Deadliest Catch

My new favorite show is Deadliest Catch. Don't ask me why, maybe because they are doing a job that I know I would never have the courage to do. Ocean, Wet/Cold, Waves, Crab, Fish...all things that I am not very fond of. The Ocean, I can stand at the edge and look at, but I am not a big fan of swimming in it since it almost drowned me as a child.

I am amazed at the conditions these men live in and work in. All for the biggest catch and the biggest payout at the end of the fishing season. Since I will most likely never set foot on one of these amazing vessels, I decided to imagine what it would be like having Kevin on one. This is what I came up with. Thank you Kevin for being a good sport about this!

Why is Kevin holding a cat?? I thought it was fitting since I don't really like cats either (sorry to all you cat fans, there was only one cat that I was not scared of...Muffin).

Blessings!

Project

Kevin nicely remind me last night that I haven't blogged in a while. Sorry, to those of you who check daily and there hasn't been any fun catastrophes to read about. Life has been very busy around here the last week, hopefully this week will slow down for us and we can get back into the rhythm of life.


One of the things that has taken so much of my time is my "project". Well it's done, up and running. My new website. It has taken me a lot of time and energy and it's still not done yet, but it was to the point that I could go live with it. So take a peek and let me know what you think. http://www.lifesongphoto.com/


Since I hate posting without a picture I will share this one of Jilli. It kind of sums up how I feel when I look at my computer now.
Blessings!

Raisin Bran Crunch

Something happened a few weeks ago, that has caused some slight problems in our household. The child safety locks were taken off the lazy-susan cabinet. It happened very suddenly (I believe it was a Sunday morning..before leaving for church). When we arrived home from church, I went to push the little button and it wasn't there. I at first was not concerned as to the implications this would have on our family. But during the first week of having it off, it became apparent to me that the sudden removal of those pesky little locks, had a huge impact on life as I knew it.

In the mornings, I try and shower before Jilli gets up, or I have to wait until after breakfast has been eaten and all cleaned up. Anything in between is a recipe for disaster. This particular morning I had fed the kids and went upstairs for my shower. I left the kids all watching a TV show, something that normally would keep them busy. When I came down the stair 30 min later (yes, it only takes me 30 min to get ready now b/c of my nice short haircut), I discovered that my daughter had gotten hungry again and decided to take it upon herself to get some Raisin Bran. The only problem is she used the floor as her bowl.

I couldn't believe the mess. Then I wondered why one of the boys wouldn't have come upstairs and tell me what Jilli was doing. Any other time they tell me when one of their siblings are up to no good. What I concluded was that I had never laid the ground rules for the cereal and crackers that are kept in the lazy-susan. Since it had always been "locked up" I have never thought to tell them that they couldn't grab that stuff at will. You can believe we now have some tough rules in place. They touch anything in that cabinet without asking, all treats are taken away for the next two days. I have yet to have to follow through on the new rule!


The other part of this story....I made Jilli clean it all up, she did a really good job for a 2 yr old. This is why it is so important to teach your kids at a young age how to clean. At some point it will come back to help you.



Blessings!

Exciting News

My brother and sister-in-law (Paul and Nadia), came over yesterday and told us that we are going to have a new little Van Dyk for an early Christmas present. Excitement doesn't even describe how I feel about this news. They have been married for 8 yrs (?) this September, and since the 3rd year of marriage, I have been waiting for this news.

What an exciting fall/winter this is going to be. Kevin's brother and sister-in-law (Chris and Angie) are expecting in September and then Paul and Nadia will have theirs the first of December. Oh, the fun is just about to begin!

Blessings!!

Earfquack--Tyler style

So how early did your day start yesterday?? Mine started at 5:36am with Tyler calling for me in a very scared voice over and over (Mommy..Mommy..Mommy). I ran into his room and he was huddled in the corner of his bed (top bunk) scared. When I asked him what scared him, he told me "that sound". It was then that I realized that the lampshade was banging back and forth. I stopped it, the lampshade started banging again, I stopped it again and told him it was OK, then he said "and of course I need to go potty". After going to the bathroom he climbed in bed with me because he was too scared to go back to his bed.

