We had a great time on our little trip to Florida this past week! Although the weather wasn’t what we were hoping for, we made the most of our time away!
We (My Mom, Dad, Robb, Grayden and I)  left for Jacksonville, Florida early Wednesday morning. We flew from GR to Detroit and then to Jacksonville.

Grayden did great on the flight!  We brought lots of snacks and toys but he was pretty entertained by the other passengers or by looking out the window!




We stayed at the Hyatt in Jacksonville. It was right next to the river so we had such pretty views!

The first night we had a welcome reception.



The guys got to compete in ‘cooler cart’ races!
 
Both my Dad and Robb were chosen to race! It was so much fun to watch!



Robb ended up winning his heat so he got to compete for first place in the final round!

He WON!



And as his prize he’s getting a cooler cart of his own!
He is super excited!
The next day (Thursday) the guys were off to different meetings and seminars for the convention they were at.

but the girls and Grayden got to hang out and have fun!
We spent a little time at the pool but it was really cloudy and a little chilly at times so no one actually went swimming!
The pool was on the roof top on the 19th floor!

The guys had some free time in the afternoon so they got to go on a charter fishing trip! They had lots of fun and I’m sure they will never forget it! The water was really rough so poor Robb ended up loosing his lunch in the Ocean!
At night there was another dinner and award ceremony.


They raffled off door prizes and Grayden was chosen to pick a winner. He reached in (with a little help from Grandpa) and pulled out a name…..and guess who’s it was? Robb!!! What are the chances of that? I’m not sure how many people were at the dinner but the whole ballroom was full so it was a lot! He won a $250 American Express gift card! How lucky is that!?!

Late Thursday night my sister Lisa flew in to stay with us the rest of the weekend.

More to come!

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I am so thankful for Grayden and the joy he brings our family. He is the sweetest little boy and I can't believe how much he has stolen my heart!

I am so blessed to have him for a son. I know the Lord specifically placed him in our family for a reason. I can't imagine life without him.

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I'm thankful for my home. As much as I love vacation there truly is "no place like home."
Robb and I have lived in this house since the day we got back from our honeymoon, we have lots and lots of memories in this house.

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I am thankful for my health. Robb and I watched the movie "My Sister's Keeper" the other night and it brought back so many memories and lots of tears. I am so blessed to be feeling great and have that part of my life behind me now. I pray that I never have to go down that road again. Its hard to think about how sick I would be right now if I had not gotten my transplant when I did because I feel so healthy today!

Thanks be to GOD!

What are you thankful for today?

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Today I am thankful for vacation and safe travels! We flew to Florida yesterday morning on a business trip for Robb and my dad, but Grayden, my mom and I are on vacay!

We are having a great time! So much to blog about when we get back!

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I am thankful to be an American with the freedom to vote in yesterday's election! Another one of those things I take for granted.

image source

What are you thankful for today? Link up here and I'll be back again tomorrow with another thanksgiving.

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I am thankful for our son Brenham, it was 3 years ago today that we found out we were pregnant with him. Our lives completely changed that day and I feel so blessed to have been chosen to carry him for those 21 weeks and be his mom.

Brenham changed my life and the lives of lots of people in his short little life.
What a special little boy you are Brenham Jay!

What are you thankful for today? Link up here and I'll be back again tomorrow with another thanksgiving.

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I am so thankful for my loving husband, Robb!
I often take for granted how blessed I am to be married to him and loved by him! I need to do a better job of thanking God for a godly husband and thanking Robb for his love and all he does in our marriage! It's such a gift to be treasured everyday.
I'm praying for those marriages that are struggling right now and for those who are waiting for that special someone to love you.


What are you thankful for today?
Link up and I'll be back again tomorrow with another thanksgiving!

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Our cute little golfer!

 

 

(he shot a double bogey, so disappointed!)

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Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year. We enjoy all things Fall!
  *Art Prize in GR was earlier this month:

this penny was made out of pennies!

*This year we were in the Pumpkin Fest Parade in Zeeland riding on the MOPS float!
This was our first time at this parade and I must say I was super impressed! We will definitely be back!

our float was pulled by a mini-van! how fitting!

*Chili night and pumpkin carving by my parents house:

( if I look a little skeptical of Robbs carving abilities its because I was I have control issues, I wanted to snatch that bad boy and carve Mickey Mouse out myself !! I didn’t though and he did great, ha!)

 

*We’re taking Grayden trick or treating to some friends and family on Saturday! I can’t wait to dress him in his ‘costume’!

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{October 2009}

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Robb and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last wek! Robb happened to have a vacation day left so he took the day off to hang out with me and Grayden!

Our day wasn’t anything too exciting but we still made it special just by being together!
I can’t believe we’ve been married 5 years already, I’ve had to recount several times just make sure that’s right!
We’ve grown more in love with each other as each year passes and I’m proud to have reached such a milestone.

