The Freuds - telling the American side

The Start of November

2011-11-19T18:41:00.001-08:00

A little fall action shot

Kirra LOVES Nyleigha Boyle

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to skip naps and head to Grand Haven since it was so beautiful outside....well, as you can see by this photo, the weather changed drastically by the time we arrived!

This little Eliana is a HOOT! She is hilarious, cheeky, and fantastically wonderful!

October 2011

2011-11-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

Oh Fall, you are so jam-packed full of fun, activities, and fun! Here's what we were up to...

Art Prize 2011

Fall at Meijer Gardens

The Birth of Sweet Nyleigha Boyle

Kirra's first Field Trip

Our Staycation weekend while girls were up at Nana and Papas

Another Higgins Weekend (Girl's Getaway for Meg, and play time at Higgins Pond for Kirra, Elli and Alan)

Grandparent's Day at School

Halloween Festivities

September 2011, Kirra Turns FOUR!!!

2011-11-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

BUSY MONTH!

Eliana turned 15 months old on the 4th.

Kirra started preschool this year--she is attending a spanish-immersion school that is fantastically wonderful!

Time at an apple farm celebrating our friend's 2nd birthday!

Redoing our "backyard"

Celebrating KIRRA's 4th birthday!!!

First Day of School!

Lovin' me some animals....

OUR NEW YARD!

Happy Birthday Kirra Ann Freudigmann!!!

Yup, I made those capes! :)

A Birthday Cookie at Marie Catrib's!

Nana and Papa came home from Denver in time to Celebrate Kirra's birthday by going to ArtPrize

"Mom, I ate a marker, is that ok?"

I LOVE this kid!

Our beauty!

My big girl!!!

August 2011

2011-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

August came quickly...

My sister and her fam came for a long visit that included an entire family trip to Chicago!

More time at Higgins Lake playing, boating, swimming, and having fun being a fam...

I don't have a clue why we took this photo for several reasons...

Cousin Time

Love this guy

and her too!

One of my favorite photos of the girls

Time with Jack (Mercer)

Kirra, Narelle, and Bella Mercer

Boating with Pastor Jim

Sun bathing Elli style

Ice cream sandwiches after a long day at the lake

3 going on 17?!

CHICAGO

Believe it or not, this was the best photo of all four of the grandkids wearing their Nana-given outfits!

Back Home

Shykila, Martasia and Kirra being silly

Some of my favorite little people!!!! Despite our love/hate relationship with our neighborhood (due to the violence, drugs, and safety issues), these girls totally make all of the hoopla worth it (usually...well, for now...)!!!

Happy End to August!!!

July 2011

2011-11-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

Oh the sweetness of summer, especially up in Higgins Lake!!!

4th of July

Lots of outside playtime

Nana and Papa time

Campfires

1st Camping Trip to Petoskey as a family of 4

Meijer Gardens

Blueberry Picking

Time on the farm where we get our CSA food

Ahhh...wish this could last all year!

My Dad's Daisy Fields

Chillin' at Higgins Pond

Yeah, you're seeing that right...Kirra is pretending to be pregnant!

Wild Woman!

Happy Birthday America

Oooooo....Ahhhhhhhhh

The girls are really starting to play together and show how much they LOVE one another!

Our little running princess

First s'mores of the summer...

Camping with her bestie Norah Byrne

E's first s'more EVER...she wanted "more"

Story time in the tent

Long bike trip to Harbor Springs....zonked!

Back in GR at Meijer Gardens with the Byrne girls again!

Picking ORGANIC blueberries on a VERY HOT day!

Oh, Trillium....this is just a piece of the beauty at the farm where we received FRESH, ORGANIC, YUMMY food all summer!

Playing on the farm!

June 2011

2011-11-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

After Eliana turned ONE on the 4th, we headed to Denver for a long week with the entire family!

Hiking in the mountains...

A little mac 'n cheese time for Taters!

Kirra and Narelle sporting their skirts I made (pat on the back for me!) on their FIRST DAY of Summer School!

The Denver Children's Garden is amazing!!!

The girls on their last day of school together...the week went so fast!

After an amazing week of family time, we drove north to Bozeman, Montana to visit John and Abby Carruthers and of course their little Brewer!!!

Friends for 31 years...and possibly a future marriage between our little ones! :)

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy Brewer a HUGE stuffed bear!

Abby spoiling Kirra and teaching her how to bake!

A day in the Montana Mountains...glorious!

Can't get enough of this little man!

Driving across the US of A with a 12 month old and a 3 1/2 year old could seem overwhelming, but our little travelers were amazing! We stopped at Mt. Rushmore for breakfast and headed out to the Bad Lands for lunch...

Of course, we had to stop at Wall Drug, South Dakota for a little "treat"

We drove through the UP and ended at Higgins Lake where we dropped the girls off and Alan and I continued on back to Grand Rapids to meet up with our friends for a long weekend getaway in Chicago!

Kirra got her hair cut for the 2nd time ever...she loved it!

We had a great treat once back in Michigan, Abby, John and Brewer came for a visit!!! I was pumped to have more Brew-man snuggles!

Summer at Higgins Lake...my favorite thing!

ONE!

2011-06-06T06:36:00.001-07:00

Devouring her first "cake"...it was a little more 'natural' than some...quinoa, sweet potatoes, bananas, carob...but she LOVED it!

Snuggles with her new lion from the zoo!

Daddy love

My sweet Kirra...she was such a champion with celebrating Eliana for the day!

The closest pic I have to E showing "I'm ONE!" :)

Back-logged

2011-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

9, 10, 11...I've been terrible about posting the last 3 months. Eliana turns one tomorrow, so I was a little eager to get caught up on here! So, please enjoy this huge post of pics!