I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and had some quiet time. Kevin soon was up and not long after Tyler came downstairs and asked why I haven't gone back upstairs yet. That little stinker never went back to sleep! and about 2 minutes later, Micah came downstairs (it is now 6:30am). Thank goodness Jilli decided to sleep in.

I had read that there was an earthquake when I had hopped online yesterday morning, but never put it together with Tyler's banging lampshade until I spoke with my mother-in-law around 8:30am. After I spoke with her, I called Kevin to tell him what it was that scared Tyler and he said when I went running to get Tyler he felt the bed shaking, he said it felt weird and lasted for about 12-15 sec. He thought I was shaking the floor/bed when I was running to Tyler. Ha! I said thanks a lot! I know that I am not a spring chicken anymore, but really! I kind of got a kick out of the whole thing...I thought it was wind even though there wasn't any breeze outside (the windows were open and the ceiling fan was on) and Kevin thought his wife's running could shake a whole house...I am chalking it up to the fact that it was just after 5:30am and we were both sleeping (our brains were not yet functioning) when it all went down. I never did feel it, which I am kind of disappointed about (I was too busy running to my child).

After learning what happened the kids and I had a good lesson in Geography (where it happened), Science (cause and effect), History (when the last large earthquake happened), and language arts (how do you spell earthquake). It was a great teaching experience. Homeschooling really is the best (for us). The kids can learn about anything at a moments notice, and I am not tide to lesson plans and time frames.

So, did any of you feel the earthquake? I opened my comments back up. hopefully the people that were bugging me before have moved on, so leave me your stories...especially you Tim, the kids thought it was cool that it happened in your state.

Blessings!

Oh, I just have to post that this morning the trees have started to popped their leaves! I was running this morning and noticed that all around the neighborhood. What a welcomed sign from God, that winter is finally over! The kids are going to have another science lesson....on a Saturday!!

Proud Sister!

This is an article that was run in the Evanston Paper. To say that I am proud of my brother is an understatement!

Evanston's finest hailed for exceeding call of duty
April 17, 2008
By BOB SEIDENBERG bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com

Evanston police officers received honors Monday for their many services, from the rescue of a missing autistic child to the breakup of a crack cocaine operation run by a new faction of the Black P Stones street gang.
Mayor Lorraine H. Morton, accompanied by Police Chief Richard Eddington, served as master of ceremonies. Morton handed out commendations, honorable mentions and unit citations to officers at the annual ceremony honoring officers "for going above and beyond the call of duty," she said.
One of those honored at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave., was Officer Fernando Gomez. On March 22 of last year, he was among the officers who fanned out along the lakefront in response to a report of a missing autistic child.
"Several other police units responded and searched the immediate beach and lakefront area," the officer's commendation read. "You and your partner took the initiative and began searching a nearby private drive. You located the child and rescued him from the water."

Unit citation
Members of the Evanston Police Department's Neighborhood Enforcement Team and the Chicago Police Department's narcotics and gang investigations sections received a unit citation.
On March 1, 2007, the two combined forces to carry out what was dubbed Operation Triple Threat, to "combat an open-air drug market that was operating on the Chicago-Evanston border," said Deputy Chief Demitrous Cook.
"A new faction of the Black P Stones street gang, known as the Insane Black Mafia, were responsible for selling crack cocaine in the targeted area of this operation," Cook said.
"During this operation, a total of 23 successful undercover buys were made and 22 narcotics dealers and suppliers were identified," he said. "Nineteen arrest warrants were issued for persons identified in the delivery of narcotics to the undercover officers. Seizure warrants for four vehicles were also issued."

