Happy 4th Birthday Briella

My mom, Stephan, Briella, Gideon and I all worked on this special purse cake.  Briella was so proud of it, later I caught her sitting and staring at it :)  She got training wheels from G&G Buys and Monday she tried them out.  She is a little chicken, so it took some coaxing and practice pedaling on the smaller bike, but she is getting the hang of it. 

The first picture I successfully posted was Briella at 7 months!  Wow, it seems like a long time ago and yet it seems like yesterday.  We gave her a new dress which came with a dress for her doll, she was so excited!

Asher Dale Postma

 On August 29 we were blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy--Asher Dale arrived at 1:50 pm weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 20 inches.  He is doing well, we came home Wednesday.  Gideon and Briella are loving their little brother.

We chose the name Asher because it means "Filled with Happiness" and we feel truly blessed to be given another covenant child.  We chose Dale after my dad, Roger Dale (we each have a brother with the middle name Dale, too).

4 years -- outtakes

 Briella's 4th birthday is about 11 days, but since we are getting ready for Baby P #3 we took pictures last night.  I decided to try the park close to our house, and as we drove up realized it was under  major construction or maybe major destruction . . .  We found a few nice places without the mud and equipment in the way.  Briella was so excited to wear her new outfit and take pictures, so I'm sharing a few cute ones that didn't make the cut to be printed.

Does she look ready to be a big sister to two?!?!  I can hardly believe four years ago we were waiting for her arrival and now she is growing up into a little girl.  She is pumped to be turning four, anxious for a purse cake, and very excited to be having a new baby in the house soon.

Picture this . . .

Last week, Gideon had a little runny nose and he went to get a tissue.  He blows and cheers, "I got it!! I got it!!"  I wasn't quite sure why he was so excited, so I asked him what he got and he showed me the small rock he had just got out of his nose!!  I asked Stephan if he knew what was going on and he said an hour or so earlier Gideon was shoving a crayon up his nose, so Stephan explained that we don't put things up our noses.  He noticed Gideon kind of rub his nose a bit, but figured it was a little raw from the crayon digging . . . We just never know what he'll do next!


A few Sunday's ago, at the end of the service we were standing for the benediction and I felt some movement to my side.  I opened my eyes to see Gideon watching the pastor very closely and raising his arms as he was observing the pastor.  He tried it again the next week, but I told him only the pastor does that . . .

Not sure if I already posted this, but during a different service a guest minister was preaching about the Jews and used the word Jews several times.  Gideon looked at me and said/asked, "juice? juice!" (obviously a more common word in the life of a 2 year old)


Just a few stories I thought were worth sharing . . .  Have a wonderful day!!

Whirlwind trip to Iowa

It is hard to believe it has been 2 weeks since we were in Iowa . . . the calendar tells me it has been that long.  Stephan drove a charter bus filled with kids from area youth groups and some sponsors to Dordt for the RYS convention.  Gideon and I rode along (Briella rode with my parents the same day).  Gideon kept saying "My daddy's bus" and "BIG bus"--he loved being on the bus.  
Most of the days we were there were too hot to really be outside, but Thursday they predicted rain and clouds, so we went to the Boyden splash pad.  Thankfully it was free, since the picture below shows about how wet Briella wanted to get.  Gideon was more daring and got his suit and head wet . . .

Gideon loves to see motorcycles when we are out and about.  In fact on the bus he told Stephan to go fast when a motorcycle passed us.  My dad was going to give Gideon a little ride on his Harley, but once he started the beast Gideon started shaking his head and covering his ears.  Then Gideon declared he didn't like Grandpa's motorcycle because it was noisy.  Grandma convinced him to sit on it for a picture, and he was a bit hesitant for even this.  Maybe next summer?!?!

One reason we love to visit Iowa is to see Great-Grandmas.  We went to Rock Valley to visit Stephan's Grandma M and to Sioux Center to see my Grandma VM.  Both Grandma's had candy and that's about all it takes to make friends with Briella and Gideon.  What a blessing it is to visit them!

 My best friend from high school is back in the states after 4 years in Germany and was with her parents in Sioux Center, so we were excited to catch up for a few hours!  (I know it isn't a profile, but that's 34 weeks . . .)

Friday afternoon we hit the road again with both kiddos . . . Gideon enjoyed a little nap, but Briella was  little excited to learn that busses don't have seat belts, people can stand while we move, and there were a lot of kids to watch . . .  We enjoyed the time we could spend at my parents and Stephan enjoyed the time at convention.  We were thankful to arrive back in MI safely and sleep in our own beds again!! 

Briella in WI--Cute and Goofy

Briella loved being around so many people willing to play with her or hold her . . . she got goofier every day and I'm not sure if it was the heat, the lack of sleep, or the overdose of attention . . .
The best part about the trip for Brie was the opportunity to hold her newest cousin.  It makes me wonder how she will handle our little one in a couple months . . . the baby cannot be held ALL the time!

A few WI highlights

We recently spent a week in Wisconsin with my entire family, including the newest addition Sophia (Pam and Keith's).  Much time was spent holding her and watching her . . . she is a precious little girl and has travelled a lot in 3 weeks :)

 

We did some hiking and the kids enjoyed climbing on the rocks.

 We stayed in cabins near a lake and spent lots of time at the beach.

 

Gideon spent lots of time making messes . . .
 

We also stopped at the Jelly Belly warehouse on the way.  The kids liked the train ride and free Jelly Bellies . . . so did I . . . my family enjoyed the Belly Flops we shared :)
It was a fun week, even though it ended with a couple of scorching days.  I'll post more pics later.