Wordless Wednesday - Family Update

DJ and Maria's Story: A House Fire

For the full story of DJ and Maria's house fire please visit their blog, The Van't Hul Combo Platter. They have a slide show in the right-hand column of pictures of their home. To see the photos enlarged, you can click on the slide show which will bring you to the photo album.

Thanks for your prayers!

Camping at Pine Lake State Park

We have been wanting to go camping with our boys for a long time. Last summer we weren't able to so this summer we picked a weekend and planned other events around it. ;)

We went to Pine Lake State Park in Eldora, IA. They have a really nice campground and we enjoyed being outside. There is a lot of fishing, but that's really not our thing. They also have a lake to swim in. The beach was nice, but the water was pretty gross. We had fun swimming anyway. I think the boys enjoyed the sand more than the water.

Brent and Sue joined us on Friday night for dinner. Sue stayed overnight in her little tent and kept us company on Saturday. It was so nice to have Grandma Sue stay with us. We appreciated her conversation, her sense of humor and her willing hands. Thanks Grandma Sue for all your help while we camped. Sue left after dinner on Saturday evening and Jonathan, Asher and I enjoyed a bon-fire before bed. We woke up on time on Sunday morning so Jonathan could get to church on time to teach.

We had a great weekend. It's a lot of work to camp with the two little boys but it's so nice to be outside and enjoy God's creation. And thanks, again, Grandma Sue for all your help!!

Phin getting tired watching us set up camp

our campsite

Grandpa Brent and Grandma Sue brought their excavator; Asher is still small enough to sit on it and dig

the boys had fun playing in a dishpan of water with measuring cups, rocks, grass, sticks and spoons; that's Asher's serious face ;)

on Friday night we couldn't get the fire started because after sunset the wood got so damp;
we started on Saturday afternoon getting the fire ready so we would be able to roast marshmallows

we had a great time cooking "camping food" - food always tastes better outside;
Friday night - grilled brats, grilled sweet corn and fruit
Saturday breakfast - English muffin French toast topped with fresh peaches, eggs, and grilled bacon
Saturday lunch - BLT's (with leftover grilled bacon), chips and fruit
Saturday dinner - grilled pork chops, grilled garlic bread, grilled veggie skewers
making lunch before nap time

enjoying the warm sand and cool water

our delicious meal on Saturday night

If you want to see more pictures from our weekend getaway you can click on the album below.

Camping in July, '09

Reiman Gardens

On July 9th our family made a trip down the street to Reiman Gardens. We had such a great time exploring the plants and searching for dinosaurs.

And it was a wonderfully frugal trip as well. Children age 3 and under are free and Jonathan used his Super Savers card to "buy one adult admission get one free" (the card also has the option of "buy one adult admission get two children's admission for free"). So the whole day cost $7!! And I packed a lunch to take along so we didn't have to buy lunch or snacks while we were there.

It was a rainy day so we only lasted from 9:30a-12:30p but that was probably long enough for the boys anyway. It was so much fun and I can't wait to take them again. Here are some pictures of our adventures.

* butterfly/moth cocoons;
* there were "scientists" in the room behind the cocoons identifying the insects;
* they do have a butterfly house but we decided not to venture there this trip

a LARGE butterfly or moth

Mom and Asher

checking out the dinosaur and her eggs

in the mouth of a whale

Mom and Phin
really neat vines grew over a covered walkway

looking at a stream - wondering about the best way to get wet

* there are bells under each square; when you jump on the squares the bells ring;
* they had a lot of fun making "music" together

beautiful water lillies

* enjoying a snack near the vegetable gardens;
* Asher enjoyed looking at the apples, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and more;
* we also got to smell a lot of yummy herbs

Asher learning how to jump from "high" things

the boys walking together holding hands

enjoying our picnic lunch

Asher also got to dig for dinosaur bones and we threw pennies into a fountain. We visited the "rainforest" room but I think it was more humid outside. ;)

FYI: You can still buy a Super Savers Card for $10 from the youth ministries office (now out at The Plex). The card includes special deals all around town. They're really a great bargain!!