Drive-by shooting
Detective Timothy VanDyk and Officer Daniel Kooi were cited for efforts in connection with a drive-by shooting Feb. 3, 2007, when two victims were shot in the rear of the 2000 block of Darrow Avenue, including a former Evanston Township High School student who died later.
"A description of the suspect and vehicle were immediately broadcast," Cook said. VanDyk was off duty at the time and riding in his personal vehicle when Kooi passed him in a patrol car and provided a description of the suspects.
"Officer Kooi attempted to curb the vehicle of the offenders, and Detective VanDyk observed property being tossed from the suspect vehicle," Cook said.
Once Kooi was able to stop the vehicle, VanDyk was able to help in the arrest, he said.
Other officers also received awards for their efforts at the ceremony, as family and friends looked on.
"They really do an awesome job," said Evanston City Manager Julia A. Carroll, taking in the ceremony.
Officers often don't receive notice for the underlooked good things that they do, she said.
Eddington said the program highlighted the "wide series of services" police perform for the community that often fall below the radar.
To see the look on a parent's face when reunited with a child, "the relief, it's phenomenal," he said.

Family Firsts

Yesterday was a some big firsts for our little family. The biggest and most important first...Micah started T-ball practice last night.

All day yesterday Micah was asking when we could leave for his practice. It got a little much when we were in the car driving there and Micah asks for the hundredth time what time practice was. I just about lost it. I told him that he had been waiting all day, he could wait 3 more minutes for us to get there.
Micah, really did very good. He hit good and knew more about the game than a lot of the kids. I was kind of worried about that. We have had neighborhood ball games, but I haven't really sat down and spelled out all the rules and terminology for him. Yesterday Micah, Tyler and I spent about 2 hours playing ketch and practicing hitting the ball. We had a lot of fun, but I was still concerned that he was going to be one of the only kids that didn't have a clue.

Something else that was kind of interesting to me is the size Micah is compared kids his same age. Being that he is not in school, I don't really have the chance to see how big he really is. I think that all 6 yr olds are as big as he is and that is not the case. He was one of the biggest kids, if not the biggest. I guess I should believe all doctor charts when they say he is in the 95% for height and weight.
So the second first for the family is for me. Hold your seats....I started training yesterday for a 5K run. I know, I know, I have NEVER ran except when I was made too in gym class, but even then it was very half hearted. I have never enjoyed the heavy breathing, lungs hurting, knees breaking, hot sweaty sport. It is amazing what happens when your pastor's wife talks you into something. You can add me all to your prayer lists!!! Another neighbor of mine (Marla) was also talked into this crazy idea by Raquel (the wonderful motivational pastor's wife), and she has been training for 2 wks now. We are going to be running together and Raquel will be joining us starting next week. Stay tuned for this miracle of all miracle stories!

(sorry, no pictures of this hysterical event)

Blessings!

My Husband

I have always thought that my husband and his cronies at work had a weird sense of humor. Well, now I have proof. The other day Kev came home with a ransom note that he and Chip (his partner in crime) made from a note that the gas company left. They worked on it for days...cutting out word/phrases and gluing them to a piece of wood (a carpenters piece of paper). I have to admit that it was pretty funny.

The day after I saw the "Ransom note", I went out in the garage and saw this sign...Kind of hard to see in this picture, but Kevin "wrote" the word "Chippie" on a...piece of wood... with "wood shavings". When I asked him about this "sign" he said that he wrote the word with glue and then poured wood dust over it. He was very detailed when explaining how he made this masterpiece. The things these guys think up at work....

Blessings!

Nicer Days

Here are some of the pictures at the park that I promised to post. I think that this cold wet day deserves some pictures of a day that was warm with lots of sunshine.

Did I mention that I have two budding photographers? I have to fight to keep MY camera around MY neck. Not wanting to stunt any talent, I try and allow them a little time with my camera (with the camera strap around their necks). Tyler took the above picture of Jillian.

