Potty Training, Partnership, and Pregnancy

I'm sure many are wondering what has been taking me to long to update again . . . and well, we've been busy over here!! 

Potty Training:  We got off to a slow start, but after a couple of months Asher is potty trained!  It is always a dreaded project to undertake and I was hoping he was going to be a potty super star like his brother (who trained the week of his 2nd birthday and never needed pull ups!!--yep, he is my favorite).  Alas, Asher is more average and took awhile to catch on . . . and he still requires a pull up at night, but being diaper free is awesome!!

Partnership:  I joined my sister, Mindy, sewing for her business The Practical Mom Shop.  I am sewing soft soled baby shoes and hooded towels, she sews a variety of purses, wristlets, etc.  You can find our shop on FaceBook:  The Practical Mom Shop  It has been fun sewing so much, but keeps me busy during nap times and after the kids go to bed!

Pregnancy:  We are thrilled to be almost 18 weeks along and will have our fourth child in early May!!  Other than the exhaustion, I am feeling well.  The kids are SO excited, well Briella and Gideon are very excited about a new baby--she has convinced Gideon we need a girl so she can have a sister.  Asher may be sensing some change and is a little more clingy.

 I will also let you all know because of all of the above, the chances of a Christmas card getting mailed out in 2013 is looking slim!  We have already received a few and we love seeing them, but I'm afraid this is going to be a year off for the Postma Fam (please don't take us off your list!!)  I have no pictures this time, but maybe next week (haha) or another day this month, I will post a few pictures . . .

Briella is 6

 Briella has been excited for first grade for weeks and even though it was early, she was happy to head off to school Tuesday morning.  She came home telling me that her teacher was a nice lady and she thinks first grade will be fun.  Oh and she only has one naughty boy in her class this year . . .

We celebrated her 6th birthday with G & G P in town :)  I think Briella enjoyed the extra attention and excitement on her birthday.  Here is her purple sprinkle cake.  (Two cakes in 8 days is a bit much, but I'm off until March!!)  She brought party popcorn (with almond bark and sprinkles on it) for a birthday treat, she said everyone said thank you and they liked it, except A(the naughty boy)...

It is hard to imagine we have a 6 year old now!!  She is so happy to be 6, to have her own Polly Pockets and a watch!!  Briella is a blessing to our family, a great big sister and helper.  She loves her family and friends and is very thoughtful at times.  She loves her dolls (and now Pollys) and enjoys pushing Asher around in a stroller outside.  We enjoy listening to her read, watching her grow in kindness and understanding of God and His creation.

