Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are blessed and thankful for so many things.  We are especially thankful for family.

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Mary's grandparents.  We are so happy that Great Grandpa VanHeukelum is home from the hospital and recovering well.  Since we didn't have plans this year we brought Thanksgiving dinner to their house.

Justin, the kids and Grandpa and Grandma Van visited while Mary finished preparing dinner (she did most of it at home).  We had a nice meal, ending with pumpkin pie and Dutch apple pie.  Even though he can't eat much yet Grandpa still managed to sample a little of each pie :)

After dinner the kids played more while Mary and Grandma cleaned up.

Then Randy, Gretchen, Nathan, Lynette and AnaIsa stopped by.  We visited with them for quite a while and then headed home.

It was great to see family that we don't get to see very often.  And it was so wonderful to spend time with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma.  The kids love to visit with them and play with their toys.  And it's a joy to us to watch them interact.

What a blessed Thanksgiving.

18 Month Check Up

Abram had his 18 month check up on Monday.  He did great!!  We're happy that his doctor visits are much more pleasant than Rebecca's at this age.  He has a blast at the doctor's office, trying to destroy everything in sight.  So much to explore.  He barely even cries when he gets his shots.  Just a few seconds and then he's off and running again.

He did have a pretty bad reaction to one of the shots this time (his whole was thigh bright red, swollen and painful, he wasn't sleeping well).  Thankfully it has gone down now.

Abram's growth continues to be steady.  He is now 24 lbs. 5 oz. (30th%) and 31 3/4 in. (50th%).  Almost identical to Rebecca at 18 months (24 lbs. 12 oz., 31 3/4 in.).  He hadn't grown much in quite a while.  So it's good to see him taking off.  All of a sudden most of his clothes are getting too small.  Time to start putting away the 18m clothes.

He is meeting or exceeding all of his milestones.  He's just trying to keep up with his sister.

Abram is really starting to talk and communicate well.  He tries to copy everything we say.  And he can usually tell you what he wants...or doesn't want.  He likes to look at books and tell you what all the pictures are.

There is never a dull moment for Abram.  He has boundless energy from the moment he wakes up to the time he goes to bed.  He is often running laps through the house yet after we put him in his pajamas.  He loves to be silly (usually with his big sister) and laugh.  Abram still likes to climb and get into as much mischief as possible.  He is very curious and wants to explore anything new.  He also loves to dance. Abram and Rebecca have a lot of dance parties.

Being around two females all day is rubbing off on Abram.  Two of his favorite things to do are clean and bake :)  Abram does not like messes and is quick to grab a towel to wipe anything.  He also loves to vacuum and sweep.  It's hard for Justin and Mary to do either because Abram wants to take over.  He cries if you don't let him help.

Recently Abram always wants to be involved in what's happening in the kitchen.  Mary can't stand at the counter without him wanting to be held.  Throughout the day he goes to the kitchen, stands by the oven and says "bake, bake."  If you ask him if he wants to bake he says "bake, yay!!!" and raises his arms above his head.  If you open the fridge he points to the eggs and says "crack, crack."  And you don't have to ask twice if he wants to help make dinner.  He'll come running saying "dinna, dinna."  It's actually almost impossible to make dinner without his help.  Most nights Mary has to make dinner one handed (holding him in the other) and let him help whenever possible.  And baking is a little more interesting with two helpers.

Abram has become a pretty good eater.  He knows what he does and doesn't want...and you can't convince him otherwise.  But if he likes something he will shovel it down faster than you can get it on his plate.  Meal times only last about five minutes for him (a very big contrast from his sister).  Abram doesn't waste time...eat and get back to playing or anything that doesn't involve being strapped in his high chair.

Although Abram is pretty rough and tough he is also very sweet.  He loves to wrap dolls or stuffed animals in blankets and rock them.  He says "baby nigh, nigh" and "yes, yes" (for Yes, Jesus loves me) and then gives them kisses.  Abram is also very sweet with Rebecca.  If she has to go to timeout he runs to her and gives her a hug and kiss.  He is very concerned when she isn't happy.  He adores his big sister and wants to do everything she does (even if she is not crazy about the idea).

