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When Madeline was a newborn, I tried taking her to Meijer by myself one evening. Bad idea!

She started screaming in the produce section, so I just stood there holding her, not sure what else to do. She then had a blow out diaper before we left the store, and I concluded that taking her to Meijer, especially with another child, was not something I wanted to do. So for the next year, I typically did my grocery shopping at 6 a.m. while Aaron stayed home with sleeping girls.

For the past year, however, I’ve really enjoyed taking Kayla and Madeline to Meijer. We have a great time together, and 90% of the time things really aren’t that crazy. They’re good helpers, and they’re a blessing to have along. I’ve missed taking them over the past month and have wanted to figure out a way to get back to our routine.

So this morning, after breakfast, the four of us headed out for some shopping. Savannah barely made a peep the entire time, and the girls were great as usual. I don’t expect all trips to the store to go as smoothly as the one today, but we sure had fun. (In fact, I’ve learned that it really helps to expect things to go wrong. Then I’m prepared for potential disasters and am pleasantly surprised when things go better than expected.)

You have to admit that this is one of the cutest pictures you’ve ever seen.

Here’s Ender, Savannah and Grey:

All the cousins:

Kayla and Ender:

On Thursday, March 20, the first day of spring, Kayla, Madeline and I had our annual spring celebration.

The morning started with bunny cinnamon rolls. Then we had an Easter egg hunt, and finally the girls opened Easter baskets. We intended to dye Easter eggs that day, too, but we never quite got around to it. So today, the day after Easter, we finally colored our eggs.

Savannah is three-weeks-old now, and she sure is growing!

At her check up today, she weighed 9 lbs., 9 oz. That means she’s gained 25 ounces in two weeks. An ounce a day is normal, but Savannah gained nearly two ounces each day. She’s in the 95 percentile for weight, height, and head size. Here’s a recent photo:

Madeline is doing well and loves being a big sister. Of the three girls, I think she’s the one with the most spunk. I love her sweet personality. She’s tons of fun and is also incredibly smart. I can’t believe the things that come out of her mouth, and she’s not even two yet! Her birthday is one month from today, and I’m sure it will be a day filled with lots of Dora. (Madeline is a huge fan!) Here’s a picture of the two littlest sisters.

Kayla, our big girl, is doing great, too. She’s learning to read and write and is a great helper around the house. She and Madeline like to help me set the table at meal times. The other morning she tried to help by carrying the full Brita pitcher to the table. I had my back turned, but when I heard her say, “Mommy, can you clean that up?,” she immediately had my attention. I turned and looked and saw Kayla entering the dining room with the Brita pitcher in hand, water still pouring out. Good thing it was just water! It ended up under the refrigerator, in the cheese and produce drawers of the refrigerator, under the china cabinet and everywhere in between! Here’s a picture of Kayla, who we also call our Little Lion:

Aaron is doing well. He had been busy with his graduate classes. One meets Monday nights, and the other is a weekend class (four weekends in March and April). He loves his weekend class, and I won’t comment on the Monday night one. Turning 30 wasn’t too bad, besides the fact that he became a little more clumsy. A couple days after his birthday he fell down our stairs, but thankfully he didn’t have any serious injuries.

And me? I’m doing great as well. My mom took 10 days off work to help with cooking and the girls. That was so helpful! Now I’m on my own. The days are non-stop busy, but as long as I focus on the blessings and not the challenges, everything goes well. It’s a joy and privilege to raise these three little girls, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.

Around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, Ender and Grey, twin boys, were born to Aaron’s brother, Joel, and Joel’s wife, Emily.

Aaron drove to Grand Rapids yesterday for a visit. The girls and I are eager to meet the boys, but we’ll have to wait until Easter weekend. Here’s a picture of Joel (holding Ender) and Aaron (holding Grey).

Here are some pictures of the girls, all at age 2 weeks. (more…)

It’s 4:30 a.m.—a time when mommies should be sleeping. (more…)

I just wanted to post a quick “happy birthday” message to Aaron before going to bed. (more…)