It's Way Too Hot

Sunday afternoon, Grandpa and Oma Spelts came over for dinner and to see Taylor and Landon. Taylor always likes the special attention she gets and Landon always likes to be held so BOTH kids were happy.

Today we met up with my mom, aunt Teri and aunt Tish to plan for Joann's baby shower. We went to Desert Ridge so that Taylor could release some energy and play in the water. Although she loved it as always, I won't be going back until it cools down. So that means October.... After we left Desert Ridge, we headed home after briefly stopping at the grocery store. This delightful adventure only took one hour with both kids breaking down at some point. Sad to say, I had to spank Taylor for purposely dropping a heavy bottle of Gatorade on poor, innocent little Landon sitting in his carseat all sweaty and hot.

The NICU follow-up nurse from Thunderbird Hospital also stopped by today to tell me that she is extremely happy with Landon's results and that visits like ours make her day. Today Landon weighed in at 14 lbs. and 1 ounce and is 25.5 inches long. Our little baby is not so little and has almost doubled his weight since birth. She said his wanting to eat every two hours at night might be contributing to his large size. Ya think?!

Video of Hank at Gymboree

Here's the video link I was telling you about from Friday at Gymboree.

Catch Up

Sorry, I'm a little behind so this post will cover the past three days of Schepemaker fun. On Thursday, Kalyn come over for the day and I watched three kids -- a 2-month-old, a 6-month-old, and a 17-month-old. It was a busy day and reminded me that two kids for now are good! On Friday we were back to Gymboree for open gym time. Of course daddy was the center of attention AGAIN! He was actually offered a job there. Ha ha! The above photos only capture a glimpse of his goofiness and that is why we love him so much. Supposedly my neighbor has video tape of this craziness and will sell it to me for a small price to eventually post on our blog. Anyways, we are off to the neighbors for a little fun.

Squish Squish

Middle of the Week Fun

Today we had a playdate at Shelbi's house. Shelbi has a one-year-old daughter, Grace, and they live just a few houses away. Actually, everyone at the playgroup today lives within 60 yards from our front door. How nice it is to have neighbors going thru the same life phase we are in. In the above photo, is Landon and Vincent. They are only a month apart. The next photo is of Taylor, Katie and Grace. We've made a rule that no one is allowed to move away from the neighborhood until the kids are grown! Now Hank and I are off to our first "date" since having Landon. Grandma and Grandpa Schepemaker will be here at any moment. Curious as to what exotic plans we have? Well let me tell you...we'll be fine dining at Chili's and then off on a deeply romantic tour at the local Home Depot. I can't complain though...at least we have food to eat, a roof over our heads, and companionship.

Getting Ready for Bed

Dinner Time Fun

Hey! No Laughing at the Dinner Table :)

Good Ole Times

It's a blast being able to play and have fun with someone so close to you. For nearly 10 years Rachael and I ate dinner without this kind of blessing!!! Now we can enjoy the spirit of a child. Taylor is a crack up. She really gets us rollin' and she totally knows how to turn up the notch. We'll only have this kind of fun at our table. It will be Manners! Manners! Manners! at yours unless of course you want to get the party started!!

Welcome to the Family

Taylor and Landon have a new cousin! Christopher Michael Spelts was born on June 20 at 12:38 pm weighing 6 lbs, 4 oz. and measuring 19 inches long. Christopher came quickly and a little early, and we are so happy that he is finally here. Above is a family photo of my step-brother Stephen, Joann and baby Christopher. The next photo is of Taylor checking out her new cousin. She's got the word "baby" stuck in her cute little head. It's neat that Landon and Christopher are cousins and only two months apart. Hopefully they will grow up together and become very close friends.

Back to Babbo's

It's finally Friday and for that I am thankful. Unfortunately, Hank and I were up with both kids throughout the night. Taylor came home from swim lessons last night acting fine, but we were up with her several times last night because she wasn't feeling well. She had a fever and threw up. Because she wasn't feeling well, I had a rare opportunity to snuggle with her in my bed. I have tried this several times before, but she has always wanted to jump around and play. So even though she wasn't feeling well, I was enjoying every moment of snuggle time.

I am finally paying the consequences of being up for two nights straight and have a horrible migraine. In fact, after this post I am heading to bed. This afternoon Hank came to Gymboree with us for the first time so that he could see what it was like. Taylor really enjoyed riding the see-saw. Hank really enjoyed being a goof and entertaining all of the kids. I think he may have just found his niche in life.

After Gymboree, we braved dinner at Babbo's. We knew walking into the restaurant that our kids could have a meltdown. Landon did pretty well -- he just wanted to eat when our meals were served. Taylor, on the other hand, almost choked and was pretty antsy. She actually preferred to sit on my lap for most of the meal. So the above photo is of me multitasking -- feeding Landon with a bottle, holding Taylor as she is grabbing and eating onions from my dinner plate, and trying to feed myself all at the same time.

Great news! I just got a phone call that I am now an aunt. My step-brother Stephen and his girlfriend Joann had their first child, a baby boy. I don't have any details yet, but can't wait to hear all about him.

