Siding has begun!

Well, we are in the beginning of the finishing stages of our new house. Drywall is done, and the walls were primed today. Our siding is also going up. It's really starting to take shape and look like a house! Here are a few pictures of the newest updates!

Progress

Our new house is really starting to look like a house! This last month has been a month of lots of progress. We got windows and doors, electric, propane, a driveway, insulation, and now drywalling has begun! It's so fun to see all of the transformations happening weekly. We picked out most of the interior stuff like carpet, countertops, flooring, and cabinets. Hopefully, in a few short months we will be moving in. We can't wait!

House Progress

It's been awhile since I've written. Times are busy with our two boys, building, and my crochet business. The house has been progressing very quickly! It's been so exciting to watch it change everyday. What was once a pile of dirt, now looks like an actual house. Caleb has been having a ball playing with the wood and dirt, and Jeff and I are having fun invisioning what will go where. This morning we picked out cabinet colors, and tried to match up countertops, paint, and backsplashes. For someone who is not creative or stylish, this is a hard task! Fortunately, we have some good help in the designer department. Here are a few pictures of the progress up to now. Things change fast, so I will keep updating soon!

Breaking ground

FINALLY. Finally, we have started building our dream house! We broke ground Monday morning, and within the next few days the basement will be poured. We have been waiting such a long time for this, and after the problems we had with the bank, the build was delayed. We thought we'd be in by Christmas, but now it's looking more like the end of January. Great moving weather! * It's so exciting to see progress, and it will only get more exciting from here on out! I will keep updating with pictures as the build gets further along. Here is our hole! (and Caleb hard at work)

Milestone moments

Big accomplishments and milestone moments have occurred this week! Caleb just keeps on amazing us. He learned to ride a peddle bike this week, with no training wheels! It's so fun to see him being so small and riding a big boy bike. When he got the hang of it, his eyes just lit up, and now it's one of his favorite things to do. We credit his balance bike for teaching him good balance, but the kids just has a knack for it. He simply loves being outside, and this is another thing he can enjoy in the great outdoors. We found a small bike on Craigslist, and he hasn't looked back! Caleb also had his first day of 3 year old preschool this morning. He was excited, and looked great with his new school shoes and backpack. It's hard to believe my first born is growing up so fast. Time is really flying. We are so proud of Caleb. He is a shining star in our eyes, and continues to keep us on our toes and laughing.

"Children make you want to start life over."

One is such fun!

Our little Luke turned one year old yesterday! That was definetly a very fast year. Luke is such a blessing in our life. His fun-loving personality, easy smile, and hearty appetite are only a few of the ways he brightens our days. I never would have thought I could love another little boy so much as I do Caleb, but we surely do with our Lukie. I can't imagine our life without him, and am so thankful that he is healthy, growing, and learning. Happy birthday, sweet Luke. We love you, always and forever!

Closing a chapter

My Dad likes to say that life's events can be viewed like a chapter book. You close one chapter and open another. Well, we did just that this past weekend as we moved out of our first house, and in with my parents while we await the building of our new house. Last week was a crazy, tiring week as we sorted and packed our whole life up in to boxes and trailers. It was hard to say goodbye to that little old house. We made a lot of memories there as a married couple, getting to know eachother, re-modeling, and having our two boys come home there. The memories I will keep in my head and heart. But, I am so excited to start building our new house. It will be an exciting time, and so fun to make it our very own, fresh start. I know that many more memories will be made there! Goodbye little house on Burlingame.....

Proud Mamma

I am such a proud mommy this week! Caleb did swim lessons this week, which was quite a feat since he was terrified of water. Monday there was alot of crying and screaming, but each day we went back, he got better and better. Today, he went down the slide and jumped off the diving board! With no tears! It's so amazing how quickly he has overcome this fear. I'll have to keep him in the pool so it doesn't creep back in. :)

