heaven thankful walking too

one of the gifts that night was a microphone and its stand. we put batteries in it and the kids went nuts! the base of the stand amplifies your voice a bit, so it makes it louder. it also had a few big buttons on the base so you could add a beat or hear ringing applause at the marvelous singing you had just performed. aves and tweets, natural exhibitionists, took to it immediately! we then spent the next hour hearing the two of them belt out their own personal renditions of 'jesus loves me' and 'the b-i-b-l-e'. aves seemed to make up her own lyrics, which went like this: 'jesus loves me deep blue time, heaven thankful walking too!' were arent really sure what that was supposed to mean, but we laughed and laughed the whole time!
(see both their amazing performances here: 1, 2)

chi loves it

ever since diana first started cosmetology school she has complained about the tools they give you to work with. one of her biggest frustrations is the subpar quality of the package of tools that are provided by the school. as she began to learn about the different tools they use, she began to see which brands were good and which ones were garbage. of course, all the ones provided were bottom of the line garbage. especially the hair straightener. the best straighteners are from the company called chi, the problem is that they are very expensive! she has made due with what they gave her so far, but has always wanted to get one of the chi straighteners. well, in comes mom to save the day! for christmas diana got a chi from mom and papa! she was really excited about it- now she can do a better job at school! and just to show some sibling unity, mom got one for jill too! look, now they are twins!

a fur real kitty

every once in a while there is that one gift that you really want, and if you get it then it was the best christmas ever! well, this year aves had a gift like that, all she really wanted for christmas was a fur real kitty. its a stuffed animal kitty that purrs, blinks, wiggles its ears, and bats its paw. we was so looking forward to getting one. earlier in the week aves was talking to mom and stated 'if i dont get a fur real kitty i will be very sad'. very matter-of-fact about that one! fortunately, mema didn't disappoint! as aves began to open up her gift and realized it was a fur real kitty she was overcome with joy- it was the most adorable thing ever! she was just so excited! mema even cried because she was so touched by aves excitement over the toy. aves was so happy to have her fur real kitty that the rest of the gifts just melted away and she was content for the night!
(more pics)

the gift parade

the gift giving continued. most of the prizes were for the kids, which they were rather happy about! here the girls are opening up the gifts from diana and i. jill told us that they are both really into arts and crafts right now, they love to sit at the table and color, cut, glue, and stick what ever they can!
(more pics: 1, 2)

a call from abroad

missing from all our christmas family fun was my brother chad. he is in the military, currently stationed in japan. unfortunately he was not able to come home this year, but he did give us a call! we were quite excited to hear that phone ring- i dont think i've ever seen my mom jump out of her seat and run to the phone quicker than that! he talked to mom for a bit, then the phone was passed around to everyone so that we could all get a chance to wish him a merry christmas (which was actually the day before for him. you know, time zone changes and all). all the kids loved to have a chance to talk with their second favorite uncle (sorry chad...), aves got the phone and made herself comfy as she chatted chads ear off! he had actually gotten the christmas box that we all had sent him- we didnt think it would make it in time, i guess it was a ups miracle! he had sent gifts home for each of us too. some of us even opened them up while chad was on the phone.
he was sorely missed during this christmas season, he hasnt been home since last christmas. hopefully we will see him soon though!
(more pics)

christmas dinner

each year mom makes something special for christmas dinner. usually its something a bit different, or a bit odd. in years past we have had such things as fondu. this year, though, mom just wanted to make everyone their favorite foods. for example, she and jill had salad, for tim she had a big honey baked ham. for me? well, you will have to find out here. and sugary treats for everyone! the food was delicious, as always. everyone enjoyed the meal except the kids, they hardly ate anything. i dont think that was a slight against mom's cooking, i think they were too focused on all the presents under the tree to really eat anything!

presents await!