Eliana is 9 months old. Can I say that we LOVE our stroller (Phil & Ted's)!!!???!!!

Shelby and E @ CB's 1st birthday!

A little Meijer Garden fun...don't touch that orchid!!

My lovely Kirra

Oh boy! She LOVES tissue. Need I say more?

Nana and Papa time

Kirra's "new" bike! She's a champion rider!

10 MONTHS...

Some of E's first steps...she picked up walking so quickly!

Upside down...

Mama's homemade matching skirts!

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

Kirra's 1st dance recital...she was a lion in the "zoo"

You can take the mane off the lion, but you can't take the lion, ever!

E's favorite face to make!

11 Months's old...

Shykella and Kirra

It's been a fairly warm spring, so Kirra and Norah enjoyed a little sprinkler fun!

Kite Festival 2011...E was a champion walker, which was quite impressive in the sand!

Beauty

We spent the day with the Mercer's...here is Eliana encouraging and helping Jack to learn how to walk!

Fell asleep for the first time EVER while eating!

8 Months Old

2011-02-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Eliana is a funny kid. She LOVES to smile and giggle at her sister. Kirra can get her belly laughing so quickly! Elli, as we're starting to call her, has two "settings" : super happy or super upset! Her super happy setting is fabulous! Her super upset setting is exhausting! Elli is a screamer...but just not any scream. It's at the frequency of a dog whistle, but is audible by the human ear! We've been slowly working on her to use "a soft, gentle" voice. :) Wish us luck.

Here are her latest tricks/accomplishments/stats:

1. She is eating REAL food. Her favorites consist of ANYTHING! Basically, if she's hungry, she'll eat it. So, I'm taking advantage of this fact and making her lots of yummy dishes (she's tried almost all fruits that are in season and many veggies including kale!)

2. Drinking from a straw is a sure hit with Elli! Kirra has a Foogo bottle that has a straw. We bought the sippy cup version for Elli, but she'd much rather use the straw bottle! Champ!

3. Crawling...kinda! Just over the past two weeks she's been getting herself up on all fours and rocking! Over the past four days she's been making movement forward and sometimes backward!

4. Walking...with help of course! At times she gets fussy and simply wants to walk around the house holding your fingers! She LOVES to walk!

5. Talking...she says "mamamamamama" when she's tired or hungry. She has said "dadadada" as well. Elli mostly "sings" when she speaks. It's beautiful!

6. Determination is a sure trait thus far!

7. Dancing like a rock star! Eliana LOVES music, whether it be at church or in the car or at home, she will start to shake her head, bounce up and down, and jam to the beat!!! It's fabulous!

8. Signing times...currently Elli is signing all done, more, fan, light, and up. We are working on nurse, please, thank you, and eat!

Bonus 9. Sleeping. Well, this is the one I wish were a bit better. This week we've finally decided it's time for her to "cry it out". We fed her last night at 8:30 and then I finally fed her at 4:30, but she woke up twice in between. It only took her about 5-10 minutes both times to fall back asleep. I'm hoping this is the start of something good...but with Eliana, there's no telling! She's my unpredictable one! That's why I love her! :)

SO BIG!!! She's quite good at this trick! I love the fact that she wraps her arms around her head when we say, "how big is Elli"!

Breaking News: My mom was right. I've always given her a hard time about the lack of info and photos in my baby book. She always used the excuse that having two kids was simply too busy to spend time filling out a baby book! I didn't like that excuse and always said that when I had my 2nd, that I would MAKE the time. HA! Who was I kidding?! By now Kirra already had a 0-6 month photo book, all of the pages in her baby book filled out to completion, and her 6-12 month book started. Plus, I would update the blog regularly AND take photos on a weekly basis. Perhaps I set the bar WAY too high! :) Poor Eliana's 0-6 month photo book has not been started, her baby book is mostly empty, and this blog, well, is rarely updated! Having 2 kiddos is BUSY for sure! I get it Mom. You were right. There. I said it.

Speaking of Kirra...I want to make sure I still share about the wonderful little person she is among all of this Eliana talk! :)

Kirra is a wonderful big sister! She is such a great helper! If I need a diaper or whatever, she will get it without questions asked! I love the fact that she is teaching Eliana how to sign! Score! Kirra is so big at times, that I forget she's only 3! She gets her own milk out of the fridge, goes potty all by her big self, plays or reads for hours on end without complaint, sings HEAPS of songs and sings them WELL (and usually on key!), is very curious about the world and how things work and why they were made and why they are called what they are called. One of my favorite statements lately is "because that's the way God made it, right mama?!" YUP Kirra! Have I mentioned that I LOVE this kid?!

A Great Start to 2011

2011-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Every January Alan and I choose a theme for the year. For 2011 we are deeming it "The Year of Health". This way we're not making huge promises, resolutions, etc that we can't keep or fail to continue. So far, we're doing fairly well with some aspects of health...mostly in eating/food. Since the fall, I have been choosing a mostly gluten and dairy free diet. I feel heaps better and Eliana isn't spitting up as much as she was when I was eating those foods. Alan has also chosen to go "almost" gluten and dairy free (this basically means that at home that's how we/he eats and then when we're out or at friend's houses, there's room for swaying from the diet). Kirra is now so aware of what foods have gluten or dairy in them that she asks before we eat new foods! The area that both Alan and I are not doing great in, yet, is exercise. After having Eliana I was thinking that it would be easy to get the girls in the double stroller and go for a walk/run at least every other day. HA! Not even a possibility! I've given myself some grace in this area and certainly do not feel like I've failed, but definitely need to set goals to achieve. Baby steps. Kirra and I did do a workout video together the other day...hoping to do that more often!

