Kindermusik

We've been looking for a while for a way to get Rebecca involved in learning and interacting with other kids. After some research and talking to Grandma Voogt (who has a teaching degree in music and is working on becoming licensed in Kindermusik) we have decided to do Kindermusik. Rebecca and Mary will be doing the Wiggle and Giggles class (for ages 18m - 3 years) this fall/winter on Wed. mornings. It will be fun to see Rebecca interact with other toddlers and learn how to play all kinds of instruments!! And Mary will get to meet other moms in the area. We can't wait!!

Swimming Pool...Take 2

Last Monday we tried Rebecca's kiddie pool. She was not too keen on it. But that's ok for her first try. We were excited to try again. Unfortunately the pool had other plans. It just wouldn't stay inflated. So yesterday Justin returned it and bought a different pool...a larger one that we can all enjoy...and we did!! In the afternoon we all relaxed in the pool. Just like last time Rebecca was not too thrilled about the water at first. So she started out on Mommy's lap again. And gradually adjusted and stopped crying. Then she sat between Mommy's legs...slowly working towards sitting on the bottom by herself (the water wasn't very deep). Then she was brave enough to stand. And then she walked to Daddy. And then she just couldn't get enough of the water :) We played and splashed for quite a while. It seemed like Rebecca would never want to get out...until Mommy stood up...then "all none." No swimming without Mommy in the pool :P It was a nice little preview of our upcoming vacation :) A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We are excited to use the pool this week. And so glad that Rebecca is starting to have fun in the water! There are lots of pictures in the June album.

Rebecca seems to be going through a growth spurt right now...physically and developmentally. She is outgrowing all of her shoes. And she seems a little taller. She is acting more independent. She doesn't want help with her sippy cup anymore. And she's trying to feed herself with a spoon (she's been doing it with a fork for a long time already). Rebecca likes to read on her own sometimes now (although she still loves to read with someone). All of her teeth are through the gums. And coming all the way in quickly. Seems like overnight she has a full smile :) Rebecca is learning the motions to lots of songs, like Itsy Bitsy Spider and the Hokey Poky. Her latest dance move is spinning. She knows how to give "high five." And as soon as we put her in her high chair she folds her hands ready to pray. Rebecca is really jabbering a lot more lately. Making new sounds, putting syllables together and using new words. Yesterday she started saying mouth..."mow." And if you ask her what's in her mouth she'll chomp her teeth together and then stick out her tongue. These are just a few of the things she's been up to lately. We're having so much fun watching her learn new things each day.

A Full Set

At 14 months old Rebecca now has a full set of teeth through her one year molars (16 total)! And since she's not even close to 2 years old we're hoping the 2 year molars wait a while. We're looking forward to some teething-free days ahead :)

Rebecca is really growing. She got a pair of size 6 sandals yesterday (last picture). She must have Mommy's big feet :P And her hair is getting long. Her pigtails are almost past pigtails now :)

First Dip in the Pool

Yesterday Rebecca tried her pool for the first time. Since she loves her bath so much we figured she'd love a little pool...but to our surprise she seemed terrified :P The crying began with the swimming suit. Kind of a pain to get on. Then when we got outside and Mary put Rebecca's feet in the water she freaked out. She clung to Mary for dear life :P So...into the pool went Mommy :) And then Rebecca. She started getting used to it and having fun as long as she was on Mommyy's lap. At one point Mary tried sitting her in the pool...she did ok as long as she was hugging Mommy's leg. It was even a challenge to get out of the pool. Rebecca wouldn't stand up in the water on her own so Mary could get out. Rebecca did enjoy playing with the butterflies. And as she got a little more comfortable she enjoyed splashing. It sure was nice to be in the water on such a hot day. We'll have to keep trying so she gets used to the water before our vacation. Even if she doesn't like the water she sure looks cute in her swimming suit :)

Last night Justin and Rebecca went to Mary's soccer game. It was at a nice park. Rebecca had a blast playing on all the swings and slides. And she even got to see a "doggy."

Yesterday Rebecca learned the word chickpea. Although her version is more like "ca-pea." She loves any kind of bean...including chickpeas.