tim, jill, and the kids are here. let christmas begin! when the kids, super hyper over the excitement of christmas presents, stormed in the door we knew the craziness was about to begin. after saying their hellos, the first thing the kids did was look at all the prizes under the tree! mema is a push over, and allowed them all to open one present each, then the playing began!
(more pics)

wifi paradox

as i was playing on my computer that day, i noticed a very strange message. i had just been playing online, but then my wifi status showed this message: 'you are currently connected to the network'. but just above it there was another message: 'not connected'. wow, how exactly does that work? i am connected, but i'm not connected. deep, huh? thats like the technological equivalent to 'what is the sound of one hand clapping?'
i think it just blew my mind, man.

someones in the kitchen with mema...

mom loves to cook and bake. over the holiday she was quite pleased to have diana and i there because that meant she got to cook and bake even more! there were days on end where it seemed like mom never left the kitchen- and she was in her glory! here's the thing: whether she wanted it or not, she always seemed to have a furry little guest in the kitchen watching her every move- poco! we would be in the living room and trying to call him over to us, but he never came, he was much too busy watching and waiting for a crumb to fall from the counter so he could snap up whatever mom was making.
i'm pretty sure he gained about two pounds over this week, which doesnt sound like much until you realize that he is only seven pounds to begin with! back to your healthy dog food poco- youve got some weight to lose! (just like the rest of us...)

calm before the storm

chistmas afternoon was a nice and peaceful one. the kids werent coming over until 3:30, so we had some time to relax and enjoy the day. diana lounged in the lazy boy and read while papa and i played on our computers. here you can see poco perching oddly on papa's legs. everyone was quiet and relaxed, that is until the kids dropped by an hour early! yikes! let the christmas craziness begin!

sneaking a first gift

when we got back from dinner, mom and dad had a little gift for each of us! we were both pretty excited and tore into them. diana got the game rack-o which we had just played the other night. diana was really excited because she really liked the game- now she and i can play it back home! for my gift papa got me a toy! you might think that at 30 years old i would be too old for a toy, but you would be wrong! i opened it up and it was jake sully, the main character from 'avatar'! awesome! i was really genuinely excited about the toy! (in fact, it soon became a bit of a mascot for us later in the week- i'll get to that soon...) in order to celebrate our new gifts, we tore open rack-o and played again with mom that night!

grandma robin

we werent going to see my grandma on christmas, so we picked her up for dinner on christmas eve. she lives in a retirement community, so we drove over and stopped in. we had a couple gifts for her, my mom gave her a calender with all the extended family birthdays on it, and diana and i got her a little devotional book written by many different women christian authors. she loved them both! we went down to the truck and drove over to red robin for dinner. gram had never been there, so she was in for a treat! it was great to just sit and chat with gram about what has been going on in her life lately and catch her up with what we've been up to. she always loves to see us, and we wanted to give her a chance to spend some time with her diana, her favorite new grandchild (i assume). when we got back to the vehicle the weather had been turning quite bad and the truck was covered in half an inch of frozen rain! it was a very slow drive back home!

frostys and fries

after the bookstore we met up with mom and papa at wendys for a quick lunch. the kids love wendys, and so does diana, so we were all set! while we were eating aves discovered one of life's great truths: french fries are really good dipped in frostys!
the weather was starting to turn on us, we knew tonight was going to be a bit treacherous. the kids knew that christmas was only days away and that meant presents were only days away- you could just see it in their eyes, they were counting down the hours!
(more pics)

book search

jill gave us a call in the morning and asked if we wanted to meet up with her to do some last minute shopping. i rarely turn down a chance to see the kids, so we got ready and met them at kregel bookstore to get a couple things. we wandered around with the kids, bubba and aves had their arms filled with different videos they were determined to have their mother buy for them! i found a cool pop-up book of narnia that the kids got a kick out of (except aves, she was scared by the pop-up of aslan the lion). jill found what she needed, and a bit more, but the kids were unsuccessful at convincing her to buy them the mountain of videos they presented her with. maybe next time...