With all of that said, January started out well with a fabulous visit, though short, from our friends Amy and Marc. They met and live in Spain and just recently had their first little one, Ada! It was so wonderful to meet her and hug my friend Amy! We have had several visits from Nana and Papa or we have headed to Higgins to spend time at their house as well. Overall, it's been a busy and quick month!

Belated Christmas Photos:

Amy, Marc and Ada visit from Spain:

Nana and Papa Time:

Kirra doing her "thing" (being Cinderella-bride-soccer player):

The Blizzard of 2011 (we received about 2 feet of snow overnight):

Eliana doing some of her tricks (SO BIG):

7 Months & 3 years 3 months

2011-02-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

BBF Getaway

2011-02-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

Alan and I are so thankful that we are a part of a community of friends that have become family. They are aunts and uncles to Eliana and Kirra and their kiddos are like sisters to our girls! Matt and Corrie Boyle and Randy, Jen, Norah and Sydney Byrne are a part of our house church that we call BBF. We have been wanting to get away as a group for a while now and just after Christmas we were able to go away for a couple nights to Interlochen without the kiddos!!! We had an awesome time of playing games, eating yummy food, learning more about each other, and playing in the snow!

Matt's first time on cross-country skis!

Matt and Corrie

Jen and Randy

Tis the Season

2011-02-04T10:44:00.001-08:00

December came and went in a blink of an eye. I accidently posted all of my pics backwards (in terms of dates) so we're starting off with HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 and then heading back to the beginning of December! (note: our other camera is broken so all of my Christmas pics with my sister and family are stuck on there! bummer)

New Years Morning with the Quists at my mom and dad's.

Toasting in the new year ( we all made celebration hats)

Tracy...too much vino already?! :)

Jeremy all cool and stuff in his newspaper hat

Alan...a cross between a pirate and, well, I'm not sure!

The kiddos saying, "Happy New Year" just before their apple juice toasts and early bedtimes of 8pm! :)

Kirra playing on the frozen pond at night.

Our little dancer girl!

E!!!!

Kirra received three semi-big gifts for Christmas, dance lessons and outfits, cross-country skis, and well, you'll have to keep reading for the 3rd gift! She was a PRO the first time out! She even convinced Papa to take her out late at night!

Ski Family

The 3rd Gift! Meet NEMO, Kirra's Beta Fish! :)

Elli playing with her future present (leg warmers from Nana that are still in the yarn ball form)

Realizing she didn't get a "real dog" that she kept asking us for, but a fish! Not too disappointed thankfully!

My Grandma Strite spent the entire two weeks of Christmas break up at my mom and dad's with us! I love that my girls are getting a chance to spend quality time with her!

So Big!!!

Attack of the baby monster!

Alan and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on the 21st!!! We actually did a little night out a few weeks prior, however, and went to see Michael Buble in concert and stayed at the JW Marriot downtown! I get blown away by the life we have been given together and am so thrilled to be doing it with my best friend!!!!

6 Months Old

2011-01-03T22:32:00.001-08:00

A half of a year old already?!

Eliana is growing to be such a fun baby...as long as she's not crying!!! (That child has been given the MOST high pitched cry we have ever heard...trying to find the blessing in it, but it's difficult especially at 3 in the morning!) I did ask our pediatrician if there is anything we can do...she simply informed me, "NO, but it really can't be that bad." Her statement was quickly retracted when Eliana demonstrated it for her...then Dr. R said, "Oh, that is horrible!" :) I told her so!

I don't remember her specific stats...they're downstairs and I'm lazy, but she's exactly 1 up on Kirra in everything at 6months...1 cm longer in head circumference, 1 in longer, 1 pound heavier!!! She's my big baby! :)

Not many "tricks" to speak of at the moment...she's in no hurry to roll, crawl, or even move for that matter! Elli is perfectly content (as long as I am within reach) to just lie on her play mat, to simply swing in her swing, or to be held.

She LOVES food and is doing really well eating thus far--avacado, rice cereal, squash, peas, green beans, apple sauce, bananas, rice puffs, carrots, potatoes so far!

Her smile is fabulously contagious!

Watching/listening to her belly laugh at Kirra is probably one of my favorite pastimes...and a good core workout too!

November Rush

2011-01-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

I love November. The smell of fall. The chilly air. Lots of family time. Thanksgiving. Here are some pics to highlight this busy month...

Our friends Eli and Asher came for a Tuesday visit...Eli gladly played the role of the Prince and Joseph while Kirra was the Princess and Mary...and Asher was the LION, cuz all great stories have vicious lions! They formed a traveling band in this photo.

Bright-eyed Baby

Food! Glorious Food!

Strite Family Christmas/Thanksgiving...missed Miguel, Ann and fam

1st Food! We were thinking of waiting til she was officially 6 months old, but then convinced ourselves that by feeding her real food, she may sleep better...didn't work! BUT she loved it all the same!

Little Mama

Blowin' Bubbles

Kirra's 1st Visit to the Dentist....and she ROCKED IT! No cavities for her...Daddy had 3!!!

I LOVE how much Alan LOVES his girls!!!!

5 Months

2010-11-29T19:46:00.001-08:00

So I couldn't resist comparing the girls again at 5 months!

Elli (we've begun shortening her name...Elli Belli is one currently that Kirra and I use!)