We took a trip to the local farmer's market this morning. Lots of fresh, yummy produce! Time for Rebecca to try more fruits and veggies :)

We're looking forward to seeing Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day!

This weekend we celebrated Justin's 2nd Father's Day. Happy Father's Day Daddy/Justin!!! We love you!

On Saturday Grandpa and Grandma Voogt stopped by for a couple hours. Rebecca got a very late start to her nap, so we had some time to visit with them while she was sleeping (nice for us...not as much fun for them :P). After Rebecca got up we played inside for a bit. Rebecca showed Grandpa and Grandma her new climbing skills.

Sunday morning we gave Justin his gifts. Rebecca did a great job carrying the gift bag and handing it to Daddy. She got him a Japanese language set that is totally audio. Justin is taking a Japanese class at work and deals with customers in Japan. So we thought we'd help him along with his speaking skills :) Since it's on CD he can do it in the car on his way to and from work. Mary got Justin a couple pairs of jeans. Then we headed to the east side of the state to go to Good Shepherd Church and then to Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom's house for lunch. We haven't been there since Christmas. It was fun to see the whole family and get out for the day. Rebecca had a blast playing with her cousins. Anna enjoyed getting some practice with a "baby" as she prepares for her new brother or sister in October. Rebecca was excited to see "Uncle Dan." And after she warmed up she was showing off her verbal skills by saying "thank you" and "I love you." And she was having fun with all of Grandma's toys. Carson is letting Rebecca borrow one of his life jackets for our vacation. Rebecca thought it was hilarious when she tried it on :) Rebecca slept the whole way home. She was completely worn out!

Rebecca now has 15 teeth. #16 (the final tooth for now:) could be through, but she makes it very difficult to check. We are very thankful that she is starting to sleep better again.

Rebecca is really working on her colors right now. Although every color is "blue" at the moment :P She says yellow and green once in a while.

We had a great time this weekend visiting family. And we're looking forward to a fun week. Today Rebecca gets to try out her new pool. It'll be perfect for a week of hot summer weather. And Mary has a soccer game. Justin and Rebecca will come and watch. On Wednesday Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom will be here to watch Rebecca while Mary goes to the doctor. With some back-to-back visits Rebecca is learning who Grandpa and Grandma are. She recognizes them now. We're excited to have lots of time outside this week.

Rebecca is a Climber!

Somehow over night Rebecca has learned that she can climb. Now she wants to climb on everything! So much for the days when we can let her play in another room on her own. Rebecca is still not very tall, so that does limit what she is capable of doing, but that doesn't mean she won't try :P Yesterday while Mary was on the treadmill she looked over at Rebecca and she was standing on one of her little chairs! The chairs are no longer in the gated off area :P She also loves to get on and off her bike now...and stand on the seat. And yesterday she figured out how to get in and out of her rocking chair. It's fun to watch her learn new things, but life sure will be busier now...and maybe full of more bruises.

14 Months Old

Rebecca is 14 months old today! How time flies. She is a very busy little girl. Always wanting to learn and explore new things. Rebecca is learning to say "thank you." Although she doesn't totally have the context of when to use it down yet. She wants to look at photo albums and find "Uncle Dan" all the time. It'll be fun to see him in person on Sunday and see if she recognizes him :) Rebecca likes to do the motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider." She puts her two index fingertips together to show that she wants you to start singing. And then she usually progresses into "so big" from there. Not sure how those two got connected, but they always go together for her. I think she's trying to do the "down came the rain" motion...but her hands stay up like so big. She likes to say that things are "big." She's big, her soccer ball is big, etc. She has also started saying "me" when she looks in the mirror. Rebecca continues to work on her animal sounds. Lately she's doing doggy, kitty..."ow" and rooster..."coc-a-doo."

We're still working on teeth. The top two eye teeth are now through. We're just waiting on the bottom two. Then she'll have a full set! Never thought she'd have a mouthful at 14 months. It is handy for chewing food, though.







Rebecca enjoys going to church. She loves being in the toddler nursery. So many kids and new toys. She went to church with Mommy on Monday and helped "clean" the nursery :) She mostly played with the bucket of balls. On Sunday we had a short congregational meeting at church to ratify our budget. "All in favor...aye (whole congregation)...All opposed...aye (Rebecca:)." She got a lot of looks. She was just repeating what everyone else said :) On Monday Justin was elected chair of the deacons. He's looking forward to his new role on the admin board.

