Brian & Pam DeWitt Family Blog

Double Whammy!!!

2009-08-17T18:31:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2009-05-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-04-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-03-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

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!

Danielle's Birthday...Sweet 16!!!

2009-03-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

SWEET 16!!!

It's Danielle's birthday today. It's hard to believe she is 16! If you live in the Holland/Zeeland area...you've been warned! :)

Once she got home from school, she received two bouquets of flowers...one from her dad and myself and another from her Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt. She then went to the Secretary of State with her mom to get her driver's license. Afterwards, Brian and I took her, the rest of the kids, and Danielle's boyfriend to Vitale's for dinner. Then she was off to her friend Sarah's house...and later to tennis practice. As you can see...she is a very busy girl between homework, friends, family and working at Back to Health Chiropractic Care!

Danielle with her flowers from Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt Danielle with her flowers from her Dad and I

Aero Med Visit with Tanden and Leea

2009-03-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

Brian had to drop his parents off at the airport yesterday. Since Tanden and Leea didn't have school, they wanted to ride along. Brian decided to take them to visit the Aero Med hanger. They had a great time checking everything out and came home with a few souveniers.

We found Brutus' other horn!

2009-02-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Brian and I headed to the Lodge again this weekend. Saturday morning we went to visit Dave (the neighbor) who owns a deer and elk ranch. He also has a zebra! I always thought zebras needed warm weather...apparently not! He came right up to us and we got to pet him. It was so cool!

The DeWitt Lodge

The neighbor's zebra

The Fowlers joined us on Saturday and (despite the heat wave) we took the snowmobiles to Chase, Michigan. It was a great day for riding...we put on about 80 miles. We made it home in time to watch the Bud Shootout on Saturday night and Brian cooked for us...his famous venison steak. Yummy!

On Sunday (after Brian cooked breakfast for us), we decided to take a walk thru the enclosed deer area to look for Brutus' (the buck) other dropped horn. Brian, Tanden and Don found the first horn a couple of weeks ago, but were unsuccessful in finding the second one. I thought it would be like finding a needle in a haystack since we had 10 acres to search, but we got lucky! Heathe found it shortly after the search began!

Heathe showing off the horn he found.

Brian holding both of the horns.

Pampering Day for the DeWitt Girls

2009-01-31T12:05:00.000-08:00

At Christmas, Mom DeWitt gave all of the daughters and grand-daughters gift certificates to get pedicures and/or manicures at Unique Nail & Spa. All of us went this morning and had a lot of fun while getting pampered. Thank you Mom/Grandma DeWitt for making us all feel special!!!

snowmobiling up north

2009-01-25T15:33:00.001-08:00

went snowmobiling up north this weekend at dan &tams cottage with dan & paul treffers, jeff wyrick and terry and tracy boetsma had a great time really cold at night but worth it thanks again dan

guys relaxing after a long day

sunday morning dang cold
after getting gas and a little refresmentments at a local tavern

me at the last tavern -5 degrees man was it cold

after a few refresments at 1st tavern

Leea's Gingerbread House

2009-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

The girls went back to school today! I think we were all ready to start back with our regular routine. They were pretty excited to go this morning because they have their Christmas parties today, since they had a snow day just before Christmas vacation.

I got to go to Leea's classroom this morning to help her make a Gingerbread House. She did everything by herself and was very proud of herself! Here's a picture of Leea showing off her house (and Mrs. Lubben).

Winter Fun at the Lodge

2009-01-03T10:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we took the family (minus Danielle) for a day trip to Brian's parents' Lodge up north. Brian's parents were up there, along with Brian's sisters and a few of their kids. The kids had a blast sledding, drinking hot chocolate and playing games! Thank you Grandpa DeWitt for pulling them on their sleds in the cold weather...and thank you Grandma DeWitt for the delicious food!!!

2009...Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't posted for awhile...time has flown by with the kids home during Christmas vacation! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year's Eve. Here are a few pictures of the kids with their presents...

Danielle modeling her new North Face jacket

from Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt.

Briana received a gift card to River Town Crossings

from Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt.

Lexi received clothes from Limited Too

from Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt.

Leea's my tomboy...her favorite gift this year was a remote control car

from Grandpa and Grandma VerBeek.

Tanden received Legos from Grandpa and Grandma VerBeek.

I am looking forward to the girls going back to school and getting into a regular routine again. I can tell they're starting to get on each other's nerves (as well as mine)! We wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Saturday Night Fun at the Arena Races

2008-12-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday's weather conditions didn't keep up inside...Brian, Briana, Lexi, Leea, Tanden and I went to the Arena Races at the Delta Plex. It was lots of fun for all. We tried to talk Danielle and her boyfriend, Brandon, into going with us...without success. I think Brandon would have liked to have gone, but Danielle boycotts anything to do with racing. Hard to believe she's a DeWitt! Maybe we'll just kidnap him next time!

Mike Bursley #23

Mitch Meppelink #18

Leea with Mike

Briana

Lexi, Kathy and Brian

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2008-12-07T17:15:00.001-08:00

We finally got our tree put up over the last week. We ended up purchasing a new pre-lit tree last weekend and decided to wait until all of the kids were with us to help us decorate it. All of us were finally together on Thursday, but it ended up that only the younger three wanted to help with the decorating! Here are some pictures...

Before decorations...

Our three decorators...each with their favorite ornaments.

Our end result!

Danielle's New Wheels!