We've been waiting and waiting...and Abram is finally ok with staying in a nursery or having someone else watch him!!  The last two times we've dropped him off in nursery he hasn't cried.  And recently he (and Rebecca) stayed with Grandma Holleboom while Justin and Mary went out.  Our mamma's boy is becoming a little more confident and independent.  He even loves it when visitors come to our house now and is happy to give Grandma hugs and kisses when she leaves :)

We are so blessed to have this funny, energetic, compassionate little boy in our lives.  We are thankful Abram is growing and developing well.  It's hard to believe how big he is getting and how grown up he seems already.  God is good.

We are looking forward to his second Christmas and watching him learn and grow in the next year.

This Week's New Visitor - The Tooth Fairy

Yesterday evening Rebecca lost her first tooth!  It's been loose for several weeks now after a run in with the dining room table :)  While eating breakfast it got significantly looser.  Rebecca was worried about it all day, wondering if it would come out in her food.  She didn't eat much snack at school and was afraid to do very much.

before

 

At dinner she had to run and look in the mirror after almost every bite...just to be sure it was still there.

I checked it periodically and knew it would come out any time.  I told her to hold it and try twisting.  One little twist and it was out!  She wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry.  There was plenty of crying, but also excitement.  And after the initial bleeding and surprise we celebrated.

after

Rebecca is very proud to be such a big girl and already have a tooth out at 4 1/2.  We tried to make it a fun experience, and she was all smiles last night.  She even had to call Grandma to tell her (next best thing since she couldn't tell Daddy).  Although she knows there is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy, she still wanted something under her pillow.  So she will find a shiny quarter when she wakes up today.

She will also get to pick out a small toy.  Rebecca was so stressed and anxious about loosing a tooth (I would be too at 4 years old).  There were a lot of tears over it in the last few weeks.  So we did our best to help her be brave and get excited about it.  The promise of a special present for her first tooth helped.  The Tooth Fairy won't bring gifts for subsequent teeth.  Just the first one :)

Rebecca is excited to show off her new smile to everyone.  And we'll see how long it takes for the next one to come out.

Rebecca also got to pick our a purse yesterday so she can bring her offering money to church each week.  She posed for a picture of her new purse and her new smile.

Teeth, Beans and Baby-sitters

It's been a while since I've written any updates.  Here are a few things we've been up to.

About a month ago Rebecca bumped her mouth on the table and knocked a couple of her teeth loose.  She had a check up with the dentist, and we've been keeping an eye on them.  This week we brought her back for another check.

The dentist did an x-ray this time.  And to our surprise Rebecca's permanent teeth are right below her baby teeth ready to come through!  Even if she hadn't bumped her teeth they probably would have gotten loose on their own soon.  So no need for extraction or splinting.  Rebecca can wiggle her teeth all she wants until they come out :)

She got all of her baby teeth early.  It seems as though she'll be early loosing them and getting her permanent teeth as well.  She may be the only kid her preschool class loosing teeth already :)

We're finding that Abram loves to mix, pour, etc.  Any time I cook or bake he must be involved (and will scream if he's not).  His favorite thing is cracking eggs :)

A couple weeks ago when he was trying as usual to be a "helper" I thought it might be fun to give him something he can mix and pour safely.  So we got out trays, plastic dishes and dried beans.

Who knew beans could be so much fun?!  The first day both kids played at the breakfast nook for about 2 hours straight (until I made them stop for nap time/preschool).  And it has been a favorite activity for the last week.

Last night we left both kids for the first time since Abram was born!  It only took 18 months for Abram to be ok with Mommy leaving :P  Grandma Holleboom happens to be in town right now, so she watched the kids while we went to Bible study.  They both did very well.  Abram said bye and ran away to play.  No crying, no fussing, nothing.

What a treat and relief to know we can finally go out just the two of us once in a while again.  It's been over 18 months since we've had a "date."  I think it's about time :)

Abram is also doing a lot better in the nursery.  He still screams when you bring him, but he settles down right away and plays the whole time.  Mary can finally sit in church and enjoy Mom Break on her own :)

Life is crazy and busy and blessed.  Abram has his 18 month check up in about a week.  I'll have more updates after that.  Right now we're heading into a fun-filled week of trying to distract ourselves while Daddy is away and then another week with Daddy home every day :)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween (a little late)!  This year was a pretty low key Halloween for us.  We handed out candy and took the kids to a few houses on our street and to the trunk or treat at the church across the street.  We also decorated a couple pumpkins.

We had a pretty low turn out at our house, so we've got leftover candy to last quite a while :)

Both kids had fun.  Rebecca was a fairy princess.  Abram was a lion.