Kirra at 5 months (Feb. 2008)

Silence

2010-11-29T19:11:00.001-08:00

While I was in Denver, Alan had a chance to have a LOT of silence in his life. During that time he realized that silence/peace is something that we have NOT been intentional about in our lives, our marriage and in turn, I personally have somewhat lost my soul. I have worked so hard to become a good teacher, a good wife, and now a good mommy, but in 8 years of doing those things, I've lost ME. I used to have hobbies. I used to enjoy something. I used to be passionate. But, I don't really know how to answer those questions now. So, when I got home from Denver, Alan told me that I was going away the last weekend of October. BUT, I had to choose what I wanted to do. My initial thought was, "who can I go and visit?" or "who would like to join me in my "retreat"' Over the course of a few days, there was a still, small voice that kept whispering, "Do this alone."

If you know me well, I do not do "alone" ever! I receive life from community, people, relationships, conversations, sharing in life with others. However, since having Eliana I have been desperate for "me time". So, I began searching for something retreatish. After several nights of staying up late searching retreat centers (found one in the British Virgin Islands that looked amazing, but it would be a pricey plane ticket last minute!), I finally discovered one in Michigan (only about an hour away) called the Hermitage. After reading their website, I decided this was where I needed to go...even though I was terrified! I called the next day and booked one night!

http://www.hermitagecommunity.org/

Once I got over the initial fear of actually being alone and in silence, my 27 hours at The Hermitage were life-giving! God met me in my fear and in the silence, reminded me that I am truly never alone, reminded me that my dreams and passions are worth pursuing, and I fell in LOVE with solitude. I journaled. I walked the trails. I prayed. I ate in silence with other people. I cried. I laughed out loud, alone. I played the piano and sang. I read my Bible. I listened. I spoke. I slept. I drank tea. I wrote poetry. I took pictures. I simply WAS for the first time in a very long time. This experience was just the beginning of me finding ME again!

Here are some photos I took on my solitude retreat...and part of a poem I began to write...

Shimmering up on the dew covered earth

is the light of a God who

gives life to those who believe...

(okay, so if you have ever been a nursing/pumping mom, you will get the humor in this last photo...I couldn't resist!)

October Highlights

2010-11-29T18:26:00.001-08:00

October came and went faster than I could even imagine!

Here's what we were up to!

Playdate at Klackles Orchard

We started Kirra in swim lessons and she's doing amazingly well!

It's a very aggressive/progressive class where they throw 'em in immediately on their first go.

There are sometimes tears, but she gets over and Ms. Sandi does a fabulous job of teaching!

One of my dearest friends, Abby Glover Carruthers, was home in October for a baby shower! This was definitely a celebration in SO many ways! We're certainly looking forward to meeting the little guy shortly!

LION KING, CHICAGO

with our BBF friends (Byrnes, Boyles, and Freudigmanns)

Alan was hired/chosen as the JV Boys and Girls soccer coach at East Kentwood! I finally remembered to take the camera to a home game to capture him in action! He ended the boy's season well and is now looking forward to the girl's season in the spring!

A Day at Meijer Gardens with the Byrne's

I did not take my camera to Denver when we went for Tate's 1st birthday, but we did go and we all got VERY sick with the stomach flu! Blah! We had to cancel Tate's birthday party and didn't get a lot of good quality family time! Kinda a bummer!

Luckily, Ann had planned to come to Michigan the following week for her 10th reunion at Hope College! She and the kiddos arrived on Wednesday and took of on Sunday! We had a great time playing, hanging out in Holland, and Ann got to reconnect with some of her friends, which was great! The kids had heaps of fun...but poor Alan got food poisoning, so he was stuck with his head in the toilet most of the weekend! Bummer!

(Meredith and Alexis Mick also attended Hope, so we met up for a quick Roscommon picture)

Kirra was Sleeping Beauty for Halloween. Daddy took the girls to our friend's Sam and Alexis' house to trick-or-treat with Eli and Nolan. Unfortunately, Alan did not take the camera, so we don't have pics! According to Alan, she had fun, but after 10 minutes was ready to be back in the warmth of the house again!

4 Months

2010-11-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be kinda fun to compare my girls at the same age...

Kirra just over 4 months (Feb 2008)

Eliana at 4 Months (Oct 6, 2010)

I think they look like sisters, but they definitely have their own distinct features!

Kirra Turns 3!!!

2010-11-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

September 26, 2007

Three Years Ago...

Unbelievable Indeed!!!!

We have decided that every year for our kiddo's birthdays we will do an outing of some kind.

Year 1--John Ball Z00

Year 2--Apple Picking at Crane's Orchard

Year3--A REAL MOVIE at the THEATRE!!!

This year, Nana and Papa were here to join us! Kirra thought it was way too loud at first, but then settled in and giggled!

We were planning on keeping her birthday very chill...well, if you know me well enough, you know that my "chill" is a bit more chaotic than most! :) We had over 22 people (mostly kids under the age of 7), tacos, a Dora pinata, cupcakes, and lots of fun!

Kirra helped me make the cupcakes earlier in the week..she is SUCH a fabulous helper in the kitchen!

Happy Birthday Sweet Love!

Sept Part 2

2010-11-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Watching Eliana and Kirra interact is fascinating...Kirra has such a "motherly" way about her that is just contagious and her little sister responds to it with such ease!

Sometimes Alan and I forget that we have a toddler...here's one of her most toddler moments yet! Needless to say, markers were removed from her room and reach!

My little chubber-bubber!

Toddler Moment #2...got ahold of Mama's mascara while playing Mary (and Joseph)

Playdate at ArtPrize:

Playdate #2 at ArtPrize:

Apple Picking at Crane's

Fam Time

(Kirra LOVES playing Mary and Joseph...she'll wrap any blanket around her to look like Mary and we use our rocking horse, Gus, as the donkey!)

Sabbatical

2010-11-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

Has it really been 3 months since I last posted?!

September Part 1...

