Memorial Day

We started Memorial Day off with a bike ride to the parade.  I did have to pull a burley so we went about the speed of a turtle.  This is the first year we have stayed from the start of a parade to the end of a parade and it held the kids attention the whole time.  Please take note of our red, white and blue.

Show me your crazy face.

We brought snacks (for us) and bread (for the ducks) and biked to Huizenga Park after the parade.  We saw this cute little duck family and had to try to feed them.  The babies must have been only a couple days old because they wouldn't eat the bread.

I had made some Sandies-like cookies a while back and thought they were disgusting.  So I threw them in the freezer for the ducks.  The ducks didn't like them.  It didn't help that the kids threw them straight in the water and they were essentially like hockey pucks. BUT the fish loved them ;)

I wish I had gotten a picture of this in action because it's usually me who does these things.  Eric tripped over something and did a very graceful fall all over the poop laden "beach."  I laughed hysterically.

This is also the first year Brecken and Joelle have been big enough for this park.  Hooray:)

I asked Joelle to smile nicely.  This is what I got.  "It's too hot, Mom."  She's just like her momma.  Doesn't like to be hot and doesn't like to be cold.

We biked home for lunch.  A total of 7 miles.  After lunch we did naps and played outside all afternoon.  We grilled for supper and rode our bikes to Captain Sundae for dessert.  Another 7 miles.  I was ex.hau.sted.  8 months pregnant and still biking around.  At turtle speed.

Summer Lovin’

A dump of lots of random cell phone pictures...

Before (on the left) and after (on the right) of when we got our quarter cow.  2 turkeys, 1/2 a pig, 1/4 cow, 3-4 chickens and lots of odds and ends.  YUM.

"Take a picture of us, Mommy!"  Probably the last picture I have of Adelyn with training wheels.

"Let me show you how to do the hula-hoop, Mom."  And she did.  "Who taught you that?!"  "Mrs. Pung"  Ohhhh ;)

A visit to Countryside!

A 12lb pork butt.  Took me 14 hours to cook on low.  I weighed all the meat after I picked it and it was 6lbs.

When you are twins, this is acceptable.

J can grow some monster boogers.  Seriously.

Working at the car wash..

Rinsing their cars off

 My view, lately...

 

 "Momma, they messed up your earring."  "What do you mean?"  "Black, white, black, white, white.  It should be black, white, black, white, black.  They did it wrong."  So I had to take it out and look.  She is just like her Momma.

 Enjoying a chocolatey treat in the back yard.  By picking all the chocolate off and throwing it away.

 Wouldn't be summer without scraped knees.  Everybody had awful knees for a while.  Adelyn's where the worst.  None of these are from bike riding either. 

 

Practicing for number 4.  Love.

Two Wheelin’

Thursday night was our designated "Learn to ride a two-wheeler night."  Adelyn has been asking for a couple months now, and we have been telling her for a couple months now, that 5-year-olds don't have 4 wheels.  We've also wanted it to be a bit warmer.  Preparation is key with her.  We also knew she had to be decked out in knee guards, elbow guards and wrist pads.  If she fell and got all bloody that would be it, for her.  We should have saved our $20.  She's a pro.

Getting tips from Daddy.  I told Eric this was his responsibility.  Big Momma doesn't run down the road chasing people anymore.

Testing the waters.

Aanndd off she goes.

She was riding to the corner and back, that night, by herself.  She said to Eric "I hope I'm good by the time I'm 82."  We laughed.  She will probably be on the other side of her bike riding days by then...

What you do when you are banned from flying around on the cul-de-sac on your bikes because you would totally run your poor older sister over.

The next day she begged me to work with her.  So I did.  We started out and I jogged next to her, until the next street, about half a block.  We did that a couple times.  I was terrified I was going to wet my pants, running.  I, seriously, peed (in the toilet) 3 times while we were outside.  We graduated to letting her ride in front of us and I walked behind her.  She rode her bike all the way to the end of our road and back without falling, once.  She was whipping around the cul-de-sac doing these tight circles and I told her to cut it out because that's how she would fall.  "No I won't."  And she didn't.

Today we took a walk/bike ride to the cows and back.  Which is 3 miles.  She rode her bike the whole way.  She still needs to figure out how to start but can take off if we are just holding on to the back of her bike.  She did a great job.  We had one minor incident where her and Joelle got way ahead of me.  They went down a hill and then down a steep little hill and she crashed into the bridge.  Thankfully the bridge caught her or she would have been floating in the stream.  She got one little scrape on her arm and had stopped crying by the time I got there.  Poor girl.  She got right back on and rode the rest of the way.