Rebecca loves any holiday and was excited about it for weeks.  She and Mommy made wings for her costume and mostly used things around the house to make the rest.

Abram didn't really know what we were doing.  He was just annoyed by the paws on his costume :P  He also liked watching out the door for trick-or-treaters.

It was fun to dress up and enjoy a few treats.

American Girl Tea Party

A few weeks ago Rebecca and I went to an American Girl tea party at a local church.  It was hosted by the church's mom's group.  It was very well done, and we had so much fun!

Rebecca brought her AG doll...Rebecca :)  They wore their matching dresses.  We started with punch and desserts.  Then we made a craft.  We got to take pictures, meet the people at our table and entered in some drawings for AG prizes (we didn't win anything).

After the tea party there was a craft fair with all sorts of AG doll stuff.  Rebecca picked out a sleeping bag/pajama set.

It was a fun way to spend some quality Mommy/daughter time.  We're already looking forward to going again next year!

First Day of Preschool

Our little girl is growing up!  She started preschool this week.  Rebecca is attending El Puente Spanish Immersion preschool at Grandville Christian.  She goes M/W/F afternoons.

Rebecca's first day was on Monday.  She did great!  She hardly even said goodbye to Mommy and Abram because she was too excited to play with the toys and see all the kids.  That's Rebecca :)  Always interested in what's exciting and new.

She did a craft, read books, had a snack and even went out for recess (her favorite part, I think).  Rebecca was very excited and is already picking up a few Spanish words.  We'll see how long it takes for her to start reading as well in Spanish as she does in English :)  We'll hopefully order some Spanish books from her book order this month to start practicing.

As expected Rebecca was pretty wound up and stimulated after school.  She spent a couple hours in her room after she got home listening to a book on CD and relaxing.

She is very excited for her second day today.

Rebecca also started a new semester of Kindermusik yesterday.  Unfortunately it's a pretty small class this year (5 kids...only 2 girls).  Most of her friends had to switch to a different class, dropped out or moved up to the older class.  But she still loves spending time with Miss Lynette and dancing and singing.  Plus this semester there is a big emphasis on story telling!  Rebecca's absolute favorite thing to do.

Abram wasn't so sure about it...since he thought it was a nursery.  But he had a blast climbing on chairs while Rebecca was in class.

We are excited to watch Rebecca learn and grow this year.  And we're off to a good start.

End of Summer and Labor Day

We really tried to make the most of our last few weeks of summer.  We spent a lot of time outside.  Abram finally discovered the sandbox.  And that's his go-to toy outside now.  I think the kids have been extra clean lately since they needed daily baths for a while.

They have both also started to really enjoy swinging.  Rebecca is finally loving the "big kid" swing and isn't afraid to go high anymore.  She'll spend our entire time outside on a swing and keep asking to be pushed.

We also took a few trips to John Ball Zoo in August.  Since we have a membership we wanted to make the most of it.  We even went twice in one week while the zoo was still open longer hours.  We discovered that going right at 9am is the best time to see the animals.  Rebecca and Abram had a blast interacting with the chimps and the otter.

Abram has been spending his time inside climbing, climbing and climbing some more.  By the end of the day we put away pretty much every large toy or box of toys (block box, etc.) because they are all used for stools :P  He's also proving to be all boy...walking around spitting on the floor and making himself toot :P

We have also discovered that Abram will actually eat...if you let him sit in a regular chair.  From the day he was born he has wanted to be able to keep up with his big sister.  If she doesn't need a high chair, neither does he.  Although he takes it to an extreme.  He thinks he should sit in a chair to eat a cracker or take a sip of water...and he can climb in the chair himself, so it's hard to convince him otherwise.

We ended our summer and kicked of our fall with a trip to Crossroads Village with Mary's family on Labor Day.  It is a small old fashioned village.  You can walk through the houses, shops, church and cider mill.  They also have a fast carousel and a few kids' rides.  After walking around and going on rides we had a picnic lunch.

We had to get back on the road for nap time so we didn't have time to ride the train or go on the boat.  But we still had a great time.  The kids had so much fun with their cousins.

Now it's back to fall activities and getting into a routine.  We're excited to see old friends and make new friends.  But we'll miss our lazy days of summer.  It's been such a joy to watch both Rebecca and Abram grow and develop this summer.  They have both matured so much.  And we're still suckers for those big brown eyes.