Double JJ Ranch

For our first family vacation of the summer we went to Double JJ Ranch for a few days.  It is a combo ranch and resort with a water park.  Both kids did very well, and we all had fun.

We left Monday after lunch.  When we got there we checked into our log home looked around, visited the animals, saw some horse jumping and played on the little playground.  We went out for dinner (they have several restaurants there).  And then relaxed and got settled.  The night was a bit interesting.  This was our first trip with Rebecca not in the pack 'n' play.  We put her in her sleeping bag on a bed.  In the middle of the night we heard a big thud...she had fallen off the bed (thankfully unharmed!).  So we had to make a new bed for her on the floor with blankets and pillows.  And Daddy had to lay with her for about an hour before she finally fell asleep.  Abram slept in the pnp for the first time since he was about a week old...and did very well!

Tuesday morning Rebecca went on a "pony" ride.  Mommy and Abram had to miss it because he was hungry.  She had fun, but it was a big horse ride for a little girl.  Thankfully she held on tight!  After a little more time outside we put on our swimming gear and went to the indoor water park.  They have a good kiddie area.  Rebecca had a blast.  By the end she was getting pretty brave and would jump into the water towards Daddy.  Abram wasn't quite sure what to think.  He just looked around and was as quiet as a mouse the whole time.  He seemed to enjoy getting a little wet.  Justin got to try a few water slides.  We went back to our cabin for a quick lunch and headed back out for balloon animals and face painting.  Then we tried the outdoor pools.  Rebecca really liked those.  They have one just for kids that is only 1ft. 6 in. deep.  So she played in there for quite a while.  Mommy waded while Abram slept in the Moby.  Daddy got to try another water slide (that goes through a barn!) and go in the big pool.  After getting changed we hit the ice cream parlor for a little snack.  Rebecca chose bear claw ice cream.  As you can see from the photo she thoroughly enjoyed it :)  After ice cream we went to the craft barn, stopping to put Daddy in jail.  They have all sorts of crafts for little kids.  Rebecca did the sand art and filled a little ducky necklace.  By then it was about 4pm.  Rebecca was so tired that her eyes were closing as we walked back to the cabin.  But in typical Rebecca fashion she fought the fatigue tooth and nail.  She laid on a bed while Daddy read to her for quite a while...but would not sleep.  After quiet time we went out for dinner.  Then it was time to clean up/pack a few things and get to bed...early :P  It didn't take Rebecca long to fall asleep that night!

Wednesday morning we packed everything and checked out of our cabin.  Then we went to the water park again for a couple hours.  Rebecca had another fun time in the water.  Abram slept most of the time :P  Then we got dressed and headed to Silver Lake State Park for a picnic lunch.  It was VERY windy there.  So it was a bit chilly and hard to keep things from flying away.  But it was still fun.  Then it was time to head home.  We drove home at nap time.  Rebecca kept herself going for a while, but finally crashed part way home.  She was so worn out and still really tired when we got home.  She spent a while relaxing on the couch.

We all had a great time at Double JJ.  It would be fun to go back some day when the kids are older so we can do more of the activities, including riding horses.  They have a really nice camping area that could be fun.  Or the log homes are really nice (where we stayed).  And they are set up in small groups. It would be a fun place to go with all the kids/cousins.  The food at Double JJ leaves a lot to be desired.  You can read my review on my food blog.  But other than that it was a great trip!!  There are lots of pics in the album.  It was tough to take pics with our little camera in the water park, so they didn't turn out that well.  But you can get an idea of what it's like.

Loving His Tummy Time

Abram's Baptism and Other July Events

We've been keeping busy this month.  Here's the rundown of what we've been doing.

The main event was on July 17.  Abram was baptized at Seymour CRC.  All of our family was there to share this special day with us.  We feel so blessed to have Abram in our lives and to know that he is also God's child.  After church everyone came to our house for lunch.  It was a full, hot house, but we enjoyed everyone's company.  We even got to meet our new niece Esther.  All of the cousins had fun as usual.  And we got to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Voogt for a while after everyone else left.  A nice treat since we don't see them often.  Grandpa Holleboom took pictures of the baptism.  You can see them on his site.

Here's what else we've been up to.

On July 7 Mary took the kids to John Ball Zoo.  It was a short trip, but we had fun looking at the animals, playing on the train and eating ice cream.

On July 9 we went to a bridal shower for Mary's cousin's fiance.  We had an afternoon tea and made a scrap book for Lynette.

On July 18 we went to a baby shower for Ryan, Shannon and Esther.  It was fun to be able to celebrate the birth of their first child.  Esther looked so tiny next to Abram :)  We look forward to watching Esther grow and seeing her personality develop.  Congrats, Ryan and Shannon!!

On July 21 Mary, Rebecca and Abram visited the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.  Rebecca had so much fun!  We're considering getting a memebership so we can go any time.  Her favorite part was the little grocery store.  And now at home her favorite thing to do is to "shop" for things, scan them and pay for them.  Mommy is usually the cashier :)

On July 22 we went to the library.  Always fun.  And it's always good for Rebecca to have new books to read.  I think we got 17 this time.  We've read through all of them multiple times. 

