Potter Park Zoo

All of the Hollebooms (except Dan) met at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing yesterday. It was great to have the family together. The kids had so much fun playing together and looking at the animals. Rebecca thought the goats were pretty funny. She touched one a few times, but wasn't too sure about it. Mostly she just wanted to people watch and say hi to everyone. After a couple hours in the zoo we had a picnic dinner at the park (just outside the zoo). And the kids spent some time on the playground. Anna did a great job playing with Rebecca. She even got hear Rebecca say "A-na." It was nice to spend some time outdoors and visit with family. And it's always fun to watch all of the cousins play. We can't wait until #5 comes along in October :) We're curious to see who will be outnumbered...the girls or the boys ;) Our family visits always seem too short. But we might see the Hollebooms again on Father's Day.

There are some new May pictures and pictures from the zoo in our albums.

Memorial Day

We spent the day yesterday hanging out as a family. It was nice to have family time after Justin was gone for a week. In the morning Uncle Kevin visited. Rebecca had fun showing off for him. And she loves her new book that Kevin brought. We stood outside for a few minutes to listen to the band playing as the Memorial Day parade went by. Rebecca bounced and conducted as they played :) In the afternoon we took a bike ride to Wedgewood Park (near our house). Rebecca had so much fun watching the other kids, swinging, sliding and just running around. She also got to see some real ducks! She was quacking at them :) And she tried chasing a few. But she's not quite fast enough. After the park we biked up to a local ice cream shop, Cone World. Rebecca and Mommy shared a dish of twist ice cream. She gave quite a few "mmm's" as she ate :) We think she'll be an ice cream lover just like Mommy and Daddy. Rebecca seemed to really enjoy the bike ride. She almost fell asleep at one point. In the evening we grilled burgers and relaxed. It was a nice way to end the holiday weekend and enjoy Justin being home.

We're pretty sure Rebecca is working on two new teeth. She had a few really rough nights in a row. Monday she was up at 3:45 am and never really went back to sleep...only dozed when being rocked. But we couldn't lay her back down without instant screaming. Last night it was back to using Oragel before bed. That seemed to help. Hopefully these teeth will come in quickly.

Today it's back to our normal routine. Daddy is off to work. Play time and grocery day for Mommy and Rebecca :)

Rebecca's Graduation

Rebecca has officially graduated to the toddler nursery at church :) Today was her first try. She did great! We handed her off, they set her down and she never looked back. She was off and running and wanting to see what the other kids were doing. She'll get a lot more interaction with other kids in the toddler nursery. We're excited for that.

Justin came home from his week in Washington DC yesterday. We were very excited to have him back! Rebecca has been loving playing with Daddy again. And she loves the bear he brought home for her :) Justin had a great trip. He really enjoyed his class, sight seeing, and meeting lots of people. He was also able to spend time Friday evening with his cousin Walt.

Last Friday Mary and Rebecca went to the MSU Children's Garden with Aunt Sara, Carson and Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom. We had a great time walking around the garden. Rebecca was fascinated with the sheep statue. She was "baa-ing" the whole time :) We didn't have our camera, but Aunt Sara has pictures up on her blog if you're interested. Holleboom Family Blog. Go to the Our Photo Albums Link on the side. Or try this link: msu photos

Tomorrow we will be spending the holiday at home. Uncle Kevin is going to stop by in the morning. He hasn't seen Rebecca since Christmas, so he'll be in for a surprise :)

This Saturday we are meeting the Hollebooms at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing. We'll visit the zoo and then have a picnic at the park.

As usual Rebecca amazes us every day with the things she learns. She now says "amen" when it's time to eat and before bed. She even says it sometimes when Mommy and Daddy have been at the table for a while...meaning she's ready for us to be done :) Rebecca has also started saying "all done" when she's done eating or when she wants you to be done with something...like changing her diaper. Rebecca is starting to use her playhouse more. If you ask about her house she'll say "ding dong." And when she's inside she says "hot" because there is a picture of a thermometer. We still spend a lot of timing reading every day. Mary and Rebecca need to make a trip to the library soon to get some new books. Hopefully we can get out and enjoy the nice weather this week. Rebecca has had some rough sleeping this week. Time to check for teeth again. We'll keep you posted :P

13 Months Old

Rebecca turned 13 months on Sunday. I didn't forget to post then...I just didn't have time to post or get stats. Rebecca hasn't grown that much since her 1 year check up. Her weight is pretty much the same. Her height is about the same...maybe a 1/4" taller. Hard to get her to stand still long enough to measure accurately :P She is learning new things every day. She repeats pretty much everything we say now. It's fun to watch her learn new words and figure out what they mean. We're enjoying time outside more now that it is warmer. Rebecca is much more stable walking outside now. And she doesn't mind running around on her own.

This week Justin is in Washington DC, so Mary and Rebecca are on their own. On Monday we went to John Ball Zoo with Mary's friend Julie and her two kids. We had so much fun! Rebecca didn't seem too interested in the animals. But she did enjoy people watching :)

Friday we are meeting Sara and Carson (and possibly Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom?) in Lansing at the MSU Children's Garden. We're looking forward to that!

Today and tomorrow we're just going to enjoy time outside while we have this great weather.

We're looking forward to Justin coming home on Saturday and a long holiday weekend at home. We're also looking forward to a visit from Uncle Kevin (Voogt:) on Monday.

Justin has the camera this week. So no new pictures.

Looks Like Rain

First Bike Ride

Tuesday we bought Rebecca a bike helmet. Last night we got to try it out. We took her for a ride around the block in the bike trailer. She seemed to like it. But the helmet was sliding down into her face. So we'll have to work on adjusting it more. And hope she grows into it soon :) There are few pictures in the May album and a video of her pointing out the "bike" in the video album.

