Obviously with a family there are lots of things to consider. One of the biggest things lately has been the where do we live. Do we stay here or do we move the family closer to school? If it was just me and Gaetan I know that the decision wouldn't be nearly so important because we'd be able to adjust.. it's Bugga I'm a little worried about. He was pretty upset when we moved out of the apartment, and I know that there were big changes going on then (like having a sibling) but he didn't seem to adjust well, for awhile. We have talked to him about it and hopefully that will help. He does seems pretty keen on the idea of having our own place again, so we can only hope (and pray!) that he will like it.
One of my good friends that I did some summer interning with in Mexico is moving her family to Kenya for 5-9 months. They have always wanted to adopt (they have 2 small boys already) but in order to do that they have to live there for that length of time. When they first got married they moved there and started and orphanage and did a lot of missions work there... so they have a heart for it obviously. But what a HUGE thing to do. She told me that shes been arguing with God about moving her small boys there with all the things that could go wrong, but she is obviously obedient and doing it! So we are praying for their transition and for the wonderful life they are going to be able to take home with them.
As a stay at home Momma that is another thing I think about. What am I'm planning to do with my life. I obviously love staying home with the kids, but there is a desire to return to school at some point. I know that I wouldn't want to go back to school until the kids are much much older. I'll probably end up in grad school while they're in college! haha. That would be fun! But I also don't want to be that 45+ student that annoys all the younger traditional kids... And the reason I want to go back to school is so that I can use that skill on the mission field. I am still aiming for something in the health profession, preferably a PA but I know that they are always needing nurses too. I just know that God is calling us to do that... its just a question of when.
I believe that we've been called to adopt also... and I know that can take a few years to get approved. So we are praying about when we should do that... and how old they will be and money and all that jazz.
As of right now, we know, that he will be in school for at least probably another 5 years... and if we can get started on the adoption process while he's still in school that would be great. I don't want the kids to be too far apart in age... then it would feel like we had an only child. I can see already that Tristan and Lucy are likely to be best buds (which is good!). But I would want our 3rd child to be able to hang with the older sibs.
So we will see what God has in store for our family! We are excitedly anticipating... :)
We did just find out that the founding pastor at our church is leaving. Its been such a blessing to attend Mars Hill... and I love that Rob is following his own advice that he gives to others and taking more leaps in their faith. We are praying for the Bell family as they make their transition and move to LA... and know that because of their obedience God is going to bless them greatly. Of course we will miss his teaching, but I know that God wouldn't leave Mars Hill in the dust.
JVG
Family photo Oct 2010
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Early mornings
This past week the kids decided that it was a really good idea to have them both wake up at the same time... real early in the morning. I suppose I wouldn't mind the early in the morning part, but it can get a little hairy when they wake up at the same time. Duder has to pee, Lu Girl wants to be fed, things of that nature... and its hard to do both things at the same time! But we juggle and things get done :)
One of the mornings though Dude was sitting on our bed and Gaetan was getting ready to leave for school and this can be a touchy thing in the morning. I love that he loves being with the Papa but he can get upset when he has to go to school sometimes. I thought that this was going to be one of those mornings... but he just waved and said, "bye!" when he was going out the door. Then he held his hand up for a little while and looked at me like, "come on" So I asked him what he was doing/what he wanted and then he grabbed my hand, held it up, and then high fived me. It was hilarious. He was pretty proud of himself. :)
Lu Girl is about half a good try away from crawling... its intense. Just figuring out a schedule with her now and a routine, but that will all change when she's mobile. Looking forward to it.
I am also going to try and start doing push-ups and sit-ups everyday. So here marks my first day... I've been doing crunches everytime I wake up with Lucy. She likes to play on the floor so while I'm laying on the floor with her I bust a few out. It seems to be going all right. Its the push-ups that might present the challenge... and I would like to start back running again. I'm almost 100% healthy so that will be something to look forward to as well :)
JVG
One of the mornings though Dude was sitting on our bed and Gaetan was getting ready to leave for school and this can be a touchy thing in the morning. I love that he loves being with the Papa but he can get upset when he has to go to school sometimes. I thought that this was going to be one of those mornings... but he just waved and said, "bye!" when he was going out the door. Then he held his hand up for a little while and looked at me like, "come on" So I asked him what he was doing/what he wanted and then he grabbed my hand, held it up, and then high fived me. It was hilarious. He was pretty proud of himself. :)
Lu Girl is about half a good try away from crawling... its intense. Just figuring out a schedule with her now and a routine, but that will all change when she's mobile. Looking forward to it.
