Jackie's Christmas Concert

 This week was Jacqueline's Christmas Concert at school.  She was very excited to have everone hear all the songs that they have been learning at school.

Jingle Bells

This is Jackie with her current best friend.  How cute are they.

Traditions

Traditions just happen at the holidays don't they.  When I was kid thanksgiving night I always had a sleepover with Aunt Sharon and then on Black Friday we would go see a movie.   This year Kate and Kelly (and Grandma and Papa) took Jackie and Grace to see the Peanut Movie on Black Friday and it made me stop and think of Aunt Sharon and all the fun would have going to the movies together.

Abby and I have started an accidental tradition of running into eachother at Bretton to see Santa and the train, so this year she invited us to go.  The kids had a good time seeing Santa, (Grace was no so sure about him but all the bigger kids knew just what to ask Santa for.)  I love these traditions.  They remind me of when I was little and I hope some day my kidds look back with fond memories just like I do.

Thanksgiving Dance

I know most families eat turkey and go home.. but not the Faasse's.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been a little while again... what can I say time gets away from me but these videos needed to be posted.    So what am I thankful for this year: That at dinner the fight is not do we need to pray but who gets to pray.

And one more older video I should have posted around Halloween.

Elsa & Merida

We had to go Halloween Costume Shopping today.  The girls were quite convinced it we did not go now all the good costumes would be gone.  SO 4 stores later we finally found exactly what they were looking for.  Grace has wanted to be everything from Batman to Minny Mouse to Princess Jasmine but more then anything else when I ask her who she wants to be the answer was Elsa so the choice did not completely surprise me.

 Jackie has been telling me for two weeks that she wanted to be Ariel but before we left the house today she changed her mind and wanted Merida.  (A choice I was thrilled with, Merida is a lot easier to layer warm clothes under and easier to walk in then a mermaid tail.)  However, Merida must not be as popular as some of the others because Party City, Walmart and Meijer all failed to have a Merida dress in the store.  So I finally agreed we would try Target and then we were giving up.  Not only did they have the dress they had the bow and arrows too.  Jackie was thrilled.  

Now all we will need is to carve pumpkins and buy candy and we are ready.

First days of school

Last week Jackie got to start at school.  She was very excited to have Mrs. Amy and Mrs. Traci this year.  School 4 mornings a week is a lot to get used to but she is having fun and loving it.  Hard to believe how fast she is growing up.

One more picture,  all the Meeuwsen girls in their dresses from Oma

Summer Fun

Sorry summer is just too much fun to find time to write.  We have been busy tiedye, ballon show, mini golf adventures, sailing (yes Adam's boat is done) lots of swimming tomorrow the girls are going to a ball game and next week is VBS.  It is busy but it is fun.  

Happy 4th of July

The 4th of July just makes me think of Grandma Jackie.  There is something about fireworks and flag cookies, that scream her name, but we also always spent time at the cottage around the fourth.  Aunt Sharon's kids have birthdays right around patriotic summer holidays and so the forth always meant making a cake.  I have vivid memories of sitting on the counter tops up at the cottage mixing up a cakes with Aunt Sharon.  There is something about boxed yellow mix that still brings me back to warm days at the cottage.  Aunt Sharon would always let me help, and let me sneak a finger-full of frosting.  We always decorated the cake with strawberries and blueberries to look like a flag, or maybe just so we could pretend that the cake was healthy.   Where ever you are when you read this I hope you have a lovely 4th filled with family and friends.

Sisters

Most days these two don't want to dress alike anymore so I thought I better snap a photo for grandma when I can.

Out for a ride

So again I am not doing good at writing, sorry too often we are outside.  The girls love summer.  They would play outside all day long.  We been spending huge amounts of time playing in an inflatable pool, and on the swings.  (Grace decided no more baby swing for her, she is growing up so fast.)
Last night Adam when out into the field and cut some paths for Jackie to drive through.  The girls were in heaven.  Cruising through some twisty trails surrounded by grasses taller then they are.  I think that this will defiantly be on the list of things to do again today if the rain holds off.

But really today will be a day for Grace.  This big girl has earned her trip to Build a Bear.  (I am glad to be done with diapers.)  Aunt Kate is coming into town to go with us to the mall.  Both girls are super excited.  Way to go big girl.

