What I learned this summer...

 

A word of advice....when leaving on an extended vacation, plan with your babysitter/child's friends so you aren't gone for back to back lengthy periods of time.  I did not do this.  Therefore, one day after returning from our 2 1/2 week vacation, Tessa's babysitter's family left for their own 2 1/2 week vacation.  So Tessa came back from vacation being used to constant attention and fun activities to two weeks of only mom.  Almost...

 

Luckily I signed Tessa up for a week of "gymnastics" camp at our neighborhood trampoline park.  So Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am - Noon, Tessa went to camp.  It was suppose to include gymnastics, trampoline, hip-hop dance, and arts and crafts.  I'm pretty sure it was more of a supervised playtime that actual teaching of anything, but I'm not complaining!  Tessa loved it so much (and I loved having a few hours of silence) that we did it another week.

 

Some Pics:

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily for us all, Tessa's babysitter/friends came back last week.  She was super excited to see them, as a majority of our church congregation can attest to.  When walking into the Narthex for church Sunday night, she spotted them in the sanctuary and immediately started jumping up and down yelling "Colin and Julia are back, Colin and Julia are back!"  And after church, Colin and Tessa walked around hand-in-hand...two lost friends, reunited.

 

Sooooo thankful they are back and Tessa has friends to miss so much!

Okoboji Vacation 2013

I look forward to our vacation to Okoboji every year and this

year was no exception.  Tommy had a class for work the week before the 4th of July, so I left the weekend before his class and he flew in after his class.  The weather was beautiful, we got to see a lot of extended family, some friends, and I had extra helpers/babysitters for 2 1/2 weeks!  I want to go baaaccccccccccck!  

 

Part of the fun was watching Tessa enjoy the lake and family.  She was constantly busy and being entertained, and of course, entertaining everyone.

 

Out on the boat:

 



 

 

Tessa turned 3 while we were there, and she had a great birthday!  We really didn't have much of a party for her because Tommy was in Denver at the time, but we had a lot of fun!  We blew up a bunch of balloons the night before, so she woke up and walked into a living room full of balloons, which she loved! After kicking them around a while, she decided it would be fun to put them all in the shower.



 

Then we went to the beach:

 

And swimming in the tube at Great-Grandma's:

 

And played and played and played. And of course, had cupcakes.

 

 

Fun in the Kayak with Auntie Dawn.   



 

Tessa experienced her first tube ride this trip.  She went first with Tommy and Grandpa drove.  She liked it a lot.  Later, we went again and Tommy drove, and he of course, didn't go near as slow and didn't avoid the bumps as much, and she still loved it! 

 

Grandma and Cole while out for dinner:

 

We also went to Arnold's Park, which Tessa also loved.  It's truly amazing how much she progressed over the trip because before when we tried to get her to go on carousels or other rides, she wouldn't go and would say she was scared.  In fact, when we first got there and went on the boat, she had to sit on someone's lap.  Now she's riding in tubes behind boats and was running from ride to ride at Arnold's Park begging to go on rides she was too small to go on (including the roller coaster).

 

The carousel:

 

The Ferris Wheel:

 

The train:

 

 

In the tube with Auntie Dawn.  

 

The Bylsma clan. While we were there, my Aunt and Uncle and cousins from FL were also there, so we got to see ALL of my aunts and uncles on both sides on this trip as well as many of my cousins! 

 

On the boat on the way to watch the fireworks on the 4th:

 

The old slide from Arnold's Park is now in a restaurant in Okoboji.  We went to go check it out and Tessa immediately wanted to ride it.  And did.  And loved it.  Seriously.  She wouldn't go down slides the park before we left. 

 

Tommy's big catch:

 

Okoboji love:

 

And back in the plane on our way home. Both kids did great on both flights, but man, what a lot of work.  I was definitely glad to have Tommy with on the return flight!

 

 

Can't wait until next year!

 

Three

Where has time gone?  I now have a 3 month old and a 3 year old!  It's hard to believe!  I feel like Tessa became a little girl overnight and Cole, well to be honest, I'm glad he's getting older and past the little baby stage.  He's a really good baby overall, loves to smile and is generally very happy while he is awake.  Right now, we're working on getting him to fall asleep on his own (not fun) as we have been rocking him to sleep for the past 3 months for the most part.  He's also not a great napper, usually only sleeping for about 40 minutes at a time unless he is being held.  He does sleep really well at night though, usually only waking up once, and in fact, slept until 6 am this morning. 

