Photographer for Hire

As the wedding started, John decided he needed to take pictures. Mom let him use her camera. Soon after the wedding started, both John and Emma went to the nursery to play.

Congratulations, Philip and Andrea Van Dyken!

My "little" cousin Andrea got married. Once a week in college, I would go to my aunt and uncle's house to do laundry and get a delicious, home-cooked meal. Andrea would come home from school, and we'd have an "after-school" snack and watch some TV together - I Love Lucy and Saved by the Bell were a few of the shows we watched. Now Andrea's MARRIED! Crazy how time flies. I was honored to pin flowers on (most of) the wedding participants...and I didn't even poke anyone!

The DeJong Family - Uncle Dennis and Aunt Pam
Allison DeJong and fiancee Greg Peters
Travis and Tami DeJong, Dillan, Landon, and Aaron
Andrea and Philip VanDyken

The introduction of Philip and Andrea Van Dyken

Swimming

John and I took our first trip to the Altoona Aquatic Center yesterday afternoon while Scott and Emma took afternoon naps. It's a zero-entry pool and very nice. There are some sprinklers and a slide for small kids, as well as 3 bigger slides. John won't be tall enough for those for quite awhile though since kids need to be at least 48 inches tall. He had lots of fun jumping off the side to me, and it was a great way to stay cool.

John had so much fun that we headed back today after Emma's nap - 95 degree days are good days to stay cool at the pool, except that everyone else has the same idea. Scott dropped us off while he went to work out at Anytime Fitness. Emma wasn't as fond of the water. She held onto me nearly the entire time. Hopefully she gets over that quickly.

I think we'll head back to the pool tomorrow, but we're going to try going later. Hopefully it won't be so crowded then.

Sunglasses

Uncle Matt and Aunt Jackie gave John and Emma sunglasses. You can see that Emma enjoys them. Not wearing them, but playing with them.

Garage Sale

Scott and I hauled a bunch of stuff to my aunt's garage sale in Pella. And when I say a bunch, I mean a trailer with LOTS of stuff. =) Then Emma stayed with me to "help" with the sale, and John headed back home with Scott. You can see that Emma was a big help after her nap and the VERY heavy rain storm that tried to put a damper on our garage sale.

May I have this bike, Mommy? Pretty please...

Taking a break - Enjoying a stroller ride from Great-Uncle Wes

Now time to fertilize the lawn

Video

So I was finally able to get some videos to load from Scott's Birthday Camping Trip. Check them out here.

Keep scrolling down for other new posts. I've been updating a lot lately.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Emma had corn on the cob for the first time. She enjoyed waving it around more than anything. John likes it boiled better than grilled, so he refused to eat it. It was a little dark on one side, but it was still good with lots of butter and Parmesan cheese.

Lunchtime Antics

Sidewalk Painting...With Water!

Wednesday was a hot day, so I filled a couple buckets with water and headed outside with the kids. We brought a few other supplies to play with as well: paintbrushes, shaped sponges, and stacking cups. Our sidewalk painting turned into water fight. Emma had more fun watching us than participating.

Open Wide!

Last Wednesday, John, Emma, and I all went into the dentist. Emma didn't have her teeth cleaned; I just took her in to get her familiar with the dentist. She wasn't very cooperative though and barely opened her mouth. Hopefully the dentist will get a better look at her next appointment in December.


John, on the other hand, was a big boy. While the dentist was looking at Emma's teeth, John went into another room with another assistant - without me! What a big boy! He got to wear some cool sunglasses to keep the bright light out of his eyes, and he did a great job. I'm so proud of him...even if he does have a cavity. Now I need to make an appointment at a pediatric dentist, so he can get it filled. I'm sure that won't go quite so well, but I'm praying that it does!


Since his appointment, John's letting me do a better job brushing his teeth (and even flossing) since we say we're playing dentist.

Playdate with Madison

Some of our friends from church had their Dinner for 8 on Tuesday, so Madison came over to our house to play. We went on a walk and then played inside. The kids only stopped moving long enough for a quick drink of milk before going wild again. We had so much fun with Madison that Emma wouldn't even go to sleep.

Walking - aka singing and dancing

John's cheesy grin

A Safe Haven

Some birds have built a nest on a boat trailer next to where we store our camper. It doesn't appear that the boat has been moved in quite awhile. Hopefully they stay safe.

Bam-Bam Ball...Week 2

John loves hitting the ball and sprinting around the bases.

Hillary Dodge helped the 2-year-olds (Sam and Megan) who were recruited to play.

Noah White slept through all the commotion. Ahh...to sleep like a baby.

John's team (Ally, Lauren, John, and Madison)

Camping with the Johnsons

We enjoyed a fun time camping with friends from church. Craig, Sarah, Hannah, Noah, and Jonah (aka The Baby) joined us at Yellowbanks despite the heavy rain on Friday. The guys and the kids especially enjoyed their time which even included some fishing. And no, we didn't eat the fish.

These pictures were taken on Friday night after John had completely soaked all his other clothes. Scott had to go home to get more clothes for the rest of the weekend, and John had Scott's sweatshirt on over his clothes in order to stay warm. Hannah and John are playing with the glow sticks John received from Uncle Matt and Aunt Jackie for Christmas.

Here Emma's trying to get to Jonah when he was crying. She'd be jealous of him one minute and then she'd be giving him hugs and kisses. So cute.