Potty Training

Grace is my strong willed independent child.   At this moment this is a trait that has been causing some trouble.  I know some day this will be one of her best characteristics so I am trying hard to remember the goal is not to force her to bend to my will but to convince her what I need her to do and what she wants to do are one in the same.

 So it's not been awful but it's not easy getting her to listen about Potty Training.  She had been going before bed for a few weeks before we really started training on Monday.  Some days she is on board and does awesome, but then when it is not what she wants to do there is tears and screaming.  Today was a great morning, easy accident free she was telling me when she need to go and did perfect even out in public.  Hence the ride on the carousel.  But as nap time neared and she was busy playing then accidents happen.  Oh well I know it will come it just takes time.

Brave

I am often amazed by Jacqueline's Bravery, her willingness to do any Giant Inflatable or the High Ropes Course at the Bowling ally.  She often tells me she is "Brave like Mereida" of course all things come back to a Disney Princess at our house.  As brave as she is these rope disk were hard for her at the park a few weeks ago, mostly because we were getting close to bedtime, tired and fear go hand in hand.  I encouraged her to be Brave reminder her she could do it and after a few words of encouragement eventually she made it a cross.  At the same time I had been talking to Adam about entering ArtPrize this year, and before I put her to bed on this night Jackie told me to be Brave that I could do it.  So I listened,  I cannot tell her to brave if I am not going to be.  Today I signed by Hosting Agreement my work will be a Central Reformed Church this fall.  It is not quite done but here a sneak peak...http://www.artprize.org/tara-meeuwsen/2015/a-solemn-request  Thanks Jacqueline for reminding me to be Brave.

Jackie singing Apple Seed

Jackie heard that Grandma keeps watching Grace sing over and over again and she wanted to sing too.  So here it is Grandma just for you.

Also today was Jacqueline's last day of preschool.  I think the hardest part was saying goodbye to her best friend Tiffany.


And a Grace photo too just because she is cute.  (Jackie and I took Grace shopping to get Big Girl Underware this week!  We won't start potty training until I am done with school but that is the goal for the summer.  Grace is so silly she really wanted the little boy Avengers Underware but she finally settled on some Elmo ones.)

A day at the farm

Today was the running of the Lamb out at Critter Barn in Zeeland so away we went with Kate and Kelly Grandma and Papa, Cheryl, Abby, Austin and Ava.  (This is how Kate wanted to celebrate her birthday. )

Happy Birthday Kate!

 Grace is such an animal nut she loved seeing all the babies and there are so many animals there that you can touch.  She loved it.  In Jackie's words "Those animals were soo cute if they were quiet and not stinky they could come home with me."  I think a fun time was had by all,

One more photo. This is Jackie's preschool class at Hagar Park this week.  Hard to believe she only has 2 days of school left and she will be done for the summer.  She loved school with Miss Julie and Miss Deb this year.  

Just for my mom

I know I went from not posting for months to posting like crazy but my mom really wanted more blog post so for her sake I am trying to do better.  Some days I don't always know what to say so today I will let the some videos speak instead.  Here is Jackie at the beach on her boogie board

Grace singing "You are my Sunshine"

Mom

Can you spell mom... Jackie can?  As soon as she got home from school today she present me with this beautiful flower garden stick she made and she wrote mom on the front all by herself.  (Maybe she will get the spelling skills that Adam and I lack).  

Verse of the week

For Christmas my dad made me this memo board.  For the last month or so the girls and I have been picking a new bible verse each week and writing/drawing it on the board.  This weeks verse was John 1:5 "The light shines into the darkness but the darkness has not overcome it."

This was last weeks verse.  "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

A thought from church today...

I think that this photo of Jackie sometimes sums up life at our house, CRAZY.  To her there is logic in needed goggles and an umbrella and pretending to surf on the front lawn but to the rest of the world it is just crazy.  But I was reminded in church today that we all live life a little on the crazy.  I worry about and pray about so many silly everyday things like but sometimes I fail to take the time to stop and really talk to God the way I should.  I fail to take the time to focus on the big things in life and what really matters,  I wonder if I often seem as crazy and hard to understand to God as Jackie does to me.  We were challenged today at church to pray big, to expect God to answer and to ask God to take us out of our comfort zone to have Radical faith.  I have heard sermons about this before but today this was hard to hear.