Eliana, Kirra and I joined Liz Sharda, Kristen Borst, Shelby Noxon, and Jen Petersen (and Nana) up in Suttons Bay for a Wine Tastin' Weekend!

We rented a house right on the bay...

Megan, Kristen, Liz, Shelby and Jen

We (us girls) headed to Higgins Lake to spend a few more days

with Nana and Papa...the weather was perfect, so Kirra got lots of

play time outside!

3 Months Old

2010-09-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Eliana turned 3 months old on Friday (4th)!

It was a little chilly in Fremont, where we were spending Eliana's 3 month birthday with our friends the Hegers!

Alan, Erich, Stephanie and Anna racing around the house!

I used to babysit Steph and Anna when I was at Hope College...Steph was 6 months old when I started...she's now going into 5th grade! YIPES!

Kirra enjoying the swing set on Lake Fremont

From Pacifier to Thumb

2010-09-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, after my realization that Eliana needed a pacifier, I didn't know that she would quickly move to her thumb! It happened last week and I have to admit it's adorable! She is able to self-sooth herself when I am not quite ready to feed her and when she's upset or tired! Score!

However, I know it may be more difficult to get "rid" of her thumb than a pacifier, but at this point, we'll face that challenge when it comes!

Sisters!

2010-09-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Free Day At the Zoo

2010-09-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

We're members at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum and during the summer, they team up with other area museums and zoos for free entry. August was free entry to the John Ball Park Zoo! However, we remembered on the last day at 4pm (zoo closes at 6pm)! We quickly ran to the zoo to enjoy the freeness of it!

Eliana in August

2010-09-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

6th or 7th Annual Swordswomen Retreat

2010-09-07T18:39:00.001-07:00

12 years ago four 18 year olds all went in "blind" to HOPE College's roommate assignments.

12 years later four 30 year olds all met up in Pennsylvania for their 6th or 7th Annual Swordswomen Retreat!!!

Yes, there is a story behind the name...but I'll save that for another day!

Sarah and I were roommates and Andrea and Cheli were roommates our first year at HOPE and we lived next door to each other. It was instant friendship! The next three years we stayed together and after graduation have made it a priority to connect at least once a year! I love my shroomies and am forever grateful to them for how they helped shape who I am today!

One of the best parts about our reunions is that our hubbies and kiddos come along! Between the four of us we now have 6 Swordlettes (girls) and 1 Swordsboy (poor guy)!!!

The Swordswomen: Cheli, Sarah, Megs, and Aners

The Scogin Crew (minus Matt who was off to Brazil on business)

Lucy, Sarah, and Sophie

Home: New York City, NY

The Kidless Crew

Cheli and Jay

Home: Chicago, IL

The Huisman Crew

Geneva, Andrea, Brooke, Derek and Micah

Home: Dundas, Ontario, Canada

The Freudigmann Crew

Alan, Megan, Eliana and Kirra

Home: Grand Rapids, MI

Random August Shots

2010-09-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Strite Family Reunion, August 5, 6, and 7

My mom and dad hosted my mom's side of the family reunion this year!

It was a great weekend full of fun and food!!!!

Kirra wanted to help in the kitchen one day, so I set her up to wash her play kitchen dishes! She had a blast getting wet!

Free Concert Tuesdays at Meijer Gardens...Ladies night out!

I get together with some girls I went to HOPE with (Kristen Borst, Shelby Noxon, Jen Traxler-Petersen, and Liz Schofield-Sharda) a few times a month. We decided to meet at the free concert to enjoy some food and fellowship together! I left Kirra at home with Alan, but Eliana came along to hang with the big girls!

Confessions of a Mama x 2

I hate pacifiers! I did everything in my power when we had Kirra to NOT have one even in the house. I have always been a hater. Just being honest. HOWEVER, once Eliana was born Alan and my mom kept telling me that we should try the pacifier because she was using ME as one. I didn't want to admit it and then I got embarrassed that I was about to give in. But when I did...IT WAS GLORIOUS! She didn't want to eat every hour any longer. She was quite content just to suck away on the little green silicone thingy! I'm over it now. No more embarrassment. No more trying to justify why she needs one. Just realizing that sometimes I need to get over my own pride! :) She's happier and I'm happier because of it!

A little Papa time!

Two Months Old

2010-08-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

I am in awe how quickly 2 months goes by with 2 kiddos!!!

Eliana has morphed into such a fun, fairly chill little girl! She is more fussy than Kirra was at this stage, but it's still quite manageable! She has become quite social with her coos, smiles, and tracking. Eliana loves to be on the move and really only fusses when she is tired or hungry. Can't ask for more at this point! Sleeping is coming along...we've been on the go so much that she hasn't gotten a rhythm that works yet, so I'm not getting much sleep. Kirra continues to be such a great big sis...I'll write a separate post on things I've learned thus far being a stay-at-home mommy of two!

I love this kid!

I love this kid too!

Eliana's 2 month birthday spent at the beach!

Cousin Antonio...my cousin's son!

Marcos, my cousin, and his daughter!

Sister time, Blueberry Picking and Free Concert Tuesdays

2010-08-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Meijer Gardens has free concert Tuesdays where local bands have been invited to play! We met up with the Byrne's and Kristen Borst on the first Tuesday for a little picnic fun!

Blueberry picking...yummy!!!

Eliana, by week 9 was smiling HEAPS!!!

Eliana Turns 8 Weeks!

2010-08-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

When Kirra was 6 months old she LOVED sucking on Nana's chin...Eliana found Nana's chin at just 8 weeks! :)

Aunty Tina returned from Guatemala and Australia and came to see us!!!

