Four Months!

We're at four months already...

...and just as cute as possible. :)
He's almost done with the extra fussyness, which is awesome. And I'm almost all recovered from month and a half of nursing pain....so thankful. God is just blessing us greatly. :)

Playtime

Katelyn having a blast with her newly acquired play-dough thanks to Erin. :)
With her creation.

Dad and son with their glasses.

Katelyn was given a tricycle from some friends after their girls had finished with it. It is so fun for her. Yesterday we went to the Windmill, me pushing the stroller, and pulling Katelyn...it took 45 minutes but we made it. :) She'll have fun this summer learning to pedal.

Spring Walks

We've been walking to the Windmill and back at least once a day lately....it's just been so beautiful outside. :)

And Katelyn is definitely loving the outdoors.

Borrowing Erik's shades.
The little co-pilot in the back with his first and favorite toy.

We've been going to our park a bunch too. Katelyn's face just lights up when she hears we're going to the "swing".

A priceless treasue in the midst of the Windmill's giftware.

A Dream...

For ages, I've been wanting to catch up on some scrapbooking...but with two little ones, and not being able to keep the papers out with Katelyn around, has put an end to my endeavors. :) Which is just fine...a season of life...but at the same time, I hope to keep up with some projects, such as their baby books. Anyways, James just put up these shelves for me in our basement, so that when and if, I have 10 minutes a week (or a day) to run down when the kids are sleeping and my other work completed, I can do a tad bit of scrapbooking. :)

I'm excited. :) I can leave all my stuff out, and work on it every so often. Even have my tape/CD player to listen to some music, etc.
Part of my basement. :) Anyways, just had to share with you all, my excitement. We'll see if I actually accomplish anything, but it will be fun when it works out. :)

Evening with Friends

Last night (Monday) we spent at Julie and Jerrit's home. We had a wonderful supper together, and then spent the time just visiting and catching up on babies, life - just all that good stuff. :)

Their sweet family - totally a photogenic family I'd say. :)
Julie and Erik - Erik was rather fussy that night, which was too bad. But he'd enjoy the attention he'd get every so often and break out into one of those adorable chubby smiles.

Katelyn played with Lincoln's toys and tried to get into all the baby toys - why is it that those toys are so much more fun to play with when you're too big for them?

Thankful for friends that we can fellowship together with...

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was lovely for me... can't believe I'm actually a mother, and that I get extra blessed on such a day. :) James brought home red roses, that he had Katelyn give to me...in her training pants no less. (we're making slow progress with the potty training...)

So cute. :)
Giving the roses a sniff.

James made me a lovely breakfast on Sunday, and after church, we joined the rest of the family at William's home for a dinner made by the newlywed's - Brad & Diane -then had a wonderful walk in the Consevation Area by Hamilton, (wished I had my camera to capture the grandeur) and back to Brantford for the chapel's evening service. It was such a beautiful day too...

James got me a "Hoops & Yoyo" card, which was cute too...So thankful that I get to be a mom, and grateful to my Mom, Mom Heikoop, and all those mom's out there that spur me on. :)

Life as We Love It!

Just a smattering of pictures from the last couple weeks. Katelyn in her first rain - and her mickey mouse rain boots.

A neighbor blessed her with some shoes/boots, which are a big help.
She love splashing in puddles - James took around the yard.
Siblings getting a spin in the office chair, before bedtime.

Speaking at our Ladies Coffee Hour last week. I spoke on gratefulness, which was a good one for me to think through. One of my inspirations was Ann Voskamp - from http://www.aholyexperience.com/ and though I didn't know a ton about her, or hadn't read her new book - "One Thousand Gifts" - (which had been on the New York Times best selling list for a few weeks) I learned a lot from her and an interview online. Chloe just gave me her book, which I'm enjoying. I just spoke on gratefulness in the Bible, how it's a choice, a command, and a sacrifice (of thanksgiving) and some practical ways to carry it out.

My mom is a great example of being grateful. Thankful for her training.
Anyways, I'm encouraged to take up my journal and start writing down the gifts from God, and be more grateful for the little things in life. It's amazing how that perspective changes your life.
A lot of my friends are doing this too - and you'll probably see many blogs "counting the gifts"...so I'm also taking up the challenge, but just in my handy journal. :)

Katelyn trying to dress Erik. She's getting to be more of a 'big sister'.

Mom and Els - from Holland -came to visit us one morning. Els is a sweet lady - cousin to Dad - that spoke mostly Dutch, but we had fun.

Mom and Dad on Mom's birthday - the day of the Royal Wedding. I had gotten up early to watch the wedding, which was fun - and then we all watched the ceremony and other highlights that night at the Windmill, while we celebrated mom's birthday.