When I think back to our wedding day I never would have guessed that we would go through such trails that made us really live out what we promised each other in our vows that day….for better or for worse, in sickness and in heath, for richer or for poorer.

We’ve been so blessed!

 

Here are a few pictures from our wedding day (sorry they’re so blurry)

October 14, 2005

photos taken by junebug photography

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We had such gorgeous weather this weekend here in West Michigan (which by the way, this weeks giveaway is just for you my fellow West MI readers! Be sure to check it out!)
We spent a good portion of our days outside enjoying the warm days. A friend and I exchanged family photo sessions in hopes of getting just one good one for our Christmas cards, well it turns out that I love them all!

kisses for daddy!
over all Gray did pretty good...
...but he had a hard time sitting still ;)

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Two years ago I had my kidney transplant, I remember that day like it was yesterday.
To read back through the blog posts from that day start here and continue by clicking 'newer post'. I take time every once in awhile to read back through those days and weeks after the transplant and it brings me right back to those moments of fear, joy, and anxiousness. Its so amazing to look back and see God's hand in all of it.

I have so much to be thankful for!

Praise God with me for his goodness!

Lamentations 3:22
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;”

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so you know its happening fast when you see your child all day, everyday and still realize how fast they are growing up!
One of the biggest changes we've noticed lately is his vocabulary and understanding of our words. I've started writing them down just for my own knowledge *and maybe a little to show off how proud we are :)*
-hi
-bye
-please
-thanks
-pacey(the dog)
-pass(pacifier)
-turtle (my current fave!)
-pup
-shoes
-fish
-whats that
-i don't know
-hat
-YEAH!
-no-no
-all gone
-truck
-ball
-milk
-snack
-uh-oh
-boom
-duck
-yummmmm
-poop
-nigh-nigh
-cheese
-elmo ( I can't stand that red, furry puppet and never thought i would let my child watch him but alas i do. things change when you have a cutie asking for "elmo peas" and pointing to the tv or computer! how could i say "no" :)
-book
-puc (cup)
-how are you?
-mom
-dad
-hot
-amen
-monk (monkey)
-nucks( knuckles, fist bumping)
-baby
-weeee

I think that's about it, he can say tons more if we ask him to, but these are the words he knows and uses in context.


He also knows all the animal noises and truck tractor noises so anytime we're driving down the country roads and we see a sheep or cow or horse he'll start baa-ing, neigh-ing or moo-ing and anytime we see a big tractor or truck he'll start bvroom-ing! He's known these for a couple months already but now he's recognizing them himself and knows the noise that goes along with it without us asking!
I'm so proud of him!

ETA: For those of you who've asked, Grayden has always picked up on things really quickly, from when he pulled himself up to stand at 5.5 months, started walking behind push toys at 7 months and to knowing all the motions to patty-cake at 8 months. We don't work with him much, I think he's just super observant and is eager to learn. I'm not sure how much of his intelligence is genetic but I certainly know he didn't get his smartness from me :)
While we are certainly proud of him, what he can and can't do doesn't matter at all to us, the important thing is that he's healthy. What really matters is how he will use his gifts to glorify our Lord!

If you're proud of your kids you'll want to check out my giveaway page so you can show them off yourselves :)

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It's been almost 5 years since I've been in a wedding dress so I was excited to be able to wear a few bridal gowns for the Downtown Holland Wedding Walk this past weekend! There were two shows one on Friday and one on Saturday!

The other model, Bailey, and I before the show!

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Tomorrow afternoon my friend Anne's precious little newborn, Ellison, will be having surgery on her esophagus.

Please pray for her and her family during this scary time. I know that God will take care of Elli and she will be good as new after her surgery but I as a parent I know that no one wants to think of their child in pain or see them hurt so please pray for Josh and Anne as well.
I'll be posting updates on Anne's blog as soon as I hear anything. So keep on eye on her blog tomorrow!
Thank you all for your prayers!

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Our pastor asked our congregation this question in church this morning. As I scanned the sanctuary I saw many members of our church family that I assumed would have had the same answer as I. Yes, I have been angry with God. Have you?

Maybe its because you lost a child, or suffered a painful illness, lost a spouse or your job. Maybe you're struggling with family issues or financial difficulties. I think in one way or another we have all been there. Even people in the Bible were mad at God; Jonah, David, Job...we are all human. The important thing is that we don't stay angry with God. The bible tells us in Psalms 10 verse 14 that God cares about our needs and understands our hurt.
We are his children and he loves us and wants us to trust in Him even when times are tough. He will see us through.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).

In my own life I have seen God's love for me even more during those times of grief and anger towards him. He will "never leave you nor forsake you". (Hebrews 13:5)

Happy Sunday Friends!

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