Double Whammy!!!

Brian and I spent the week up north at Silver Lake last week with Tanden and Leea. Early Friday morning (around 4:00 a.m.), Leea came and woke us up because Tanden had fallen out of the top bunk. He complained that both of his wrists hurt. He didn't seem in that much pain, so we sent him back to bed with some ice to put on them. On Friday, Brian and Tanden were scheduled to return home because Tanden was scheduled to play flag football on Saturday (and Brian helps coach the team). They left earlier than planned on Friday so that Tanden could get his right wrist checked (that one was still bothering him). The doctor confirmed that it was broken. On Saturday morning, Tanden was complaining about his left wrist...so off to the emergency room again! Sure enough...that was broken as well, but not as bad as the right one. Today he had waterproof casts put on both wrists. He'll be wearing them for the next five weeks! Poor guy...we feel so bad for him! He's been a trooper through it all and thankfully has not been in a lot of pain. Hopefully these next five weeks go fast for him!

Jesse McCartney Concert

Our kids got to meet Jesse McCartney at his concert last night at Berlin Raceway! They were so excited...Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt got all of us front row seats and they got to go backstage to meet him. The opening act was a band from Grand Rapids that appeared on the show America's Got Talent. Despite the fall like weather, it was a great evening!

Our Summer Home

As some of you know, we recently got a seasonal lot up at Silver Creek RV Resort in the Silver Lake area. We have been enjoying most of our weekends up there. It's the perfect cottage on wheels (without the property taxes and maintenance)!!! It's nice because it's close to both Brian's parents' cottage and my sister and brother-in-law's cottage, in case we want to spend some time with them. The kids love the pool and dunes, and there are lots of kids to play with. If you're in the area, please feel free to stop in and visit...we're on lot #191.

ARCA Race at Michigan International Speedway

It has been Brian's father's dream to race an ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway. On Friday, June 10th, 2009, he made that dream come true! He hired Michael Simko to drive on behalf of D & B Motorsports. We started 40th because qualifying was rained out on Thursday (and it was our first race so we had no points). At approximately 50 laps into the race, we were running around 20th position. We had 15 laps to go (were running 15th) and Michael called the crew on the radio and said he felt a vibration...one lap later the engine blew up. Brian got to work on pit road, along with the rest of the crew. Brian's mom and I rode along to watch the race with a couple other D & B Motorsports team members. It ended up being a disappointing day, but a lot of fun for all involved!

Rain, Rain...Go Away!!!

As many others in the area, we are having water problems in our basement. The problem is worse than ever before due to the high water table. We have water seeping in at the seams of our trophy room. We pulled back the carpet and padding, removed the wooden paneling and discovered mold!!! Obviously the problem has been going on for awhile.

After much discussion, Brian and I decided we need to find a permanent fix to this problem. Briana has a bedroom down there, and Lexi, Leea and myself are all allergic to mold. We have hired EverDry Waterproofing to come fix our problem. This means tearing out and re-installing concrete around the edges of the trophy and storage room, as well as digging up Brian's precious yard!!! Once the concrete is poured, we will still need to wait about a month to have carpet re-installed. Needless to say...it's going to be a mess around here for awhile! They will hopefully be starting within the next couple of weeks. We've been busy moving out all of Brian's mounts and other items.

Brian & Jon moving out the Water Buffalo

Happy Birthday Lexi!!!

Lexi turns 11 today...yes, I'm not kidding (her birthday is on April Fool's Day)! It is wonderful to watch Lexi grow up! As some of you know, a few years ago she was a very sick little girl with all her asthma issues. She had several doctor visits and tests...and endured more poking and prodding than I have in my lifetime! Thankfully God answered our prayers and her asthma seems to be improving as she continues to grow.

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with the DeWitts. She received clothes, a Nintendo DS game, and money from Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt, and a Target gift card from her aunts, uncles and cousins. Of course, the $ and gift card and burning a hole in her pocket...she can't wait to go shopping!

Today I went to her school to have lunch with her, Leea and their friends. I also brought in cupcakes for her class, which were made by Brian's cousin, Alyce. Take a look below at the picture...she makes the cutest cupcakes!!! Lexi couldn't wait to show them to her friends.

Tonight we're having dinner with my parents. They just returned home from Florida, after being gone since mid-February. We can't wait to see them!

Lexi's DI (Destination Imagination) team is headed to Mt. Pleasant this weekend to compete at the state competition level. They placed 2nd placed in the regional competition a couple of weeks ago! Good luck Lexi and team!

Cookies??? No...garden stones!!!

As Leea puts it..."I love teenagers!" It's kind of scarey actually...she already wishes she was a teenager and she's only 8 years old! She would be upset with me if she knew I was typing this, but she gets love notes from boys in her class all the time! I think we're going to have to keep an eye on her. I don't remember being like that at 8 years old!

Leea loves spending time with Danielle!!! On Saturday morning they did a craft together and made garden stones. Leea talked Danielle's ear off about anything and everything, and Danielle was such a trooper hanging out with her. She loves having Danielle as an older sister. Here's a picture of their pieces of art. I can't wait to put them outside this spring!