the after party

after our double date with jeffry lee, diana and i headed over to see the rest of the guys at the chicago drive pub. jeffry lee and his girl headed there as well. we got there and the rest of the guys, aaron, keith and freddie were sitting in a booth, but moved with us over to a table so we could all fit. jeffry lee had warned us ahead of time that there would be a one man band playing there who was not very good, but we went anyway. he was correct on his assessment... fortunately he was wrapping up his set, that meant that we were finally able to actually hear each other and be able to talk! we hung out there for a couple hours. we wished everyone a merry christmas and headed home- time to get some much needed sleep!

double date

since jeffry lee has a new lady friend, i decided to take advantage of the situation and invite them out for a double date with diana and i! i've never been out on a double date with any of the guys, so this was an exciting new experience. jeffry lee was up for it, but was really nervous about the whole thing. diana and i had met jeffry lee's lady a couple nights earlier and thought she was great, so we knew this would be fun. diana and i got there and found our seats, jeffry lee and his date arrived soon afterward. jeffry lee said he was really nervous before he arrived, but mellowed out soon after they arrived. we had a great time, we just sat and talked for a couple hours, enjoying the time with friends and getting to know jeffry lee's girl. both diana and i really liked her and thought she was a lot of fun. much of the time was spent messing around with our new phones- i had just gotten one before we met for dinner, and jeffry lee had just gotten one the day before as well!

splish splash

so there we were, getting ready to go out with mom and papa. before we left i had to stop in the restroom for a second. i reach down and pull the seat up off the toilet so i can use it. the next thing i hear is 'sploosh!'. uh oh. my ol' trusty phone decided it was time to take a little swim in the toilet. argh! before even giving my own hygiene a second though, i quickly reach in and grab it. i tear off the battery and try and dry it out as best i can. unfortunately, i cant. the water had already reached the innards of the phone and it was done for! it was gone, and along with it all my photos and contacts. what a pain!

we went out with mom and papa anyway, but the whole time all i could think about was my poor water-logged phone! when we got home diana and i quick ran over to the phone store to see if i could get one immediately. of course i had just cancelled my phone insurance over the summer, so i was out of luck. i started looking at the bright side and realized that contract with at&t was already completed in the spring. i have had such terrible problems with them and their lack of coverage (dont believe luke wilson from the commericals- at&t 3g service sucks!) so instead of going to an at&t store, i went to verizon. diana and i looked around for a bit and settled on a phone that i thought i might like. when a sales rep came up and asked me 'so, what are you looking for in a phone? texting? internet? media player?' my response was simple: 'i dont really care about the rest of that stuff, i just want a nice camera'. well, i got a good one, a step up from the old camera, and it even has a flash. i've been happy with it so far, so i think i'll keep it. so, i guess i should thank that toilet, huh?

nerdy gifts

for christmas, diana and i decided to get each other a little something. i had a hard time thinking of something to get her, but after a bit of thinking (and searching) i found the perfect gift for her. turns out she did the same! one of the nights we were at my parents place we exchanged gifts, just the two of us. i wasnt sure what to expect from her, but was excited to see what she got me. turns out she found me the perfect nerdy gift: stargate coasters! i am a huge fan of the stargate tv show (and own every season on dvd), as diana knows, and she gave me this set of four coasters! how awesome is that?!? not only is she thoughtful and creative, but she also supports my nerdy little loves! can a wife be any better than this? i think not! (a special thanks goes out to thinkgeek.com for their cool stuff!)
it works out well though, because for christmas i got her something equally nerdy! she loves the show 'glee' and watches all the episodes. usually i find something else to do while she's watching it (she does the same when i watch stargate...). every time she watches it though, she kept ranting and raving about the necklace that the main girl on it wears. i, thanks to the endless knowledge of the internet, was able to find one for her. she was thrilled and wears it proudly. almost as proudly as when i use my stargate coaster!
(more pics)

rack-o!

we ended up having a bit of time in the evenings to just hang out with mom and papa. knowing my mothers love for games, we asked if there was something we could play. one of her favorites is rack-o. one night we pulled it out and introduced it to diana, who had never played it before. mom got a huge thrill out of having some one to play games with- she was in her glory! diana rather liked the game and we ended up playing it a couple nights during the week. one of the nights we played phase 10, and even got papa to play with us!