Happenings

Wow, it's been almost a month since I last wrote! Alot had been going on in that month. We had an offer on our house, went through an inspection and an appraisal, and now we wait to close. We will be moving out (and in with my dear parents) within the next couple of weeks! Then, we need to get started on building our new home. It's such an exciting time, but also a great time of change. We also spent a week and a half camping in Holland over the 4th of July. Our annual family camping trip; we even got to see Andy for a bit! It's always fun going to the beach and hanging out around the campfire. Except this year, it is insanely hot. Lack of sleep and too much heat brought us home a little early. Speaking of heat...it hasn't rained here in well over a month, and the temps have been record high in the 100 degree range. This equals disaster for the farm. Jeff and the guys have been working non-stop to try and stay on top of things with irrigation. Unfortunatley, it's becoming too much for them. The creeks and wells are drying up, and there is no rain in sight. I don't think they've ever seen a year this bad. So, please pray for rain. And pray for relief for all the farmers out there who will have a very challenging year. I'll leave you with a few recent pictures from our beach camping trip. I'm not sure how much I'll write in the next few weeks as we transition out of our first home. Wait...that statement calls for a special post. Watch out for a sentimental one about leaving our 'first' home!

The real meaning behind motherhood

I received this link to a blog today, and it just sounds so true and right. Motherhood is lovely, but also scary. I love how the author says you walk around with a fissure on your heart after you become a mother. Isn't it true? We know what life holds, and we don't want our babies to go through it. But they will. There's nothing we can do to stop it. Except try to love them through it and keep our sanity along the way. Take a minute to read it. http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/06112012-what-does-motherhood-feel-like/

9 Months

Well, here we are, and time has flown by once again. Luke is already 9 months old, and well on his way to almost turning one. Seriously. Fastest year ever! Poor Luke gets the shaft sometimes, and being the horrible mother that I am, I haven't even bought a baby book for him yet. I know. I'm the worst. Mother. Ever. I was also late on getting his 9 month pictures done, so I decided I would shoot some of him myself. Can I just say that he is the sweetest, cutest, little baby in the world. Such a happy, contented boy. I am so enjoying watching his looks and personality develop. I will post a few of the pics I took below, and one of Caleb at 9 months. You can tell they are brothers, but their looks are quite different, in my opinion. Just had to share some photos of my darling 'Lukie'. (Caleb at 9 months old)

My baby is 3

Happy 3rd birthday to our sweet Caleb. As I think about the eve of Caleb's birth 3 years ago, I am reminded just how much our lives have changed in three short years. I remember Jeff and I eating our 'last supper' at Applebee's, anxiously awaiting my 10:00 p.m. induction that night. Our firstborn was a week overdue, and we were so excited and nervous. It's still so clear to me-- the pain of contractions and pushing, the end result of a c-section, and seeing that little boy who lived inside me for 9 months. A miracle. We've learned so much about him, oursevles, our parents, our friends, and life since that May 22nd, 2009. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. Caleb has brought SO much joy, excitement, happiness, and LOVE to Jeff and I. I'm thankful everyday that God sent little Caleb to us. We love you, always and forever, Caleb!

A Mother's Manifesto

I found a fantastic blog that encourages and understands what most mothers feel. Today's message is heartfelt. Although it sometimes seems that a mother's job is thankless and unimportant, we need to remember that it's like no other job. We are raising the next generation, and pouring our hearts into the soul of another. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and women out there!

Thank you for motherhood. Thank you for the good days, the medium days and the hard days. Thank you for the little ones under my care. Thank you for the gift of being a mom.

Let me remember. Let me remember to not keep a record of wrongs. Let me remember to not define self based on past. Let me remember to learn from mistakes, but not dwell on mistakes. Let me remember that their hearts matter more than the perfect house. Let me remember that being a mother means growing.

Let me see. Let me see the little things. Let me see the good first. Let me see the wonder. Let me see each child for who they are. Let me see what has been done not what needs to be done. Let me see all that I do. Let me listen. Let me listen attentively. Let me listen and seek their hearts. Let me listen for the I love you moments in life. Let me listen to truth and not to the lies of culture.

Let me speak truth. Let me speak softly. Let me speak after I seek to understand. Let me speak boldly. Let me speak with conviction. Let me be awake. Let me not be lulled to sleep by media. Let me put down my phone, the computer, the television. Let me keep first priorities first. Let me seek the joy in the every day beauty of motherhood. Let me live fully alive.

Let me live knowing that being a mom matters. Let me value the gift of time. Let me value the gift of today. Let me value the gift of now. Let me value the gift of them. Let me be proud in being a mom. Let me not take it for granted. Let me not get stuck in comparing. Let me be humble and full of grace.