Going on a bike ride - our two munchkins in pink. :)

Sleeping on the way back. So precious eh? :) What treasures. On the way back from Brantford, (in the dark- we're smart, I know) I just missed getting my head caught in forked end of a blown over tree. It just caught my neck/shoulders after I just moved my head in time. It hurt nicely, but so thankful for God's protection. Made for an exciting bike ride.

My little man got into blueberry jam... :) Nahh - it's that genetin violet stuff as we're dealing with a yeast infection between him and me. It's been just awful nursing for the past month or more. Pain is not fun while nursing. So this is the first step - and hopefully the last step, that will take care of this problem. He looks cute though.!

Playing in the exersaucer. He likes it, which is a great help in those needed moments. Isn't he adorable. :) Yup, we're loving life

Spring in a Dress

Her Easter dress from a dear aunt of James'.

I've always loved yellow on her and it just speaks of spring.

Beautiful Katelyn

Four Friends & a few Babies

I never dreamed that I would have all three sisters - my childhood to adult friends- with me, in Mount Pleasant at once! (yes, that's a run-on sentence) Especially with Erin being married and having two darlings of her own. But yes, it happened - a special blessing from God.

Lydia and Chloe were coming out for a wedding in Niagara, and Erin managed to make it out as well, with her 4 1/2 month old, Joy. It was a wonderful week together, just talking and enjoying the day together.

Lydia - the concert pianist, hopefully inspiring Katelyn. (http://www.lydiacollin.com/)
Lyd and I working with Chloe on re-designing the look on her blog - http://www.pilgrimletters.blogspot.com/ That was a lot of fun.

Katy and I matching with our "wrapped up babies", thanks to Chloe's idea.

Lydia and Katy.

Dancing with Chloe.

Some mommy time as we attempt to read "Holly Hobbie".

The girls were practicing for the upcoming wedding - singing "A Prayer for Home".

Here's little Joy - so cute!! She looks so much like her dad's side of the family. Erin and Joy came a couple days after Lyd and Chloe arrived.

Erik and I

I love this picture - what a cutie he is in his little bear snowsuit. On our way outdoors for a walk.

Lydia and Joy.

The Joys of being a Child.

At the park - love this picture of Katelyn taken by Erin.

(Erin has a really nice camera, and since she was so good at capturing the moments, I borrowed the pictures off her. The only bad thing about that is that Erin isn't in as many photos...but she's coming up!)

"Clooooeee" giving Katy a push. Surprisingly, Katelyn learned her name quickly - it sounded so cute.

Mommy and Katy swinging.

All of us walking with the strollers down the path.

Chloe and Erin giving the two babies some fellowshipping time together.

The girls watched Katelyn for us, as we had to go out for a couple evenings. Here's Katy reading to Aunty Lyddie. That's her new thing now - is reading to us.

Erik, playing with his first toy - the blue elephant.

Re-assembling the flowers leftover from the wedding. I love having fresh flowers in my home - such a treat!

Holding the two darlings. The girls were such a huge help to me - always availabe to hold Erik, who was going through a real fussy time....always doing laundry, and dishes, making meals.... The kind of friends that you don't have to worry about entertaining, but just enjoying the moments together.

We all went to play volleyball at our church's gym with some of the family. We had an upcoming Easter skit, which Sarah had to play the bride for - thus borrowing my dress. It fit her perfectly.

Easter Sunday - the Sunday School kids singing "He's Alive".

Dinner at the Windmill.

Enjoying Sarah's meal.

Katelyn watching the two babies.

The Little Blue Boy.

Pink Confection.

The girls left during Sunday afternoon for the wedding in Niaraga and returned on Monday night. Chloe holding a sleeping boy. Poor girl, she didn't feel so great once she returned.

Erin giving her daughter a bath while we visited on what we thought was our last night together.

The two girls - looking forward to when Hope (Erin's other daughter) and Katelyn can play together too.

Lunch at the Windmill before dropping the girls off at the airport.

One last picture with Chloe - the maker of this dress for Katelyn before they headed off to security. Upon returning home, we got a call from the girls saying their flight had been cancelled - bad weather and a late flight from Toronto - so the girls were able to get a taxi back, and we got to enjoy another day with them! We ended up biking into town, enjoying Starbucks together, and then biking back in the dark. It was such fun. Then the next day, after giving my ladies coffee hour talk, I took them back to the airport. This time, they were able to make it to Calgary. Erin's Grandmother (in law) passed away that night before, so she and her husband continued on to BC, after being picked up at the airport to make it to the funeral. Even though it was a delaying of plans for the girls, God so worked the timing out for them. And we enjoyed having them just a touch longer.

Erin will be putting pictures up sometime on her lovely blog: www.ourhousehishome.blogspot.com - when life settles down!

So grateful to God for the people we've had through our little home!