What Happened?!?! the Highlights

Evidently I needed a break.  I have been postponing my return to blogging, trying to think of something brilliant or newsworthy. I still have nothing.  I will share some recent, well, somewhat recent events in our lives.
--Gideon learned to ride a two wheeler in a few days time with very little help from his parents. In fact on day 2 (after practicing with Stephan the night before) he told me that I didn't need to keep holding on?!?!  So he would coast and balance a ways and come back to try again.  After seeing his success I suggested he try pedaling and he pretty much rode around the driveway after that. There were several falls. Several.  He would tell everyone that he can ride a two wheeler with NO training wheels (insert cheesy grin) and that he fell and hurt his knee .  . . Now he does tricks.  Yesterday I recorded several tricks that we did not teach him.  he rides with his feet on the top of the tire or on the handle bars, he also rides with one foot on the handlebars and one behind him, and he stands with both feet on the same pedal.  His first 'trick' was swerving and currently he is working on pulling the front wheel up. I think he is crazy and Briella thinks he is VERY crazy (She hasn't learned the 2 wheel yet...we are slowly talking her into it, but our summer days are running out...)
--Briella and Gideon took swimming lessons from the local swim nazi.  It was a bit traumatic, each day we had to count how many times we went and how many more times we had to go (both on the trip to Rita's and on the trip home).  Gideon asked repeatedly why they had to go 5 times.  By Friday they were both smiling when jumping in the side or off the board and could swim across the pool.  They have practiced a little since then, but it is nice to know they know how to swim and know a little water safety, too.  On Friday, the final day, Miss Rita talks to the kids and parents about water safety and she asked the kids what would they do if they fell into the pool.  Right away, Briella answers "Sink."  Rita says, "No, you SWIM, you know how to swim so you SWIM."  Briella's fear is sinking in the water and would cling on to either parent for dear life any time we were in the water. (see below for update)
--Asher is using some words and doing a lot more jabbering in the last month.  He and Gideon enjoy some wrestling matches, although they are short-lived because one of them tends to get hurt.  Asher has worn out 3 pairs of shoes while coasting on the tricycle.  He loves being outside almost as much as Gideon.
--My youngest brother, Tyler, got married in Canada in July.  I flew out by myself and left Stephan with the kids.  It went well on the homefront, he even managed a parade with all three :)  I was having issues trying to keep track of my kids in the midst of the other children around, then realizing my kids were not there, only to repeat the drama 42 minutes later.  And I lost a night of sleep on the way home, that was rough on many levels.  BUT the wedding was beautiful (I didn;t take my camera because I knew my sister would take TONS of pictures) and the rehearsal was the most fun one I've been to!!  I had a great visit with a former roommate and got to meet her husband during my layover in Portland.  The kids still talk about when I was in Canada like it is some exotic faraway place.
--We spent a few days camping at a near by 'resort' lake.  We had a small cabin. It was about 12'x15' including 2 bunks, a double bed, a table with 2 chairs, and a small fridge.  It was cozy.  We were close to the bathrooms (which is VERY important when camping with kiddos) and the pool was fabulous.  Since we stayed from Monday-Thursday it was not very busy.  The kids loved it and can't wait to camp again.  Maybe next summer we can try tenting it again??!?!  We spend hours at the pool and the kids really did great swimming to us, jumping in, playing (not clinging).  The puddle jumper life 'jacket' was awesome for Asher, he stayed up right and was able to 'swim' from parent to parent and was brave enough to just float about (i.e. no clinging).
--Earlier this summer Stephan built  a BIG sandbox in the back yard and the kids are playing in it more and more as the summer goes on.  Grandpa B made them a digger that we haven't had a place for them to use it until now.  We also got new neighbors and their girls are over often and want to play back there.  
--I think these are the highlights . . . maybe I missed some but I guess I can always post again and have 3 for August!!!  I would like to share some pics of Tyler and Rebecca's wedding, so I will get on that before their anniversary soon!
If you haven't seen Gideon's bike tricks, there is a video below.
 

Easter/Spring Break/90th Birthday

 Here we are Easter morning in Kansas City.  We spent about 2.5 days in Kansas City.

 Monday we headed to Branson where the weather was not too delightful, but the kids wanted to swim.  We were able to swim at an indoor pool one day as well.

 The nice place we stayed had plenty of beds and tons of space. (Lots of clouds and rain, too)

 After 2.5 days in Branson we headed up to Hull, IA.  We visited my Grandma VM and celebrated Grandma M. 90th birthday!  Briella said "I have two really old grandmas."  (Note to Moms, I explained that the 'really old' grandmas we really her great-grandmas and the 'kind of old' ones are her garndmas ;))

Off to a slow start

After I typed the title I realize it could refer to many things . . . Asher finally walking at 17 months, me finally posting for a second time in 2013, the piles of snow finally filling up your yard.  So, here are a few things that have been happening around here in the past few weeks.

I made a cute owl taggie for my newest niece and decided her sister who loves purses should have an owl purse :) It was so fun to make these . . . love practicing on new projects!

 

Winter in Michigan has been slow to start.  We barely had a few inches even fall before Christmas and non of it stayed around  . . . and then a few weeks ago we started to have snow storms. a lot.  Last week Briella only had one day of school because Monday and Friday were snow days (she only goes Mon Wed Fri).  Gideon loves to be outside no matter the temperature and he can usually talk Briella into joining him.  Asher can't really get around much out there, so I brought some snow in for him to play with . . . he found it interested for a few minutes and then grunted towards the window wanting to be outside.  He has been out a few times since then, but he isn't always happy to be out in the snow either.