Never let me short change the value of being a mom. Let my heart be a courageous joy-filled laughter seeking real loving intentional gentle fighting tender determined beautiful authentic mother's heart. Thank you for the precious gift of motherhood. Thank you for each new day. Thank you for letting me be known as their mom. Words, courtesy of 'Finding Joy' blog.

Black and white

I was snapping some pictures of Caleb and Luke the other night. It was after dinner, and we were playing with Daddy. These boys just love their Daddy. I set my camera to shoot in black and white. There's just something about black and white that simplifies a picture. I like it. I wanted to share my favorites. Check out Caleb's expression. This kid has a mind that never stops going.

Luke and his Daddy.

Jeff and his boys.

Me and my boys.

The Scary Mother

I read an interesting article online about a new book that just came out recently. Although it was a bit dramatized, it gave me a good laugh, and made me realize that motherhood is by far the hardest and most emotionally driven task of my life. Have you ever asked yourself if you're a scary mother? Ha! I tend to agree with the author that most moms have their scary moments. Here is a paragraph from the author:

"Motherhood isn’t a chain of wondrous little moments strung together in one perfectly orchestrated slide show. It’s dirty and scary and beautiful and hard and miraculous and exhausting and thankless and joyful and frustrating all at once. It’s everything. Anyone who claims that motherhood is only the good stuff is simply in denial (or she’s on some serious drugs). Admitting that this job isn’t always easy doesn’t make somebody a bad mother. At least, it shouldn’t."

I will just say that I've had many challenges lately, and they sometimes leave me feeling like I'm koo-koo. Or a terrible mother. Or in desperate need of a large dose of sanity saver. But through it all, I'm recognizing my own strengths and weaknesses, my own failures and successes. And it's worth it. It really is. It's only just the beginning of the road anyhow. :)

Now, I leave you with;

The Scary Mommy Manifesto

Please solemnly recite the following before proceeding:

I shall maintain a sense of humor about all things motherhood, for without it, I recognize that I may end up institutionalized. Or, at the very least, completely miserable.

I shall not judge the mother in the grocery store who, upon entering, hits the candy aisle and doles out M&M’s to her screaming toddler. It is simply a survival mechanism.

I shall not compete with the mother who effortlessly bakes from scratch, purees her own baby food, or fashions breathtaking costumes from tissue paper. Motherhood is not a competition. The only ones who lose are the ones who race the fastest.

I shall shoot the parents of the screaming newborn on the airplane looks of compassion rather than resentment. I am fortunate to be able to ditch the kid upon landing. They, however, are not.

I shall never ask any woman whether she is, in fact, expecting. Ever.

I shall not question the mother who is wearing the same yoga pants, flip-flops, and T-shirt she wore to school pickup the day before. She has good reason.

I shall never claim to know everything about children other than my own (who still remain a mystery to me).

I shall hold the new babies belonging to friends and family, so they may shower and nap, which is all any new mother really wants.

I shall strive to pass down a healthy body image to my daughter. She deserves a mother who loves and respects herself; stretch marks, dimples, cellulite, and all.

I shall not preach the benefits of breast-feeding or circumcision or homeschooling or organic food or co-sleeping or crying it out to a fellow mother who has not asked my opinion. It’s none of my damn business.

I shall try my hardest to never say never, for I just may end up with a loud mouthed, bikini-clad, water gun–shooting toddler of my very own.

I shall remember that no mother is perfect and that my children will thrive because of, and sometimes even in spite of me.

Celebrate differences

I came across this blog posting today, and it was just what I needed to read. There is so much to worry about and contemplate while raising kids these days. Every parent wants their child to be normal, "standard". But, the truth is written so well in this blog. I need to value and recognize that God made us all differently, and what may seem strange to me, or not "up to standard", is perfectly fine for the little boys in my life. Jeff and I may have created them, but they are not us. They are their own, individual person. Check out what this dad of little boys has to say-

http://www.themobsociety.com/2012/04/when-you-think-you-have-a-troubled-boy/


"Before they can be men, they must be boys."

A reflection

"A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase."

Milestones

It's been awhile since I've written! Time has gotten away from me, I guess. A few new things have been happening around the Miedema household. First, our sweet Luke is 6 months old now! I can barely believe it. Those had to be the fastest 6 months ever. It seems like time is flying faster than it did with Caleb. He is such a sweet little baby, and I love watching the ways he changing and taking on his own looks and personality. I just had some 6 month pictures taken of him today, and I will share a picture below of this handsome fella!