Tessa is a spitfire at home, talking non-stop and has an incredible imagination.  She has numerous imaginary friends, all animals, and loves to make believe all sorts of crazy stuff.  She is getting less shy in public, no longer glaring at strangers, but still is pretty quiet with new people.  We think she is pretty smart (we may be bias) and I am constantly amazed at what words and phrases comes out of her mouth.

A few pictures:

All Smiles

Rolled Over at 3 months!

3 years old!

Arts and Crafts Time

Playing in the pool

Diapers and Lawn Mowers

Tessa has been daytime potty trained for around 6 months now, but the pregnant me could not handle the thought of losing sleep by waking up to change wet sheets at night (or nap time for that matter).  So for the last 6 months, she has been wearing diapers when she sleeps.  After Cole was born, I decided spending money on pull-ups for a girl who is basically potty-trained was not ideal.  Yes, I waited to have a newborn to start the project of night-time potty training (I really do think I get more sleep now then when I was pregnant due to not having a baby sitting on my bladder anymore and not having a sore everything keeping me awake).  And some people complain about having to change two kids in diapers at once, but that wasn't even the case.  Tessa changed herself, so it simply came down to money=).

Well, since Tessa is super smart (in one non-bias opinion=)) and loves getting new things, I decided we would try a rewards chart.  I made a chart on a piece of paper, bought stickers, and asked her what she really wanted for a present.  Her response...a lawn mower, so she could mow lawn with daddy.  So I told her every time she woke up with a clean diaper she would get a sticker and when the chart was full, she would get her lawn mower.  The result...one new pink lawn mower and no more Pull-Ups (oh, and a daughter who wakes up once a night having to go to the bathroom...didn't see that one coming). 

April

Baby Cole had a very busy first month of life.

Friday, March 29 – Cole is born, my sister flies in

Tuesday, April 2 – My sister leaves, Uncle Tim, Aunt Heather and their girls fly in

Weds and Thurs Nights – Dinner with the family

Friday, April 5 – Uncle Chad, Aunt Jill and Allie come, spend the day at Papa and Nana’s

Saturday, April 6 – Papa and Nana’s Anniversary Party (around 100 people)

Sunday, April 7 – more time with Family

Monday, April 8 – Out of towners leave

Friday, April 12 – Chad and Jill come back, Brad Kuiper’s wedding

Saturday, April 13 – family time, newborn pictures

Sunday, April 14 – more family time

Friday, April 19 - Grandpa and Grandma come

Saturday, April 20 – Scottsdale Railroad park and fun at home with Grandpa and Grandma

Sunday, April 21 – Baptism, Grandpa and Grandma leave

and Breathe! It was a busy, busy month, but so fun and such a blessing to have family around!

Siblings

We’ve been asked numerous times how Tessa is adjusting to having a baby brother.  Well, at first she denied Cole was a boy, but after meeting him and taking him home, she decided, yes indeed she had a little brother and not a sister. 
The adjust wasn’t to bad.  I am very thankful that my sister was here the first few days to help keep Tessa entertained.  After Dawn left, Tessa had one or two crabbier days where she wanted my attention, but that was about it.  She loves him now and constantly wants to hug (A.K.A. squash) him, tickle him, and see what he’s doing.  Not going to lie, it’s pretty cute!

Cole Gerrit

We are happy to announce the birth of Cole Gerrit Van Hofwegen!  Born March 29 at 5:01 pm, weighing 7lbs 13oz and 20 1/4 inches long. 

I was due Monday the 25 of March, but, like Tessa, Cole decided he wanted to incubate a little longer.  I was induced on Friday the 29th (Good Friday) as my doctor wouldn’t let me go over a week for the health of the baby.  She wouldn’t be available to deliver on Sunday (Easter), and I wasn’t guaranteed that the day I “chose” to be induced would actually be available, so we set it up for Friday and, thankfully, got a call to come in around 7:30 am.  Labor went well overall (I had a few incidents of puking and light headedness when getting my IV and epidural), and only had to push for maybe 5 minutes. God is gracious.

My sister flew in that night, and we were released the next day into her care=).  It was wonderful to have her around for the next few days to help cook and keep Tessa entertained! 

We are so thankful for the addition of a healthy baby BOY to our family.  I am also SOO thankful to no longer be pregnant!