Oma and Opa

2010-08-25T06:53:00.001-07:00

Alan's Mum and Dad came for about 3 weeks during the month of July! We had a fabulous time up at my mom and dad's house (we were getting our bathroom remodeled...pics to come)! Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Cherry Picking, Mackinaw Island, and Grand Rapids were our destinations! It was a packed few weeks, but it was awesome to have them here to meet Eliana and to spend some quality time with Kirra!

our house

Eliana started to smile a few days before Mum and Dad left!

tummy time turned sleepy time

Meijer Gardens visit

B-I-B-L-E time with Opa!

Getting Chubby!

Gaylord Alpine Fest with Jane

Eliana bonding with Oma

Papa and his girls

Dinner time...we ate HEAPS while they were here!

Mackinaw Fun

We took a private carriage ride around the island so Mum and Dad could see the sights!

Big Sister helping out!

Admiring Opa

Our friend Libbie McDonald took us out for a ride on Higgins...it was a perfect day on the lake!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Cherry Picking

Eliana's first visit to Lake Michigan (@ the Dunes)

1 Month Old

2010-08-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Eliana's Week 4 and the Boyer Visit

2010-08-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Eliana got to spend her 4th week of life with her cousins and Aunty Ann and Uncle Jonathan up at Nana and Papa's house! We had a great week of LOTS of yummy food, laughter watching Kirra and Narelle play, and just quality family time!

cooking lessons with Nana

watching a video with Uncle Jonathan

bonfire with Papa

Tater Man

Great Grandma Strite with 4 of her 9 great grandchildren!!

sleeping beauty

Nana doing what she does best...teaching her grandchildren

Eliana's first bottle...

mommy time

boating with the Heger's...Kirra asked Alan if he could buy her a boat!

3 Weeks Past

2010-06-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

This is probably one of my longest posts I've done in a while...

I cannot believe 3 weeks have already passed since our sweet little Eliana joined our family!

Here are some pics of our last 3 weeks.

Having 2 kiddos is definitely an adjustment...many of my friends and family have said that going from 1 to 2 is the biggest adjustment and I would have to agree (not that I know what going from 2 to 3 is like). Kirra is such a fabulous big sister, but she is definitely having her moments of regression. There have been lots of tears, new boundaries, more "NO's", and several timeouts. Bedtime has been a bit of a challenge, so we've agreed that more cuddles and snuggles are perfectly fine for the time being if it helps Kirra feel comfortable and loved! Eliana is a very even-tempered little girl. She basically fusses when she's hungry and that's it! I'm crossing my fingers that that's how she's gonna be as the weeks pass...but we'll see! Overall, I am so thankful to have my two girls AND my fabulous husband who is home for the summer to help me in adjusting and learning our new rhythms of a family of four! Pics are a bit out of order...

Going home from the hospital...Kirra picked out her outfit ( little elephants for our little Eli )

Our big LITTLE girl!

Kirra has been infatuated with stethoscopes lately and luckily our nurse at the hospital liked Kirra and gave her a REAL one to use (and take home).

This is Brenda!! She is my midwife and is FABULOUS!!!! I wouldn't have wished for anyone else to be present in delivering my girl!

Not the greatest pic, but me and my girls for the first time!

Our friends Mark and Tara came for a visit...Myles and Kirra had a great time playing!

Kirra LOVES her sister

I remember taking a picture of Kirra like this...so peaceful.

We are venturing into the world of cloth diapers a bit earlier with Eliana than we did with Kirra. These are the cutest little covers...and I mean little. This is also a great shot of my Shar pei daughter!!! Look at those knees and the wrinkles!

Love this outfit!

One of the things we've been trying to do is make some very intentional Kirra time...our dear friend Jen took Kirra along with her daughter Norah to Hopscotch (a great local kids' store) to get a little pampering with all-natural products! They got their nails painted and had pedicures! So cute! Thanks Jen!!!!

Eyes Open!

My girls!

I can't believe how HUGE Kirra looks next to her little sister!

Up north for the first time at Nana and Papa's house! 3 weeks old!

This past Thursday we ran into our friends the Byrnes at Krupp's strawberry farm...so we picked and played all day!

Norah definitely had her fill of strawberries...just look at that face!

On Wednesday we headed to Meijer Gardens for a little family outing

Welcome a newbee.... ELIANA JOLAINE

2010-06-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Eliana Jolaine - 6lb 6oz

The proud Daddy of TWO girls--Doctor Kirra and Patient Eliana

Eliana at 6lb 6 oz

Our 2 girls

The 3 most awesome girls in my world!!

When Kirra met Eliana - what a laugh...

2010-06-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Family Pics

2010-05-28T19:57:00.001-07:00

Our friend Jason Glerum is an extremely talented photographer as you can see below! Here are some of my favs from our family photo shoot a couple weeks ago...I was 36 weeks pregnant in the photos and Kirra took full advantage of being a little Diva that night!

Recent House Projects

2010-05-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Alan and I have a list of "to dos" for the house and this spring has proven to be quite promising for us to cross a few of those off the list!

1. Redo our fireplace (my dad came down one weekend and together with Alan they made a beautiful masterpiece...it still needs to be stained, but it's HEAPS better than it was)

2. Mulch the backyard, plant our potted garden and clean up the side "yard"...don't have pics of everything, but we've made a HUGE change in the way our yard looks...I feel like a real homeowner now!

3. Paint bedrooms (can't take credit for this one...my mom has been a powerhouse in getting our bedrooms painted...only one to go...pics to come soon)

4. Screen in the front porch (we LOVE IT)

5. Gut the basement and remodel/clean up...this project was started but there's a ton to do still!

We have a few others that are on the to be done this summer list...