Micah, took this one of Tyler and the one of me. If you look close at the lenses of my sunglasses you can see Micah taking the picture of me.Hopefully one day, my boys (and Jilli) will have a love for photography too...enjoying God's creation through the lens of a camera.

Blessings!

Peters Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Peters Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Family reunion

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MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Old photos - Family history

They Made It!!!

I woke up when Kevin was giving me a kiss goodbye at 7am and there had been no phone calls!! I of course went back to sleep enjoying my very rare time to sleep in. Jilli woke up at 9am (good girl!) and the two of us enjoyed some down time of watching the today show and reading books. At about 10am Tyler called and said he was ready to come home.

He was so cute, I go to get him and he had the clothes he wore yesterday on, with no socks, but he had his shoes and jacket on. His blanket was stuffed in his pillowcase and his sleeping bag was wadded up in a ball. "I'm all ready to go Mom" was all he said.

Micah is still over at Noah's...

Confessions

It's 10:42pm and I am scared to go to bed. Kev has been sleeping since about 10pm, but I am nervous that if I go to bed, that's when the phone is going to ring..... So I have been up messing around with pictures, instead of doing "my project" that I need to get done. It's just that I need to concentrate on my project and messing around with pictures is fun and easy for me...no thinking involved.

I'll share two of the pictures that I was playing with tonight...I took them of Jilli yesterday. Her hat is a splurge from last year (I think I paid $3, but it was worth it! I love that hat!) These pictures have several different applications going on, so let me know what you think.

Goodnight (hopefully)!

Sleep Over

I wasn't planning on posting tonight, but my life has been turned upside down, so I thought I would share it with all of you. My boys are having their first sleepover at a friend's house tonight. Noah (and his brave parents) invited the boys to watch the movie Alvin and the Chipmunk's, make cookies and spend the night. The good thing....Noah lives right across the street, so if there is any second thoughts about staying, we are only a 2 minute walk away.

The boys had been at Noah's house playing and about 8pm they burst into the back door exclaiming that they had to go pack, they were having a sleepover with Noah. I have never seen the boys move so fast to gather their stuff. They ran upstairs and I hear Micah calling for a suitcase! My boys are growing up! Noah called a few minutes later to say that they were home from getting the movie and that the boys could come back over. Micah said "OK, OK, we are all packed and ready", while Mommy is thinking that SHE isn't ready for this. I was just listening to Family Life Today on the radio about "empty nesters" and thinking that it was a long time before I had to worry about that....WRONG! Today is a sleepover, tomorrow is college...
(the boys running to Noah's house, lightsabers in hand)

I remember my first sleepover, it was at my friend house that lived right down the street from us. She had an upstairs bedroom, but she made a huge mistake. She told me there was a monster outside her window. I started crying and asking to go home. She tried to right the wrong, but she couldn't, I was already scared, so my Dad came and got me (I thought it was the middle of the night, but I think it was probably only 10pm). After that disastrous sleepover, I would only stay at my cousin's house (who was my best-friend and partner in crime). I can honestly say that Richard's house (my cousin) was the only house I really felt comfortable sleeping over at, from that day on. This is the same cousin who is getting married this summer and Tyler is going to be the "ringybear". The circle of life....

Check in tomorrow to see if they made it through the night. Before Micah left he told me he didn't know how long he would stay there...he thought that maybe he would come home after dinner tomorrow...HaHaHa. Kev thinks we will be getting a phone call, I am going to take the cautiously optimistic route (mainly because it will probably be me walking over there in the night, if one of them wants to come home).


Blessings!

Today's Sayings...

Sorry no pictures with this post, just some cute things the kids said today.

Micah- "This 6yr old is full of Star Wars... but more full of God"...good thing, we were driving home from church:-)

Tyler- "Oh sweetheart"... he was referring to me, he sometimes calls me that when he is giving me a hug. Another Tyler saying..."And of course..." he usually finishes that statement with something that I will need to do for him. It cracks me up!

