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...
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!
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.
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 :)
We had intended to go to a Whitecaps baseball game last night, but it rained and stormed all day. So instead we went to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum in the afternoon. Rebecca had a blast!!! So many neat toys to play with. And so many other kids to watch. We started out in the "Wee Play" area. Everything was a perfect size for Rebecca. Then we explored the rest of the museum. There was a large Blue Man Group exhibit. Lots of fun "instruments" to play with. It took Rebecca a few minutes to warm up when we got there, but after that she was off and running. She seems to be ahead of the game socially. Rebecca had her peak stranger anxiety at a very young age. Now she wants to play with and talk to everyone she sees! She tried making some friends at the museum :) Now that she's walking so well and wanting to interact with other kids it'll be time to move Rebecca to the toddler nursery at church soon. She's learning and growing so quickly! It was a great activity for a rainy afternoon. There are pictures in the GRCM album.
Rebecca continues to amaze us with the things she learns. She is already starting to learn her letters. If we say "q is for..." she'll say "quack." She does the same thing with M...ma ma and D...da da. She's working on G...grandma and T...teeth. Rebecca seems to go non-stop from morning to night now. She is a busy little girl. She loves to be outside (she asks to go out all day). We're hoping for more nice weather soon. Rebecca keeps us busy and entertained all day. It is such a joy to watch her. We are gradually trying new foods. This week Rebecca tried whole milk, scrambled eggs, chickpeas, pineapple and fish. She's not totally sold on the milk yet. Doesn't quite taste like what she's used to :) We've found that she loves broccoli. In general she loves veggies. We're hoping it's not just a phase. She also loves eggs, beans and apples. We're having fun experimenting.