First Time Sledding

Yesterday was a pretty mild day weather-wise.  And we didn't have much going on.  So in the afternoon we decided to take Rebecca sledding for the first time.  It was an impromptu trip, and we didn't have much time between nap and dinner.  But we wanted to be sure we at least got to go once this year.  So we went to a small hill about 10 min. from our house.  Rebecca was very fascinated by all of the other kids.  She loved just standing there watching them.  But she also really enjoyed the sledding!  Quite a change from last year when we couldn't get her to even walk in snow or sit in a sled.  Mommy had to be on camera duty (no sledding while pg :P).  Rebecca and Daddy had fun going down the hill a few times.  We only stayed for about 15 minutes, but it was still fun.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to go again yet this year.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma Van Heukelum!

Yesterday we celebrated Great Grandma's 86th birthday.  Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom and Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Van Heukelum came over in the afternoon to visit and then have dinner and cake.

Rebecca had so much fun showing off for 4 grandparents :)  She even sang one of Great Grandma's favorite songs for her - What A Friend We Have In Jesus.  We all had a great time and feel blessed to have such a wonderful woman still in our lives.

We've been busy the rest of the week as well.  Rebecca gets to play with a different group of kids every day!  Sunday was Little Lambs.  Monday was gymnastics.  Tuesday was nursery while Mommy was at Bible study.  Wednesday was Kindermusik.  Today we have a MOPS playdate.  And tomorrow the neighbor is coming over to play.  We were glad to be busy this week.  It's already Thursday...the day Daddy comes home!

Gymnastics and Snow

Justin had a vacation day on Monday for MLK Jr. Day, so he was able to go to gymnastics with us...and help take pictures :)  Rebecca enjoyed showing Daddy all the things she is learning (although she was still very clingy to Mommy).  Here are some pictures of a typical day at gymnatics.

 Starting out with the limbo.

 Then some stretching.

 Rebecca's favorite...the big trampoline.

 Trying a cartwheel.

 Straddle jumps.

 Forward roll.

 Bar work.

 Balance Beam.

 Frist time on the vault.

 Climbing up the wall.

 And flipping over the bar.

 Swinging.

 Finishing class in the foam pit as always.

 Stamps with the letter of the week.

 And finally our cheer.

In the afternoon Rebecca spent some time outside in the snow with Daddy.  Soon after the neighbor came out to play.  Can you tell who is who?  Rebecca and Eva have the same coat :)



Calvin Basketball...and Baby News

It's that time of year again...basketball season!!  Which means Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom are in town quite often :)  Yesterday we went to our first game of the season.  Uncle Dan, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Sara and Carson came too.

Rebecca and Carson now have matching Calvin jerseys.  They could be twins!  And they had so much fun together.  Grandma even bought them matching Cavlin hats (didn't get a picture of those...maybe next time).  They sat nicely together for part of the game, looking for the big Knight and sharing popcorn.  When they got restless they ran around the fieldhouse a bit.  They hardly stop to catch their breath because they each want to keep up with the other.  Unfortunately Calvin couldn't quite manage the win.  But we still had a lot of fun.

After the game we all came back to our house for dinner and visiting.  We had a yummy taco dinner.  Rebecca and Carson actually both ate quite well...must be all the running.  Once they were done eating they played and played and played.  They "baked" and "cooked", played in Rebecca's castle, danced, ran, jumped, played instruments and laughed a lot.  Watching them together is like watching Thing 1 and Thing 2 :)  Lots of bumps, jumps and kicks.  We were sad to see them go at the end of the evening, but I think both kids were completely worn out.  Rebecca is already so anxious for Carson to come back and play.  She thought he might come back to go to church with us today :P  Hopefully we'll see them again in 2 weeks for the next home game.

Rebecca is now officially in a regular bed instead of a crib.  She made the transition fairly smoothly.  Only a few nights of being overly excited and having a hard time falling asleep.  Pretty soon she'll be moving to her new room, and we'll be turning the nursery back into a nursery.

In baby news, we just confirmed our c-section date (literally opened the letter while typing this post :) - May 9, 2011.  Monday morning bright and early the day after Mother's Day. 17 weeks from tomorrow.  We are already so anxious to meet this little one.  He/she is growing well and letting Mommy (and Daddy and Rebecca) know he/she is here.  Lots of kicks and belly bouncing.  Mary's next check up is Jan. 19.  Hopefully she'll pass the glucose test with flying colors :)