Jeff celebrated his 28th birthday March 1st. We didn't do anything too special, but I think he had a good day. We're both inching towards 30....scary!

I've also started a 'diet' of sorts; basically just cutting out carbs and sweets (which KILLS me), and eating less. I've alreayd dropped close to 10 pounds and I feel great. Sure, I do miss my favorite foods, and I know I won't be able to keep this up forever, but none the less, it feels good to get in to some old jeans, and lose some baby weight. Losing weight is like good vs. evil. It is not fun, and you miss your favorite foods, but you see the results, and you like them!

Anyways, not much else is happening for now. We're enjoying the unseasonable warm weather this week, and hoping it sticks around!

Here's my little Lukie, and Jeff with his boys (Caleb didn't want a shirt of at the time!).

You just never know

As of late, there has been some sad news around us. This world is a tough place, and so many things happen that we will never understand.

Recently, our financial advisor was diagnosed with brain cancer, and a girl that went to school with Jeff had her husband suddenly pass away of a heart attack at age 29. She is left with 2 daughters, ages 3 and 3 months. Both are heartbreaking situations, and I just don't know how you cope with these things. My only answer is that you need to have faith and hope. Faith in a higher power, and hope that all things will end up okay.

It's situations like this that really make me stop, and think about just how fragile life is. You never know when your last breath will happen, or the last time you will talk to a loved one. I am fortunate to have not experienced this to a great degree in my life yet, but I know there will be a time when it will. It's incredibly difficult to live in every moment, but if we don't, how will we ever appreciate what we have? I also think if you don't have faith in God or whoever it is that you pray to, you will have the hardest of hardest times.

As I heard recently, "Life is just a speck of sand in the desert, compared to what eternity is." Hold your loved ones tight today, and appreciate their lives.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

>"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

Naptime blessings

Caleb has been having a terrible time taking naps this week, and I'm just about at my wits end with him. He screams, cries, yells, and makes a ruckus, which then wakes Luke up. I've tried threats, going in the room multiple times, and telling him he needs to nap RIGHT NOW. This afternoon looked like another one of those days, so I just sat down right next to his bed, and stared at him. I have a pretty good stare, and he would close his eyes, then suddenly open them to see me staring at him. Finally, after about 20 mintues of me saying nothing and just sitting there and staring, he drifted off to sleep. Maybe I've been approaching this whole thing wrong. Maybe he just wants to know I'm there and it's feels comfortable (Or scary...since I'm staring at him!). But, whatever it is, I just sat there. And a million things went through my mind. I found myself praying for him, and thinking about how fast time is going. There's something about a sleeping baby or child that makes me reflect. Maybe it's the peacefulness of the moment. I don't know, but I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

I remember Caleb sleeping just like our little Luke is right now. I don't know where the time has gone, or why it's going so fast. I thanked the good Lord for sending me these boys, for trusting me to take on the role of raising them. I asked for guidance, wisdom, and patience.

My greatest prayer and wish for my boys is that they are happy. And healthy. I want nothing more for them. I want to erase every bad thing that will ever happen to them. I want them to always know they're so special. I want them to be strong, compassionate, and forgiving. And I want them to know I love them more than words will ever express, always and forever.

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings."

First family vacation

We took ourselves to Great Wolf Lodge last week on a quick one-night trip. We wanted to test the waters of traveling semi-far away, and see if lugging two small children and tons of stuff is even worth it. Well, I'm happy to say, it was! It was fun to have a little trip and do something out of the norm as a family.

I have fond memories of traveling with my family when I was younger. Although I'm quite sure we won't be treating our family to the sort of vacations I went on (Thanks Mom and Dad!), I hope we can make it a point to get away SOMEWHERE each year. Camping is fun, but it isn't quite the same as a real, bonified trip. I think vacations and traveling with your kids opens up a lot of doors not only for family bonding, but it's also beneficial for both parents and kids. Parents get to share in the joy and excitement of their children taking in new things, and kids get to take in new things that will build lasting memories, and maybe open their eyes to things they didn't know existed.

Vacations do take money, which is why we probably won't go on very many. Ha! But, even the quick trip to Traverse City or the U.P. is a nice change of scenery.

