If a picture is worth a thousand words....

...well then the progression of three photos should tell a pretty good story.

What a hoot these boys are. Is that a hug or a head lock? You be the judge.

Oh man, what joys this summer has brought to our home and hearts. We are loving our new home, spending time together as a family and finding new places to explore every week. This summer is very different from our last. Macabe and I spent last summer frequenting friends houses, the spraypark, Dow Gardens, and countless hours in the driveway together with our Lucy dog. It was an adventure together before the arrival of baby brother. I wasn't sure what to expect, nor is any mother when she adds to the family. Dad was travelling many a places, jet setting in his sales job all over North America and more. We sure missed our time with him, but had adventures nonetheless.

This summer? Well this summer is dedicated to growing families and growing hearts. Not only have we added our toothy boy Bennett to the crew (almost a year old already...where does time go?), but we have Dad home way more often now too. ALL of us couldn't be happier about this. There are days we even get to have breakfast, lunch AND dinner with Dad as he has an office in the basement now too. Macabe loves a good afternoon tackle or game of chase with Bennett and Dad before naps. It's the simple joys that we would have missed out on, had we not been here today.

More to come, as I hope to do a better job of keeping this current, since I've been re-inspired by a dear friend of mine. Thanks MB!

Certainly more photos of some of our favorite times/activities will be warranted.

Cousins, Granparents and Easter Bunnies

Time for a new update since we have a new cousin to have joined our family. Bennett is getting tired from all this waiting for another baby to come. But it was worth it because he got to sack out on Grampa'a lap (well, Grampa was excited about that anyway), and we got to meet Willa Jane Fuller for the first time. She looks just like Greta did...maybe a little more like her mama, Hannah though. Go to her blog to see those photos! (link on right)
What a handsome fella that Bennett, all dressed up for the Easter guests to arrive at the new house! For the first time, we get to have a family gathering at our house. What a treat!
This mischevious pair is always up to something. Mostly good laughs, but you never can be too sure. Usually Mac is found pushing his car around the house. He'll always tell you he's going to Nana's house, Grampa's office, Culver's or Meijer. Bennett's usually watching and laughing everytime big brother races by. Today we can hardly wait for the Easter Bunny to arrive. We heard he comes while we're at church, but I am not sure I understand it all yet. It's the bunny in my house that's confusing...not the laying of eggs behind...because I still think I'd like to grow chicken nuggets in the backyard garden this year!!!

Oooh! So proud of the Easter eggs we made! See?!?! The dye ended up being a little messy and not that exciting because all you could do was wait. So Mom got out the bright tissue paper, let us dunk pieces in water and then they stuck to the egg without trouble. Now that was some progress I could be proud of!

Other than all the Easter fun, we've been able to explore lots of new places here. We all went to the GR Children's Museum when Mimi and Gramps came to visit! There were lots of fun things to do and see here, and we loved having Mimi and Gramps there to play along. What's the only thing happier than Bennett?...Lots of Bennetts in the mirrors!

And of course, Macabe couldn't be steered away from his ever favorite bubbles. These weren't any ordinary bubbles either. They were big ones! At one point there was even one big enough for Macabe to be inside. Oh the joy of a boy inside a bubble!

Mimi and Gramps learned when they were here that it was never to early in the morning or late in the day for a good tackle.

We've Moved!

Moving Cards were sent out today, so, in the case that some of you actually check out this blog site, I thought I'd treat you to some pictures of our new "crib" and also give you a little background.

Moving Day was February 20, 2009. Almost seven months in the making, we had finally closed on a house in Hudsonville. We were packed and ready to go. In effect we had to move out of two houses, ours in Midland which had laid dormant for the last 7 months, acting only as a storage facility for most of our belongings, and Whitney's parents house in Grand Haven, MI, which was so patiently shared with us for 7 months while Kurt worked out of Muskegon. Notice, there is not a sold sign in Midland yet. Look out Hudsonville, Here come the Scholtens! Hudsonville is a conservative family oriented community located between Grand Rapids and the Lakeshore with great schools! We like the location as it was easily accesible for Kurt's work and for any future visitors. What's Kurt doing now? He's still selling Chemicals, but he was able to find a role with a private chemical distributor, Webb Chemical, that offered a territory in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. This meant he could drive to all of his accounts and be home every night after work. His job with MEGlobal (Dow Chemical) was going like gangbusters, but so was his travel schedule. Territory with Dow was best described as "North America" and was offering more and more opportunity but less and less family time. The decision was made as a family to scale back on travel and move to SW Michigan.


Come Visit! This house has a finished basement with a bathroom and 2nd living area that is waiting for you! Here are a few pictures of the basement, so you can see your accomodations! We'll wait to show you the rest of the house when you arrive!



Now for the rest of the story...As we closed the doors on the moving van in Midland, our house was not sold, but as we pulled out of the driveway for the the last time, we got a call on our cell phone and it was an offer on the Midland house. We closed on the midland house on 3/25! So we are officially a 1 house family!

"The Lord has done great things for us, and We are filled with Joy!" - Psalm 126:3

Mac celebrated his 2nd B-day at the new house, Grammy and Gramps S visited already, and we are hosting the Lepard/Oren family for Easter. And lucy?...well lucy's doing her best to support the family, though she misses her woods and her covered porch.

Birthdays

Macabe turned two years old! Where has all the time gone? A two-year well check allowed him to grace the doctor's office with his birthday suit and hat. Yes, he is almost always this goofy. We love it. The vocabulary has exploded from words into detailed sentences and continues to amaze us. He has been having fun finding new hiding places and cubbies in the new house. Bennett is now six months old! He loves his big brother and spends his days smiling and reaching to grab anything he can. He has four teeth and has recently expanded his world by 180 degrees by rolling over. Bennett too is enjoying the new house and the space and solitude his crib and new room provides. Sleeping longer makes both he and Mom and Dad happy campers.

A Few January Favorites

Notice the smiley face peeking in the background.

Big brother, little brother.

Sledding Snow Boys all bundled up.

Trouble on the Rise...more updates

These three amigos are just trouble waiting to happen. You wouldn't believe the way they entertain each other without a single toy and loads of laughter. Cousin Parker enjoys having a baby to love on since his mom and dad won't give him one.

Bennett Blue Eyes perches in his favorite place, snuggled over the shoulder, sometimes liking to be cheek to cheek.

Ahh, cookies in bed. Going to a hotel with Grammy and GrampS is great. I get to break all the rules. Hopefully they won't find the crumbs left behind. It's no problem though, I got my own getaway car for Christmas.

Catch up!...It's been too long.

My how time flies! We've been so busy just having fun together we haven't been able to visit here since Christmas! We had a visit with Santa, of course. He brought Macabe a "Cozy Coupe" car of his own and he couldn't have been more excited. Because it's still too cold, he drives it all over inside the house.

Bennett has grown tremendously. He's as cute as ever, growing more hair, getting teeth, sitting up and eating cereal. This boy smiles more than anybody. And no one can make him belly laugh like his silly older brother!

Macabe had a busy December building forts with his cousin, trying out Gramma's old typewriter and, when no one was looking, discovering that butter sticks to the window and wall when thrown!