When I was a student it was easy to ask God make my faith radical and to mean it when I prayed "Lord send me".  Now however I have kids of my own and I like the stable routine of our life.  I like knowing what tomorrow brings even if Monday is laundry day.  The idea of asking God to ruin this comfort is hard and that makes me sad.  I went for a walk tonight with Grace and prayed that God would give me strength to pray big prayers again, to stop focusing on what I want and to focus on what God wants for my life.  I pray God helps me take off the swim goggles and see the world as he does, that I realize there is no reason for an umbrella when I should be rejoicing in the sun shine, and to understand that God will make his plans happen according to his own time table so there is no need to pretend to surf in the yard when the time is right the waves will be there too.
Jackie and Grace I share this post with you today partially because I want you to know that you are crazy so if I have gray hair early in life you will know why.  But mostly because I want you to know that God has big plans for you, that I will pray big prayers for you.

John Ball Zoo

 Today we headed off to John Ball Zoo with Kate, Abby, Austin and Ava.  The girls were so excited.  We had to get some pictures with John Ball Statue to start the day.

 Grace really liked all the sheep and goats in the petting zoo.  I think she would have stayed  a lot longer.  She had no fear of them.

Aunt Kate took the girls for a Camel ride too.  A beautiful fun day for the zoo.  

Elsa all the time

Today was Princess Day at school and so Jackie wore her Elsa dress because her best friend Tiffany was going to be Elsa too!  Then she had to wear her swim googles today because she was hoping it was going to get warm enough this weekend to go to Kelly's pool.  I tried explaining it won't be warm enough for that for some time but she is not convinced.

Jackie was Elsa this past weekend at the doll tea party at church.  She loved every second of the tea party what is better then green punch pink cupcakes and bingo.  She had a blast in her princess dress and bought the Elsa doll that Grandma Carol made with her.

It's been a while...

This is the girls at Fredrick Meijer Gardens seeing the butterflies.  Jackie was not that into the butterflies and Grace really did not like them landing on her, but they did have fun playing with all the old fashioned toys in the cabin.

Easter was great.  The girls both loved seeing Aunt Kate the Easter bunny.  They were spoiled with Candy soo much that we still have a lot left, however Grace has managed to eat out all of the chocolate.  She was a big fan of the Recess Bunnies.

 Jackie turned 4 on April 5.  It was a moving birthday, she got a new bike from Aunt Kate and Aunt Kelly and so we have been biking a lot.  The Pink and Purple Dune Racer was her gift from Adam and I. (Thank goodness it is locked in slow speed at the moment because she loves flying around the yard. )

Oma Karie made these beautiful dresses as part of Jackie's birthday gift too.  I just wish we could get a picture of the these two with the two little girls in Alaska all in their dresses.

 Grace on the Easter egg hunt.

One last photo this is Grace on my birthday eating my cake.   I went and got a slice of cake from Arnies and she saw the chocolate and decided she needed to eat it forget the fork she just dove straight in.

Grace's 2nd Birthday

It is hard to believe that Grace turned 2 already.  On Valentine's Day, amidst a snowstorm we had her big family party.  Thankfully almost everyone made it even with freezing temps and crazy snow and everyone that came, and all who did were safe on the roads.  

 Grace had a great time opening presents.  She did get some help opening a few from all the other kiddos but she was ok with that.  She was spoiled with a red wagon, a giant elephant, a cute swimsuit, a remote control car, more magformers, a new book, and a backpack.

She is such a silly kiddo and so different then her sister.  For her birthday she wanted a hot dog and to go to the mall and ride the froggy on the carousel. (The whole time she had her tongue out of her mouth and kept repeating "froggy ribit ribit".)  

 Grace at 2 loves the book "Press Here", her favorite toys are "Ele" from Oma and "Big Buddy" her monkey.  She loves mints and Dark Chocolate.  She defiantly is more of a trouble maker then Jackie was at this age but if someone is hurting Grace is always there with a hug and a smile.   She still loves to cuddle and read, which I love.  So much fun to see her growing up it just feels like it is happening so fast.

Ava turns two this upcoming weekend, but we already got to go to her kitty themed party.  (Gotta love those kitty ears.)  So much fun to see all of the family two weeks in a row.