I think we'll start saving for Disney World...or The Grand Canyon...or Mexico...or Hawaii...Or...ok. I'll stop now.

Friday quote

When I find a good quote, I like to repost it. There are so many ups and downs when parenting. It's so hard to remember your sweet little baby when he's balling his head off for an hour. Or when your almost 3 year old has a tantrum. I do my best, as every parent does, I'm sure. You just have to roll with it I guess!

I wanted to share a few pics of my sweet FIVE month old baby, and my silly 2 year old. I really love them!

Oh....here's that quote. It's pretty much the truth. I need to remember it all the time!

"My attitude shapes my children’s behavior. More than any other variable, it is my attitude that calls the shots.”

My Heaven on Earth

I found this picture I took at Black Star Farms a year or so ago, and fixed it up a bit. I'm going to frame it and hang it somewhere in our house. I just love it. Beautiful horse, beautiful barn, beautiful vineyards.

My sweet tooth

Good gracious. I have SUCH a sweet tooth, and it needs to be pulled out!

I recently joined the new up and coming 'thing' on the world wide web; Pinterest. It's basically a big old pile of stuff, like recipes, fashion, pictures, decorating ideas, and whatever else you can think of. You can share and "pin" items that you like. It's pretty much pointless, but I have seen some pictures and recipes of things I really, really, really need to make. Well, not really, because they're full of butter and sugar, and all things deeeelicious.

I do figure it's better that I just look at all of these recipes instead of actually making and eating them. If I had super metabolism, I would eat cookies,cake, ice cream, bars, and candy for every meal. But, I don't. I have van Baal genes (No offense, Dad. I'm proud to have them! Usually...).

I do find in general though, I love to bake. I love baking more than I like cooking, and this is the first problem. My husband is also addicted to cookies and needs a daily snack; kind of like my 2 year old son. Hehehe. So, what's a good wife and mom to do? Just not make any sweet treats ever?! That would make me a very mean lady. And I just can't do that.

I did find a recipe on Pinterest though, that I will most certainly be making very soon. It only had 5 ingriedients! Here is the recipe so you can share in my very sweet tooth.

http://www.notrachaelray.com/2011/09/27/5-ingredient-mm-peanut-butter-bars/

"I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert."

Boys should be Boys

I have started reading a book called, "Boys Should Be Boys". It's by the same author as a book I read last winter about things that make you a better mother. I figured I should read a book about raising boys, since I am not a boy and don't know anything about them. Besides that they like trucks, food, and girls. Hmm. So anyways, I'm about half way through this book so far, and I am finding it to be very interesting, thoughtful, and eye opening. It is a geared a little more towards raising the teenage boy, but this is something I will need to be prepared for in a few years anyways. The book is constantly reinforcing that our boys are being bombarded by bad media, bad influences, and poor parents. I'd have to agree. Not only is this happening to boys, but girls as well. The author is a pediatrician and has seen her fare share of boys throughout their growing up years. She stresses the need for parents to always be present, vigilent, and understanding. Apparently, boys develop emotionally early, but things like common sense and maturity are later.....like early twenties. Interesting....eh? That explains alot...he,he, he!

Last night I read a chapter titled, "A Mother's Son". The chapter is about the effect mothers play in their son's lives. The first paragraph hit me like a ton of bricks. It goes like this:

" Beneath the ethereal joy a mother feels at the first sight of her son lies a nugget-sized ache wrapped in fear. Her infant son needs her. She loves him unconditionally. But she also feels the ache of knowing that he will grow into a man and leave, and one day belong to another. She will protect, adore, and nuture this tiny boy until he becomes a man, and then the ache will feel overwhelming. As a man he will leave, and life as mother will never be the same for her. From the moment she clings, she prepares herself ever so slowly for the eventual release."

I wish this wasn't so true, but it is. It's so strange because I really did/do feel this way. I knew since the day my boys were born that our relationship will forever be special, but this time where they are completely mine is very, very fleeting. It brings a tear to my eye. On the other hand though, I am proud and looking forward to raising two boys into men of character, faith, strength, and love. At least I hope to do this.

By they way....I need a daughter at some point. I will keep going until I get one. ;)

"A daughter is a daughter for life. A son is a son until he takes him a wife."