Karinda and Kylie's Christmas verses, so proud of them!

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Girls Disney book

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August, September, October, fun, babies, and travel!

O.K. so you know it is pretty bad when your husband is asking you if you are ever going to update the blog. It has been busy lately but can't really say with anything specific. Since the last post in August we have been doing lots of school. Things are a little different from last year with not reporting to one specific teacher and reporting to four different ones but I think this will be a very good thing! We did got off to a slow start but I think overall it will be a great year. I am understanding a little more what I am teaching and why, and have been observing the teachers while we are in Michigan. While it is impossible to give them what Innocademy can I am trying to pick up some bits and pieces to use while I teach. I am eternally grateful to them for all their hard work, dedication, flexibility, love for the kids and for their teaching. They are the hardest working bunch of people I have ever seen!
(Jaimee we took this picture to show Taylor she has a Ranch Store in Nebraska)

The last Friday in August we took a little field trip. We started out at the Sod House Museum in Gothenburg, NE. We had read about how the pioneers built sod houses out here because there was not any trees and I saw there was a man that built a sod house to show his kids and made a museum out of it. Unfortunately I accidentally erased the pictures off my camera but it was really cool to see and the lady there was wonderfully informative. From there we headed to Lexington to the Pony Express station. We had also read a lot about that in our school stuff, so it was fun to see that too. Not nearly as informative and it was in a park so the girls really just wanted to play but cool to see none the less.

The girls in front of the Pony Express Station. After that we headed to the Sturh Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. We have been there a few other times but this time we got to go into the Railroad town of 1890. It is so cool. There is someone in almost every house and store and they tell you all about what life was like in the 1890's. We all really had fun and then the girls got to go to their favorite area where they can dress up and play. It was a very fun, very educational day.

On September 13 Bryan and Amy welcomed Allie Joy into the world. Thankfully we came back to Michigan the following week so we got to see her. The girls thought she was cute but I think they had more fun playing with their cousins. That was o.k. though because then I got to hold her more.

On September 23 Brian and Kelly welcomed Jade Evelyn to the world. We were very excited to have been in Michigan for her arrival. Jade must have known we were back and it was time to come because she was about 3 weeks early. She is also a beautiful baby and once again Karinda and Kylie think she is pretty cool but really have fun playing with Carter and Trey.

While we were back we also had the Bosch Annual Hayride and bonfire. It was a little chilly and a lot of fun. The girls always love seeing their friends/cousins. After that Eric and I headed up north to get things ready for the winter and the girls stayed with Grandpa and Grandma. They had fun hanging out with Carter and going to Cranes to do the corn maze and pick apples.

Back in Cambridge we have been keeping busy with things like 4-H. It is a great program and I am very impressed, or maybe we just have some great leaders! Karinda has been elected as the "historian." Which means she writes an article for the newspaper after we have our meetings. For the month of October the kids made piggy banks with modge podge and learned all about needs and wants and saving money.

I have started a job cleaning the offices at NCP. While it is only a few hours a week that keeps my busy too, along with the All Glory service at our church. I have been keeping plenty busy.

On October 4&5 there was an NCP quarterly meeting so the girls headed back to Michigan with Grandpa and Grandma for a week and a half. They have had a great time at school, seeing friends and family, and getting spoiled. I got things knocked off the to-do list and had some good quality time with the love of my life! (Thanks moms and dads for taking such good care of the girls.)

Kylie, Carter, Karinda, and Jade.

 

We are now safely home and have another week of school under our belts!  Bridgette (the enviromental manager from ZFS) stayed for the week and that is always fun!  Now just the count down to Halloween, birthdays, and vacation!

NCP Customer Appreciation and Employee Picnic

My husband works very hard, is very busy, and is not really a social butterfly (shocker I know). I really do want to help and support him so I helped him plan the NCP Customer Appreciation and Employee Picnic this summer. We had a beautiful day and a great time!

We had some fun stuff to give away like hats and frisbees.

Keith (the corn merchandiser) did a drawing for NCP jackets. He even helped put them on some of the customers. When I asked them about
helping out the day before, they gave me a hard
time so I gave it back to them, and told them without the customers they would have no
jobs. Keith stepped up to the plate and really
helped out!

We had "Two Men and a Grill" cater the picnic. It was awesome, as always.

The Cambridge Art Club came and did some
incredible face painting!

We had a pretty good crowd with a little fun for everyone!

We had a bounce house for the kids.

Kylie, the cat.

Kylie and her rainbow face.

Karinda and her rainbow arm.

Eric turns 35!

Eric is NOT easy to shop for but he was running low on gray t-shirts and he says he is "a gray t-shirt kind of guy" meaning he only wears gray. So we picked up a pack of t-shirts and decorated them for him. We all worked on the black one.

This is Karinda's shirt.

This is Kylie's shirt.

Daddy and his girls! They were so disappointed in the morning when I told them that daddy had a lunch meeting and wasn't going to come home. Disappointed to the point of tears, so he quick ran home at noon so the girls could give him his presents and have cake with him. They wanted to take him to Winnie The Pooh in Arapahoe but he didn't think that sounded like a good time. I think he needs to suck it up sometimes, but it was his birthday.

At night they made Daddy a sign and did a little dancing show for him.