Last Friday Rebecca and Mary went to a MOPS playdate at a local park. It was our first time meeting with a new MOPS group. Rebecca had a blast at the park. She climbed the stairs and went down the toddler slide by herself for the first time. She wanted to do it over and over. Mary got to meet lots of new women. We're looking forward to joining this group in the fall.

Rebecca is still a great eater. We haven't found anything she doesn't like so far. She loves trying new food. Her absolute favorite is still avocado. She eats it every day. And when she knows it's coming she'll repeat "cado, cado, cado" until it's ready. She also loves apples. Especially when she gets to take a bite of Mommy's apple :) Last night we tried buckwheat pancakes. Rebecca kept saying "bite" because she wanted more. And we found out today she really likes blueberries. We're slowly working on raw fruits and veggies. She has started eating little bits of carrot. It'll be fun to try all of the fresh summer produce with her. Rebecca is now pretty proficient at using the sippy cup on her own. She knows how to tip it up...although sometimes she just doesn't feel like doing it :P And we're finding she already has Daddy's restlessness. She's constantly moving while she eats and drinks. It's hard to get her to stand in one spot to take a sip out of her cup :P

Rebecca loves to play with balls right now...bouncy balls, soccer balls, footballs, everything. She's figuring out how to kick and throw them. It's cute to watch her carry her balls around the house. And even eat or drink while holding on to one. Do we have a future soccer player? :) She is just starting to climb. Although she's still on the short side, so she can't get onto much. Right now she's working on climbing on and off her "bike." And of course she still loves music. And she enjoys playing the drums. If you ask her about drums she says "bang, bang." Maybe she'll be a percusionist someday like Daddy.


She is getting a little taller, although it's hard to get her to stand still long enough to measure her. She's somewhere between 28 1/2" and 29". Her weight probably hasn't changed much over the last month. Maybe around 23 lbs. We'll find out next month at her 15 month check up.

This weekend we get to see both families. Grandpa and Grandma Voogt are visiting for a couple hours on Saturday. And we'll be heading to Flint to see all of the Hollebooms for Father's Day. Next week Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom will be taking care of Rebecca for a little bit while Mary goes to a doctor appt. We're looking forward to spending time with family. And we're always excited to see what Rebecca will learn next.

This and That

No big activities this week. But that doesn't mean Rebecca isn't doing all sorts of stuff :) After a few weeks of major teething, one new tooth (upper eye tooth) has finally broken through! There are three more threatening. We're hoping they follow quickly. We're ready to have our good sleeper back. Mommy is getting very tired :P The count is at 13 now. After the last 3 teeth hopefully we'll have a good break before we have to worry about the 2 year molars.

Rebecca continues to learn new words. This week she learned how to say "Uncle Dan" and "Kevin." She likes to point them out in pictures too. Looking through photo albums is one of her favorite things to do! She is still working on her numbers and colors. Getting better at them every day. And Rebecca loves to make animal sounds. Rebecca also notices whenever a truck drives by and tries to mimic the noise. There are a few new videos of some of this. Be sure to check them out.


As we spend more time outside Rebecca's hair seems to get lighter and looks more red. We'll see if she keeps her dark hair like Daddy or goes red and eventually blond like Mommy :)











Monday Mary had her first soccer game of the season. Rebecca stayed home with Daddy since it was a late game. But they will come watch some of the early games this summer. Mary got a nice "trophy" for her efforts on Monday...

Yesterday Mary and Rebecca visited a neighbor that just had twins. Rebecca had fun looking at the "babies." But she was much more interested in the "doggy." He's a small weiner dog...just her size :) We're looking forward to seeing Samuel and Claire more this summer.


We'll be spending the weekend at home, enjoying the weather and getting things done around the yard. Justin has to finish planting beans, and he'll be spreading mulch. Monday Justin has council and Mary and Rebecca will be attending a potluck at church. Mary is joining the nursery committee this year, so this will be her first meeting.

Be sure to check out the latest photos and videos.