play like a girl

on tuesday jill wanted to go shopping with diana. bubba still had school, but jill was planning on going with the girls. i didnt have anything to do while they went shopping, so i offered to take the girls and babysit them. jill gladly accepted and brought them over. she and diana headed out while tweets, aves and i had some fun! i had been playing on the computer when they arrived, so i asked the girls if they wanted to play. we found a couple games at different websites that the girls had a fun time with, the games were a bit hard for them though. i guess i should have figured, considering they are only 4 and 2 years old... after games i made them some lunch (mac and cheese, which would be their lunch every day of their lives if jill let them!) after lunch the girls brought out some of their toys and we played with their dolls and babies. i guess the best way to tell that they had fun was the fact that when jill and diana came in the door aves cried 'no mom! no mom!' because her being back meant that play time was over!

(more pics, and a video)

massive movie day 2: the sequel

last year during christmas break the guys and i had some free time so we decided to go see a movie. or 5. it was a ton of fun- a day devoted to seeing as many movies in the theater as we could possibly manage (i wrote about it here). it was so much fun, that we tried to do it again this year. there werent as many people who could take the day off work, but we gave it a shot anyway. jeffry lee and rex had the day off, so we gathered together at the theater in woodland mall (the shows are only $3.50, so it was a nice cheap day) and watched a couple movies. also, the day before, we made plans to go see 'avatar' the way it was meant to be seen: in 3D on an imax screen! papa and tim were in for it too, so i ordered the tickets the night before (which was a good thing, because it sold out by noon the next day). after jeffry lee and i saw the first two movies of the day we had planned on seeing another, but thought it would be best instead to head over to the imax theater early and get good seats. its a good thing we did because it took us an hour to get out of the mall parking lot and make are way to the imax theater (its only about 5 miles away, so that was quite a slow drive!) we got there and got some good seats. i headed back out to the lobby to flag down the rest of the people who were coming: papa, tim, jeffry lee's dad greg, and freddie. when everyone arrived we went in and witnessed one of the greatest movies i've seen in quite some time- the 3D was breathtaking, and the imax screen was enormous! definitely the best way to see that movie for sure!

everyone really loved the movie, but we werent done having fun for the night. so, we walked down the parking lot to bw3 and hung out there for a while and got some late dinner. it was getting too late for papa, so he ducked out after the movie, but tim stayed and went with us to b-dubbs. we didnt know how he was going to get a ride home, but we figured we would think of something. brains came by and joined us for the food. tim had never met brains, so he introduced himself the best way possible: by bumping his diet coke and spilling it all over brains! now thats a nice 'how do you do'! diana had gone down to south bend to meet up with some friends for the day, but came back and joined us for dinner too. it was a really great time, and a great day for movie watching!

(more pics)

sunday with the family

sunday morning we went to church with the family and got to hear some great choir music to get us in the christmas spirit. we got home and tim, jill, and the kids soon followed. we had a delicious dinner mom prepared for us and hung out in the living room for a while afterward while the kids kept peeking over at all the prizes under the tree! we took a little sunday afternoon nap, and in the evening diana met up with one of her friends, josh, to catch up. i figured i'd give them some time, so i went over to aaron and jeffry lees for an hour or two. we hung out and had a good time. it was a nice relaxing day. i put up this picture of poco because i dont have any photos from my phone from that day. more on that story soon...