1. Gut and remodel the bathroom

2. Gut the ceiling in the kitchen and drywall it

3. Screen in upstairs back porch

Spring Time Cont.

2010-05-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

One night we found Kirra going through the laundry and putting on my underwear....isn't she adorable?!
Meijer Garden Fun with the Wolthuis'

The current artist at Fredrick Meijer Gardens is Chihuly--known for his glass blowing! This is a garden of red reeds! More impressive in person.
This is the face of my 2 1/2 year old going on 13!!!!
Kirra and I headed to the Children's Museum today....a little mommy & Kirra time before this new babe comes along!

Random, I know! Alan actually had a colonoscopy today...this is him just after coming out of it...everything is great!

Spring Time

2010-05-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

We've definitely been busy...

Nana (my mom) continues to come down every week to do Kirra Care on Mondays and Tuesdays. A few weeks ago, my grandma came along for the week! Kirra certainly LOVES her Great Grandma Strite!
My sweet cousin Tina came as well (to see grandma) and visit us!
Over Mother's Day weekend, we headed up to Higgins Lake...here's the Doctor with her patient...if you look closely, his "problem" was an ear ache, so Kirra used her resources and put corks in Papa's ears to make him feel better! :)
My friend Alexis' baby shower...I'm 35 weeks preggers and she is 33 in this pic!
My students threw me a surprise baby shower on May 14th and "showered" Kirra with a few gifts as well...her favorite was a necklace that says "Big Sister"!!! She wears it almost every day!

Pool Jumping

2010-05-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

April/Easter

2010-05-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break we headed down to Orlando for a week of our first "just US" family vacation!

A little Easter Egg Hunting around the pool.
Kirra explaining what she was going to do with her treasures!
We took a morning to head to Downtown Disney (free) and walked around...Kirra still doesn't know that the Mickey and Minnie Mouse that she saw aren't at cool as the "live" ones...but we're gonna keep it that way for a while!
Pool Time!
We did meet up with some friends at Typhoon Lagoon on Thursday and Kirra had a BALL playing in the water all day!

2 Months Later...

2010-05-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Well..I've been a little slack when it comes to the blog, so I'll keep the stories short!

Megan at 6 months preggers!
Kirra received an early Easter gift from Aunty Ann and Uncle Jonathan...and enjoyed playing in the peanuts and box before getting to play with her gifts!
Kirra's friend Bella came for a visit...they enjoyed playing with playdough
Kirra listening to her sister!
Alexis (Mick) Mercer and I with our preggers bellies! We're due two weeks apart (me first).

Now I Lay Me...

2010-03-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

Guide me safely through the night

And wake me with the morning light

Amen

March, Come and Almost Gone

2010-03-20T18:08:00.001-07:00

Can I say that I am so excited that March is almost over? We've had quite a busy month with Alan's 29th birthday on the 5th, to lots of school events and responsibilities, to two of the sweetest little girls being welcomed into the world (Sydney to the Byrnes' and Cadence to the Sharda's--congrats friends), to a few family outings (Meijer Gardens Butterfly Night and Finding Nemo on Ice!) Only two more weeks and we're into April AND spring break! We've also been (as best as we can) observing Lent--this year Alan and I decided that we didn't want to give something up, but actually add something to our lives. We've not been as consistent as we would have hoped, but we have been trying to spend daily quiet times reading the Bible and praying. Mars Hill, our church, also put out a Lent Calendar that I have been observing as well (things that the entire community could be doing together--check it out at marshill.org).

Kirra has definitely entered a new stage--one that we're not excited about--TANTRUMS! We are thrilled that it has taken her almost 30 months to get to this point and we are very aware that it is a normal part of her development, but we are also very adamant about the fact that there are other ways for her to get her feelings/thoughts across (and to be honest, she has really only had a few meltdowns) The public tantrum is the worst (like the one she had at Kohl's the other day where she completely fell apart because she didn't want to try on a pair of shoes), but this stage is also teaching us about how we need to be more intentional about Kirra's schedule/sleeping/feeding needs etc. I am hoping that this stage lasts only a short time and that by the time baby #2 comes in June she'll be tantrumed out! Wishful thinking?! :)

Below are pics from Nemo on Ice and our family night at Meijer Gardens (didn't get any butterfly pics cuz the place was PACKED):

Here's to another two weeks of March...and hopefully no more snow!!!

Like Daddy...

2010-03-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Like Kirra...

Sometimes I look at Kirra and wonder if there is ANY part of me within her little self! She certainly has a lot of her Daddy in her...including some of her more defined personality traits!

Traditions

2010-03-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

For at least 6 years (I think) we have been taking time to enjoy the great outdoors with our dear friends Jen and Kevin Wolthuis. The first few years (before kids) were spent cross-country skiing either at Higgins Lake or at Boyne for a long weekend. Once the kiddos came along, we maintained the tradition, but expanded our adventures to Chicago (where Jen is from). This year, we went back to our roots, and enjoyed a nice weekend at my mom and dad's of yummy food, some skiing (Elinore is a great little pole-less skier) and some sledding on the pond! We even rented Kirra some of the smallest skis and boots available, however, our little princess did not want to partake--maybe next year! She sure did enjoy the backpack though! Unfortunately, we did not have the cameras out much, so here a few of the shots we actually took!

Kevin, Elinore, Alan and Kirra played some games while Jen and I whipped up our yummy dinner!

It's fun having kiddos who play so well together. Here're the girls exploring outside!

Thanks friends for such a great weekend!

Getting Up To Speed

2010-02-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I'm all caught up...I think.

