On Saturday we went to "Grandpa and Grammy's house" (Tom's parents' house), and had a very nice time! Michael knows right where the toys are kept, and heads there almost immediately when we walk through the door. :) Some of the toys are ones that Tom played with when he was little, which is really fun! Bethany likes all the exciting toys, too, and enjoys all the extra cuddling and kisses that she gets. After a delicious lunch, Tom and I went and took an afternoon nap while "Grandpa and Grammy" watched the little ones! We both enjoyed catching up on some badly needed sleep! After dinner, "Grammy" got out some cookies that she had baked, and many of us had fun decorating them with all the fun little candies/dried fruit/frosting that they had available.
Friday afternoon found us driving 5 hours up north to visit some friends of ours, the Keulen family. They live on a small farm, which was lots of fun for us city-folk! We took my sister Rachel along to help us and be with the other girls. There are nine children in their family (though two were gone at the time), which made us feel right at home(for those who don't know, Rachel and I grew up in a family of nine children also)! Michael and Bethy had never been so close to so many farm animals, and Rachel and I got to try our hand at milking goats for the first time! It was lots of fun! Michael surprised me with how comfortable he seemed to feel around many of the animals. Maybe we have an animal-lover on our hands. :) On Saturday they took us to a pretty beach close to the one we visited on our honeymoon. Michael and Bethany had never been at the beach before, so it was a first for both of them! Michael really liked it, and wanted to get down on his own two feet rather than being held. He loved all the "balls" on the ground (the rocks). :) At night we slept in a trailer on their property which was a lot of fun. Bethany loved being at their house, because she rarely had to be set down--oh joy and delight! :) Many of the girls took turns holding her and watching Michael, which was such a tremendous help to us! Because we don't have a yard at this time, it was extra fun to see Michael running around and "being a boy". By the end of the day on Saturday, both he and Bethany were totally worn out, and slept soundly! On Sunday we went to their church and had lunch afterwards with all the people. Once we got back to their place, we had to pack up and go. What special memories--we had such a delightful time!
Yesterday while Michael was up and running around, I noticed that the house suddenly got pretty quiet. Going to investigate, I found him eagerly cramming a cookie in his mouth with both hands, while the cookie container sat empty on the table, and another cookie or two was on the floor. I tried to maintain a straight face, but it was extra funny because he has only just started to like cookies about two weeks ago! I guess we'll have to make sure we watch more carefully when the cookies are out, and make the container a no-no! :)
Every year my family enjoys making a leaf house in the backyard to celebrate heaven (taken from what God told the Jews to do in the Old Testament--The Feast of Tabernacles.). It reminds us of how temporary this life is (like the leaf house turns browner every day), and causes us to rejoice in all that God has for us in heaven. They build the little "house" out of branches, and leave it up for a whole week. Many of them even sleep out there at night during that time! It is a favorite time of year for them--kind of like a vacation in the backyard. They enjoy yummy food, games, and a lot of thinking/talking/singing about heaven.
This is the week that my family has their fun celebration, so on Thursday Michael, Bethany, and I went for a visit(Tom got to spend time with everyone in the evening after work). Michael thought the leaf house was a lot of fun, and we even got to eat lunch out there! After spending lots of time in the backyard, a bunch of us walked to the nearby park. My siblings brought two soccer balls to play with. Michael got one of them, and enjoyed throwing it and kicking it around. While he was playing with it, some of the rest of us started a lively game of soccer (when you have a large family, you can easily make two teams!). I played, too, which is something I haven't done in a very long time. A little later during Michael's nap, I ran a quick errand, leaving Bethany with her loving uncles and aunts. When I came back, she was out in their leaf house with them while they were playing a game, and because it was kind of chilly out, they had bundled her up like a little snowman! My dad barbequed some hotdogs and hamburgers, and we had a yummy dinner. :) It was a lot of fun!
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