On July 24 we took our first walk to Cone World this summer.  Always a fun thing to do on hot Sunday afternoon.  Rebecca thoroughly enjoyed her twist cone with sprinkles.

On July 26 Justin and Mary celebrated their 8th anniversary.  We have been blessed with 8 happy years of marriage and pray God will bless us with many more!

On July 28 we went to a picnic at our local park held by our financial advisor.  We didn't know anyone else at the picnic, but it was still fun.  They had food, a dessert contest (Mary didn't enter this year...but maybe next year :), games and prizes.  Rebecca had so much fun on the bouncy toys.  She was red faced and sweaty by the time we left.  We also got a family photo taken.  Our financial advisor hired a professional photographer to do photos...and he paid for them!  We're anxious to see how it turned out.

On July 29 we went to another Whitecaps baseball game.  This was a work outing with Justin's company.  So they paid for everything :)  The kids both did well, and Rebecca got to meet one of the mascots (Crash the River Rascal).  We had some voucher money to use up so Abram got a teddy bear and we got a mini kick ball for the kids to share.

Those are the main events.  We're trying to make the most of the summer.  August will be filled with fun stuff.  Next week we're headed to the Double JJ for some animal and water fun :)  We'll be sure to post some pics when we get back.

2 Months Old

Hard to believe Abram is already 2 months old!  He had his check up yesterday.  He is a big, healthy boy :)  Abram weighs 14 lbs. 7 oz. (75th%) and is 22 3/4" long (50th%).  Head is 16" (60th%).  He is growing well and continues to be a hearty eater.

Abram is meeting all of his developmental milestones.  It's so fun that he's playing, smiling and "talking" every day.  In general he is a very happy baby.  He mostly just gets fussy when he's hungry or if Mommy eats something that bothers his tummy.  Abram is doing well with tummy time (much better than Rebecca did...she HATED it).  We can tell already that he is a strong little guy.  He also loves to watch his big sister :)  He has a hard time keeping up with her since she runs/dances around so fast.  But he sure tries.  And gets a kick out of her.

He had his first shot yesterday.  Poor guy.  But he did well.  He only cried for a minute.  And that was the only time he cried the whole appt.  We have decided to do a modified vaccine schedule so that his body does not get taxed with so many things at once.  He'll still get his vaccines, just spread out/at a slower pace.  Thankfully he didn't seem to have any reactions to the shot.  He was a little fussy/snuggly for a couple hours, but that's all.  By afternoon he was ready to play!

Abram is doing pretty well at night lately.  He usually sleeps for 4-5 hours when he first goes down.  Then goes back to eating about every 2 hours.  And he usually eats and goes right back to sleep in the night.  So Mommy doesn't have to be up for too long...unless she falls asleep with him :P

Cloth diapering is going well.  We're still trying to figure out how to keep him dry all night since he is such a heavy wetter.  But aside from that the cloth is working great!  Not a single blow out diaper (love that).  No diaper rash.  And they are so cute :)  Plus it's wonderful not to have to buy diapers and wipes every week!!

Abram loves the Moby...and spends a lot of time in it.  It's the only way Mary can get stuff done most days.  He is becoming quite the "helper."

Overall he's doing great and we feel very blessed to have a healthy, happy baby boy.  And we are so excited to celebrate his baptism this Sunday.  What a special day for all of us.

Happy Independence Day!

We had a fun-filled 4th of July yesterday.  We started off with the anual Grandville parade.  It's a very big parade (lasts over an hour).  Justin and Rebecca stayed for the whole thing and had a little picnic lunch.  Rebecca got lots of candy and some bead necklaces.  Abram and Mary came for a while, but it was so hot (and no shade).  So our time outside was a bit more limited, trying to keep Abram cool and out of the sun.  But we still enjoyed being there for a while.  After nap time we checked out the craft fair, food vendors and games.  We all shared some ice cream and watched the sky divers come down.  Rebecca got to spend a few minutes playing at the park while Mary looked at crafts.  Rebecca is very social.  In the few minutes she was playing she made a friend (or sort of forced a little girl to play with her:P).  They followed each other around for a bit.  We came home and enjoyed some yummy grilled steak and salads with lettuce fresh from our garden.  We let Rebecca stay up to watch the fireworks.  Unfortunately she was not a fan.  She lasted about 2 minutes out on the porch clinging to Mary while they boomed before she wanted to go inside.  We semi-watched them from inside for a few minutes (can't see much from the window) before she said she'd rather go to bed than watch any more.  She's not a fan of loud noises.  So basically she just went to bed really late last night.  Maybe we'll try again next year...maybe not :P  Thankfully both kids slept through all the noise once they were asleep.  It was a fun, family day.  Now it's back to the usual routine.  Tuesday morning walk to the farmer's market.  And other errands to catch up on.  Hopefully lots of time in the kiddie pool this week and maybe a trip to the park, zoo and/or beach.  And we're looking forward to seeing some family on Saturday at a bridal shower.

We also spent some time over the weekend enjoying the first dip in the pool.  We're hoping to get some cloth swim diapers today so Abram can join the fun this week too :)