Life Changes

How blessed we are to have a God that KNOWS...

A God that has a perfect plan for YOU and for ME.

A plan that we cannot understand but must have faith
that the God who gave us life and gave His one & only son for us
knows YOU and ME
and loves us more than we can fathom.


Recently, Kraig started a new job. We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for this new opportunity. This job, like any other, we have some ups and some downs. We pray that it will be an easy and quick adjustment and that God will bless us during all of this. We give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Happy 2nd Bithday Avery

Dear Avery,

I cannot believe that it has been 2 years since we heard your first cry, counted your fingers and toes and kissed your head with tears of joy in our eyes. We loved you so much the second we met you and that love has continued to grow over the past 2 years. You have gone from a completely dependent newborn and grown into a sweet little toddler who loves life and wants to learn independence. It makes me sad that this baby time has gone so fast but it also makes me so happy that you are growing into such a sweet little girl. I can't wait to see God's plans for your life, sweet one, but let's not rush anything. For now, I will enjoy each of these moments because we have quickly learned how fast they go. I want to bottle so many things up and keep them forever like your sweet little smile, your cute nose, your baby soft blonde curls, your innocence, your love for life and others, and the sweet little things you say. When I think about you already being 2 and being a "big girl" now, it brings tears to my eyes. Happy tears because God blessed us with such a wonderful daughter. Keep God close all of your days, lean on Him for everything, serve Him in what you do. Life may not always be perfect but God has a plan for you and loves you more than you know. Mommy and Daddy pray for you every day and we will never stop. We love you so much Avery Lynne- Happy Birthday! Love, Mommy & Daddy

Birthday Treat

We wanted to do something special on Avery's actual birthday so we took her to Build-a-Bear. I wasn't sure how much she would like it but she was very into it. She got to pick out her own teddy bear and watch her get stuffed, put 2 hearts inside her(because she was 2 that day), give her a bath, name her and pick out her clothes. It was so fun to do something special like this with her.

Party day

We celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday with a small party with family. We ,of course, had to have a Dora party. She was so excited about the decorations. Avery had so much fun opening all of her presents and having everyone's attention. She loves being the star of the show. She was so sweet and funny that we all had such a fun time. She was spoiled by all the people who love her and we are so thankful. We didn't sing the traditional birthday song though because it makes Avery cry...maybe next year. Happy Birthday sweetie.

Post Family Farm

Every year we make a traditional trip to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard. This year we decided to go back to Post Family Farm. Avery had so much fun again this year. She loved petting a kitty, seeing goats, riding the pumpkin train and going on a hayride to get a pumpkin. Even Daddy got to join us this year. It was a great time.

Avery loves Roscoe

A Second Blessing

Kraig, Avery and I are excited to share that we are expecting our second baby. We feel beyond blessed with what the Lord has given us. This pregnancy has been very different from my first- I enjoyed my pregnancy with Avery and had a little sickness but not much. This time I have been much more sick for the last month or so and a lot more tired. I am hoping that this will pass soon and I can enjoy the rest of it. I am about 14 weeks right now. We have had a couple of ultrasounds already and it is SO amazing to see our little baby.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good."

So long summer!

Playing in the house- Avery's favorite at the cottage.

Trying out the tobaggan.

Rolling in the sand- another favorite- crazy kid!

Making mud.

This summer has been an incredibly fun one. I really can't remember the last summer that I had so much fun- it was probably when I was a kid. We did so many fun things this summer- spent time at the cottage, at Sandy Pines, camping at Leelanau and so many fun things around home. I feel blessed to have been able to spend so much time at home with Avery. This past weekend since the weather was so nice, we decided to head up to the cottage one more time. It was a beautiful weekend. I'm sad to see summer end but fall is my FAVORITE and I can't wait for fun fall activities.

Deanna's Playhouse

"Bye Bye Mommy"

Working at the bank just like Mommy.

Train table-CHOO CHOO

Cookin'-Avery's favorite right now

Getting groceries

At the beginning of the summer I made a list of fun things that I wanted to do with Avery and since I had the week of last week, I decided to take her to Deanna's Playhouse in Holland. This was the LAST thing on my list- WOW what a fun summer. The playhouse is a big building with an imaginary house, store, bank, roads with cozy coupes and all kinds of toys. Avery & I had so much fun playing there.

Scott & Kellie Get Hitched

Scott and Kellie got hitched on Labor day weekend. Kraig was the best man. Kraig borrowed a friends TransAm for their getaway car and the boys had WAY to much fun with it!

We had a great time and were so happy to be a part of their special day. Congrats you guys- we love you.

Hudsonville Fair

The last week in August we enjoyed the Hudsonville Fair. Avery LOVED it. I had no idea that she would have so much fun. I think it was the most fun I've had at the fair- just watching her. She kept asking to go on the rides! She was so brave and we had to bribe her with ice cream to leave the rides and go see the animals. She loved the animals too once she got away from the rides.

Daddy's Truck

Kraig stopped at our house today and Avery was so excited to see Daddy's truck. She even got to sit in it. When she got in she told Kraig- "Drive, daddy, ride." She really wanted him to take her for a ride. I am so proud of Kraig and how hard he works to provide for our family but also how much he loves his little girl!

Camping at Lake Leelanau

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had such a fun time camping for a week at Lake Leelanau. Avery was such a good camper and made the trip so much fun. I think her favorite things were the boat, swimming and the beach and of course ICE CREAM!! I love summer. We have so many fun pictures, I made another collage. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy 4th of July

Playing in the sand.

Sittin' on the dock.

4th of July concert on the lake

Saying cheese and hamming in up on the way up to the cottage.

We had a very fun 4th of July weekend. Unfortunately, I'm a little behind on posting this. We spent the day up at the cottage and had a great time despite the cooler weather. Friday night, one of the cottages had a live band so we took the pontoon over while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the sleeping kiddos and we had a great time. The rest of the time was spent playing in the water and sand. Does it get better than this- summer living is the best!

Frog Hollow Park

Avery and I have had a lot of fun this summer visiting different parks. One of my favorite so far has been Frog Hollow Park back by Metro Hospital. Avery liked it too. There is a lot of fun things to do and of course the frogs are fun too!

Puddles

Life is too short to skip splashing in some puddles. Avery LOVES her rubber rain boots and we had quite a few puddles around our house so one night we went outside to just splash in the puddles. Avery stomped around yellling "SPLASH". I laughed so hard. We were both soaking wet by the time we were done. These are the memories that I will cherish forever. It's the simple things in life that make us the happiest. When life gets so busy, we forget to slow down and enjoy these simple little pleasures.

Crazy Bounce

I have a little time off work this week so today I took Avery to Crazy Bounce in Holland for a morning of fun (with Grandma too). This place is filled with inflatables of all different sizes and types. Avery was a little intimidated by alot of it but she did have fun running around, she LOVED the ball pit and even went down a couple slides with me. Even Grandma got in on the fun of this slide! I love taking Avery to try new and fun things. We had a great morning together- I just love her SO much.