Kiddie Pool Fun

We recently got a new kiddie pool (from one of my bosses whose kids are too old for it now) and the boys love it -- with or without the water! They played in it today for a good hour.

We had breakfast this morning with my VLugt sisters at Nana's with all the cousins as a last hurrah before Auntie Dana heads back to school for the year and to celebrate the end of summer. Woah... end of summer?! When did that happen?

20 Months, 21 Weeks

My 20 month old boys are growing and changing every day; Sam is 25 pounds, Ty is 30 pounds. My 21 week old boy is growing and changing every day too; little bud is 1 pound. That's right -- it's another boy! We had our ultrasound this week and he is looking great -- healthy and normal, 75% for weight. We went to an allergist two weeks ago for the twins -- not so healthy and normal so we went and had the blood testing redone and hopefully we'll get the results soon. We may have to reevaluate our diet for the boys but thankfully, the allergist recommended we see a dietician. It would be wonderful to have some help with what to feed our kids -- somehow I think sausages, hot dogs and fruit snacks probably isn't cutting it. There are days when I would just love to make them an easy PB&J, or mac n cheese, or grilled cheese, or pretty much anything normal. It's hard to say no, heartbreaking even sometimes. Argh. But I guess the idea is that by doing all this crazy diet now, hopefully someday they can eat normally.

We had a fun and busy day Thursday at the Conference Grounds with the Ploegs. The boys played on the beach, played a little in Lake Michigan (although mostly just with buckets as the water was in the 50's), played in the kiddie pool, played on the playground, played at the campsite. They were both out cold within minutes of leaving at 7:30pm. Just exhausted. But it was a beautiful, fun day!

Camp VanderLugt 2011

Another year of Camp VanderLugt is in the history books. We went back to Big Star Lake in Baldwin, Michigan this year and it was a beautiful week at the beach (only two days were gloomy). Sam struggled a little at night with sleeping but as a whole, they slept and napped pretty well (especially compared to last year!). We played in the sand, in the water, by the cottage, in the cottage, and around the cottage. There was a lot of baseball, sand and water in and out of pails, sunscreen, wet bathing suits, sandy feet, trains and cars inside, campfires, smores, popsicles, Praise Baby and Backyardagains. I can't tell you any one super exciting thing that happened but every day was busy, busy, busy and filled with family and fun. It is very cool to see how the all cousins interact (Will and Caleb are two peas in a pod) -- we are up to 8 grandbabies as of this year, 11 come next year, and they are all so different but all very good and happy kids.

I do miss seeing and hugging all the little munchkins (and of course, my siblings) and having a lake feet away from our place for the hot days when the boys want to be outside, but it is nice to be home. I wasn't exactly anxious to get home (thankfully, I really love my family!), but the benefits of a bed that we fit in, air conditioning, water that doesn't smell like eggs, feet that aren't constantly sandy and dirty, and kids that sleep fairly consistently are nice. The boys were quite funny when we got home too -- I think they missed their house and toys. All in all, it was a successful week at camp!

Summertime

Summertime is so much fun. The boys just love summer; they love to run on the sidewalks, love to hold the water hose, love to fill up their pails, love to shoot hoops, love to play baseball, and they love to eat popsicles. What's not to love about summer?

We had a fun-filled day yesterday that left the boys (and mommy and daddy) pooped today. First we went to Nana's house to plan the upcoming "Camp VanderLugt" with my sisters (I am very hopeful for a fun week with the boys, full of naps and sleeping through the night). They always love to play at Nana's with their cousins. Then we went to celebrate my friend Betsy's upcoming baby at a house on Green Lake. While the loved the beach and the new toys and steps to explore, it was the slide into the kiddie pool that was the highlight of the night. They were relentless and quite entertaining going down the slide and splashing in the pool. That is, of course, until Tyler's foot got caught on the top of the slide and he took a dive head first into the cement. That was a little terrifying but he seems to be just fine and was ready to go play (but not on the slide) within 10 minutes. Kids are tough!