the verve show '09

one of my favorite bands is 'the verve pipe'. they are a local grand rapids band that hit it big about 10 years ago. they put on a show every year at the intersection in grand rapids the weekend before christmas and i've gone almost every year. i think this is year five for me. each year we gather up a bunch of guys to go to the show. last year diana came and had a great time, so she was totally excited when i asked her about it a month or so ago- she was completely up for it!
for some reason the guys were a bit worried about it being sold out this year, so we headed downtown early. doors opened at 8:00pm, and we were there by 8:30. turned out there was nothing to worry about, we got in no problem. but since we were there so early we just hung out in the lounge up front for a while and talked. by the time the opening band was done, we went back into the concert area. papa vegas, another local band that was kind of big 10 years ago, opened up for verve pipe. i have a couple of their cds, so i really enjoyed hearing their songs again live. by the time verve pipe hit the stage we were having an awesome time. i know just about all their songs, so i really love singing along to them live. diana doesnt know quite as many of them, but she had a blast too! the highlight of the night was definitely listening to them play 'colorful' while dancing with my wife. that song is a very special one to me. i had spent many many lonely nights in years past listening to that song longing for the day i would be able to share it with a girl, and now that i could hear it live while dancing with the most beautiful girl in the world? well, i felt a deep sense of joy and contentment in that moment. every once in a while i am reminded how good life is, and that was certainly one of those moments.
the rest of the concert was magnificent, and we all agreed that we look forward to doing it again next year!
(more pics: 1, 2)

the mall and a meal

saturday morning diana and i got to sleep in a bit, which was the perfect way to start a vacation! once we did finally get rolling, we went with mom and papa to the mall. mom had a few gifts to get, and wanted to spoil diana and i with buying us a few things, so we didn't argue! we got to the mall, it was about as busy as you would expect for a mall the saturday before christmas- yikes! i got some new shoes, diana got a belt (she forgot hers at our house. very sneaky...) and a couple shirts (thanks a ton, mom and papa!). we all wandered around the mall for an hour or two.

after the mall we met up with tim jill and the kids at logans for dinner. we thought there would be a huge wait, but mom snagged a big table almost immediately! when the kids arrived they were really excited to see us, and we were thrilled to see them. about two weeks earlier it was bubbas 7th birthday (wow, he's getting so old!) and diana and i hadnt seen him since, so we took this opportunity to give him his birthday gift. from his parents he got a nintendo ds, so we got him a new game for it! it took some getting used to, but i think he really liked it. it was fun to see everyone at logans, and we had a great meal.

(more pics: 1, 2)

friday guys

diana got home a little early, so we got ourselves packed up, and headed out! diana had the next week off, so we knew we were in for a good time. for the first part of our vacation we headed up to grand rapids. we arrived there around 8:30pm, we dropped off poco at my parents place, chatted with them for a while, then headed over to freddies place to see the guys. we got there just before jeffry lee and keith. it was good to see freddie again, we chatted for a few minutes before the guys arrived. when we were all there we decided to head over to fridays (big surprise...). we hung out there for a couple hours. we got caught up on all the latest goings on here in the big g.r. freddie shared about his new job, jeffry lee shared about his new girl, diana and i shared about what we had been up to, and keith just sat back and made fun of us all, which is what he is good at. finally around 1:00 diana and i called it a night, the guys went back to freddies to play some rock band, but we headed home knowing we had a full week of great times ahead!

if you can dodge a wrench

after lunch, we take the kids into the gym for a little physical activity. this is always a good idea, because if we had to keep the kids in the room for much longer, we would go crazy because they are bouncing off the walls by now! its time for some good old fashioned dodgeball! the kids love it and have a ton of fun whipping those balls across the gym, and us teachers just have to make sure that they dont try to cheat or try to kill each other. usually they dont. by the time they are all sweaty, its time for us to send them on their way!
christmas break, here i come!

gone bowling

its the last day of school, and its time for a christmas party! each year we take the kids to the local bowling alley for a couple games of bowling as a treat for the last day of school. we start the day with a christmas chapel, then we load up the busses and head on down to stardust bowling alley. the kids always love it and have a great time. it fun to see the kids in a setting different from the classroom, they really enjoy it. this year we didnt even have any problems with any of the kids messing around and throwing two balls, or running down the lane or anything! after bowling we head back to school and have a christmas party, some yummy food, and some gift giving.