Over a weekend in January, Alan released me from mommy duty and I headed to Chicago to spend the weekend two of my dearest friends, Chel and Aners (two girls whom I lived with all four years of my life at Hope). Chel turned 30 back in December, but we celebrated together with a little "spa" weekend! We definitely missed the 4th roommate, Sarah, but she was 36+ weeks preggers and couldn't make the journey from NYC!

Kirra is just starting to get into playing dress up! I love it! Luckily we have some older friends in our life, so we get all the hand-me-downs!

Kirra's bestest friend in the whole entire world is Norah...and she got to dress up too!

Happy Valentine's Day 2010! On Valentine's morning we took it easy and just had a family dance party (Kirra's newest thing before heading to bed is having a dance party of some sort. Sometimes I ask her what music she wants and she says, "The music in my head mama!")

I am realizing that I have not taken any preggers pics of myself, you can kinda see a little baby bump in the above pic, but I'll try to post some soon!

Ah, tulips! This is just a reminder that spring really isn't that far away!

Singing

2010-02-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

This was taken back in October, but I just had to post it...

Kirra's Tricks

2010-02-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009...Part 2

2010-02-25T18:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I wasn't patient enough and these pics are completely out of order, but oh well!

We all made it to Branson, MO safely and enjoyed a nice long week being a whole family!!

Happy 2010...they did fireworks over the lake outside of our condos...quite a display (much better than Roscommon's on the 4th of July!)

Kirra enjoying her "pool" time in the tub when the pool was closed one day.

A view of one of the lodges on the property!

My sweet little Tate...and my beautiful sister too!

Nana playing with her girls and their new Leapfrog toys!

Almost looks like Kirra's looking for lice...but they were just enjoying their tub swim time together!

Tate just chillin' while the girls ran around with their dolls and strollers!

Mom and Dad treated us all to a Limo ride that took us around Branson to see the Christmas lights...wasn't the greatest light show in the world, but it was lots of fun being cramped together in a limo for almost 2 hours! :)

Finally, the pool was open for business!

One of MANY attempts at getting a good photo of all 5 of them!

On our way to Branson, we stopped in St. Louis to visit a friend of mine from High School, Michelle Hartzler and her kiddos.

Daddy and Kirra enjoying the pool...

We got creative with our stockings since we weren't able to put nails in the mantles!

Christmas 2009...Part 1

2010-02-25T18:29:00.001-08:00

December 21, 2009 marked our 7th Anniversary! It's so hard to believe that that many years has already gone by. We are so excited for at least another 7...I love being married to my best friend! Each year we alternate planning something special for each other. I'm on the odd years and Alan has the even years. This year we did a few different things...

1. Kirra went to spend the day with Miss Shelly and we went shopping, ate The Melting Pot for lunch, and just enjoyed being together during the day.

2. I surprised him with an overnight stay at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City. We dropped Kirra off in Higgins Lake with Nana and Papa and headed north for a little "get away". It was a relaxing afternoon/night of just being us and celebrating all that God has blessed us with.

We headed back to Higgins Lake just in time for our annual Family Game night with the Micks/Mercers, Ashworths, Carrolls, McDonalds, and Zeneberg/Freudigmanns. Kirra surely loved her time with Uncle Eric, Uncle Alex and Aunty Beth!!!!

Our plan was to stay in Higgins Lake until Christmas Day, but the weather was not looking promising and we had to make it to Branson, MO in time to meet up with my sister's family for the rest of our Christmas break, so we packed the car quickly on Christmas Eve night and drove down to Grand Rapids for the night. We didn't have much of a Christmas dinner, since all we had was leftovers, but being together with my mom and dad was all we needed. On Christmas morning Alan and my dad went out to find anything they could that would resemble a yummy breakfast, but nothing was open. Kirra was able to open her gifts, and then use them as we packed the car to begin our long journey to Branson. ART was the theme for her Christmas...sticker books, an easel with paints, coloring books, markers, etc.

On Christmas Day we drove as far as we could through nasty snow storms and made it about half way to Branson. We ate at Denny's (the ONLY restaurant open for miles) and then relaxed in a hotel for the night. Papa and Kirra had some quality "bonding" time!

Where to Begin...Again

2010-02-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have followed my ramblings over the past five years on our previous blog, you will know that something "happened" in November that caused that blog to disappear. I won't go into details (Alan deleted it by accident), but took a little break from posting, creating, and blogging altogether. However, I'm back and ready to roll with new stories, pictures, and reflections on life! Hope you enjoy....

Back in November, I headed off on a little adventure with three other girlfriends from college to a fabulous place called Barcelona, Spain! One of our dearest friends, Amy Woolard was getting married and none of us wanted to miss it (and reallly, who could turn up a vacation to Spain?!). We took a nine day trip across the Atlantic, saw fabulous sights, "lived" some of the authentic Spanish life with Amy, and most importantly got to be witnesses to one of the most beautiful weddings ever! Unfortunately, I left my camera battery charger back at home and only was able to take one day's worth of pictures...but the memories and the mental pictures are still quite vivid for me!

This was Segrada Familia (if you are into architecture, then you may know who Gaudi is, if not, this really won't mean much to you). It was a magnificent church that has been under construction since the early 1900's and is not scheduled to be completed until 2050 or something like that!

After returning home from that trip, I was definitely eager to see my sweet Kirra, and of course Alan too! Fairly soon the snow began to fall and we were able to get outside in our "backyard" to play a bit!

Kirra has become quite the little helper in the kitchen since her 2nd birthday, which is wonderful for me! We can spend quality time together AND get things done on my "to do" lists at the same time! Below, she is helping me do the dishes, while wearing her Dora apron that her Aunty Jen gave her for her birthday!

A Fresh Start

2009-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for a recap of our life over the last few months...

A new blog...

New stories...

A new format...

Hope you enjoy!