As far as news updates, I am now 17 weeks pregnant and doing pretty well. We find out next appointment (in 4 weeks) if it's a girl or a boy and we can't wait! I always find the appointments interesting though as they are much less intense compared to last pregnancy! Tyler's molars are all in and now the eye teeth are starting to poke through. Sam's upper molars are in, the lowers are working on it. We've had a rough few days with eating -- I think Sam ate just 2 sausages for breakfast and maybe 2 packs of fruitsnacks, and some veggie straws all day yesterday. He can be such a bugger (no wonder he lost weight last time!). I do think it is working though. While their skin is not perfect, I can tell when they eat something they shouldn't and they do look pretty "normal", for the most part. We also just bought a mini-van after much deliberation and negotiation ... and boy am I glad to be done with that!

Otherwise, all is well with the Ploegs. We are enjoying summer and trying to deal with the heat!

July Fun

My boys have found a new love: water. Sprinkler, hose, tub, pool, lake -- you name it, they love it. Here is some of the fun we had tonight:

And here are the boys this morning in an unprompted show of love :).

We had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. We enjoyed a beautiful Sunday at the Holtvluwer's cottage in Howard City (Brenda's parents). On Monday, we went to the Grandville Fourth of July Parade and then back to the Ploegs for lunch, wiffle ball, and sprinklers.

We also got Sam's first haircut last week. He wasn't thrilled about it but with the help of some Smarties, he did just fine. No trim for Tyler yet but it really is starting to come in!

Updates!

The boys had their 18 month checkup last week. Tyler gained a little (less than a pound) but is still about 80% for weight, 95% for height. Sam lost weight and is now 20% for weight, 90% for height. Some of that is due to the fact that he just plum doesn't like to eat (or at least not what he is allowed to eat), some of that is due to the nasty cold that has hit the entire VPloeg household. We also were referred to an allergist since their skin hasn't exactly been great, even with the food diet. Amazingly though, this week they both look pretty good so I haven't exactly been jumping to set up the appointment (I know I'll regret that later).

Aside from the boys' health, we have been doing pretty well. Nothing new really but they are growing and learning and playing just like normal kids. Here are some pics from the Raredon's beach. They just love it -- no tears, no whining, just lots of fun in the sand!

8 Years + 1 1/2 Years = Crazy

Jack and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on Monday with a romantic dinner accompanied by our boys who turned 1 1/2 years old the day before. And by "romantic", I mean boys climbing on the table, pulling on shirts, throwing sippy cups, and crying for cookies. Such is our life, huh? Our wedding day seems like ages ago but nevertheless, a fun day to remember and celebrate, even if only with a crazy dinner and the flowers Jack brought home for me.

My toddlers (totally not babies anymore as they are fast approaching 2!) are doing well. They love to play outside, even in the 90 degree weather. They love to scoot on their trucks. They love fruit snacks and orange juice. They love their mamma. They love their Praise Baby DVD before naps or bedtime (but tragically, all our DVR's of Lawrence Welk were deleted when our AT&T malfunctioned). Tyler has 8? teeth, including 1 molar and the other 3 poking through. Sam has 8; no molars yet but they are trying to come in too. Skin and food are a constant battle but the giggles and hugs help me move past it. We are finally in "coast" mode for naps (partially due to our routine of Praise Baby and singing songs), at least most of the time. What was once an awful cry-fest, is now fairly painless. They nap between 1ish and 3ish and sleep from 8:30 til 7 something (or 8:30am like Wednesday this week!). One of the two generally wakes up sometime in the middle of the night at least 2 out of 10 nights but still, I count that as pretty good. One day this week, Sam literally ran giggling to his crib for his nap and went right down. That was a first.

Jack and I are knee-deep in big decisions involving a new minivan and maybe a new house. We've only made baby steps so far, but both are likely inevitable. It would be one thing if either one was like "should I buy this $30 blender or the $75 one?" ... but no, these both have decidedly higher price tags with decidedly higher stress. Beyond that, I'd say we are doing well. Excited for more nice days, wagon rides, and baseball with the boys.