merry christmas

my favorite version of the christmas story, as John tells it in his gospel:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

christmas concert

our school has a christmas concert each year. i usually attend, but this year it was nice because diana wanted to go as well! we sat and listened to the beginner band and the recorders, then the regular band played, along with the choir. midway through the concert, diana leaned over to me and said 'make sure i call my dad when we are done and thank him'. later i asked her why, and she said that when she was in band in middle school she was always so excited for band concerts, but didnt understand why her dad always seemed to hate them. now, hearing a middle school band play, she realizes why it was such torture for her father! it hurts the ears, but still her father went to support her. at this age the kids are not exactly what you would call 'good', but its fun to watch them give it their best!

first snowfall

ah, finally! we had our first snow fall earlier this week and its about time. it was only a light dusting, but its nice to see those little white flakes fall. i'm one of those who really likes the winter, so its with a happy heart i bring this news. its been a long fall- let winter begin!

poco and the bear

what ya lookin at poco? recently poco has taken an interest in his toys again. usually he doesnt really care to play with anything, but every once in a while he goes on a kick where he loves to play with his toys. his favorite toy right now is a cute little teddy bear with a squeaker inside it. he will grab it and try to paw at it to make it squeak- its the cutest thing ever! as he was playing with it the other night i couldnt help but take some pictures of his romping around. this one is my favorite- he was playing with it on the couch, it got close to the edge and fell off. here he is trying to understand what happened! its so cute, its gross!
(more pics, and a funny video)

cover the walls

it only took 8 1/2 months, but we finally put the art up on our walls! ever since diana first moved in we had been planning on filling the walls up with some of the artwork she had. well, time kind of got away from us on that one, but with a little bit of papa's help, we finally took care of most of the hanging!
part of the reason i had been dragging my feet on it was that she had a couple pieces of art that her dad had made that she wanted to hang up. these pieces are pretty heavy and i knew that just a regular nail in the wall was not going to be strong enough. i wasnt sure what the best way to make a stronger hook would be, so i just kept procrastinating. well, with papa and mom here this weekend, we figured we could ask him about it (he's a pro at such things. i sure wish some of that had rubbed off on me...). after getting a package of wall anchors at the store, papa hung two pieces and the clock we had gotten months ago as a wedding present. nice to finally get around to using that gift... after mom and papa left, diana kicked me in the but enough to get me to hang the rest of the artwork in the living room and kitchen. we still have a couple more pieces to put up, but the place is looking more and more homey. diana is very pleased!
(more pics)

decoration shopping

as diana and i were putting up the tree with mom and papa we realized we were missing a few important items. we put poco away and headed off to the store to get what we needed. we wandered up and down the isles together, papa and i making funny comments and cracking each other up, diana and mom pretending they didn't know us. you know, the usual...
after we hit up menards (we had go get a few things for hanging pictures on the walls too), we went over to cabela's. mom and papa had a few gifts they needed to get from there, so we wandered around there for a while, which is always fun! they even had free food samples for us to try- fancy!
(more pics)

deck the halls

ever since i have lived on my own i have never decorated my own place for christmas. some may call me a grinch, and i'm ok with that. well, my perfect record has now been ruined! last weekend when diana and i were at my parents for thanksgiving my mom asked if we wanted a christmas tree. i absent-mindedly agreed. we didn't take it with us then, so mom and papa offered to come this weekend to see us and bring the tree with them. diana was excited to have a tree, and i realized it was time to bite the bullet on this one, so we said yes. they came down saturday around 1:00pm and brought us a nice christmas tree. it was really good to see them, even poco was excited (he has taken quite a liking to papa!) we unloaded the tree and set it up in the corner of our living room. its quite thin and fits perfectly. i ran out to the shed to get the christmas tree decorations jill and tim had given us last christmas (they knew i didn't stand a chance of not having a tree once i got a wife!) and we began filling the tree. diana had a box of old ornaments she had saved from when she was a child- they were really cute! as we decorated the tree i slowly came around and realized that decorating for the holidays can be fun. i guess you win this round, tree...
(more pics: 1, 2)