I am also going to try and start doing push-ups and sit-ups everyday. So here marks my first day... I've been doing crunches everytime I wake up with Lucy. She likes to play on the floor so while I'm laying on the floor with her I bust a few out. It seems to be going all right. Its the push-ups that might present the challenge... and I would like to start back running again. I'm almost 100% healthy so that will be something to look forward to as well :)
JVG
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Learning to read
Since Gaetan has been back to school I'm trying to get Duder to do a little bit of school work as well! We have a book that we go through and we have learned how to count, colors, some shapes and now he's learning simple words!
Hes got words like pie, dog, bug, box, hat, pig, sun, ball, and fish down and learns a new one pretty much everyday. He can recognize his own name and Lucy, Momma and Papa down.
Its scary how quick he is, and I hope that I can help him to his potential. He definitely loves to learn, so we will capitalize on his enthusiasm while we can! :) cheers!
JVG
Hes got words like pie, dog, bug, box, hat, pig, sun, ball, and fish down and learns a new one pretty much everyday. He can recognize his own name and Lucy, Momma and Papa down.
Its scary how quick he is, and I hope that I can help him to his potential. He definitely loves to learn, so we will capitalize on his enthusiasm while we can! :) cheers!
JVG
Getting back into the swing of things
Its been about 2 weeks now that Gaetan has been back to school with everything involved... teaching, grading, driving, the like. And obviously, for about 2 weeks I haven't blogged... wonder if there's a correlation!
I think that Tristan has adjusted well to Gaetan not being around all the time. I just tell him that he's at school, and that he'll be back later, and that seems to be a sufficient enough explanation for the 2 yr old. And things have been going well for me taking care of both kids. The only hard time is when they wake up pretty close to each other, and I'm trying to feed Lucy and Tristan has to potty or something. That gets a little hairy, but we figure it out ;)
Lucy is getting bigger and bigger. She is a rolling machine and is almost pulling herself to the crawling position. It's so nice to see how much Tristan wants to help her out. The other day she was upset and I went into her room and I found Tristan with his arms through her crib patting her butt and giving her her pipe... (which are the things that we do to calm her down). It was very cute. She LOVES watching him play. I know that they are going to be quite the team when she is able to play more with him.
Tristan is talking a lot more now too. And he has such personality when he says things... its pretty interesting. It shows how much he watches us, observes and then does it. Can be kinda scary....
On a different note, we did find a townhouse to move into. I believe that we will be there maybe as early as mid-October, but hopefully no later then the end of the year. That will be another change, but I think that we can handle it! I know that its time to get our own space... and I think that we found a nice place to go with the kids. Kalamazoo is pretty ghetto, but we found a place in Portage. I know that Tristan would've loved to play on the big hill at Mom and Dad's, but that's what the weekends are for :)
Days just fly by now. Don't know where the time goes! Lucy acts like shes growing some teeth so she hasn't been sleeping the obscene amount of hours she usually does... but I still enjoy the girl time. :) Even if that does mean I only sleep a few hours a day. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
I'm sure there are other things that have gone on, but I'm pretty tired and not thinking real straight... so I will hopefully get a chance to write more soon.
JVG
I think that Tristan has adjusted well to Gaetan not being around all the time. I just tell him that he's at school, and that he'll be back later, and that seems to be a sufficient enough explanation for the 2 yr old. And things have been going well for me taking care of both kids. The only hard time is when they wake up pretty close to each other, and I'm trying to feed Lucy and Tristan has to potty or something. That gets a little hairy, but we figure it out ;)
Lucy is getting bigger and bigger. She is a rolling machine and is almost pulling herself to the crawling position. It's so nice to see how much Tristan wants to help her out. The other day she was upset and I went into her room and I found Tristan with his arms through her crib patting her butt and giving her her pipe... (which are the things that we do to calm her down). It was very cute. She LOVES watching him play. I know that they are going to be quite the team when she is able to play more with him.
