Summer is Here

Officially that is. I love the long days, as the day light is in the sky till about 10 PM. I just looked out the window and saw lightening bugs flashing their little lights. God's creation is so amazing in every season, but especially now, when the flowers are blooming and the trees are full of leaves, and so exciting are all the different birds that come to the feeders every day. It is so neat that the grandchildren also enjoy watching birds with me as well. They have so many questions, and if we do not have the answer we go to the bird book or the internet.
This past week has been a blur with all the activity. Emma came on Sun. and we took her back home on Tuesday after dinner, so she could go to sleep in her own bed, and be there when Mom and Dad got back from Washington DC. I think the best time for Emma was having her cacu's (cousin's) over Monday and Tuesday. She would not leave them alone, and followed them wherever they went. They also paid lots of attention to her, and she loved it.

It is the month filled with birthday's and other important dates. Emily was 33 on the 13th. We are looking forward to seeing her for our family reunion in Pella, IA July 19- 21. She will fly to GR and drive to Pella with Joel and Brenda. We are all meeting in Pella b/c my brother's daughter, Pam is marrying Ken Cook the 21st. Alex turned 14 the 19th. She is doing well, and hoping to get her cast off early July. Brenda is 35!! Can you believe it? She can't either. Then the last day of the month, the 30th, Elton and Lauri will celebrate their 17th anniversary. WOW!

Not too much to report on the building project. Brenda and I went to Godwin Wed. morning to pick out fixtures. It took longer than I thought it would, but they have so many choices!

CRAZY GRANDMA

That is what I think I must be when I have a house full of grandkids, BUT I would not have it any other way. Brett was here with Aidan, Regan and Olivia before 7 this morning, I had my shower and was waiting for them, and it was so cute to see Emma's face when she saw her cacu's (cousins) waiting for her, when she got out of bed. She was so busy all day, keeping up with the big kids. We went to Lowell to get a pool as the old one had sprung a leak. We piled into the van, and when the guy took the pool to the van and folded it up and put it in the back of the van we all thought we would have a pool full of leaks, but amazingly it was just fine!!
Aidan spent some time on the computer playing games, while the girls filled the pool with water. Emma took a 3 hour nap, and the other kids relaxed in the basement. About 3:30 we went to the "wooden" park in Lowell. The kids call it the wooden park b/c it is a huge area all covered with wooden play structures. It was so hot so they did not want to be there very long, but it was fun to get out of the house. We had dinner made up of the menu that Olivia picked out on Sat. when she helped me grocery shop. Mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and I added home canned meat. The kids all ate well, and then took a walk to the river with Papa. I wanted Emma back for a bath early so Regan put her in the wagon and started to the house. Well Emma knew where the fun was, and she was leaving it, so she hopped out of the wagon and headed back to the river. Papa had to come to the rescue and take all of them to the house to get Emma back!!
She communicates well for a 16 mo. old, and not always with words:-)

Emma Time

We woke up to the alarm this morning, which is unusual for Sunday. We had a special errand to run to pick up Emma in Byron Center, and give Grandpa and Grandma Hondorp a break. They have been on duty since Thursday afternoon, and now it is our turn. She was quite quiet when she saw us, and I think she was wondering what was going on, but she was a real trooper as we took her to church. She met lots of our friends, and then I brought her to the nursery. I put her down and in no time she had picked out a riding toy and was happy to play. We were so glad she did not cry. A good lunch and diaper change and I put her down in her bed, she laid her head on her puppy, nuk in her mouth, blankie in her hand, and that was the last I heard from her.

June Wedding

Yesterday was a nearly perfect day for a wedding. The weather was beautiful, and at 5:30 PM we left for Calvin CRC for the wedding ceremony of Dan Doezema and Rachel Koning. The service was beautiful. There were 4 bridesmaids (sage green dresses) and 4 groomsmen (black tuxes), with Dan's niece and nephew (twins- 8 years old) as Jr. bridesmaid and groomsman. They were adorable and stood up during the entire ceremony so quiet and well behaved. Sarah had a white dress with a sage sash and Joshua had a tux as well.
We also enjoyed the organ music with Ken Bos playing. He is very talented.
We mingled at the church for awhile and then made our way to Noto's, for a wonderful meal. We had spinach salad, asparagas, red skinned potatoes, bowtie pasta w/ red sauce, wonderful chicken breast in Alfredo sauce, and sliced pork. Later we were served cake. We did leave before the dancing started, so were home about 10.
Today was another perfect day- low humidity and temps in the 70's. We worked around home, and at 12:30 Brett and the kids arrived. Aidan had his friend, John, over for the day, so Brett took them on the pontoon boat so the boys could fish. They had a super time, and John caught a fish. Oliva and Regan picked up clam shells at the river. Regan worked on polishing a shell, so stayed home with Papa, but Olivia decided to come with me to Meijer's to get some groceries. She had a few ideas of what would taste good, so we will be having mashed potatoes and corn on the cob for dinner Monday evening. We will keep O. A. R. over night on Mon. as they will be here on Tuesday too. Just a couple less trips for Mom and Dad , and the kids can sleep in. It will be nice to have them here, as Emma will be here those days too.
We had a relaxing time at Murray Lake at Jim and Kathy Boersma this evening for dinner. We had grilled hamburgs and all took a dish to pass. Lovely evening. The food fellowship and friends were just great.
It is time to call Ken and Margie for their 46th anniversary!! Congratulations!!

