June

After having the sandbox out all Spring, we decided to fill it up again for the summer with new sand and put up with the sandy mess so that the boys could enjoy playing in it together. The first day I think they played for a good half an hour without me there and without any arguements. I think it was worth it just for that! :)

It was getting near bedtime one night and I offered to go for a run around the block with Dorian. He took me up on it. We did run to the corner, and then from there on it was more of a nature walk. There were so many neat sticks and rocks along the way that it would have been terrible to pass them all up. :)

Levi is making pancakes with daddy! Yes, he is wearing underwear, but I haven't told too many people that he is doing quite well with potty training. I keep thinking that one day soon, he'll decide it's not so fun anymore. I'll keep praying that he'll keep making progress. I'd be THRILLED if both boys would be potty trained at one time! We've saved a noticable amount of money on diapers this past month.

After a craving for smores we decided to have a campfire one night. What great family time! It was certainly relaxing and the boys loved it. It's reminding me that we really ought to do that again soon!

look who's two!

Sunday: June 6 Levi's birthday!

After church we ate blueberry pancakes because blueberries are Levi's favorite! We opened some gifts that had come in the mail. And then we gave Levi a car bean bag chair and some books. It's hard to know what to get Levi since he really has everything he needs because of Dorian being only 20 months ahead of him. I had fun picking out some new books that I thought were special though.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.... Time for cake!

Gotta love Skype! Grandpa and Grandma Bolkema watched Levi open his gifts all the way from Iowa. The boys were both soaking in the attention, loving the new Elefun game. :)

Your life is such a blessing Levi, we can't believe your already 2 years old!

Memorial Day weekend

Lake Michigan is the place to be in the summer! This was our first time there for the season. There was quite a difference from last summer. Levi wasn't even walking last summer! Dorian wouldn't go within 10 feet of the water. They were both much more independant and brave. It's going to be a fun summer for the beach!






Memorial Day itself started out with rain, but cleared just in time that we could still enjoy the Memorial Day parade. The boys enjoyed waving their flags and waving to all the veterans. As was predicted, there was more rain in the afternoon so it worked out perfectly to head over to the hotel and swim indoors! Then we ate supper in the hotel and watched part of a movie on tv before heading back to our house for the night.




On Tuesday Grandpa Tintle rented a boat for us to take out for a couple of hours. We had packed a picnic lunch to eat on the boat and after that the boys both fell asleep for a while. It was very sunny and peaceful to ride along the shoreline, but actually quite cold. Before heading back, Nathan, Dorian and Levi all took turns at the wheel! Levi was the most assertive. :)









We then celebrated Levi's 2nd birthday with grandpa and grandma before they had to leave. Levi blew out his 2 birthday candles. Everyone enjoyed chocolate cupcakes with M&Ms. And Levi opened one of his presents. It was a handmade book that grandma and specially made for him. The other gift was guarenteed to arrive that day, but unfortunately it didn't arrive until after they had to leave. So we said our goodbyes.

A couple of hours later, Levi's second gift arrived. Daddy put his new picnic table together and we ate our supper outside. I love it that they enjoy eating corn on the cob!

Enjoying Spring!

Time to take out the summer clothes!!! Here are some things the boys enjoy doing: playing with water, playing with their neighbors Alex and Leah, riding their little bikes, and playing at Prospect Park.







May 27: Binder Park Zoo
It was a beautiful day and Nathan had been working a lot so we decided to take this day off and enjoy it together! The highlight of this zoo was that we were able to feed the giraffes. We couldn't believe how long their tongues were!