Tristan is talking a lot more now too. And he has such personality when he says things... its pretty interesting. It shows how much he watches us, observes and then does it. Can be kinda scary....
On a different note, we did find a townhouse to move into. I believe that we will be there maybe as early as mid-October, but hopefully no later then the end of the year. That will be another change, but I think that we can handle it! I know that its time to get our own space... and I think that we found a nice place to go with the kids. Kalamazoo is pretty ghetto, but we found a place in Portage. I know that Tristan would've loved to play on the big hill at Mom and Dad's, but that's what the weekends are for :)
Days just fly by now. Don't know where the time goes! Lucy acts like shes growing some teeth so she hasn't been sleeping the obscene amount of hours she usually does... but I still enjoy the girl time. :) Even if that does mean I only sleep a few hours a day. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
I'm sure there are other things that have gone on, but I'm pretty tired and not thinking real straight... so I will hopefully get a chance to write more soon.
JVG
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Broken washer
Another reason this week has seemed so busy is that my parents washer broke. :( And when cloth diapers its kinda important to have them cleaned! So.... we've been going to my sister's house to do diapers every other day. She lives about 30 minutes away, but its been nice to see her more often. I know that Tristan likes playing with her kids, even though they are older.
You never realize how many things we take for granted until they're not there! I don't think that it would've been such a big deal if we were just doing regular laundry, but having to do the diapers all the time really showed us how much we use appliances.
Luckily, my parents got a new one and it should be delivered tomorrow morning :) I know that my mom and I both have a lot of regular laundry to do, but I will sue be glad when I can do the diapers here. Normally washing the diapers isn't a big deal when we're home, but when we were at Holly's I had to entertain the kids for a couple of hours while they washed. It was fun, but tiring. :)
JVG
You never realize how many things we take for granted until they're not there! I don't think that it would've been such a big deal if we were just doing regular laundry, but having to do the diapers all the time really showed us how much we use appliances.
Luckily, my parents got a new one and it should be delivered tomorrow morning :) I know that my mom and I both have a lot of regular laundry to do, but I will sue be glad when I can do the diapers here. Normally washing the diapers isn't a big deal when we're home, but when we were at Holly's I had to entertain the kids for a couple of hours while they washed. It was fun, but tiring. :)
JVG
Ben and Janelle
This weekend some really close friends of ours got married. :) The wedding was beautiful and the reception was very classy. It was one of the best weddings I've been to in a LONG time.
Gaetan was a groomsman and I played my violin for prelude music. That meant that Friday night we had rehearsal dinner that we took Bugga too. He did very well considering it was a really late night for him and he didn't get a nap in. And then on Saturday we took Lucy to the wedding and then dropped her off with my parents for the reception.
The reception was nice and the atmosphere was really chill. Our poor friend who did their wedding cake got in an accident on the way there and their wedding cake was spewed all over the road. They tried to recover most of the tiers but ended up making some cupcakes to supplement. Overall, it was nicely done! The food was actually good too!
Because Gaetan was in the wedding party I got to make some new friends with the people at my table. Lucky for me I had met a lot of them before when visiting Ben down in Chicago. It was nice to just hang out and chat with them! It was strange not having either kid with us, but we did get a chance to just hang out with each other. We got to dance a bit and just be silly. It was nice.
However, we are TIRED. That was a lot of planning with the kids and staying up a lot later then we're used too. We're old farts. haha. But I wish Ben and Janelle the best in their marriage... and I know that they will keep Christ at the center of their marriage and that is the best thing that they can do. :)
JVG
Gaetan was a groomsman and I played my violin for prelude music. That meant that Friday night we had rehearsal dinner that we took Bugga too. He did very well considering it was a really late night for him and he didn't get a nap in. And then on Saturday we took Lucy to the wedding and then dropped her off with my parents for the reception.