KIDS KIDS KIDS

Summer is the time for fun, and that is what you get when children are around. Usually I am taking care of Emma on Thursday, but this week it was Monday and Wednesday. I am amazed all over again, at how quickly little ones learn about the world around them. She decided on Wednesday that she was going to try and jump!! She tried with all her might, bent over, shot her little body straight and could not get those feet off the floor. She did not just try one time and quit, but tried and tried with the same results; she could not lift herself off the floor. I was laughing so hard at her, but them she was off to the next thing. She got a new slide, from Brenda's friend Lynn (which she got for a great deal) and Emma is up the steps and down the slide. No wonder they sleep so well.
Monday and Thursday I had Olivia, Regan & Aidan. They are into more grown up things, but also helpful. Monday Brenda and I went to Godwin to pick out fixtures etc. for the new bathrooms and laundry room, and took the 4 kids. We could not have contained Emma without Aidan, Regan and Olivia. They kept their eyes on her the whole time and did a great job. We did not finish, so will be going back the 27th ( hey what a way to celebrate your birthday Brenda). We will leave Emma with Roxanne and O. A. R. I think that will work out even better!

Last Weekend

How time flies!! I have not had time to sit down and journal for a few days, but life has been busy. Everett and I left for the Traverse City area last Friday the 15th, to spend two nights at the Chateau Chantal, a winery on Mission Point. Brett & Roxanne, Brenda & Joel and Emily gave us a gift card for Christmas '05 to spend time there, and it took 1 1/2 years to get into the room we had picked out. We had a beautiful view of the water on both sides of the peninsula, and the vineyards in the valley below the Chateau. It has been at least 5 years since we have been to TC and we were surprised to see how the city had grown. We reacquainted ourselves with places we remembered, did a little shopping and then went to the old part of town for dinner at Mode's Bum Steer. We had not been there before, but had a great prime rib dinner. So tasty. On the way back to CC we drove to the point and saw the lighthouse, stopped on the way back at an 'old' general store for a dish of ice cream. The store began as a wigwam in the mid 1800's, where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were customers at one time. It was full of history and memories of things we remember, and made me feel as old as the antiques we were looking at.
Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast of an italian vegetable & cheese strata, bacon fruit and shortbread. After breakfast we took a tour of the winery with the owner, who had the vineyard of approximately 65 acres, since 1983. This was his third career, and he seemed to be enjoying himself very much. He also owned land in Argentina where different types of grapes were raised, to make other varieties of wine. He explained about new equipment that made trimming and tying the vines, and also picking the grapes easier and took less manpower. They have approx. 18 fulltime employees and seasonal help up to about 130 workers
Later that morning we drove to Sutton's Bay and saw many beautiful places, along the water. We stopped at Stubb's Sweetwater Grill in Northport for lunch along with a group of bikers.
We continued along highway 22 and midafternoon we were at Dorsey's where Ed and Virg live for the summer. We stopped in and found Ed working around the park, and Virg and Graham their grandson had gone to TC for groceries. We enjoyed the view from their sun porch and had a nice visit with them.
We stopped for supper in TC at Scalawags for fish, and then on to a movie.
Sunday we had brunch at The Boathouse on the west shore of Mission Point overlooking Power Island, as guests of the Chateau. We had a leisuely drive home, and as we left TC we drove past Fun Country where we had gone with Ken and Margie and all our kids one summer. It was owned by hunting friends of K & M and the kids had a blast driving the go carts. We also saw Greiner Parkway, and remembered a fast ride through the woods in a Suburban on our way to see where Mr. Greiner made maple syrup (burned) , and we held our breath as he missed trees by mere inches!! One ride we all remembered.
We made it home and agreed we had a wonderful relaxing time, enjoying great beauty, thanks to our kids!

More Birthday's

Today is Emily's 33rd birthday! She is not working tonight, so we were able to get in touch with her and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. She is doing fine and keeping busy as usual. It is hard to believe our family will be meeting in Iowa in a little more than a month. Joel was 35 the 6th of June and we have more birthday's coming yet this month. Busy time.
Joel took the LSAT test on Monday, so now we wait to see the outcome. We hope he passes with flying colors so he can proceed with plans to go back to school.
Everett and I are looking forward to spending the weekend near Traverse City this weekend. Some of our kids gave us a gift certificate to a lovely Bed and Breakfast on Mission Point at the Chateau Chantal ( www.chateauchantal.com ). The pictures that we have seen are beautiful, and it is in wine country. It should be a wonderful place to visit, and relax. We will let you know!
The shower for Rachel was a success and we all had a great time. Rachel is a lovely gal, and will make a lovely bride for Dan.
It is another hot day, 93*, so Everett is glad he can cut the lawn on the riding mower.

