Jamming at the school chapel

Last night, the song "Wizards in Winter" came on the radio and Brendan said that he saw a video in chapel with that song and lots of lights. So this morning we went searching for the video and here it is. Enjoy!!! And turn up your volume if you like the song.


Wizards Of Winter - The most amazing home videos are here

Quote of the Day by Brendan

"My brain is out of control and making me do it."

That is the answer I got when I asked Brendan why he was swinging the chandelier.

Happy 6th Birthday Brendan!!!!

It was 6 years ago on a Sunday morning that we welcomed Brendan into our family. About 5:30a.m. my water must have broke into a very small trickle. So I called the doctor, we had breakfast and then headed to the hospital. Brendan was born just before noon. What a joy he has brought to our family.

It amazes me how fast the years have gone. All the memories we have shared. The laughs we have laughed and the tears I shed when he was so bad I did know what to do. I hope the other 3 will someday say that Brendan is the best big brother anyone could have.

A Boy and his Blanket

It's called Christmas

Early Morning Shopping

Okay, so I confess that I was up at 4:00am this morning to fight the black friday crowds. My first stop was Kohl's. I walked into the store and walked right back out. I could not believe how long the lines were, no deal was worth that. I also made stops at Toys R Us, JoAnn's, Target and then back to Toys R Us. My best deal was a camera for Brendan's christmas or birthday present.

Did anyone else go? What deals did you get???

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks for every that God has given us.

So here are my top 10 things I am thankful for.

10. Our house: with the weather starting to get cold.

I am super thankful for the ability to

heat our house warm and comfort on this snowy morning.

9. Food: we have so much, that sometime we don't know what to eat first.

8. Car: I am grateful for my van and especially for the DVD player inside of it.

7. Clothes: I have so much even when I sometimes think I have nothing to wear.

6. Friends: We have friends who have been around for many years,

and newer friends that we have meet in the last few

years since moving to Freeport.

We love getting to knew each and everyone of you.

Each one of you are special to us.

5. Family: Mike and I both have wonderful immediate families.

Great Parents who are godly and have taught us

so much about how to live our lives centered around God.

4. Church: Caledonia CRC has become a true blessing for us.

3. Brendan, Austin, Lucas, Connor- my boys:

I can't imagine my life without my childs.

I am so thankful for all the joys

that they bring to my life.

2. Mike - my husband: I love my husband

and am so thankful for all that

he does for our family.

He is amazing and so helpful.

1. God: need I say more.

I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Tonight's Drama

So what do you get when you have a kid running around the house with a blanket over his head?????

Well, that would be a five year old with a wide gash in the forehead and blood everywhere.

Today was a quiet day for the most part when it came to the boys, so I knew something would happen sooner or later. When Mike got home from work all the boys ran into the room to say "Hi" to him. Then they usually go back into the playroom, but not tonight....

Tonight, Brendan started crying. I didn't think to much of it (my boys will cry for a short while and then continue playing without needing me.), then Brendan started scream really loud, so I dropped my sewing(which I have plenty of) and found him with blood pouring out of his forehead. Okay, maybe it wasn't pouring, but it was dripping very quickly. So I yelled at Mike and had him take over. I'm not very logical in these situations, I always think it's alot worst than it is.

So to make the long story a bit shorter. Mike and I butterflyed the gash so we could have supper and then Mike took Brendan to Urgent Care. I talked with Mike about a hour ago, and he said that Brendan needed some stitches. They still aren't home, so I don't know how he did at Urgent Care. I will update with photo later.

Deer on the Road

Brendan: Why are you slowing down, dad?

Mike: There's a deer

Brendan: Was it on the road?

Mike: Yes, but in the other lane.

Brendan: Did it all four feet on the road?

Mike: No, just two.

Brendan: Were they the front two or the back two?

Mike: Front two.

Brendan: Well, Dad...It was in the other lane, so you didn't have to slow down.

Is if the deer would stop for us. What is he going to come up with next.....