Landon's Turn

Growth Spurt

Enjoy the cute video clip from a couple of nights ago where Landon was talking back to me in a good way :-) The big guy now weighs 13 pounds and is 23.5 inches long. He's a tank!

Sanity Check

It's supposed to be a playdate for the kids, but I secretly think it's a sanity check for us moms. Robin and Stephanie are two of my closest friends...we share almost everything...okay, we share everything. The three of us used to work at CCV and now we are friends for life!

The photo above is of all of our children who range from 2 months to 4 years old. At our playdates, the kids kind of run wild although they are well contained. We bribe them with cinnamon rolls and cookies just so us moms can have a few more minutes to catch up. All in all, the kids enjoy their time together and the moms keep their sanity yet for another week.

Gymboree

Today was Taylor's second Gymboree class and she did so much better than last week. The difference was night and day. Last week we couldn't contain this wild child, but today she was more compliant and did what was asked of her. Taylor is sure an active little person. Gymboree classes allow her to explore, release some built-up energy, and learn all at the same time. Plus I get to take the class with her and that is a treat. Landon gets to stay home with daddy.

Taylor also had another swim lesson tonight. She is quite the little fish and has no fear...a scary thing since she wants to swim away from the steps and doesn't know how to find her way back to safety. We'll just keep working on that one....

By the way, I had the cutest video of Landon cooing but for some reason this blog won't allow me to post the video. I will try again in a couple of days...the video is just precious.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Who said girls don't like to build forts...


and laugh the morning away!

Mommy! I gotta breathe!!! Whooa!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! I'm so thankful for my father and father-in-law and for the roles that they play in my life. And I am extremely grateful to Hank for being the best daddy ever. I was telling him today that I believe his best role yet is as a father. He's the fun, goofy one who can always make the kids laugh (well Landon can't laugh yet) and the creative one who prepares the best, appealing meals. I just slop the food on the high chair. Hank cuts the food up into tiny, bite-size pieces and then groups them into pretty little piles. Hank is usually the wise one who always knows the answer or gives the best advice. He is a man with integrity and compassion. Hank's faith is reflective in all that he does. And that is where I have great confidence that our children will truly see Christ-like love. I love the saying: Morals are caught, not taught. So thank you Hank for putting your children above yourself and for loving them like you do. Who would have thought that we would be so blessed by these little ones when at one time, we didn't know if we could ever have children. Thank you God!

Taylor and Landon have a special message today: Thank you daddy for being so good to us. And tell our grandpas that we love them too!

Fun Friday

I feel like this blog is all about Taylor, but I promise that soon there will be lots of postings about both kids....

This morning, Taylor had a playgroup at a neighbors house and is seated next to Grace and Maya in the above photo. These three girls will become best of friends in the coming years. After playgroup and naptime, Taylor and I took Landon to the pediatrician. We were fortunate enough to sit around for 2 hours. I think I gained a few gray hours over this "enjoyable" visit with a one year old begging to leave. Landon is now recovering from four battle wounds to the quads. Poor guy! It looked so painful, and I guess the nurse noticed I was getting upset as I was asked to pin down my child that she suggested I look away after puncture wound #2.

On a lighter note, we met up with Hank's Oma and aunt Michele (who is visiting from Denver) for a yummy dinner at Babbo's. Taylor, of course, was the center of attention and soaked up every moment of playing with her silly daddy. See for yourself....

Dancing to Barney

Taylor loves to dance. Anytime I sing her a song, poor kid, she starts to twirl in circles. So today I sprung the Barney song on her and she seemed to like it. Taylor had another great day. Her buddies Brody and Kat came over for a visit, she enjoyed McDonald's chicken nuggets for lunch, and had swim time in her new pool. Oh yeah, she had fun with her grandma and grandpa who watch her on Wednesday nights while mom and dad go to a neighborhood small group. Enjoy the video!

An Afternoon by the Pool

Taylor had a great swim lesson this afternoon with Mommy. She's makin good progress with all the routines....blowing bubbles, kicking, climbing out of the pool, floating on back, and good ol' DUNKING:) That's my favorite part. She seems to like it. I can't wait to launch her like a water balloon!

Landon was with Dad while his big sister swam. He just hung out and did a little lounging with yawning. He's a great kid and starting to use his little voice to get our attention.

The Schepemaker Girls makin' their waves. How could a Guy be so blessed!

Summer Fun

Well it's official...the Schepemaker family has finally caught up with the 21st century, and now we have our own blog. Several of my girlfriends inspired me to do this, so now here I am typing away while both kids are down for a nap. This blog will allow us to journal our days so that friends and family can see what the Scheps are up to.

This morning Taylor attended her first Gymboree class and seemed to like it a lot. I enrolled her for the summertime to help her blow off a portion of this child's energy. I pray it works! Taylor also has swim lessons twice a week. She's an independent, strong-willed and loving child who is teaching us daily.

Landon's schedule has been pretty consistent...eat, poop, eat, sleep, eat, smile and repeat. We love having a new baby in the house and so does Landon's big sister. I can't believe he is two months old today. The Lord has truly blessed us. Stay tuned for more blog entries to come....