The reception was nice and the atmosphere was really chill. Our poor friend who did their wedding cake got in an accident on the way there and their wedding cake was spewed all over the road. They tried to recover most of the tiers but ended up making some cupcakes to supplement. Overall, it was nicely done! The food was actually good too!
Because Gaetan was in the wedding party I got to make some new friends with the people at my table. Lucky for me I had met a lot of them before when visiting Ben down in Chicago. It was nice to just hang out and chat with them! It was strange not having either kid with us, but we did get a chance to just hang out with each other. We got to dance a bit and just be silly. It was nice.
However, we are TIRED. That was a lot of planning with the kids and staying up a lot later then we're used too. We're old farts. haha. But I wish Ben and Janelle the best in their marriage... and I know that they will keep Christ at the center of their marriage and that is the best thing that they can do. :)
School has begun!
We have finished the first official week of school! It seems like things are going very smoothly. :) Gaetan is taking two classes and seems to be about them. When he describes the things that he's doing I just think, "better you than me!"
Its funny because he is TAing he gets an official office. Very professional. :) He said he was excited to decorate his desk and stuff with pictures of the fam... cute! This week is the first week of labs so we will see how that goes!
It definitely has been different not having him around as much, but we're getting into a good schedule I think. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with Tristan (educational wise). Of course, a lot of things are subject to change during the day, depending on when Lucy is awake, but I have all the confidence in the world its very do-able. :)
It's been a very busy week but very good.
JVG
Its funny because he is TAing he gets an official office. Very professional. :) He said he was excited to decorate his desk and stuff with pictures of the fam... cute! This week is the first week of labs so we will see how that goes!
It definitely has been different not having him around as much, but we're getting into a good schedule I think. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with Tristan (educational wise). Of course, a lot of things are subject to change during the day, depending on when Lucy is awake, but I have all the confidence in the world its very do-able. :)
It's been a very busy week but very good.
JVG
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Big brother love
I was so glad that Tristan has always been about Baby Lucy. But now that she's rolling over and being more attentive he's really digging it! He lays down on his belly when she's on hers and shows her how to get into the crawling position and then stand up! :) It's very cute. He'll bring her toys and wipe her mouth off when she's drooling. If she's upset he'll try and pat her bunda like Momma does to calm her down. He takes such good care of her! He loves to play around her and she loves watching him. It's very cute to watch... and I know that they can't wait til they can play together!
He's also been doing this really cute thing with this baby doll. My Mom has a doll that she keeps for when Joni comes over and he's really taken a liking to her. He has a bottle and feeds the baby when he gets up from his nap and then he burps her. ;) He likes to tuck her in and at night too and was even offering up his own blanket for the baby to have. The only problem with that was then he wasn't taking another blanket for himself... so we got baby doll another blanket. He gives her lots of kisses and hugs... just like he does for Lucy.
It's interesting to see how he tries to take care of this doll because that's what he wants to do for Lu Girl. :) What a lover!
JVG
He's also been doing this really cute thing with this baby doll. My Mom has a doll that she keeps for when Joni comes over and he's really taken a liking to her. He has a bottle and feeds the baby when he gets up from his nap and then he burps her. ;) He likes to tuck her in and at night too and was even offering up his own blanket for the baby to have. The only problem with that was then he wasn't taking another blanket for himself... so we got baby doll another blanket. He gives her lots of kisses and hugs... just like he does for Lucy.
It's interesting to see how he tries to take care of this doll because that's what he wants to do for Lu Girl. :) What a lover!
JVG
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Super Husband Extraordinaire!
Yesterday night I started to feel not so good again... my throat was finally almost better but then my stomach started getting rumbly... :( I made dinner, but just the smell of it made my stomach hurt worse, so I didn't eat any of it. Luckily, Gaetan said it was really good, but I don't think that I'm going to be trying it anytime soon! I did get sick all night... which made my stomach feel a little better. When I woke up in the morning the weirdest thing was my legs hurt SO BAD. Like I was having growing pains or something... it very strange.