Mike's Christmas Present

I decided to get Mike an ipod for christmas. So I went surfing on ebay, my favorite online site, to get one for him (It was no surprise for him.) Anyway I bid on one and won it. It was a great price but the listing really didn't indicate what the color was. It showed a picture of a white one, but the small print under the photo said "it may vary for photo"

So the color was going to be a suspense. Well a few days later, I got a phone call from Mike
Mike: You want to hear about my laugh of the day
me: sure
Mike: I got my christmas present today
me: Oh you did, from who???
Mike: From you. I got my ipod. Guess what color it is???
me: what?












Mike: hot pink

I busted out laughing. Of course the listing as an AS IS or refunds. So what do I do with a hot pink ipod when you have all boys!!!! I already have one.

That's when ebay comes back into the picture. I relisted it 4 days ago and I received an additional $40 on top of what I paid for it. That was easy money.

Take a Fresh Look at Clean

Last night Brendan and I went the Big-K in Hastings to get some items for the Operation Christmas Child Project that his sunday school class is working on. We needed to get a bar of soap. I usually don't buy soap bars anymore and unfortunately I couldn't get just one. So there was an extra bar sitting around the house.

NOW the story gets interesting, this afternoon, Connor got ahold of that bar of soap and decided to take a big bite out of it!!!! At first Mike and I were shocked and just laughed at him, then he start spitting out bits and pieces of soap. Then he started blowing bubbles --- just kidding. Actually, Connor threw up on Mike.

I looked up Ivory soap online after Mike had asked me if ivory soap was made by Dove. (He thought I could title this blog "A new type of Dove Bar") I saw some amazing carving that were made out of bars of soap. Take a look for yourself: http://www.ivory.com/PureFun_IvoryProjects_AmazingSoapCarvings.htm

This being said I think I should start "The Stunt of the Week" with my boys. There is usually something that happens over the course the week that would be worth mentioning. So hopefully my boys will live up to this and I can keep you all entertained.

What's on your purse?????

Did any of you see Ray Rachel Show the other day?

There was a segment on germs invading the purse.

On the Show there was Liza, a self-proclaimed germophobe who’s careful about everything her children touch. “I hope and think we’re one of the most germ-free families around,” declares the mother of four, who has them using anti-bacterial scrub multiple times a day. But, as Liza teaches them to avoid germs, she’s overlooking a major offender. “If most women knew what was growing on their purse they’d probably throw it away,” says Connie Morbach, a scientist and germ expert.

In fact, after examining Liza's purse in a lab, Connie reveals: “I’m sorry liza. This was probably the worst purse I’ve ever tested.”

Traces found on the purse included: Pantoea, E.Coli, Yeast, Staphylococcus

But, she adds, “There are things we can do.”

Keep purses off the floor, Carry a Purse hook, Use anti-bacterial wipes on leather bags and for cloth purses she suggests using Febreze antimicrobial spray but says the best approach is to wash your bag.

To see the whole segment go to: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/dirty-purse/

This really grossed me out!!!!! I didn't really think that all those germs could grow on my purse. I try so hard to kill the germs around the house, to try and keep the boys healthy, but I guess I need to be aware of where germs can grow.

the missing pieces

Austin and Lucas are getting into making puzzles. This morning they wanted some help from mommy. As we started making the puzzles I notices that some of the pieces were missing. So that got me investigating what puzzles still had all their pieces. What is it about puzzle pieces missing. Do they try and escape because they are in a black box then they aren't being made? So I spent 1 1/2 hours(precious, valuable time.) looking for missing pieces. Sorry I just had to vent.

This one is missing a piece....
this one is too....

no surprise here - it's missing a piece....

this one is missing two pieces....

And if a piece isn't missing there is a broken piece.... (sorry about the puzzle being up side down)

Finally a puzzle with all it's pieces. ;O)

I've got the blues!!!

Mac and Cheese is one of those lunches that can be a hit and miss lunch at our house.

Some days, they love and other days, they won't touch it.

Today was a hit day especially for Connor.

LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS! OH, MY!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Pumpkin Math

Last week at school, Brendan's class had Pumpkin Math Day. For those of you who don't know what Pumpkin Math Day is, it's a day were the kids work on their math and estimating skills. The kids had to estimate different things about the pumpkin; it's weight, how big the pumpkin was, how many lines the pumpkin had, how many seeds, etc.