 

 I took some pictures of our backyard . . . those posts are 4x4s . . . see the snow piled up on them at least 8 inches high.  Also along the fence you can see it fell straight down and accumulated a few inches on the narrow fence rail.  The way the snow clung to the steps is odd and amazing?!?! Stephan built a fort with tunnels for the kids, it has recently doubled in size with all the snow this week.

 Occasionally we try to do some learning at home and after practicing some sight words and writing numbers Briella had to find the number of things I picked (13 blocks, 17 legos, 16 balls).

 

 Gideon had been tracing dotted lines and his name (never thought about how hard it might be to learn to write a 'G' right now we have slightly imperfect 6s).  Then he had to fill a bowl with objects of the color I told him.  They both thought this was tons of fun :)

 

A few funnies from our kiddos recently:

Back in December we took Briella and Gideon to a hockey game and while downtown looking for a parking spot Gideon calls out, "I see a lizzie-car!"  He was excited. I was confused.  Me: "Where Gideon?"  G: "On the road there"  Me: "What do you see?"  G: "a lizzie car!"  After searching I figured out what a lizzie car is . . . a limosine!

We often give the kids smarties in church and like I remember doing they arrange them on the Psalter into various shapes and patterns.  Last Sunday I made a "G" for Gideon and he ate a few and tried to shove them into some shape and then he said, "I made an underwear!"  (three across with two under them . . . I have to admit there was an undie resemblance)

Briella was watching me change my socks and shoes awhile back and asked me about my long toe.  I asked her what she was talking about and she clarified that my second toe was longer and 'different' (not the correct descending size).  I told her that I inherited a long second toe from my mother and that my father aggravated the situation by frequently pulling on it.  Briella remains confused about this situation.

Most of you already know that Briella attends Zion Christian School, and like most Christian schools they have an auction to raise money.  SO, the other day she was singing a song the Kindergarten class is learning . . . "Zion founded on the auction . . . "  I had to smile and ask her to repeat that again! (I'm sure the auction committee would be thrilled with a new ad campaign).  I am working on "mountain" with her now :) 

WOW: longest post ever?!?!  Have a great night!

It's About Time

 Our family on Christmas morning

 Gideon was pumped to get a couple of new hotwheels

 Asher resting on his new moose pillow

 Sunday we took family pictures of each family and I thought Asher looks so cute in this picture :)  I'm not sure what Uncle Dan was doing to make him laugh?!?!

 Postma Grandkids

 This shot totally cracks me up.  Asher is giggling and then there is Landon playing with his lips . . . taking pictures of lots of kids is always so fun :)

 Briella got this weaving kit and we made a potholder; so fun!

We decided to move the high chair out of the kitchen so we are all sitting by the table now!  It is nice and cozy with a family of five :)

Crazy . . . Messy . . . Boys

 Asher likes to play with his food sometimes . . . usually this is our clue that he is finished eating.  As you can see he is quite proud of his smarty pants skilz.

 Briella and Gideon helped me make these sugar cookie bars...they were very proud of their sprinkling.  Do you see where I realized Gideon would require more assistance while sprinkling?!?  We gave most of these away ...but enjoyed ourselves, too.

This is Gideon's new favorite game to play with Asher: pull him around on his blankie :)  Asher laughs hysterically . . . until he slips ...

A couple more Gideon funnies to share:
**We went to a hockey game Friday night.  Tuesday I was dressing Asher while Gideon dressed himself and then he gets up on his toddler bed and jumps over the foot board and says . . . "Now I can play hockey, Mom"

**While listening to the minister read the introduction to the ten commandments, Gideon turns to me and asks, "What's bondage mean?"  (I found it a little tricky to explain quickly and quietly in church.)

 


 

Art Prize 2012

The past few years we enjoyed an afternoon checking out ArtPrize in downtown GR.  Usually there are entries lining the streets, filling parking lots, in hotels and museums, even hanging in the air.  Some of the art is very cool to see, other pieces are interesting and some are plain dumb . . . here are a few that caught our eye:

 This was an entire arctic gathering of animals made of junk . . . bowling pins, spatulas, car parts spoons, etc.  Kind of interesting.

