Last week we went to the GR Van Andel Museum with Grandma Engelsma, and other aunts and cousins. It was free during Christmas break, and they had free carasoul rides, so we took advantage of that. We had a very fun time!

Annica under the huge whale skeleton

Riding an old fashioned stagecoach
Evan... not quite reaching the petals!

Super cool plane.... bethany, you should probably make a paper mache one like this! :)

Evan in an old war uniform

Both of the kids on the carasoul... pretty sure I'm spelling that wrong...

Annica, being as ferocious as the bear behind her! EEEeek!

My future little scientist. She was looking at these sample slides for like 10 minutes, and I finally had to pull her away.

WhoDunIt? was the big exhibit for most of last year. It was a crime scene with clues, and recorded witness accounts, and the body to do an autopsy with.... all kinds of charts explaining blood spatter patterns, and size of entry wounds, etc. Very super interesting, and then you have to solve the crime, and they give you the answer at the end. I didn't get to actually do it, b/c they kids of course don't care, and it would have taken like 1.5 hours to actually do.... oh well. The exhibit is gone now for the new year :(

Our mugshots

Police motorcycle with flashing lights...

In the cop car... they loved this!

In the slammer!

Then after the museum, the kids wanted to walk across the river which was super high. We had a big melt, and all of the walking paths by the river were under water. So we crossed the big blue bridge, and they though that was great.

These kids are all Jason's sister Heather's, with the tallest in the back being his Aund Ronda Slenbroek's.

Okay, that is all.... We had fun that day.... hope you enjoy looking!

Sunday School Christmas Program at Grandville

This was Evan's first year in Sunday school, and his first program. It was so sweet to watch for the first time/first child :) He had lots of songs to learn, and a verse, and it was very enjoyable to spend the time teaching him.

(Evan is in the front row, toward the very right, with a red tie.)

And I was trying to load a video, but it took forever, and then said error, so no song for you.

Christmas day at home

We've had some crazy amounts of snow here this winter. Here is a picture of my patio set on the back deck.

going, going,.......

.... and gone!

Christmas day at our house, we had a pretty quiet day. We didn't have to go anywhere, so we just did gifts with our kids after church.

Their customary cheesy grins when I am trying to take a nice photo.... aren't they darling children... :)

Kuiper family Christmas

This year, the Kuiper family Christmas party had a big hole in it... We missed all of our out of state family terribly. Only 4 of the 9 kids were there! It just wasn't the same... but in spite of that, we managed to have a great time. For the first time, we decided to do an early afternoon party on a Sat. (Dec. 20). We went to Charlie's Dump by dad and mom's house, and went sledding, which was a riot. The kids had a great time. I didn't take my camera sledding, and Brad's battery went dead shortly after we got there, but Dana got some shots on real film, so I'll have to wait for her to old school develope them, and them, and then I can post some... Then we headed back to dad and mom's for appetizers and hot chocolate. Then the kids opening their presents, and by then we were all so stufed we couldn't even think about supper... so we ate supper at like 7:30. But we played games, and it was a good time. I should have taken more pics... all I really got was one of each grandkid opening presents.... so sorry for the lack of adult pics, but here you go.....

Annica

Evan

Oliver- getting his first christmas fleece from Grandma

Max

Ethan

Nick
Taylor

Lindsey

Mackenzie

Engelsma Christmas Party

Hello all. It has been well over a month since I've posted anything. I guess I didn't have much exciting going on. Unless of course you count.... WE SOLD OUR HOUSE, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE, WE SOLD OUR HOOOOOOUUUUSEE!!!! No big deal :) he he. Yes, we finally sold our house, and we will be closing, Lord willing, on Dec. 30. So for now, we are just enjoying the Christmas season, and I'll give you a few pics from the various parties. So this post will be about the Engelsma family party at Mark and Liz Langeraks on Dec. 13.

Evan, opening his "museum model"-like T-rex. For ages 6+, yet mom and dad are

STRUGGLING big time to understand how to put it together.

Annica got a horse purse which is darling, but her daddy has forbidden it to be taken to church.... can you all help me with that... it's cute isn't it?

Grandpa and Grandma Engelsma with all their grandkids.


Grandpa E. is sleeping right in the middle of the party. Poor man had a kidney stone that week, and was on so many drugs, he couldn't be expected to stay awake!

This past week we went outside on our last really nice day, and tried to take the kid's birthday pictures. It was quite the photo shoot, I'll tell you what. With our goofy kids who only make geeky faces, instead of smiling nicely! :) Yes Dwight, I realize that is a fragment! Aunt Dana did her best to get some good pics, and these are some of my favorites... haven't decided which ones to make into wallets and send... probably just wait for my Christmas card. I'm pretty bad about handing out pictures!
Anyway, here they are. I always start downloading my favorite pics first, and then they end up last, sooooo, in reverse order, here is our day!


Grandma Kuiper MADE the poor kids sit in the tree. Can you see the sheer terror on their faces? Evan said something like- please let me get down, this hurts my winkie!

We took all these pictures at my friend Kelly Langerak's (Rus) house. These are her little boys, Jeremy and Owen, Evan and Annica's little friends.

Always dedicated, Grandma K. along for the ride, there to make the kids smile, and hold the balloons from flying away!

This picture is very much who Evan and Annica are! It is now my desktop wallpaper.

We were trying to take pictures with Evan having 5 balloons, and 3 for Annica, but it was sooo windy, that we gave up, and didn't get any good ones that way!

VERY bored with the whole production.

That's more like him!!

I love this picture, b/c mom has almost the same shot of Dwight and I at this age.