Proud of her!

bUmPdate::32 weeks

These past two weeks have been relatively non-eventful for me!  Woo hoo.  I feel like d-day is closing in...and the weather is slowly turning HOT.  We had the air on and the heat on last week.  #michiganweather  I had to cave and turn on the air tonight.  It was up to 78 in here.  I thought it was supposed to cool off tomorrow but, nope, it's not.  Thursday is the cool day and then 80's next week.  So I said forget it.  The AC is going on.
Don't you love my necklace?!  Adelyn made it at nap-time for me :):)

Highlights:: 

How far along:: 32 weeks, belly measured 32 weeks

Heartbeat:: mid 130's-140

Clothes:: Both.
Weight Gain:: 27lbs

Movement:: I can tell it's slowing down.  Or, rather, baby is running out of room.  Movements have been more of rolling around instead of actual kicking.  Doc said, today, baby was head down and super low.  I have felt some relief with the shortness of breath and kicking in the ribs.  But there are still times when it is bad.
Symptoms:: I've had to seriously watch what I've been eating again.  I was getting pretty lax with eating things that don't contain gluten but are cross-contaminated.  I can tell a huge difference.  Sad.
What I miss: My shorts.
Cravings:: Juice and ice-cream.

Best moments this week::  Being further along;)
 

What I am looking forward to:: In 2 weeks, I can deliver at Zeeland.  Woo hoo.

Names:: Surprisingly we are down to 2 boy names and 1 girl name (again).  The girl name is a name I have suggested before.  I made Eric go through a list of THOUSANDS of girl names a couple weeks ago and he had to give me 2.  The name I suggested was one of the ones he came back with but he wanted it spelled all weird like.  I said absolutely not.  So he finally said he didn't care the other day.  Now to decide on a middle name.  The boys names, 1 is my favorite and the other is Eric's.  We are working through it;)

Funny Moments:: Both Adelyn and Joelle have decided their aspirations in life are to grow up and be Mommy's and have HUGE tummies like me.  Quote, unquote :)  Then Brecken said he wanted to, too.  Ha.

Adelyn asked if we could cut my belly off the other day so we could all share it.  Morbid but thoughtful ;)

Sickie

Adelyn started with a nasty cough a couple days after we got back from Mackinac.  Then she had a fever for 4 days.  Whenever she gets a fever she gets nightmares and sleep walks.  Thankfully these events usually happen right before we go to bed and, maybe, one more time.  She took a long nap every day that week.

This is her after waking early from a nap because she had a nightmare.

Friday night she was up for 4 hours crying, constantly, because her ear hurt.  I had a doctors appointment for her Friday morning and ended up cancelling because her fever had almost gone away.  I should have known better with her..  Saturday morning rolled around and I told Eric I was taking her to Urgent Care because I was not going to be up all night like that again.  We were the first ones in.  The NP took one listen to her lungs and said she needed a chest x-ray.  He looked in her ears and couldn't see anything from wax build-up (she has always been like that) but said the meds for her cough would clear up any ear infection.  On down to x-ray we went and they came back clear but her lungs still sounded nasty after a breathing treatment.  He diagnosed her with bronchitis and possible ear infection and sent us on our way with a script for a z-pac and albuterol.

Adelyn in the UC.  She looks super sick doesn't she?! ;)  She drew a dinosaur.

The z-pac knocked it right out of her and the albuterol always helps her, when things settle in her lungs.

We would wait until May to make our first "sick" doctors appointment.  No joke.

Our Tulip Time

We usually try to go to the fireworks on Saturday.  I totally forgot about them.  We also try to take the kids down, once, to eat junk food.  I didn't want too because it's so expensive.  The Wednesday afternoon parade was our contribution this year.

We were running behind because we had lots of errands to run.  It was PACKED.  The only spot left, for front row seating, was next to some police officers that were guarding a barricade blocking off one of the streets.  So we stood next to them.

Brecken loved all the motorcycles and boats.  The girls loved the bands and color-guard "dances."

I had to bribe them to leave with promises of cotton candy.  We had already been there for 45 minutes with no end in sight.  Food works every time.  I also wanted a obligatory tulip picture.  These were the only ones that were out.  Adelyn asked if her cotton candy could be in the picture.  Suuuuuure.

And we always have to have a silly face.

Adelyn, Brecken and Joelle had their last Motor Movement class on Monday.  Right after that Adelyn had to jet off to another class.  I took B and J out for ice-cream to celebrate and they both wanted to smell the tulips.  Cuties.  Then we got poured on.

 We were pretty lazy Dutch people this year.  There is always next year.

Motor Movement::All Three

The kids had their last Motor Movement class the other day.  It was Adelyn's last MM ever.  Kinda sad..  Brecken and Joelle are loving it so they will probably be enrolled in the fall.

Roll call

Jumping jacks

She called this one being in the parade..

Tumbling

There were different hand prints/foot prints on the floor and you had to do what each card said.  Toddler Twister

fdsafda

Momma Al taking pictures with her iPad ;)

I was super impressed Joelle did the balance beam!

Adelyn being super OCD and fixing all the cards.

Throwing frisbees

She played some fish song and they acted it all out ;)

The kids getting their certificates.  They were so proud!  And so was their Momma:)