Pretty much ever since he's gotten better he's been taking care of me. I never kicked the sickness but while he was sick I was more 'healthy' so I was back into taking care of the kiddos. But he is definitely taking care of everything! He has let me sleep all day (except for when Baby Girl needs to eat of course). And I've actually been sleeping too... when I was sick with the fever I just laid around and didn't really sleep, but today I have slept all day. The fever did come back but not nearly as bad as before, so that's good.
I've been able to keep down some water, flat ginger ale and a few ritz crackers. I even tried a peach. I'm thinking I'm going to try some soup next because I think my stomach hurts because of being hungry now. I always joked about losing the baby weight faster, and this was the way it happened! I have lost 7 lbs since I've gotten sick.. which is a little over 5% of my body weight! Crazy! I am back to pre-Tristan weight, but still have a few more pounds to lose to get to pre-Lucy weight.
I am so lucky to have a husband/Papa who is so willing to step up and take care of his family. I know that he likes spending time with the kids, but its a lot of effort! He is truly a blessing to me, and I know I struck is WAY good :) God is good to us.
JVG
Pretty much ever since he's gotten better he's been taking care of me. I never kicked the sickness but while he was sick I was more 'healthy' so I was back into taking care of the kiddos. But he is definitely taking care of everything! He has let me sleep all day (except for when Baby Girl needs to eat of course). And I've actually been sleeping too... when I was sick with the fever I just laid around and didn't really sleep, but today I have slept all day. The fever did come back but not nearly as bad as before, so that's good.
I've been able to keep down some water, flat ginger ale and a few ritz crackers. I even tried a peach. I'm thinking I'm going to try some soup next because I think my stomach hurts because of being hungry now. I always joked about losing the baby weight faster, and this was the way it happened! I have lost 7 lbs since I've gotten sick.. which is a little over 5% of my body weight! Crazy! I am back to pre-Tristan weight, but still have a few more pounds to lose to get to pre-Lucy weight.
I am so lucky to have a husband/Papa who is so willing to step up and take care of his family. I know that he likes spending time with the kids, but its a lot of effort! He is truly a blessing to me, and I know I struck is WAY good :) God is good to us.
JVG
Friday, September 2, 2011
Change
I feel like a lot has gone on this week. Baby Girl is now a rolling machine! On Sunday she was almost doing it and by Monday morning she was doing it like she'd been her entire life. She's so quick and smart.... it's almost scary. One wouldn't think that a 4 month old could seem like anything but cute, but she definitely seems like there is something going on upstairs. I also think that she is most definitely right handed. The jurys still out on Bugga, but she most definitely does everything with her right hand.
We also found a townhouse that we might move into at the end of the semester. We're going to see how this semester goes with commuting but I worry about the drive in the winter. The place we found is pretty close to campus... its not real huge or anything but definitely enough space for our family. The area seems nice and I think that it would be good to have our own space. I like that we are saving a ton of money by staying at my parents, but I think that its starting to wear on everybody. We just seem to be getting in each other's way, and I don't want our relationship to be hurt. So I'm getting pretty jazzed with the idea that we could have our own place again. We are praying about it, crunching some numbers and seeing what opens up. Will keep you updated :)
I am excited to have a schedule again. It was getting pretty difficult for me not knowing what Gaetan's schedule was... routine wise with the kids. We have found some great things for them to do I think. For instance, on Wednesday afternoon they do a toddler reading time at the library... which he LOVES going too. I think that this will be great for him to learn to sit for a little while and get a chance to interact with other kids. Plus, who doesn't love reading books! If Gaetan's Tuesdays are going to be his long days we'll probably hit up the children's museum. I just wanna be able to get him back into a routine because I think he does better with it. :) I know I do.
Another fun thing that Gaetan is starting is he's a volunteer at our church's preschool aged kids. Tristan really does thrive being around other kids so we thought it might be time for him to start Sunday school. Of course this Momma isn't ready to let him go all by himself so Gaetan volunteered to be in there with him :) We are excited to see what Mars Hill Kids is like!
And lastly with everything starting up, the symphonette is starting again! I'm excited for sure. Mr. D gave me a solo to practice already too.... which is pretty challenging really. I'm not nearly as good as I used to be so hopefully I can do it! :) It's a nice easy going thing to do while still utilizing a skill. Plus I get to see Holly and Mr. D.
