Grandma Connie

Grandma Connie is home from the hospital. She ended up staying there until Sunday afternoon because she did have a heart attack! She is very glad to be home, and Grandpa Bill is glad to have her home, too. She will be getting lots of rest over the next couple of weeks. Then, she will begin cardiac rehabilitation/therapy. Until then . . . . . . . take care, Grandma Connie. We love you!

Soccer Season Begins

Kyle had his first soccer practice this past Saturday. We are all really excited for the season to begin. It was a very cold and windy morning, but fun to watch the kids play. Many of the parents commented on Kyle's height gain from the last season. He has grown nearly 5 inches since last last spring's season, which is pretty exciting! I will keep all of you posted on the soccer games. Stay tuned!

Scary Day

Today I spent the day at Mercy Hospital in Muskegon with my mom (Connie). She had a mild heart attack early this morning! They did an angiogram on her and found some blockage in an artery near the back of her heart. It was 99% blocked in one area and 70% blocked in another area. As a result, they put a stent in her artery, which helped to re-open it. Fortunately, the procedure went well and she is already feeling better. However, she will be recovering for the next two weeks and will then begin cardiac rehabilitation. She will be released from the hospital tomorrow. It was a scary day for our family, but I am happy to report that she is doing better. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Ready to Run

A couple of weeks ago, we ordered Kyle his very first (real) pair of running shoes. He participated in several kids races/fun runs this past summer and did very well. The highlight was when he ran the Coast Guard Festival kids run (a 1 mile race), in about 8-9 minutes without stopping. Even Craig and I were suprised by his performance! Anyway, Craig seems to think that Kyle may be able to finish a 5K race this summer. I am a bit more skeptical, but willing to see what he is capable of doing.

Kyle has been wearing his new running shoes around the house for days, waiting for the weather to warm up so he could start training. Well, tonight the weather finally cooperated and Craig and Kyle did their first training run together. It was very cute! By the way, they started running together in the neighborhood last summer, when Kyle trained for the Coast Guard run. Tonight was particularly entertaining because a bunch of boys in the neighborhood who were outside playing started yelling, "Go Kyle, go! Go Kyle, go!" How cute is that? And boy, did he run fast! He definitely takes after Craig in the speed department, not me. :)

It will be interesting to see if Kyle maintains his interest in running. Craig and I agree that we don't want to push him . . . . . . . he is only six years. However, he is definitely very excited about all of this. I think it must be a result of him going to LOTS of our races since he was a baby. We will keep you informed on how he is progressing. Meanwhile, here are some photos from tonight.

What have we been doing?

Well, besides eating LOTS of lasagna last week . . . . . . . . :)

We have been keeping very busy! Last Friday night we took the kids to their first Grand Rapids Griffins hockey game at the VanAndel Arena. Someone at work offered me free tickets, so I took them. We had a great time! Kyle wanted to know how they got ice into the Arena because the last time he was there (when he saw the Monster Trucks), there was just dirt and mud. I thought that was cute! Anyway, we stayed through the second period then left because it was getting late. I'm glad the kids were able to experience a real hockey game.

We also got our new bed on Friday! It is a definite improvement over our college furniture.

On Saturday, we celebrated Craig's birthday with some fine dining at Louis Benton Steak House in downtown Grand Rapids. Craig is definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy. :) Happy Birthday, Hun!

The rest of the weekend was pretty much 'same old, same old,' which is laundry, grocery shopping, errands, etc.

Kyle and Clara are doing great! I may have forgotten to mention this, but Kyle is now in the 5th percentile for both height and weight. This is the first time he has been on the growth chart since he was six months old . . . . . . seriously! He is still the shortest boy in his kindergarten class, but he is beginning to catch up to the other kids. In fact, he has been growing so fast lately that we had to buy him six new pairs of pants! He is beginning to eat us out of house and home, too. You should see the kid eat! Obviously, we are thrilled with his growth and progress.

We also signed Kyle up for swimming lessons at GVSU this spring, which he begins on April 6th.

As for Clara, she is doing great as well! She is no longer going to feeding therapy at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Her occupational therapist felt she had made enough progress (and we agreed) that they released her from weekly sessions. We are glad about that, but still have some work to do at home. It's amazing though, to think about the progress she has made with her feeding. This is a child who would not even touch dry rice with her hands when she first started therapy. Now she will eat bread, peanut butter sandwiches, mandarin oranges, peaches, celery, and even a Flinstones multivitamin! These are all things she could not tolerate before. As for her growth, she is also now on the chart for weight, but below it for her height. This is something we will talk to her pediatrician about at her three year appointment. All in all, she is a happy little girl and we are very proud of her progress. :)

Well, that's all for now.

Homemade Lasagna

This past Sunday I did something I haven't done in a REALLY long time . . . . . . . I made lasagna. Thank you Mom for sharing your yummy recipe! I think it turned out really well. However, the next time I make it we will have to invite some friends/family over because it made enough food to feed a small army. Seriously, it's a good thing Craig likes it so much because we will be eating leftovers for several days. Oh well . . . . . at least I don't have to cook again for a while. :)

Nice Surprise

Last week was a busy, stressful week for us. Craig surprised me after work on Friday with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. What a nice guy! I guess the kids argued all the way home in the car over who got to hold them and who would give them to me. It was a nice surprise!