2008-12-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Although Danielle doesn't turn 16 until March...she purchased her first vehicle last week! She bought a 2003 Pontiac GrandAm GT from my brother-in-law, Dan, at Wyrick Auto Sales. Prior to her 16th birthday she needs to practice driving in this lovely winter weather and finish her second session of the driver's training course. Brian and I are looking forward to having another driver in the family, since it seems with 5 children that someone is always on the go!

It's been a long week...

2008-12-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry...it's been awhile since I posted, but nothing exciting has been happening. We've been dealing with a couple of sick kids...one of which is still home sick! Leea came down with a headache Thursday late afternoon. I didn't think it was a big deal until Friday when she woke up with a pink eye. I thought we would keep an eye on it and hopefully it would clear up. By Saturday it still wasn't better so her dad took her to Prime Care and they told us she had a virus. On Sunday Tanden also had a pink, swollen, goopy eye! Not suprising since they played together a lot last week! So Leea and Tanden were home from school Monday and Tuesday. At least they were able to keep each other company! However, by Tuesday evening they were starting to get on each other's nerves. Leea was also still complaining about a sore throat. Today I found out that she also has Strep Throat! Anyone who knows Leea knows how much she likes to eat. Well she has hardly been eating anything lately and when she tried to take her first dose of medication this morning...it wasn't long before it came back up. The poor girl just can't win! After calling the pediatrician they told me to give her a big snack (whatever she'll eat) and try again to see if it stays down. Well...after having some chicken soup, she opted for a big bowl of ice cream. Yeah...after finally getting the medicine down (the pills are HUGE, especially for an 8 year old!), she was able to keep it down! Hopefully all continues to go well and she can go back to school by Friday. Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of handwashing, laundy and disinfecting around here! Here's a picture of my little patient!

Please pray for the Vorhees Family

2008-11-24T18:08:00.001-08:00

Some of you may have heard about the tragic death of Pastor Jeff Voorhees from Drenthe Christian Reformed Church. He was killed in an auto accident last weekend in Overisel Township, not far from where I grew up. He left behind a wife and four young children (ages 6 and under, two of which have special needs of cystic fibrosis). They do not have any family living in this area. Please lift his family, friends and the congregation of Drenthe CRC up in prayer that they may feel God's presence during this very difficult time.

Leea's latest masterpiece

2008-11-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

I continue to be amazed at what a blessing children are! It is so much fun to see them grow up and develop into their own person...each with their unique personality. Of course, it is no easy task blending a family. We have had our ups and downs (as any family does), and will continue to do so as we all try and fit our puzzle pieces together. I was recently struggling with how to be the best mom that I can be, and Leea came home with this drawing. Sorry...it's somewhat hard to read (I had to take a picture of it since my scanner isn't working and Leea is only in 2nd grade and doesn't spell correctly yet!). Anyways...this is a picture of her saying to me "You are the treasure of my life! And that's true seriously!" Needless to say...it just made my heart melt!!! She might think that now, but someday I'm sure I'll need to remind her of that once she is angry with me.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-02T15:59:00.001-08:00

Lexi and Leea had fun going to Ridge Point Community Church's Trunk-n-Treat on Friday with their dad. They both dressed up as witches and walked away with way too much candy. They will definitely be on a sugar high for the next week or two. Brian worked for the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department at the event and was amazed at the number of people that attended the event. Our pastor mentioned today they had around 5,000 people...amazing!

Farmer Brian...following in his dad's footsteps

2008-10-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Brian has been having lots of fun the last couple of days working for his dad and Koeman Farms. He has learned how to operate his dad's huge John Deere tractor, which has way too many bells and whistles for me...the thing practically drives itself! I got the opportunity to ride with him for a little while today. He's really enjoying it. He has definitely developed a love for farming and the great outdoors. As they say..."the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

DeWitt Annual Family Tradition - 2008 Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, we went to Don & Minnie's house for the traditional fall pumpkin carving and decorating of sugar cookies. The grandkids love doing this each year (well...at least most of them)! However, we did miss having Meah Koops there, as she is away at college. Below are a few pictures. The rest of our pictures can be viewed on our Facebook site. A big thank you to Uncle Steve and Grandma, as they helped Lexi and Leea due to the fact that I'm still recovering from carpal tunnel surgery!

I have to say...I think Danielle wins the prize for the best pumpkin! She spent a lot of time on her Harry Potter carving.

Briana shot her first buck!

2008-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

We thought we would join all of you bloggers out there so that we can keep everyone updated on what's happening with our family! It was a great weekend (busy...but lots of fun) we had all the kids with us this weekend.

Brian worked at the Olive Township Fire Department's annual pancake breakfast Saturday morning, so I was responsible for getting Tanden and Leea to their soccer games (which they both won!), and then Lexi to the rocket football game (she's a cheerleader).

On Saturday evening, Brian took Briana out in the hills for the youth deer hunt, and she shot her first buck at 50 yards! It was a beautiful 11 pointer, with double brow tines, 16-5/8" outside spread, and dressed out at 170#. She made her father proud!

Below are pictures of the buck, soccer and cheerleading:

Briana's buck!

Tanden playing soccer
Leea playing soccer

Lexi cheerleading

Sunday was the perfect day for some downtime. All of us attended church in the morning, went out for lunch afterwards, and then home to watch the Nascar race. Brian was a little upset because my driver won (Jimmie Johnson)! Oh well...better luck next time Jeff Gordon!