Spring is here?

We know better than to assume that spring is here to stay, but we made the most of the warm weather this weekend, spending as much time outside as possible. We can't wait for summer!

A Special Day

Sunday was an extremely special day for our family. We started the day with both Annika and Henrik being baptized. Both of our families joined us as we dedicated our children to Christ and promised to bring them up in His Word.

After the baptism, we headed home to celebrate Annika's third Birthday. She requested a PINK party, so we brought in as much pink as we could: cupcakes, cookies, decorations, balloons and wrapping paper. Since Annika was sick for Christmas this year, it was SO fun to see her be well and excited to enjoy her special day. Some of her special gifts included LOTS of puzzles, a bunny pillow pal, an adorable shopping cart, books and adorable clothes. I can't believe my baby girl is three. Wow.

How Did We Get Here?

This past week my Mom drove up to Michigan with her friend Nancy who is the mother of one of my best childhood friends, Allison. Allison came over to our house to pick up her mom and brought with her Paige, Will & Annie, her three beautiful children. It was a bit surreal to see our 5 kids playing together. Life moves so fast!

It is hard to believe that Henrik is already in his 6th month, but I have to say that I LOVE this phase. He is so easy to entertain, whether in his jump-a-roo or sitting with some toys, and he is happy and content 90% of the time. I'm relishing every moment before he decides that he wants to start moving.

Winter is Here

This past weekend winter finally decided to arrive. Over the course of Thursday and Friday we received over a foot of snow. Of course that meant that Branden got a snow day on Friday :) Saturday and Sunday were beautiful sunny days, perfect for playing in the snow, so we took full advantage.

Saturday we bundled the kids up and tested out the snow shoes we had gotten for each other last Christmas. There is a forest preserve right behind our neighborhood and it was the perfect place to enjoy the fresh powder.

Annika ready to go. She loved the goggles because they made everything look pink :)

This helped satisfy my desire to go skiing

After church on Sunday, all of the families with kids decided to hit the sledding hill. Annika was a little nervous to go down the hill, but the couple times we made her go down with us, she smiled the entire time.

Branden and the new sled he received for Christmas.

Ready to take a trip down the hill!

The group from 2nd Reformed

New Years in Charlotte

Since Branden had the week after New Years off of work this year, we decided to fly with both kids down to Charlotte, NC for a week to visit Aunt Jody, Uncle Rick and cousin Will. Aunt Jenna came along too!

We kicked off our week by attending a "Mad Hatter" New Year party. We shared a babysitter for Will, Annika and Henrik and rang in the new year with style.

For most of the rest of the trip, we just had a lot of fun planning outings with the kids and watching them play. Each time Annika and Will are together it gets more and more fun. Here were some highlights:

THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

PIZZA NIGHT!

iPad TIME!

WATCHING PEPPA PIG IN OUR PJ'S

We are always sad to say goodbye after our visits, but are already looking forward to the next one. Thanks for having us Tureks!

First Teeth

A few days after Christmas Henrik's first teeth popped through! Unlike his sister who waited until after her first birthday, his decided to appear at five months. He must be working on getting more because he continues to be quite the drool monster.