Life is going to be crazy busy, but bring it on! I'm excited to see what's in store.
JVG
We also found a townhouse that we might move into at the end of the semester. We're going to see how this semester goes with commuting but I worry about the drive in the winter. The place we found is pretty close to campus... its not real huge or anything but definitely enough space for our family. The area seems nice and I think that it would be good to have our own space. I like that we are saving a ton of money by staying at my parents, but I think that its starting to wear on everybody. We just seem to be getting in each other's way, and I don't want our relationship to be hurt. So I'm getting pretty jazzed with the idea that we could have our own place again. We are praying about it, crunching some numbers and seeing what opens up. Will keep you updated :)
I am excited to have a schedule again. It was getting pretty difficult for me not knowing what Gaetan's schedule was... routine wise with the kids. We have found some great things for them to do I think. For instance, on Wednesday afternoon they do a toddler reading time at the library... which he LOVES going too. I think that this will be great for him to learn to sit for a little while and get a chance to interact with other kids. Plus, who doesn't love reading books! If Gaetan's Tuesdays are going to be his long days we'll probably hit up the children's museum. I just wanna be able to get him back into a routine because I think he does better with it. :) I know I do.
Another fun thing that Gaetan is starting is he's a volunteer at our church's preschool aged kids. Tristan really does thrive being around other kids so we thought it might be time for him to start Sunday school. Of course this Momma isn't ready to let him go all by himself so Gaetan volunteered to be in there with him :) We are excited to see what Mars Hill Kids is like!
And lastly with everything starting up, the symphonette is starting again! I'm excited for sure. Mr. D gave me a solo to practice already too.... which is pretty challenging really. I'm not nearly as good as I used to be so hopefully I can do it! :) It's a nice easy going thing to do while still utilizing a skill. Plus I get to see Holly and Mr. D.
Life is going to be crazy busy, but bring it on! I'm excited to see what's in store.
JVG
Over a week
Unfortunately it has been over a week since I've been sick! Boo! My throat is starting to finally feel better, but whatever this is has moved into my lungs and potentially my tummy. :( This is not cool! I am trying to lay low as much as I can and rest... because I need to be firing on all cylinders like a few days ago! No, seriously, I do need to be better before Gaetan starts school on Tuesday.
He unfortunately got it really badly for about 1.5 days. His sickness is throwing up :( Poor guy. But it hits him hard and fast but then its over with. He got sick Monday-Tuesday and he had to get better by Wednesday because he had a mandatory orientation at WMU on Wednesday. He did get better enough to go, which is good. I took the kiddos down there too because the house was getting worked out and we kinda checked out the area. We got to hang out with a friend that is now attending WMU for the day so that was nice to catch up. It was a huge help with the kids too!
We did get Gaetan's schedule. It doesn't look like he's gonna have to be on campus a whole lot. It looks like Tuesday is going to be his long day (probably at least 13 hours) but the other days aren't too bad. I think he's getting excited about starting! I can't believe that its coming so quickly!
Well, here's to the weekend and hoping that we all get better and that nobody else gets sick! Enjoy the rest of summer...
JVG
He unfortunately got it really badly for about 1.5 days. His sickness is throwing up :( Poor guy. But it hits him hard and fast but then its over with. He got sick Monday-Tuesday and he had to get better by Wednesday because he had a mandatory orientation at WMU on Wednesday. He did get better enough to go, which is good. I took the kiddos down there too because the house was getting worked out and we kinda checked out the area. We got to hang out with a friend that is now attending WMU for the day so that was nice to catch up. It was a huge help with the kids too!
We did get Gaetan's schedule. It doesn't look like he's gonna have to be on campus a whole lot. It looks like Tuesday is going to be his long day (probably at least 13 hours) but the other days aren't too bad. I think he's getting excited about starting! I can't believe that its coming so quickly!
Well, here's to the weekend and hoping that we all get better and that nobody else gets sick! Enjoy the rest of summer...
JVG
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