Do I remember how to do this!?!?!

Which one of you didn't fall over with surprise that you didn't see Ellery's picture in the hospital when you opened up this blog?! :) Well my friends, after a one year hiatus from the blog, I am back. I am embarrassed that I am a year behind. It's all mom's fault. You see, the next blog post was slated to be Evan and Annica's birthday pics from LAST year, but at their party, my camera battery died, and mom took all the pics. So I was going to update when I got them from her. Which I sill haven't!! So then I just got further and further behind, and then it was just ridiculously behind.... So I'm NOT going to catch the blog up to date. I am just jumping in here, right now.
Dwight and Leshia are the awesomest bloggers ever. Great job guys. We love it! Bethany, you stink almost as much as me. Brad.... you make your girls do it... periodically. You're OK. Phil and Chris. Oh brother. Oh brothers, rather. Lame-o. (okay, sure you both had posts since, mine, but whatever.) Mom, she probably lost her giant yellow legal pad with the notes how to blog. So now I'll have to re-teach her.
So now I will attempt to redeem myself. You might be bored though. I don't fall down mountainsides or see starfish, and I don't have any chickens or goats, so I lead a relatively uneventful life! Maybe I'll take pics of the icky algae slimeball that my pool has become. (equipment failed mid-summer, many dollars to fix..... :( Better luck next year). That' the extent of my excitement.
Okay, rambling. I'll just do pics now:

Oh bummer, I HATE date stamp on pics. I have GOT to remember to turn that option off.

Ev with a toad on his face.
4th of July Parade in Grandville

She's a little bigger now than the last post!

Evan attended soccer camp at CCHS for a week. He loved it.

He's "beckham"

We went camping mid August at the CRC conference grounds. The next several pics are from that trip.

The usual group... you can probably blow this up to see Eddie and Mandie, Kent and Annie, etc.

Cutest Buns on the beach!

Oh yeah... what a babe.

Sleeping on the beach.

Okay, these pics are from the Hudsonville fair....

Spoiled rotten, these two.

Yum.........

This little one takes after her mother.

Evan's first day of first grade.

Jason blowing out his 31 candles.

These pics are from Ellery's b-day.

This table was one of her presents that Jay and I made.

Taylor....

My handsome Poppa.

Ellery and her cake. She doesn't seem to like the taste...

Oh, it must have been edible after all.....

Note the outrageously wrong date stamp. Dumb thing. I have GOT to fix that

Her baby that she got. She just loves it.

Annica cannot keep her hands off Ellery. Ever. She is always picking her up, moving her around, etc. And Ellery is starting to get sick of it, as you may see here.

Silly Ellie Bellie

I'm working on painting a mural on ellery's wall.... I'll show you when I'm done!

She loves to play peek-a-boo with the door. Problem is that she shuts it EVERY time, and she can't do the knob, so I almost knock her over each peek.

Upon finishing up my lawn work one Saturday night, I came around the garage to find this kitty eating milk and Reese's puff, courtesy of our animal lover Annica. She loves to feed the barn cats from across the road. And they keep coming back for more....

Okay, so I did it! I updated the blog, and will attempt to stay current!! Love you all!

Ellery Joyce has arrived!! (OK, a month ago...)

After much anticipation, the Lord blessed our family with a little girl, Ellery Joyce, on August 21!

She is named "Ellery" after grandma Velerie, and "Joyce" after Jason's mom's middle name, and his grandmother.

Tipping the scales at 9lbs. 2oz., and was 21.5 inches long.

Big sister Annica getting to hold her for the first time.

Grandpa and Grandma Engelsma

Big brother Ev.

In the carseat ready to leave the hospital... slightly out of order, sorry.

Auntie Dana

Our entire family for the first time!

Grandpa and Grandma Kuiper

Now we're back home. Here's goofy Annica after a bath.

Evan holding Ellery. He always likes to lay down to "hold" her. What a snuggler he is.

My other helper.

Just one day shy of Ellery being a week old, we took the kids to the Hudsonville fair. Here are some balloon creations that the kids got. A sword for Evan, and an owl perched on Annica's shoulder to match the one on her shirt.

A sampling of west michigan's best...

Wheeee! A ferris wheel! Don't cry Bethany. If Annica can do it, I'm sure you could too, you big SISSY!!! He he he.

Evan on the flying swings.... And I shall stop to mock another sibling. PHILIP! We all know the story of him screaming his bloody head off so they had to stop the ride.... :)

Annica on the flying elephants.

We went to the beach the week before Labor day... Jason's mom's family had a cottage out at Grand Haven, so we went out for the afternoon.

This picture isn't posed.... what are you talking about? They sit like this all the time!

Ellery on Labor Day.

Our little boy started Kindergarten this year! Waaaaaa. No, he loves it, and that makes it bearable for me. :)

Labor day morning, mom, Evan, Annica, Ellery, and I went to Uncle Gerald's blueberry fields to glean what was left after the harvest. It was kind of fun! I have a ton of blueberries to make smoothies all winter long!

Played with a giant toad for a while... which was released into my van, and we couldn't find it for a while. Good thing they finally did, or I'd have spazzed all the way home.

Labor day afternoon, fishing at the pond.

Annica and Emma Bosveld modeling some of the DARLING hats and purses that mom knit for Kathi Holstege's shop.

Annica cashed out on the floor one sleepy afternoon.

September 20 we had baptism for Ellery. Dad was in Colorado, and was not able to do the baptism... but that's OK. We had the coffee in our backyard, and it was a beautiful day.

Laura, I wish you could have made me a cute lamb cake like the ones you used to do. But I'll just have to settle for Costco, since you're miles away. Sorry you couldn't be here!

Mom holding Ellery.

Jason's parents, and his Grandma Dena peeking through the middle.

I just took these last two pictures this morning, so I'm all caught up to date now!! Ellery is starting to smile, and I managed to catch a little bit of one on the last picture. She is such a JOY to have, and is such a good baby!! We are truly blessed to have 3 healthy, beautiful children!!

Good bye for now!!