The kids thought it was fun to hide behind this one and take pictures . . . although I'm not sure how I feel about Briella the mermaid?!?

 This seal is made out of wood, the artist said he used wood burning to make it look and feel like fur, pretty cool.

 I thought this one was going to be Stephan's favorites, but the next one was his top pick.

The artist was working while everyone watched and they had buckets of sand for kids to play with. Her assistant was spraying the sculpture down with a mist of water to keep it from blowing away.  She also told Stephan they add glue to the water for the final spray.  Gideon just asked me, "When are they going to bonk it down?"  I think he wants to volunteer to help.

 This party of horses is made from sticks and quite impressive (it got votes from the jurors and the public).

Last year there was a family a bears catching fish in the fountain at the Ford Museum, this year the penguins took over.  There were even a few swimming at the top. It is fun to see and I found myself waiting for one of them to jump in!

We aren't really artsy people, but this is a mostly free, mostly family friendly event and we don't get downtown GR too often.  It is fun to see/hear which entries make the top 10 and then the winner . . . We even voted this year for the first time! (Mostly because Stephan did not want the guy with a teepee set up that had a black curtain inside of it to win--yes seriously! People were in line to see inside this thing and I was watching reactions and one kid says "What is that in there?" after he had been in there . . . the artist says "art" then two ladies walked out and whispered to me "It's nothing. Nothing!"  The kids wanted to see so Stephan went in with them and found out it was nothing!)

I think that it is quite interesting that many of the top entries are animals . . . humans are creative, but God is ultimately The Creator and we just can't do much better than the animals He has created!

Briella is 5

 Briella helped me pick out what cake she wanted and then we went shopping for jelly bellies (the most exciting part for me).  We had to do some research and ended up buying M&M's which were really fun to put on the cake, but melted into the frosting after a few hours?!?

Briella has been anticipating turning 5 for several months and keeps telling people "I'm 5 now!"  She was looking in the mirror that morning and said, "I don't look 5 Mom . . . maybe I'm still 4?!?"  She was measuring how much of her face she can see in the mirror, so I think she was planning to be a few inches taller when she woke up as a 5 year old.  Funny!

Five days later my sweet girl had her first day of school.  She was possibly more excited about this day than turning 5.  I was rushing around getting it all together and asked her to grab my shoes for me.  She brings them to me and says, "Here Mom, we are kind of late!"  It was at least 10 minutes before I had planned to leave.  She was literally bouncing around, giggling.  She jabbered all the way to school about how she loves to learn and her favorite thing about school is learning, not just playing and how God loves to see us learn about Him (all things we have been teaching her). And then we walked in the building and she froze. She clung to me and didn't want me to leave.  We walked around the classroom but I couldn't get her to walk far enough away from me to take a picture of her!  When the bell rang and the kids lined up to go to their classrooms, I gave her a hug and walked away.  When I peaked behind me she was holding her teacher's hand, no tears (big relief for me!).

 I am not sure who was more excited for 4:00, Gideon or myself.  We walked to the end of the street about 15 minutes early and here is our favorite Kindergartener getting off the bus :)

 

She looked SO tired, but was smiling and had lots of stories to tell.  Sounds like they had 2 birthday treats (including hers), she can't remember anyone's names, she got to rest on her new owl pillow (thanks Grandma B) right by the teacher's desk, she ate all of her lunch like I said, she didn't need to go to the bathroom, one boy had to sit by the teacher because he was getting a little wild even when she told him to stop (the teacher, not Briella . . . I think), she stood by the fence during recess because there were too many kids going all over, some boy brought her back to her classroom because PE was scary, and she was not naughty all day because her name stayed on green.  It was so fun to hear about her day and I am so thankful for a Christian school to send her to and I prayed for her, her teacher, her class, the school all day long as I thought about her and missed her :) 

PS: Uncle Nate, I am sure there are K's scared of you, right?!? A big guy in a big gym!  I told her she will be staying next week and it is not scary!!  Any tips??