Here are some photos from that day:

Price is Right goes bad

Okay I have to admit I like or should I say liked to watch the Price is Right. I am watching it right for the first time since Drew Carey took over hosting the show. IT'S NOT THE SAME. I would rather watch reruns with Bob Barker. The show is very "dry" with Carey as the host. What do the rest of you think????

I really need to change the channel back to Rachel Ray....except that Drew Carey is a guest on the show today.

Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we had a family day and went to the local pumpkin patch. We went on a hayride, the boys went through a pumpkin maze, played pumpkin bowling, and see many farm animals. The best part was picking out the pumpkin, which for some reason, I didn't get any picture of that.

End of Soccer Season

The fall soccer season is finally over. I must say we had an awesome year...we couldn't have asked for better weather for the games. At the first practice my thoughts were 'Wow, has this kid ever played soccer before....this kid needs tons of help.' But through the season Coach worked with the kids and Brendan improved a ton. The first game I think he just enjoyed running around the field seeing if he could make it to the goal before anyone else. With each game Brendan was going after the ball more and more. I think what he really liked was to hear us cheering for him and hearing his name. The more we shouted his name, the better he did.

Below are some photos of the season. ENJOY!!!

Do we really say all of this?

The Little Things

I've been tagged....will you be next???

First, I must say thanks to Michelle for tagging me.

The rules.
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog for the rules.

Okay so my middle name is SUZANNE...here is goes.

"S" - Soccer Mom: i think it's just starting seeing how the first of my boys is playing. I think it will be lots of fun to go to the games and cheer on my boys. Who knows I could be doing this for the next 18 years. WOW!!!

"U" - Unique: per my husband, he says "You're one of a kind" Okay whatever....

"Z" - BuZy: yeah I know that this doesn't start with Z but I couldn't think of anything else. Do I need to say more? Like the rest of you with kids, life is just plain buzy.

"A" - Angry: It sometimes the way I feel when my boys are doing one of their many naughty acts. Then I need to remember that boys will be boys and I need to help them correct their behaviors

"N" - Naughty Nick: This is the nickname of one of my boys. You may know this already from previous blogs, but in case you don't, that how I refer to Austin. The rest of the kids also have nicknames: Brendan is Whiny Willie, Lucas is Sensitive Sally, and Connor is still growing into a nickname.

"N" - Needed: I don't think my family would manage without me. I don't think Mike would make it to too many functions without me reminding him when and where we need to be.

"E" - Effort: most of the time it takes more effort than I would like to make sure I do my devotions each day. I will admit there are many days that I run out of time. I need to make more of an effort.

Okay I think that's it. Now I don't know enough people that blog(who haven't already been tagged) for each of the letters in my middle name so here are the few I do know.

I tag: Mini Me, Confessions in Caledonia, The Church Lady.

The beginning of Soccer Mom

I am offically a soccer mom. This is the first of many years my boys will be playing soccer. I have a feeling that in a few years I will be camping out on Saturday for AYSO games. But that's fine because I love it. It's so much fun watching and cheering on Brendan. It's amazing how much he has improved already this season, and he has had only 4 games. I must say that Brendan does have an awesome coach.

Doggie Barber Shop

They are at it again....yesterday while I was taking a short nap, Mike caught Brendan and Austin giving the dog a haircut with my good scissors that I use for cutting fabrics. Of course when Mike confronted Brendan about it, Brendan quickly hide the scissor behind his back and acted like nothing was going on. I was shocked that the dog let them do it....but at least they moved on to the dog instead of each other.

So who's fault is it????

That is the question I had to ask this morning after I found 1 and 1/2 bags of double stuffed oreos gone. I was getting ready for a purse party I have tonight when I stepped into the kitchen and noticed that there was a empty package of oreos on the counter. Now I didn't remember seeing that earlier this morning, but I thought maybe Mike had eaten some after I went to bed last night. Although it's not like him to eat that many (1/2 package) but I thought who knows......

Then I checked the freezer, that's were we keep our oreos and there was only one package left in there instead of two...I bought 3 total because they were on sale last week. That made me go investigate into the matter more. I found three boys either eating oreos, hiding oreos, or evidence of oreos on their mouths.

Of course when I asked who got the oreos out of thr freezer in the first place no one would fess up. Why do my kids have to make it so diffcult by using that "I don't know" phrase. Life would be so much easier for me, as a parent, if I didn't have to spend so much time figuring out who's fault it was. It would also be easier on them...I would only have to spank one kid instead of all three.