Phin's Haircut

This kid will inevitably be needing haircuts every 4 weeks. I can get away with buzzing Asher and then not cutting his hair for at least 8 weeks. I may trim a little from the sides and back but that's it. Phin needs a real haircut. He has this golden halo in the back of his head from his colic.

Here's the before:

And here's the after:

I do miss his longer hair and wish I could grow it out, but I just can't deal with the halo for very long. Plus, it's summer and it's hot out. ;)

Prayer Request

** Update (7/23): The fire department determined that the fire was started in DJ's pick-up in the garage. We're just glad that this didn't happen at night and that DJ and Maria are ok.

Please be in prayer for my baby sister, Maria, and her husband DJ. I got a call last night (7/21) that her house was on fire. DJ and Maria were not hurt. I do know that the garage, breezeway and kitchen were pretty much gone. That was at 9ish last night so I'm not sure of the damage this morning.

Please pray for DJ and Maria.

A Lesson in "Phin Language"

Phin has been babbling almost constantly since he knew he had a voice. Now, he's just a little more clear about some things. It's funny being the mom and knowing what all the little noises and "words" really mean. Here are his most frequently used words and what they mean:

owp - help
kih-kaa - kitty cat
mow - meow
owpr - helper
ak - snack
bakeh bawh - basketball
oah bawh - football
caah (sounds like cat without the 't') - catch
i gah hih - I got it
dow - down
memaw - mommy
dahghin - daddy
kank-kooh - thank you
poo (while pointing at his diaper) - his diaper is wet
uh-oh - uh-oh (meaning I dropped/broke/spilt something)
baankheh - blanket (or blanky)
awhghy - doggy (his stuffed animal that he sleeps with)

Those are his main "words" right now. He is a talker, though. He's always saying or singing something. It's pretty cute! Hope you enjoyed the lesson. ;)

Birthday Girl

Aargh! It was my 29th birthday on the 2nd. I have to say that it wasn't a birthday that I was looking forward to. And I think the big 3-0 will be worse. I can talk about that more later, but I'm trying to stay positive.

My day consisted of sleeping in, watching a movie at home in the afternoon and having an hour and a half to shower, shave and get ready for my date. Jonathan borrowed a Toyota Solaris convertible for our date. We went to The Spice and had some really great food. Then we just cruised around in the great weather with the top down. It was a great evening.


About the bruise: Mark, the youth pastor, was driving a 15-passenger van in MN. I was his co-pilate for the 45-minute drive to Pizza Ranch and the students were dozing in the back. We thought it would be funny to pretend to hit a deer and scare them awake. Mark yelled, "DEER!!" and swerved the van. I pounded on the top of the van twice just to really get their attention. The next day my forearm hurt and I noticed it was bruising. It got really bad by that evening...two big black bruises. I got them on Sunday and when this picture was taken it was Thursday...4 days later and they're healing nicely. At that brown/highlighter stage. Very attractive.

While the Cat is Away...

Jonathan was gone a lot in June. The boys and I didn't do anything too exciting. We mainly stayed at home together. One morning we went to a friend for coffee and the kids played. And then I went to RV to see my parents. I joined the youth group in MN while the kids stayed at my parents' and then at the Van Maanen's. I am SO glad that June is over and that July is a less busy month. ;)

Here are a few pictures from the last several weeks/day. There aren't many pictures because Jonathan is usually the one behind the camera. Enjoy.

Phinny napping.

A storm brewing to the south of us.

Asher wore his Batman costume (mask, cape on backwards, and oversized black galoshes) a lot when Jonathan was gone. I guess he really did miss his dad. ;)

Trying on dad's rollerblades. (Asher calls them ice skates.)

Asher decides to give himself some accessories to wear: two pull-ups on his head, a Chinese slipper for an arm band, and a pair of undies almost pulled over his shorts. What a fashion statement. ;)

Our jolly little Phin!!