there and when we first got there was priceless. The entire ride up I was nervous our trailer would blow over on the highway and we'd cause a terrible accident. The wind didn't end up dying down until Saturday afternoon and we had rain off and on until Saturday afternoon but that didn't seem to ruin the weekend. We all kept saying how thankful we were for a warm trailer this year because every other year we were in tents. It turned out to be a memorable weekend and Sunday was absolutely perfect up there. Now, sadly, we pack up the trailer and wait for next year.

Daddy's Boy

There's just something about Dad right now for Jackson. Whenever Luke is home, the two of them are together. We started painting Jackson's room last week and the two of them finished it off this weekend (I"ll get pictures up soon). Luke had Jackson using the roller to paint and even let him get that last little area on the wall. Jackson was extremely proud of himself. Not only that, but they are two of a kind when it comes to being outside. If there's a reason to be outside, they're outside. Last Sunday, the two of them spent most of the day playing around in the yard. It's so fun to see how alike the two of them are.

Jackson is also claiming that he's such a big boy now because he'll be starting Sunday school! I think that it'll be harder for me than for him because it just seems like such a huge step and soon comes actual school! Well... a little time for that yet. But all of a sudden, he's claiming he's too big for everything... too big to ride in the stroller during walks, too big to play with some toys, too big for everything but hugs and kissses which I'll take as long as I can get them. Because there's one thing that only Mom can do lately... tuck him into bed:)

Three Musketeers

I've been meaning to post this for a week now but of course haven't sat down to upload the pictures. Last week Sunday we got together with Luke's family and the kids had some time to play. It's pretty awesome how the kids are so close in age. Lauryn is 4, Jackson and Trent are both 3 and of course now we have 3 more under the age of 1. Times with the family certainly aren't quiet anymore but there's something special about seeing cousins playing together so well.

Binder Park Zoo

We ended last week with a trip to the zoo. It was a first time experience at Binder Park for all of us. Our good friends Missy and Ryan came along with their three kids so we were officially outnumbered by kids. It was definitely a warm day but we started early and made if a bit past lunch when the kids were starting to get ready for their nap times. All 5 kids did amazing and the highlight of the trip was the giraffes. We went there right away and were able to feed them and see them without swarms of people around. We did learn that it is a good idea to take the tram to the Africa exhibit. We thought it would be too difficult getting 3 strollers and 5 kids along with all of our diaper bags into the tram and the walk was only 1/2 a mile ... we like to run so no problem, right? WRONG! They weren't kidding that it was uphill but the worst part was it was in the woods and we were swarmed by mosquitoes. Lesson learned... take the time to get on the tram:)