Easter 2010

Here's some pictures from Easter weekend, having fun dying easter eggs and all dressed up for Easter services at church. I'm not sure how our kids got so cute. (I know I'm biased) They did somewhat well taking pictures, but Dylan and Maci are always ready to pose way more than Connor. Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Pinewood Derby

Last week we had the pinewood derby at church for the kids blast program. Connor is still the only one old enough to build a car and as you can see we were very excited for the races. (Last year we had quite a few victories) But when the races started we quickly realized there was a problem. Most of the cars weren't even getting to the end of the track, usually only one would even cross the finish line. Turns out they bought a little bit cheaper car kits this year (dang economy :) ) and they just weren't rolling that well. Connor's car never made it across the finish line, but his dad and mom never even touched it, he did the whole thing by himself including the Bronco colors paint job. We were so proud of him, and although it's not supposed to be about winning, you can tell by his face that at least to this kid, winning is a little bit important. A lot of kids were crying, at least Connor managed to fight back the tears, he was just mad. Tough life lessons for a little guy, someday we'll look back on this and laugh but not any time soon.

Last Day of the Year

Dylan is tired and a little impatient on his way down the mountain.

A couple weeks ago we went skiing at Sol Vista on the last weekend they were open. It was supposed to be a cold nasty day and we weren't even sure if we should go. But Sonya's Uncle Dave had a bunch of free passes so we invited our small group and made a great day of it We had so much fun, the weather was beautiful, the sun was out, there was live music, and free snow cones. (Connor had 9 and Dylan had 10) The ski day was so much fun and they ended the day with the spring splash, where they try to ski/snowboard across a huge pool of water. The boys loved watching people totally eat it into the icy cold water. It was truly a fun day.

Singing in church on Christmas Eve

Here is video of the kids singing in church on Christmas Eve. Dylan and Maci and cousin Kya are in the first song singing "Go Tell It On The Mountain" Dylan knew all the words, which was not the case for most of the kids. As for Maci, we weren't sure if she was going to sing the right song. All week she was telling us no matter what everyone else sang she was going to sing another song about Mary and Joseph. It was different every time she made it up, but we were really glad she got with the program. Connor is singing "A Shine Medley" in the second video. He is right between twin brothers who are also in his class at school. He has better rhythm than his parents that's for sure. They did a great job. Another picture of the cuties, (this one didn't make the Christmas card)

Summer at Duncan Lake w/ the DeKrakers

This summer while we were in Grand Rapids we had a chance to spend the day at Duncan lake with the DeKrakers and other friends from Calvin along with all of our kids. It was a ton of fun, we had an afternoon full of waterskiing, just like the old college days. (probably one of the reasons my grades weren't so great) Connor and Dylan also got a chance to ski on a horse shoe shaped ski. They both got up on their very first time. I was so proud. Maci however wanted nothing to do with it except standing on the ski on the shore.

Summer Singing with Grandpa

This summer while we were in Kalamazoo Michigan, I was challenged to sing "the dutch song" with my grandpa. I'm not sure that everyone thought I could do it, so we videotaped it for all to see. The story behind the song is that my grandpa used to sing this to all of us grandkids when we were little. It's a very catchy song and after all these years I still remember the words. After we made this video Connor, Dylan, and Maci continually wanted to sing the dutch song. They've almost got it mastered now, so I guess we're passing it to another generation. This is such a great memory of my childhood and time at Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Hommes Thanksgiving

Well those of us Hommes' that were in town for Thanksgiving decided it would be a great year to participate in the Turkey Trot in Wash Park. The weather was going to be beautiful so we went for it. It was a 4 mile course, we participated in the run/walk event and had a great time. I'm pretty sure Dylan could have run the whole course, and Auntie Mel could have kept up with him but thankfully they stopped occasionally to wait for the rest of us. We didn't break any speed records I finished 7399 out of 7444, but we were really hungry when it came time to eat our turkey dinner. It was truly a lot of fun, and we'll probably have to do it again when the weather cooperates like this year. Sorry about the pictures, we were obviously under a tree and lots of shadows on our faces, but you get the idea. We had lots to be thankful for and hope you had the same.