Tuesday's kids

It is the beginnnng of the summer 'kid' schedule. This morning I will be picking up Olivia and Regan from cheerleading camp at Catholic Central downtown Grand Rapids. It will be so much fun to have the kids on Tuesday's again. Aidan is with G'pa and G'ma Wegher for the week at their cottage near Lewiston. I am sure he is having a good time fishing and playing by the water.
My friend Mary Ann's son Dan will be getting married June 22 to Rachel, so Thressa and I are having a shower for Rachel this evening at 6:30. I have some food to prepare today, and also will have devotions. I found a neat devotional at Family Bookstores yesterday, that has practical wisdom with a verse from scripture.
As for the building project, the cement for the crawl space floor was poured yesterday. Now it will be awhile before we have more activity. Gord Hulst our builder will start in about a month.

Work has begun

It is starting to look quite different around here, as the digging began on Tuesday. Howie from DVCC, dug the hole for the new addition which is east of the house. ( Oh yes, while Howie was here he also dug up all the stumps west of Everett's garage) We are adding 12 feet and two stories to make a bigger master bedroom and also a bath, walk-in closet, a guest bedroom and bath and a laundry room. I am really looking forward to the changes. We will get as much finished as we can, so when Gord Hulst , our next door neighbor and builder, can start the carpenter work, we will be ready. The guys from VanLaan Concrete were here on Wed. and Thurs. to pour the footings and then the walls for the basement/crawl space. Everett started putting up the insulation around the walls tonight and then did some back filling. The inspector checked the work today, so we can proceed. Next we will have the plumbers here.

Last night we had a nice time at the church picnic, even though the wind was blowing hard and it was 90* outside. It actually was quite comfortable in the shelter at Cascade Park.We had BBQ pork, potato salad, mac & cheese, fruit salad, chips and ice cream. It all tasted good, and we had a good turnout.

Brett and Roxanne are up north this weekend at the Wegher's cottage. Regan and Olivia will come back with Brett and Roxanne, and Aidan will stay with G'pa and G'ma for the week. Brenda and Joel are having us over for dinner on Sunday. Yippee!! We always enjoy that. We hope to have the kids here soon so we can take them on a picnic on the pontoon.

Elton called on the way home from work tonight, and said that Lauri is feeling so much better, after what the Dr.'s think was a virus. It caused lots of fluid weight gain and tiredness. She is able to go back to work one day a week, and also keep track of the kids!! Alex has a blue walking cast on now,and the Dr. thinks 3 more weeks should be enough. She can get around better. The Dr. said her bones look fine so that is good news.

Weekend in Review

I am not sure what took me more time to process; the fact that I am "60" or the fact that our son Elton is "40". I know it is a fact of life, but this just takes time to get used to. We did decide last minute that we would go to DeMotte to celebrate Elton's birthday, and also see how Alex and Lauri were doing. I am glad to report that Lauri said she was pretty much back to normal and Alex, is doing OK, but we could tell it was difficult for her to be sitting around waiting for her leg to mend.
We left Saturday at 4:30 with Olivia and Regan, and got to Elton and Lauri shortly after 7 CDT. Olivia and Regan checked quite often how long it would take to get there, and we made sure we had a quick MacDonald's meal to hurry things along. The cousins had a wonderful time playing with water balloons, and everyone was soaked in record time. They repeated the fun on Sunday after church, so needed to dry some clothes in the dryer before we could start for MI. I am quite sure the kids all needed to get to bed on time Sun. night as they did not get to sleep much before midnight on Sat., but that is half the fun for kids.
Aidan was not able to come because he received a badge for Cub Scouts in religion. I think he enjoyed the peace and quiet with Mom and Dad for a day as well.
We had some heavy rain on the way to Demotte as we were traveling through downtown Grand Rapids until we got past Jenison. On the way home the rain was heavier for a much longer period of time, with lots of cars standing along the side of the road. We appreciated the rain, but it made it difficult for the folks at Festival this weekend.
Today it was a lovely day and nice to spend some time outside. I also went to Koetsier's again and bought a couple more hanging pots with bright pink impatiens to hang on the bird feeder hooks outside the dining room windows. There are so many birds visiting the feeders, so I am enjoying the view from my windows. The humming birds go to the flowers and then the feeders, so it is like an airport out side my window, with the birds taking off and landing constantly. I even saw the pileated woodpecker at the suet feeder again today.
We are busy working on the VanderLey genealogy to get it ready for the reunion July 13. There are lots of facts to check and recheck, but we have had good response, so that has been a big help.