Jillian- "Oh shucks"...this is also one of Tyler's favorite sayings.

A few weeks ago my sister encouraged me to start writing down things that the kids say that are funny, so I am trying to put them down on paper (or computer). The problem is, they usually say the funny stuff when I am driving or no where near a piece of paper and a pen! But I am committed to trying to get as much written down as possible. That way when they are older, we will have something to look back on and laugh about.

Hope you had a blessed Sunday, it sure was beautiful today! I even took the kids to the park for the first time this season. I of course took my camera, and will be sharing some of the pics with you later. The boys even had some time behind the camera, and didn't do a half bad job, so stay tuned!

Blessings!!

Jumpin

The other day, my children were pretending that they were jumping into a swimming pool. They had their "swimming suits" on. The funny part was Micah was the only one who was actually wearing his suit.

I have know idea where Tyler and Jillian got the idea, but they decided that their swimming suits were going to be Jillian's Dresses. It was quite a sight to see Tyler come down the stairs wearing a dress for the first time in his life (not to mention 3x too small). The kids then spent the next hour jumping off the chair and into the swimming pool.Micah looks like he is doing a cheerleaders move...Here is Tyler in his "swimming suit"...that kid can get some air!Here comes Jilli, jumping with her Teddy Bear. What her brothers can do, she can do too!

After the jumping Marathon, I followed Jilli and Tyler back upstairs and watched how Tyler very gently started to tease Jilli and then got her in a full giggle. I was so glad that I took the time to just sit and watch (and of course take pictures). So often I think I miss times like this because of all the "things" that I think are so important to get done. Most of which are important, but not as important as watching my two youngest interact and loving every minute of it...especially because I got such a kick out of Tyler's choice of attire...at least it was a BLUE flower dress!

Blessings!

Silent Blogger

I have my reason's for lack of blogging. I am working on a project that has consumed my time. I will hopefully be able to unveil it to all of you in the next week or so. I am on a huge learning curve, so what I thought would take me a few days has turned into a few weeks!

Last week Friday, my very cute, adorable, tall, and baby faced brother came into town to spend a day with the family. Sadly his beautiful wife was not able to join him, so we are now going to have to travel to Chicago to see her....oh darn.

Anyway, our bonding time was scheduled to take place at Uncle Paul and Aunt Nadia's house. They live up by Lake Bella Vista (about 40-45 min from our house). It is quite comical that my children think that Uncle Paul lives sooooo far away. We all climbed in the van getting ready to leave. I went to buckle Tyler in and he hauled out a map. "Mommy, show me where uncle Paul lives on this Map". The really funny part was that it was a map of the southern states! They think Uncle Paul lives that far away! Tyler followed us all the way on the map, he kept saying that he sees us on the map...Kev and I would just smile. Then we past by a gravel pit and Micah exclaimed that we were passing the desert! My stomach was just getting warmed up for an evening of laughter.

On the final leg of our trip we pass a big hill and on the other side is the lake they live by. Micah says "OK, OK, I know where we are...we are almost to Uncle Paul's, that's the ocean." I have been teaching the kids about the difference between the ocean (salt water) and most lakes (fresh water)...but they know that we don't live by a ocean. It would take a long time for us to travel too one, naturally this is why the thought was Paul and Nadia lived by an ocean.

Once we were there we all had a great time too. Uncle Paul has an X-box (I think that's what it's called) and had games that us kids could play even though my 6 yr old could play them better than Aunt Laurie and I. Micah kept telling us what button to hit...by the time we were done we were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt.

Jilli kept Uncle Paul very busy...they have 2 cats that live in the lower apartment (aka basement) and she wanted to play with them, so Uncle Paul was kept very busy between the cats and his air hockey game that all the kids love to play with.

When it was time to go home the map came out again, but our little adventurers were so tired from the long drive up, good food, and hard play that they fell asleep on the way back down. Good thing Daddy knows the way without a map!

Blessings!