I never really got a straight answer, but through process of elimination I think it was Austin aka Naughty Nick.

What the future will bring....

The other day, out of the blue Mike asked me "Do you ever wonder who Brendan's friends will be in high school? Do you think they will be the same as they are now?"

My response was "I just hope he's making friends now, much less worrying about who will be his friends in high school."

Over the past few days, the Mike's question keeps going over and over in my mind. Are Brendan's friends going to be the same as they are now??? How are his friends going to affect Brendan as he goes up??? Those are just a couple of the questions that keeps coming back to me. But then I need to remember that it's out of my hands, I need to have faith that God will lead his life down the right path.

Guest Blogger - Brendan

(This story is written as Brendan told me - not correct grammar at all, sorry)


Hi, I'm Brendan and I wanted to tell you about a fishing trip I took with my dad in August.

One day, my daddy got me up really early when it was still dark outside. I got changed, we had breakfast and got into daddy's truck. After we got into daddy's truck, we drove and drove and drove and daddy's had to go into the store to get something in case it was going to rain - daddy's left me in the truck because I was kinda sleepy. Then we got there and parked. We found a guy who had a lifejacket for me. then we got on the boat, and we waited and talked until two more guys came, they didn't take any kids though. Next we drove for a little while and waited for fish. Daddy caught a fish before I did.

It was a long time before I caught a fish. Some guy held the fishing pole while I reeled the fish in. It was almost as tall as I am. There was a guy who had a camera and he took my picture.

While all the other guys were catching fishes and one eel, I ate some donuts. I don't remember how many donuts I ate - maybe 4 or 5.

When we were done fishing we had to wash and cut the skin off the fish. After that it was time to go. On the way home we stopped for lunch.

Below are some of the pictures from the fishing trip.

Laughing out Loud

There aren't many time when I watch TV that I actually LOL, but time I did. ENJOY!!!!

Getting Ready for School

For many of us moms, our kids are going to school soon...maybe this week...or the lucky ones, the week after Labor Day. Brendan is soooooo excited to start school. I think he needs some more challenging things to do instead of playing with or should I say bossing around his brothers.

This past Thurday night, after soccer practice got rained out, we headed to school for Brendan to drop off his school supplies and meet his teacher, Mrs. Wells one more time before the start of school.

I can't believe that Brendan is already starting school. Yes, he is my oldest and my first to go to school so it will be strange not having him around....but the house will be much more peaceful...and I think there will be alot less fighting.

Good luck to the teacher and students as they begin a new school year. God bless you all!!!!

Happy Birthday Connor!!!!!!

Today is actually Connor's birthday.

Please enjoy watching this movie about the first year of Connor's life.

Connor's Birthday Party

The Surprise was a Success

Last night was Mike's surprise 30th birthday party. I was able to keep the party a surprise even though I have to tell a few small lies to him.


I planned two party within 3 days; Mike's surprise party and Connor's 1st birthday party, so that it didn't seem strange that I was cleaning the house, trying to get extra things done around the house, and buying party supplies.


I do need to thank my dad for getting Mike away from the home on Saturday afternoon. He first had an idea to go golfing, but up ended up have Mike help out building a landscaping wall at my brother Brian's house. So after a long afternoon of working, Mike came home to a house full of people. I don't think he was so happy because he went right back outside. I followed him out to see what was wrong and found out that he had a headache. But after a shower and a little aspirin, he was feeling better.


He didn't have any idea!!!!! Of course he said looking back on the past few weeks, there were a few give aways, liking Cory and Lindsay leaving a message on my cell phone and I didn't get the message right away. But all and all I think it was a great night and alots of fun with our friends.


A few of our friend(Brent&Kerri, Tom&Brenda, Eric&Jami) made up this big giant birthday card for Mike with candy bars. Here's what it read:

There is a guy named , who is a , and has a of life. His throw him a party. With old age comes on the eyes, , and forgetfullness. Because of your old age, you may hear of from your friends. Don't (cry baby), because we've gathered for your special day. You may think we are , but we love you to pieces.




Some photos for his birthday. (will upload more tomorrow)






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