Karinda Gets Her Ears Pierced

Yup, that is right, Karinda got her ears pierced. I have no idea what made her want them done now but she decided she was brave enough and wanted to do it. I had originally thought the girls should wait until they were ten but Kylie got them done with Auntie Kelly a few years ago and they have been fine, so there wasn't much sense in making Karinda wait. So Saturday afternoon we headed to Walmart (yup they pierce ears at Walmart) with our friend Brylyn and they both got them pierced! Before we left Eric said Karinda should go first because if Brylyn cries Karinda won't do it. I agreed but figured it would be the same if Karinda cried for Brylyn. Since Karinda is older we decided that Brylyn could go first. She cried but Karinda still got it done and cried too. She is doing well with them now and loving her new addition!

We had a lot to fit in in a
very short time while we were in Michigan. After we took the boat to Laketown and climbed the big dunes and visited Great Grandpa and Grandma Top camping at the State Park. We got to swim in Grandpa and Grandma's pool with Carter and Trey.

We took another ride on Lake Michigan on Grandpa's boat. It apparently was a little cold, but very fun.

Monday morning was the first day of school. The girls were happy that it was everyone's first day of school and they wouldn't be the only ones not sure of where to go. It was a very good first day, they both met new friends and had a lot of fun!

Monday night the Meeuwsen men had a family meeting so the ladies and kids had a little pool party. I say little but that it was a lot of kids in the little pool. It was a lot of fun though too!

Tuesday night we met some more cousins (Sheldon, Jaden, Gage, Bryce, Sadie, Maggie, Taylor, and Brecken at the park. I unfortunately did not do so well with the pictures but they had a lot of fun seeing their cousins (friends) again. We also squeezed in a dinner with Grandpa Brouwer and Elsa that night.

Wednesday the girls went to school and we headed back for home!

Michigan Summer (Weekend)

As soon as vacation was done at the BBL Eric was anxious to get back to Holland and get the boat on the big lake. Thankfully the weather cooperated (just). It is funny how we forgot so quickly how Michigan weather completely determines your plans. It is sunny almost everyday in Nebraska, so if you make plans you can plan on it, not, we will see what the weather does.

We were not very hopeful on our way home as we drove through rain back to Holland but the weather cleared just in time for us to head to Laketown. The girls had a blast playing in the sand with Daddy.

Jumping in the freezing cold water too. They didn't really seem to care at all.

Taking a break, hanging out on the boat with Daddy.

And of coarse climbing the sand dune. Kylie climbed it at least three times and I think Karinda and I did two. We tried getting Daddy, Nana, and Papa to do it but they didn't make it very far.
The girls look so small on that big dune.

The view from the top!!!

Kylie heading down for the last time.

Papa and Nana took a ride with us out to the beach.

It has been a busy few weeks for the Meeuwsens. We had a great week at the Blue Beaver Lodge relaxing and getting caught up on a few projects. The water level was really low but we still had a good time boating in other nearby lakes, eventful campfires, walking in the mornings, dancing to our favorite country songs, and just having fun. We had some visitors for the week too! The Bosch family came for our annual summer trip and Brian and Carter came for a night too!

Karinda thinks it wouldn't be summer without some sparklers!

Sparklers make me a little nervous but the kids are getting older and better with them every year. Lizzie is looking older too.

This is Maddie, it was a little rainy on vacation so we did need to wear our pants for a little bit.

Carter had fun, he was not quite himself, very quiet and reserved. I think it had a little to do with more kids being there.

Ben, not so quiet, but we had a lot of fun with him!

Kylie had a great week!

Eric had a big sparkler of his own. We had some expired flares from the boat so we decided to see what they would do.

Such a big week and skipping a few to many naps Ben fell asleep on the floor in the middle of the action!

The last day the loons spent the day on the lake. They are fun to watch, they dive under the water and look for food. Karinda did a little research and they can dive over 200 feet deep and stay under for about a minute. At night another loon came for a visit. There was a little disagreeing going on, we were pretty sure there was two males and a female. They would chase eachother down, fight, dive down, and make crazy noises, it really was fun to watch.

Boys will be boys! With the lake level low this year Terry brought his new quad up for something else to do. All week long he took the kids for rides on the trails, just before dinner on Thursday night Brian encouraged Terry to try it out on the "former lake bottom". Some of it was really hard but Terry went a little to close to the water and got REALLY stuck. There was a little tension for awhile but after a few tries, and a trip to Gaylord for tow straps they got it out!

After our second afternoon of rain we played some spoons with the girls while all the boys slept. This year the girls thought it would be fun to be brave and sleep in the bunk house. The bunk house is a seperate room left from the original cabin that was on the property not attached to the cabin. It has electricity but no water. The first night before they even got tucked in Kylie was in tears that she didn't want to do it so Maddie slept in the cabin with her and after about an hour Lizzie and Karinda ended up inside too. The second night they were bound and determined they were going to do it, and they did! So, the bunk house has now been overtaken by the girls!

Our first day the girls headed over to Big Blue for a little swim, and to clean off after playing in the muck of our lake.

The girls also took golf lessons during the month of July. The day we left for vacation they had a Junior Golf Fun Day. The girls got to go out on the course and play a few holes. They had a lot of fun and learned a lot. I learned a little bit too. When we got there they needed an adult to go with the kids so he told me to grab a cart and head to hole 10. I was quite nervous because I had never driven a golf cart before but I got it figured out and we had a lot of fun.

Kylie, Gaby, and Karinda all ready to go!

The week before we left for vacation we also had VBS. We did it with the Congregational Church and the Methodist Church and we did "Shake it up Cafe." It was a great VBS for boys because there was different "science" experiments everyday. It really was a great week! The last night we had a little program for the parents and Karinda read a little during the program.

Kylie in her stylin chef hat! It was really fun getting to know some of the kids a little better.