Monday Fun

Rebecca and Mommy had fun playing with all of her new toys outside yesterday. Rebecca likes to ring the doorbell on her playhouse and say "de do" (ding dong). Then when Mommy says "you're cute" Rebecca says "coot." She already knows she's cute :P Rebecca had her afternoon snack at her new picnic table. It was nice to have a shady place to sit and eat. Rebecca loves to play with Mommy's soccer ball. We're turning her into a soccer play at a young age :) Rebecca still loves to swing and take rides in her wagon. Although we have to keep an eye on her now so that she doesn't stand up while the wagon is moving! She is still very interested in her "hat"...telling everyone she sees that she's wearing one. And she likes to touch Mommy's "car" in the garage. Rebecca continues to learn new words every day. She is trying to count with Mommy...chiming in when we get to "two" and "five." She is also learning her colors. So far she can say "boo" (blue) and "yeyo" (yellow). And she is trying to say some of the names in her Bible peek-a-boo book...Daniel, Jonah, Noah and Jesus. Before bed Rebecca finds her prayer book, brings it to Mommy and says "amen." She knows we read it before heading up to bed. We're having so much fun learning and exploring every day!

Happy Mother's Day

Wow, our 2nd Mother's Day! Hard to believe. We spent the morning with Grandpa and Grandma Voogt. They spent the night at our house last night and went to church with us today. Rebecca had helped Mommy make flower vases for both grandmas this year for Mother's Day. They both loved them! Then after lunch Rebecca and Justin gave Mary her presents. She got a small sauce pan, a small saute pan, a book and more cake pans!!!! A set of 5...6, 8, 10, 12 and 14"! Mary has been wanting another set of cake pans for a while so she doesn't have to bake multiple times to do a layer cake. Anyone need a cake? :) We are relaxing the rest of the day.



Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms in our lives! What a blessing to have a mom and to be a mom.

Mother's Day 2008...Rebecca sure has grown.

Visit from the Voogts

Yesterday Grandpa and Grandma Voogt came for a visit. Rebecca opened her birthday presents and had fun showing Grandpa and Grandma all the things she's been learning. She sang "e-i-e-i-o" and danced. Grandpa gave Rebecca more John Deere toys. Pretty soon she'll have a whole farm to play with :) She walked around with her new farmer for half the evening. Rebecca also got a doll, a music toy and some clothes. When it was time to go outside Rebecca had to tell them about her "hat," "coat," and "shoes." Rebecca thought it was pretty neat that Grandpa had a hat on too. We spent some time outside swinging, taking wagon rides, playing with the soccer ball and setting up Rebecca's new playhouse. We can't wait to play with that! We also can't wait to use her new picnic table. Maybe we'll have to grill and eat outside this week. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Shannon joined us for dinner. After dinner everyone (except Rebecca and Mary) went to Justin's alumni orchestra concert at Calvin. This was the final concert in the FAC before it undergoes a major renovation.

Today Grandpa and Grandma Voogt will go to church with us and then head back to WI. We'll be relaxing the rest of the day after a busy weekend. And of course celebrating Mother's Day :)

Farm and Family

Yesterday Rebecca and Mary took a trip to the farm in the afternoon to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Van and Uncle Kevin, Aunt Sara and Carson. Carson and Rebecca had fun playing with Great Grandma's box of toys. Then we went outside to explore the farm. Rebecca and Carson tried out the lawn mowers and tractors. And we all went on a little tour of the farm/greenhouses. It's definitely not the farm we grew up knowing, but at least the crick was still there. And Rebecca got to "quack" at all the geese :)

After visiting the farm Kevin, Sara and Carson came to our house to visit some more. We got take out from Qdoba for dinner. And Rebecca opened her birthday presents. Such cute stuff!! New jammies and clothes and toys. Thanks guys! It was fun to see Rebecca and Carson finally starting to interact a bit. Although Rebecca seemed a little more interested in playing with Carson...he thought she was a bit of a bother :p They shared some toys and played dueling piano :)

We had so much fun seeing everyone yesterday! Rebecca just loved playing with Carson and her aunt and uncle. She's definitely getting over her stranger anxiety. Mary and Rebecca are hoping to see Sara and Carson again on the 22nd at the MSU Children's Garden, while Justin is in DC. And then again on the 30th at Potter Park Zoo.

Tomorrow Grandpa and Grandma Voogt and Uncle Ryan and Aunt Shannon will be visiting. We're looking forward to celebrating Rebecca's birthday with them.

There are new pictures of our farm visit in the May folder.

Tulip Time

Yesterday Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom and Uncle Dan came out to visit. We all went to Tulip Time in the afternoon. We walked around and got some cute pictures in the tulips. Then we saw a Dutch fashion show and some klompen dancing. Rebecca loved being outside and seeing so many people. As usual she was a little shy and hesitant when we first got there. But once she warmed up she wanted to run :) It was a gorgeous day. Perfect for an afternoon in Holland.

After Tulip Time we came back to our house for dinner. Then we opened gifts...Mother's Day, Mary's birthday, Justin's birthday and Rebecca's birthday! Rebecca got so many cute clothes and fun toys. We'll have a blast this week with all of the new toys. Rebecca had fun playing tea party with Grandma with her new tea set from Uncle Jason and Aunt Julie. And she already loves her Little People set. Although now we need to teach her the difference between people and animals. She says "e-i-e-i-o" when she sees the little people because they look like her farm animals :)

We had a great time yesterday! It's always fun when we get to see family. We're looking forward to seeing the Holleboom family again on May 30 when we're going to Potter Park Zoo in Lansing. We are also excited to see the Voogts this weekend for another birthday celebration :)

Be sure to check out pictures from yesterday in the Tulip Time and May photo albums.

Just for comparison...Tulip Time last year...